North Kessock Primary School makes it to Euroquiz final in Scottish Parliament

North Kessock Primary School in Ross and Cromarty has won a coveted place in the grand final of the Scottish European Trust’s Euroquiz, to be held on 10 May in the Scottish Parliament Debating Chamber.

Euroquiz is a competition for Primary 6 pupils which helps them develop their knowledge of Europe and the European Union, as well as core skills such as communication and teamwork.  Over 1600 pupils from over 400 schools compete in the heats in all 32 Scottish local authorities, with the winning teams from each going forward to the final on 10 May.  The competition is sponsored by Standard Life.

To secure their place in the final, the North Kessock Primary team of Carly Fudge, Alanna Hrycenko, Scott Lyon and Gavin MacDonald fought off competition from 9 other primary schools in the Highland Council area, including: Banavie, Cradlehall, Dingwall, Dornoch, Duncan Forbes, Farr (Inverness), Kilmuir, Portree and Scourie.

The 32 finalist teams will face Quizmaster and Deputy Presiding Officer, Alasdair Morgan MSP in the Scottish Parliament Debating Chamber.  Keith Brown, MSP, Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning; Gerry Grimstone, Chairman, Standard Life; and Gerald Wilson, CB, Chairman, Scottish European Educational Trust will also be speaking at the event.  It will be broadcast live on www.holyrood.tv  from 1:30pm on 10 May.

Councillor Bill Fernie, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee said: “Congratulations to North Kessock Primary getting through to the final of Euroquiz. The competition is a great way to encourage our young people to raise their knowledge beyond their own doorsteps. I wish them all the best of luck at the finals in Edinburgh.”

Hazel Henderson, Head Teacher at North Kessock Primary said: “All our pupils, parents and staff at North Kessock are so proud of the team’s achievement. We know they will enjoy the challenge of taking part in the Euroquiz final and hope all their work in class with their teacher Hazel Munro pays off. The pupils will be watching the live broadcast and we hope that everybody in the Highlands will join with us in supporting them.”

Barbara MacLeod, National Organiser, Scottish European Educational Trust said: “We estimate that awareness of Europe has increased among 15,000 young people and their families since we began running this event and we know that teachers have found the Euroquiz to be an excellent source for lesson plans and materials.”

Rona Doig, Education Investment Manager at Standard Life added: “Standard Life is delighted to sponsor Euroquiz.  We’ve been working in partnership with the Scottish European Educational Trust since 2006 and it has been pleasure to see the competition grow each year.  The competition gives pupils the opportunity to expand their knowledge of Europe while developing their communication and teamwork skills.”

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