August 27, 2026
by gw19patersonelizabet@glow
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P67 Bee Walk

Last session P6/7 were visited by the RSPB, Species on the Edge group to learn about bees. Since then we have been taking part in monthly bee surveys to detect and identify species of bees in and around both the school buildings.

This week, we took advantage of the super weather, and our new Primary 7 pupils took on the responsibility of taking the new Primary 6 pupils on their first ‘Bee Walk’. They helped them to spot and use keys to identify different species of bees.

Both the bees and the children were busy at work!

August 27, 2026
by gw19patersonelizabet@glow
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P6/7 First Week Back

We welcomed Primary 6/7 back to school this week.

We have been settling into our class getting to know the routines. We have put together our Class Charter which we will all try to follow so that we can have a happy, safe class to learn in. We have been learning about Meta-skills this week so that when we have opportunities to play we can think about the skills we are developing and how they will help us in the future. We have been busy demonstrating what we know so that we are prepared for a busy year of learning.

We are hoping for a fun year ahead!

August 19, 2026
by Mrs Irvine
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Welcome back P3/4!

P3/4 have been busy settling into their classroom, forming relationships and becoming aware of the routines and expectations.

Here are their first day pictures!

June 30, 2026
by gw19patersonelizabet@glow
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P7 Trip to Bridge End

As we head into the last few days in the Primary for our Primary 7 pupils we have taken time to head off on our overnight trip to Bridge End.

On Monday we started our adventures at the climbing wall in Aith. All the children demonstrated resilience and determination and whilst they might not all have made it to the top they all gave it a go. Our next stop was Michaels wood, a popular place for the children to visit, and whilst the weather wasn’t great it didn’t dampen our spirits. The children split into 3 teams and took part in a scavenger hunt. I can’t promise that the clues were not strategically organised, enabling the children to run up and down the woods as much as possible to help the bairns sleep that night. 🙂

We then headed to Lerwick for swimming at Clickimin, followed be dinner at the Shetland Hotel. The children demonstrated super manners and there were clean plates all round. It was lovely to sit around the table together and talk about our adventures from the day and those that were to come.

We then headed to Bridge End to get settled in. The children got stuck in organising their beds for the night, demonstrating some creative ways putting on a duvet cover! We then welcomed Joy who led an enthusiastic, if not sleepy drumming session. The children then got supper organised and we settled in for the night.

The next morning we were up and ready for the Outpost and Meal Beach, after Dean’s magic 8 ball assured us that the weather would hold for us to enjoy our day outdoors. And what a day we have had. From feeding the pigs to jumping the waves. We are so lucky to have Shetland as our outdoor classroom.

I would like to add that all the staff have been so impressed with the children this trip. They have all helped to make this trip a happy one, demonstrating our school values and creating lasting memories.

: and we’re off

: climbing wall

: climbing wall

: climbing wall

: climbing wall

: climbing wall

: climbing wall

: Michaels wood

: dinner at Shetland hotel

: Bridge End

: Room with a view

: exploring Bridge End

: The Outpost

: fun at the beach

: fun at the beach

: fun at the beach

: fun at the beach

: fun at the beach

: fun at the beach

: fun at the beach

: fun at the beach

: time for the journey home

: lots of happy faces

June 25, 2026
by Mrs Irvine
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P3/4 Trip to Burradale Windfarm and the Shetland Museum and Archives

Yesterday Primary 3 & 4 went on a trip to visit Burradale Windfarm and the Shetland Museum and Archives.

Thank you to the team at Burradale Windfarm for having us, the children were excited to see a real turbine up close and loved finding out each one had a name! It was great to see first hand how the turbines work and explore the inside of a turbine. We all learned a lot about different parts of the turbines and how they create electricity using aerodynamics. The children were really engaged and asked some really good questions to help further their knowledge.

After our visit to the windfarm, we moved onto the Shetland Museum and Archives to find out what Shetland was like before electricity arrived. We had a tour of the museum and saw exhibits that were used in peoples daily lives before electricity came to Shetland. It was interesting and we learned a lot about how life was in the past. The children loved seeing the old artefacts and getting to handle and guess what they were used for.

Thank you to Emily Van Tonder for helping us to organise the trip to Burradale Windfarm and to David, Alvar and Lyla form Burradale Windfarm for taking time to show us around. Thanks to Ellie and Mari at Shetland Museum and Archives for preparing an interesting visit and finally, thank you to the parent council for helping fund the trip. It was a very worthwhile and enjoyable day out.

