OUTDOOR learning trips for our primary 7 children are under threat due to cuts from the council, we can exclusively reveal.

Schools across North Ayrshire are having to raise money for their pupils to attend Arran’s Outdoor Centre.

Traditionally, the Primary 7 children from the vast majority of the schools travel across the water to the island for a school week of fun and outdoor learning but that could be in jeopardy unless schools raise the extra money required.

Depending on household income, there would have been subsidies in place for those unable to afford the whole cost of the trip but this has been wiped due to ‘financial challenges’.

North Ayrshire Council say that they have made additional funds available but already schools are taking part in fundraisers to ensure that no pupils miss out on the trip.

Annick Primary School in Irvine are one such school and last month they held the first ‘Great Annick Bake Off’ to subsidise the costs of pupils and staff going on the trip.

They raised £600 and other schools are set to follow suit to ensure that the gap in funding is plugged.

It is believed that the fundraisers will also cover staff costs as these were previously paid for by the council.

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “Arran Outdoor Centre was previously able to subsidise the cost of a residential excursion for North Ayrshire schools. However, in response to the financial challenges facing the local authority, the levels of charging applied to our schools for the use of this facility are now in line with similar services across the country. Nevertheless, every school is now in receipt of additional funds which are intended to reduce the impact of deprivation on learners and ensure equity of access to educational experiences. Schools are free to decide on the best use of this funding to support the individual needs of their pupils.”