Our school gives our young people high quality, inspirational learning experiences in a safe and caring environment. Read our story, a note from our head teacher, information about our early years class and primary school, and our staff profiles.
Our story
The school in Lamlash first opened in 1946 alongside the secondary school on the same campus. At this time the school was known as Lamlash Junior Secondary.
Lamlash Primary School now shares a campus with Arran High School for children aged 3 to 18.
The school is four miles from the ferry terminal in Brodick, in the picturesque village of Lamlash.
The primary school building was originally erected in 1981, and extended in 2001. It comprises of three closed classrooms, three open areas, a sensory room, library, gym hall, administration offices and extensive playing fields and grounds.
Our Early Years Class is situated in the High School building, which was built in 2008. And all our young people have access to the facilities in the High School.
The school in the community
The school plays an important role in the community by encouraging pupils to help others in the community where possible.
Our children are encouraged to organise activities in which contributions are given to support local charities. At Christmas time the pupils have entertained senior citizens at Trust Housing. We work with Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST), the local emergency services and other local organisations.
In the 2023/24 session all classes from Primary 4 to Primary 7 were able to spend a session with COAST (Community of Arran Seabed Trust) on their boat and the opportunity to explore the COAST discovery centre.
Pupils got the chance to have a go at driving the boat and they got to view our village from the water!
Sport Scotland School Sports Award
We are holders of a Gold Sport Scotland School Sport Award, 2024-2026. This award is a national, Lottery funded initiative designed to encourage schools to continuously improve physical education (PE) and school sport opportunities.
The award:
- Encourages schools to self reflect and continuously improve
- Puts young people at the forefront of the decision making and planning of PE and sport in their school
- Helps schools to increase young people’s opportunities and engagement in PE & school sport
- Helps schools to put PE & school sport at the heart of their planning, practice and ethos
- Recognises and celebrates successful PE & school sport models
Extra-curricular activities
Throughout the year, after school sports activities are organised in which pupils
have the opportunity to learn and practise a variety of skills.
We work very closely with our Active Schools coordinator and feed into local sports clubs wherever possible. Activities in the past have included, cycling, running, swimming, football, table tennis, basketball, netball and many others.
Our youngsters regularly participate and have success in annual events, including the island Swimming Gala and the Arran Music Festival, as well as other regional and national sporting and cultural competitions.
See below for more information about:
>> Early Years Class
>> Primary School
>> Parent Council
School documents:
A note from our head teacher
Dear parents, carers and friends of Lamlash Primary,
I am delighted to welcome you to our website. I hope you find it helpful, interesting and informative. Please get in touch with the school if you have any comments or suggestions regarding the content of the site – we very much value the role that a home/school partnership plays.
Our school values are Ambition, Belonging, Compassion and Trust; our curriculum and extra-curricular programme provides opportunities for our young people to develop and demonstrate these values and our website will showcase these.
I look forward to working with you to support the learning and development of all the young people in our community.
Susan Foster, Head Teacher
Early years class
Our Early Years Class is located on the same campus as the primary school and Arran High School.
Our aim is to provide a safe, stimulating, nurturing environment where children are encouraged to explore and learn through play.
We pride ourselves on our outdoor learning experiences. We are fortunate enough to have access to the woods opposite the early years building and have a fully qualified Forest Schools Leader as part of our team.
Whilst learning through play, children in the Early Years Class will be developing skills in maths and numeracy, health and wellbeing, literacy and English, technologies, sciences, religious and moral education, expressive arts and social studies.
Session times and options
We operate as a North Ayrshire Model 1 establishment – full year only.
A total of 23.75 hours per week for 48 weeks with the following attendance patterns available to parents.
Morning sessions 8am – 12:45pm
Pm sessions 1:15 – 6pm
2.5 day options offered in the following option choices
Option 1: Monday, Tuesday 8am – 5:30am Wednesday 8am – 12:45pm.
Option 2: Wednesday 1:15pm – 6pm, Thursday, Friday 8am – 5:30pm.
Parents can choose any of the following attendance patterns and these will be allocated in accordance with North Ayrshire Council admissions policy this can be found on North Ayrshire Councils early learning and childcare website.
Any further information please contact the school office.
Information for Early Years Class parents
Morning and afternoon snack is provided by North Ayrshire and follows up to date healthy eating guidelines.
Lunches and a light tea are provided for am, full day and pm attendees depending on which session they are attending on the day.
Lunches are served at 11:45am and tea is served at 4:15pm.
We do get rather wet, muddy and messy on most days, so please also provide a bag with a change of clothes.
It would be helpful if you can clearly label all jumpers, polo shirts, jackets, gym style shoes for indoor use and wellies with your child’s name.
