Twin head teacher says five sets twins starting at city primary makes this year 'extra special'

A primary school head teacher who is an identical twin has hailed the arrival of five sets of twins into p1, saying they have made this year “extra special”.

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

Currie Primary school head teacher Sally Hourston said it was ‘very unusual’ to have five sets of twins in one year group at the school which has a growing roll of more than 500 pupils.

Staff at the school, which has twenty classes, welcomed the record number of twins to the p1 class. The school now has a total of ten sets of twins, as well as one set of triplets.

Miss Hourston, 52, said every pupil is special and nobody is treated differently though admits she can’t help but feel excited when twins start at the school.

She said: “I’m delighted to see so many twins in one year. I love being a twin. There’s something very special about it.

"Me and my sister Hazel have always been very close, ever since we were little. We both went to a small rural school. I think it was harder for our other siblings because we were so close. My parents even dressed us the same. We’re so alike, people can mistake us for one another. We’re still best of friends and whenever I have some news she’s the first person I want to tell.”

She added: "Having so many twins in one year is still quite a rare event. It’s very unusual. We’ve consulted the parents and asked if they wanted to keep them together. Some opted to keep them in the same class and others wanted them to separate to mix more with others and help them to be independent. They have all had a very positive experience in the school.”

"All the kids are wee stars. They have settled in quickly and I’m so impressed by their resilience they have shown during this pandemic. It’s great to see them playing in wider groups again. We are putting a lot of focus on happiness and mental health in all our classes, lots of circle time and mindfulness. It’s so important that they all have a strong sense of who they are.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habitsbrought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.