A NUMBER of Wee County schools have created virtual tours to give some insight to pupils transitioning to a new building.

Made using 360 degree cameras, interactive tours for Alloa and Lornshill academies as well as Abercromby PS are allowing new P1 and S1 school children to take a peek inside the spaces they will be learning in.

The projects came as Covid-19 disrupted normal school life and is looking to support the intake of pupils arriving in August.

At one point it looked impossible to facilitate any types of visits for children, whose anxieties can be eased by an opportunity to get to know their new learning environment.

However, it is hoped the project will be able to help children moving into the next chapter in their education journey.

The virtual tours are supplemented by videos from headteachers and contain plenty of useful information.

Education chiefs at Clackmannanshire Council worked with digital learning innovation expert Pam Currie from Tablet Academy Scotland to bring the project around.

Pam said: “Although it’s always going to be better to visit in person, we didn’t know if this would be possible so the virtual transitions projects have been a great solution to give that immersive experience of actually being in the school and meeting the staff.

“The tours are a bit like Google Streetview where you can view the inside of the buildings in 360 degree images with links to videos, documents and forms all appearing inside the tour.”

All schools in the Wee County are supporting transitioning pupils in their own ways and information will be shared with parents and carers via educators.

Lorraine Sanda, head of education services at the local authority, added: “Starting a new school is an anxious time for learners and it was important for us to do all we could to make that easier, even in these challenging times of school closures.

“The existing Scottish Government guidance on health and safety and social distancing makes it difficult this year.

“These virtual tours offer a unique and exciting digital way for learners to explore their new school before the new term begins.”