Your child will have their own online learning profile created using the Seesaw app. For help with using Seesaw please see our Seesaw for Families booklet:
To order Early Years Class uniform, please contact the school office.
Seesaw for Families Booklet – Updated September 2024 – https://lamlashprimary.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/seesaw-for-families-update-2024.pdf
Primary school
Lamlash Primary School is a non-denominational school, based on the same campus as the Early Years Class and Arran High School.
There are approximately 59 pupils, currently divided into four classes, P1/2, P3/4/5 and P6/7.
We offer a broad and balanced curriculum to all pupils in accordance with Curriculum for Excellence.
We have a particular focus upon encouraging learning in the outdoors given our location and we work in partnership with many local organisations, such as the Arran Outdoor Education Centre and Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST), to provide exciting curricular opportunities for our children.
Our focus upon Health and Wellbeing extends to our approach to physical activity and we work closely with our North Ayrshire Active Schools co-ordinator to provide our pupils with many varied sport experiences throughout they time with us.
Music also plays an important role in the life of our school and we aim that all of our children in P6/7 have the opportunity to take part in brass lessons. Children also have an opportunity through the Isle of Arran Music School to learn traditional instruments such as pipes and drums.
At school your child will have their own online learning profile created using the Seesaw app. For help with using Seesaw please see our Seesaw for Families booklet:
Seesaw for Families Booklet – Updated September 2024 – https://lamlashprimary.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/seesaw-for-families-update-2024.pdf
Joining the school
Find out more about joining the school, or preparing for the transition to the High School:
>> Joining Primary School
>> Preparing for the transition to the High School
To order Primary School uniform, please use the ipayimpact service. Any questions about this can be directed to the school office:
Our staff – we are currently updating this page to reflect changes in our staffing.
Senior leadership team
Ms Lockhart, Head Teacher
Update coming.
Mrs Santos, Depute Head
Mrs Santos is our current acting depute head teacher here at Lamlash Primary School. Before joining us on Arran, she was Head Teacher of a small island school on the Isle of Bute and previously Deputy Head Teacher in London, where she also held the remit of SENCo. ( special educational needs coordinator) Mrs Santos holds postgraduate qualifications in Headship, Inclusive Education, and Nurture, as well as a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. She recently took two years out to complete a qualification in Fashion Technology, combining her love of creativity, sustainability, and design. She is passionate about inspiring children through creative, hands-on learning that links STEM and the arts. Outside of school, she enjoys sewing, exploring nature, and travelling.
Mrs Bunting, Depute Head
Mrs Bunting is one of Lamlash’s deputes. She works across our 3-18 campus, a role which she took on in June 2020. Prior to that she was the PT Support for Learning for two years and the previous six as the SfL Teacher at Arran High School. Before working on Arran, she taught Maths in secondary schools in North Ayrshire. Outside of school she enjoys walking her dog through the forestry, practicing yoga, watching rugby and listening to the cricket commentary of the radio. Her goal is to complete the daily cryptic crossword!
Ms Lyle, School office
Ms Lyle runs our office and is also one of our school first aiders. Prior to working at Lamlash she worked with lots of different children leading different sporting activities such as hockey, golf and swimming. At school Ms Lyle really enjoys engaging with pupils and has particular interests in sporting or music activities taking place in school. Outside of school she enjoys living on Arran with her son and two dogs. The summer is her favourite season because she can spend lots of time on the beach paddle boarding, swimming and meeting up with friends.
Mr Inglis, Janitor
Mr Inglis is our janitor and is a trained first aider at school. He started working at Lamlash Primary in October 2020. Before working with us he worked as a gardener at Brodick Castle and as a joiner. When he’s not working he loves being in the outdoors, gardening and walking his dogs. He also likes online gaming and spending time with his family.
Early years class
Heidi MacFarlane, Early Years Manager
Heidi started working with children 18 years ago firstly as a registered childminder then as manager of Lamlash Nursery which at that time was part of the private and voluntary sector. For the past 12 years Lamlash Nursery has been run by NA council and she has been fortunate enough to be part of the EYC team at Lamlash. Firstly, as an EYC practitioner then for 6 years as the Senior Practitioner before recently taking on the role of Early Years Manager. She has 3 grown up children and 3 grandchildren. When not at work she enjoys going for long walks with her dog Darcy, spending time with her grandchildren, reading, travelling, cooking and crafting.
