SO first off I had a lengthy chat with the frog about the relative merits of the Rudyard Kipling Jungle Book versus the Disney version. I would have asked the Panda too, but she hurried off to get the tiger cubs ship shape.

It is Tuesday lunchtime at Rosneath Primary and the premiere of the school show, which had a second outing last night.

The frog, aka Gregor the depute head, explained that the school was putting on the panto version of Jungle Book because the original Jungle Book production first saw the light of day in 1967 – as did this Peninsula Primary School. But they’ve added in the Disney songs because the children were so familiar with them.

Just before curtain up I get a chance to talk to acting head teacher Marianne about another reason their jubilee year – which has a grand parade and open day on Saturday for parents, pupils, and former pupils – is a time for celebration.

When the Scottish Government brought in the Attainment Challenge to help schools up their game, Rosneath was one of the first to apply and get funding.

They’ve used it improve the reading age of their children, but also to have classes in life skills involving parents too, and for other resources including staffing and staff training aimed at looking at the most successful ways of delivering learning and teaching. And the results have been more than satisfying.

Gregor tells you too that the very fact of rehearsing for this show, involving the entire school, has made a big difference to both skills at and enthusiasm for reading, as well as finding out the definitions of new words in a fun and accessible way.

Ten-year-old Shere Khan, he assures you, dressed in regulation black and orange stripes, now knows exactly what “somewhat conspicuous” actually means.

Rosneath has also had some top up funding through the pupil equality payments given on the basis of the number of attendees on free school meals – an acknowledgment of the direct effect poverty has on kids’ ability to fulfil their potential.

Apart from all this helping families who might be living through challenging times, says Marianne, it also brings the parents closer to the school community.

Then I’m off to the main hall where the walls feature memorabilia from sixties icons Elvis, Cliff, and the Stones, as well as some seriously dodgy fashion items. Might not mean too much to the kids, but the grannies in the audience were all having collective flashbacks.

With one teacher providing piano backtracking, others in animal onesies marshalling the mini tribes, and the jannie on sound and lighting, it was all hands to the panto pump.

Having been at Kilcreggan Primary’s Scottish evening just a few weeks before I reflected, not for the first time, what a brilliant environment village schools are to grow up in.