Primary schools see double with new intake

Aug 26 2009 by Judith Tonner, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

PRIMARY One pupils at Chapelside Primary are seeing double everywhere they turn in their new classrooms – after four sets of twins enrolled for their first day at school.

The 50-strong infant intake at the Airdrie school includes non-identical siblings Daniel and Kieran Brown, Jacob and Joshua Lambie, Emma and Scott Ross, and Cameron and Jamie Thomson.

All eight have already settled in well to lessons at the Chapel Street school, where they are split between the three different classes of new starts.

Depute head Anne Crow said: “We’ve had twins at the school before but never this many in one intake, so this year is really exceptional.

“All eight of the twins have already settled in very well to Primary One, and all except Jacob and Joshua have older siblings at the school.

“The most important thing is to make sure that we really get to know each one of them, and all of our new pupils, on a personal basis as each is an individual.”

A further three sets of twins are getting to know each other and their new classmates in Primary One at St Patrick’s Primary in Coatbridge.

Kitty and Lili Doran, Benny and Taylor McAllister, and Keir and Kenzie Ross are among the 54 new pupils who started at the school on Kildonan Street last Monday.

They are also split between the three different infant classes, and head teacher Teresa McDonald says that staff and pupils are delighted to have welcomed the trio of twins.

She said: “It’s absolutely lovely for us to have them here, and they’re all enjoying being at school and are settling in well.

“Our three sets of twins are doing very well; they’re split between the classes and have already made lots of new friends.

“I’ve taught twins in the past who were so identical that the only way of telling them apart was that one wore blue glasses and one wore green; and of course you had to hope that they hadn’t switched!”