Jacqui MacFarlane, Senior Practitioner
Jacqui started working in Early Years 29 years ago as a nanny in America then worked in a private nursery in Glasgow. She then had a break and worked in retail. When she moved to the island she worked in Arran Aromatics as there was no Early Years jobs available at that time. She returned to the Early Years 4 years ago and she loves being back. She has recently taken on the post of Senior Early Years Practitioner. She has 2 boys who love beach and park life. She enjoys swimming in the sea, running, socializing and drinking fizzy juice.
Cammy Dunn, Senior Practitioner
Update coming…
Rachael Clark
Rachael has recently qualified as an Early Years Practitioner after completing her placement on the island. She has spent the past 7 years working with families and communities in Glasgow running community development programmes and holiday clubs. Rachael is also an art school graduate and has exhibited around Scotland, she enjoys any chance she gets to be creative!
Rachael moved to the Island in 2019 with her husband and has worked in a variety of hospitality businesses. She now is mum to a lovely wee boy.
Ainsley Boal
Ainsley is a native to Arran, although she lived in Edinburgh for 8years. During her time away she studied Early Education and Childcare at Edinburgh College and when she returned to Arran she worked as a reception supervisor at The Douglas Hotel.
Ainsley’s outside interests include hill walking, cycling and lots of reading!
Primary school
Mrs Marriott, Principal Teacher and Primary 1/2/3
Mrs Marriott is the Principal Teacher and currently teaches in the P1/2 class. She began her teaching career 16+ years ago in England, teaching in both inner city and rural schools. After spending a year in Canada on a career break, she moved to Arran and has taught across the year groups, working in all bar one of the Primary schools on the island. She loves teaching literacy and drama as well as getting learning outside. When she’s not working she can usually be found enjoying the beach with her two girls and her dog or watching a box set on Netflix whilst eating a giant chocolate bar!
Mr Clarke – Targeted Support Teacher
Mr Clarke is our targeted support teacher at Lamlash Primary. He enjoys making learning as active as possible, using different games and activities. Learning about children’s hobbies and interests allows him to plan learning which engages the pupils he works with. Outside of school Mr Clarke enjoys running, going to the gym and climbing hills.
Mrs Southwick – Primary 1/2, 3/4/5 and P6/7
Mrs Southwick is currently working across the school, so she has a very busy week! She has been teaching 20+ years now, except for a short break when she first moved up to Arran, from Newcastle upon-Tyne, 6 years ago. Her favourite subject is English and Literacy. When she’s not at school, she enjoys running and spending time with her own children.
Mrs Henderson – P6/7
Mrs Henderson has worked in Lamlash Primary School across all age groups. She returned to Lamlash from secondment to North Ayrshire Council Professional Learning Academy STEM team a few years ago. Her original degree was in Civil Engineering and she worked as a Chartered Engineer before going into teaching. Both careers have allowed her to watch something grow whether it was a road from planning stage to completion or see a child grasp new concepts in learning. She enjoys Science and Technology topics and was responsible for the school achieving the Sport Scotland Gold award. She is also keen on Sustainability and the UN Global Goals which are more relevant than ever. Out of school she enjoys having people come to visit her at Kilpatrick Farm on the lambing live days and playing with the three ponies she has on her farm.
Miss McKinnie, Early Years Practitioner (based in Primary)
Miss McKinnie is our Early Years Practitioner based within the Primary school. This is not the first time she has worked with us, previously working as a Classroom Assistant in the Primary and an Early Years Practitioner in our nursery. She also completed her HNC placement at Lamlash around 8 years ago! When at work Miss McKinnie can usually be found working with pupils both inside and outside the classroom and keeping Mr Inglis on his toes! Outside of school she enjoys travelling, concerts and looking after other people’s dogs!
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Mrs Kabala, Pupil Support Assistant
Mrs Kabala works as a PSA at Lamlash Primary. She helps lots of different children in the school and enjoys helping them to engage with their learning. She can also help if someone is hurt as she’s a first aider. Before joining the school she took care of her own children and studied. In her free time she likes cycling, climbing mountains and taking care of the garden.
Miss Park, Pupil Support Assistant
Miss Park is one of our PSAs. She has time working in both the Primary and High School. Before she worked with us she was a member of the catering team in the high school, which provides us with all our lunches. At school she supports all members of our school community and is really enjoying getting to know the children. Outside of school she enjoys gardening and loves growing her own fruit and veg. She also enjoys spending time with her daughter and eating the produce from her garden – fingers crossed!
Miss MacAulay-Smith – Probationer Teacher
Miss Mac is currently at Lamlsh Primary to complete her probation year, working in the P3/4/5 class. We previously had the pleasure of working with her as a student on placement. Miss Mac has a special interest in Art and Design and promoting positive emotional health tools. Outside of teaching, Miss Mac loves to read, bake and travel to different countries.
Lamlash Primary School & Early Years Class 