June 4, 2026
by Mrs Irvine
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P3/4 Visitors

On Wednesday 3rd June Floortje and Eleanor from Skills Development Scotland came in to share an activity on renewable energy.

P3/4 identified renewable energy as the energy you can get form the sun, wind and sea. Floortje and Eleanor set the class a challenge to build wind turbines out of LEGO that could produce electricity.

The children were successful and created turbines that all produced electricity ranging form 2.4V – 5.5V. It was a very enjoyable morning that built on our current topic of electricity.

June 2, 2026
by Miss Nairn
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Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

Topic – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

We have enjoyed reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl this term. We have explored the different characters and discussed the roles they play throughout the story. The class has taken part in a range of fun literacy activities, including writing book reviews and comparing and contrasting characters. A particular highlight was creating our own chocolate sweeties and imagining that we were the new owners of the chocolate factory. This creative activity encouraged lots of imaginative thinking and enthusiasm from the class!

May 28, 2026
by Miss Irvine
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Wilder An Da Nyuggel

A few weeks ago, Whalsay Primary warmly welcomed local author, Jane Cockayne, with her first story Wilder An Da Nyuggel and Bruce Eunson from education Scotland and Shetland Forwirds.

The story follows the adventures of a Scalloway boy called Wilder and his adventures meeting a water horse / Nyuggel. It is written in both English and Shetland, translated by Christine De Luca with a useful glossary in the middle to help with any familiar Shetland words.

Bruce and Jane shared parts of the story and enjoyed super discussions and questions from each class. It’s a shame they couldn’t stay longer, next time! We were delighted to receive from Shetland Forwirds a class set of Wilder an da Nyuggel beautifully written by Jane and illustrated by Lauren Bulter so classes can enjoy reading the whole story.

Miss Irvine has been studying about teaching Scots in schools and has loved how receptive the bairns have been to all of the Shetland lessons that have taken place this year, and it was lovely to see the bairns being so engaged with our visitors.

Wilder an da Nyuggel by Jane Cockayne is available to buy from The Shetland Times Bookshop or Amazon.

May 18, 2026
by gw19patersonelizabet@glow
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Glurbs Language Quest

Further to the flyer sent home with your child today please find further information about the competition below.

We’re excited to announce that Whalsay School is taking part in a Language Angels challenge, the Glurbs Language Quest, where schools can win a school resources grant of £2000, and we need your help!

Our pupils are on a mission to boost our school’s ranking by completing fun, curriculum-aligned language lessons in the Glurbs app.

Designed by the team behind Language Angels, Glurbs features safe, structured, curriculum-aligned learning for children aged 4-12.

How to join the mission:

Download: Scan the QR code on the flyer that is provided or search for “Glurbs” in your app store (Apple or Google Play).
Register: Join the competition by pressing on the “Language Quest” button and enter our unique school code 8IY27PS.
Enjoy: Start learning and exploring! Completing planets and activities earns points for our school throughout the challenge and helps us move up the competition leaderboard!

The app is free to download and participation is completely optional.

Thank you for supporting Whalsay School and encouraging language learning beyond the classroom.

For full details, please visit www.glurbs.com.

February 22, 2026
by Mrs Irvine
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Creativity Through Primary Play

One of our core values was demonstrated in abundance through our last play session with the pupil’s expressing high levels of creativity in many forms. On show were pupils:

creating their costumes in preparation for World Book Day;
using the junk materials to make a ferry, an alien spaceship and a mini-Lucas;
creating an eco-house;
creating masks from craft materials;
building towers from KAPLA including the Eiffel Tower;
designing comic books with imaginative storylines;
continuing a project that has been on the go since the first week where a whole house is being created out of craft material.

Research shows that play is one of the most powerful tools for developing creativity in children. Through play, pupils are using their brains to support their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as children approach challenges from different angles and find their own solutions to problems. Play gives the children the opportunity to express their emotions which deepens their imagination and understanding as well as enhancing their communication skills through collaborating, negotiating and building on each other’s ideas. Play gives the children the permission to experiment through trying new ideas, making mistakes and trying again.

We, as staff, are observing and encouraging the pupils to take ownership of their learning and are seeing pupils actively engaging in their own projects. It is lovely to see the different age groups bounce their ideas off each other and working together to problem solve their ideas.

Whilst creativity is clearly on display, covering a multitude of curricular areas, it is rewarding to see our other core values of belonging, responsibility, enjoyment and health being demonstrated through our weekly play activities. Here are some photos showing our values in fine form: