TV presenter Ross King tells student award-winners ‘don’t bite your teachers!’

During a special awards assembly, pupils from three local schools were treated to a video featuring former Bankhead student King, who praised the children’s efforts.

In the charming video, he said: “Congratulations to everyone that participated.

“I can’t wait to come back to visit my old school. Have a wonderful summer vacation, be good, and don’t bite your teachers!

“Love from La La Land.”

Glasgow-born King is best known for presenting Hollywood segments on Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, interviewing the likes of Clint Eastwood and Diana Ross.

Bankhead, Clyde, and St Brendan’s primary schools each selected one top student to receive a Pupil Recognition Award in the first annual ceremony established by Yoker Bowling Club.

The ceremony, hosted by Bankhead Primary in Knightswood, saw pupils recognised for non-academic achievements before an audience including parents and city councillors Bill Butler and Eva Murray.

Lucy McLaren, from Clyde Primary, was awarded for her achievement in sports, helping local elderly neighbours, being a strong advocate for supporting people with Down’s syndrome in her community and supporting her brother.

She was also commended for helping students new to English and helping her mum overcome a recent illness with patience and support.

Andrew Saji, from St Brendan’s Primary, was awarded for his contributions to the life of his school, always working his hardest and representing his school values.

Out of Bankhead Primary’s monthly winners, Matthew McGowan was chosen as the overall winner for being consistently polite and respectful of staff and pupils, and for always trying his best and working hard.

Bankhead’s monthly winners deserving honourable mention include Jai Ramsay, Olek Stec, Lynn Wang, Zoe Coll, Andy Chen, Cara Hatton, Mahbod Ghasemzadeh Hasankolaei, and Naveen Kaur.

Winners were presented with a glass-cut crystal trophy and a £100 voucher to spend on their school from Yoker Bowling Club, gifted by president Terry Duff and treasurer Gary Earl.

The winners and their families will be invited to a dinner at the bowling club hosted by Mr Duff, Mr Earl and the vice president of the club.

Mr Earl said: “It’s about trying to establish links in the community and bring everyone together.”

The bowling club will turn 175 years old in the next couple of years, so Mr Earl and Mr Duff hope occasions like this will help build up to the big milestone and engage community members of all ages.

Fiona Earl, the principal teacher at Bankhead Primary, said: “It’s been such an amazing morning to see a full year of work be pulled together.

“The excitement each month of going into class with a trophy for the people that always do their best, consistently, and all the key buzzwords that the children were striving for, you could see that in their faces today.

“They were so proud to know that they had been the monthly nominated winner, and then the excitement of us announcing the overall winner was just amazing for everyone.”

She added: “We need to make sure this initiative continues with the community, and it is all about the community partnership.

“We are so grateful to Yoker Bowling Club and to have relationships with our two local primary schools.

“It is absolutely a good inspiration and when the children have seen Matthew today receive the award, and all the hype that’s gone with it, I think children are now ready for August and to be the first winner.”

Councillor Butler said: “I thought it was a wonderful ceremony. It showed that all of the pupils in the local primaries are working very hard.

“They have achieved a lot. They’ve achieved a lot in caring for each other, making sure that they respect all the staff in the school, of thinking of others and not just themselves, and that’s a great achievement.

“These achievement awards are testimony to what young people can do when they are supported by wonderful staff.

“And the staff in this school, in Bankhead, and across the other schools, have been absolutely wonderful. It’s been a joy to be here.”

Councillor Murray added: “I think it’s a fantastic celebration of all the achievements of the school, the pupils and the teachers and what they have achieved in the last year.

“I also think it’s just brought that sense of community again that’s just been so absent for the last couple of years.

“Getting to see the young people in a room together celebrating, but also just the connection with local organisations, like the Yoker Bowling Club, it’s the basis for going forwards and it’s a really, really, great achievement.”