Written by Ashley Spence, Baltasound Junior High School
At Baltasound Junior High School, the most northerly school in Scotland, we are committed to putting play and play-based approaches at the heart of our learning and curriculum. Our pupils, staff, and parents have fully embraced play, and we are proud to be a pilot school for the Play Scotland Play Pedagogy Award. Another huge part of our school ethos is celebrating what makes us unique, including our rich cultural and historical heritage. In February this always means learning about Up Helly Aa and Unst’s place in the Viking world.
As the only Junior High School on the island of Unst, we cater to pupils from the age of two right through to the end of Secondary Four, sometimes even longer. With a population of around 650 people, our school is a vital part of the local community.
Each year, our island hosts two Up Helly Aa festivals, Uyeasound and Norik, both of which bring visits from the Jarl Squads, groups of Vikings led by the Guizer Jarl, the chief Viking of the festival. Up Helly Aa is a fire festival celebrated across Shetland, featuring torchlit processions, the ceremonial burning of a Viking longship, dramatic performances in local halls, and dancing late into the night.
This year’s Norik Up Helly Aa Squad visit to BJHS had a unique twist. Derek Jamieson, Jarl for 2025, and his squad of Vikings arrived at the school as usual, showing off their impressive outfits and singing the Up Helly Aa song. However, this time, we added a play element, inviting the Vikings to take part in fun, play-based Viking activities with our Early Years and three primary classes. Derek really enjoyed his squads visit to the school, saying “The visit to BJHS was brilliant. The whole squad really enjoyed it and so good to see how engaged the bairns are with Up Helly Aa and our heritage. A particular highlight for me was getting a viking galley built for us and sailing it to Orkney in lower Primary. Chilling on our old couch in the nursery was pretty cool too! Three cheers for Up Helly Aa!!” (Derek donated his old sofa to our Nursery last year).
Each class teacher set up an activity, including bridge-building using Kapla, galley building using K’Nex, blocks, and other materials, and shield design and creative artwork. Members of the Jarl Squad were able to support, take part, advise, and observe learners at play and completing challenges. There were also lots of opportunities to try on helmets and hold axes and shields. This was a fantastic way to showcase play to the wider community, especially as many of the Vikings were parents, family members, and friends of our pupils. One of the Vikings really enjoyed the experience and said “I enjoyed playing with the blocks and building bridges with the bairns. I learned about the clamp technique using the Kapla blocks from them.”
In Early Years, one staff member brought an accordion, leading to joyful singing and marching to the Up Helly Aa song, along with a lively rendition of the Grand Old Duke of York, with learners, Vikings, and staff all joining in. An Early Years Staff member said it was “An excellent afternoon and brilliant atmosphere and the learners really enjoyed it.”
This experience has had so many benefits for our learners. It has helped us to further embed play into our curriculum and created lasting memories for all participants, hopefully inspiring some Jarls of the future. The afternoon reinforced the power of playful learning and how it connects us, not just as a school but to the whole community. Bringing pupils and community members together in this way was a fun and interactive way to encourage intergenerational learning and provide role models. Our P6/7 teacher commented “The bairns absolutely love having the Vikings in school, they came with new ideas of how to build bridges and boats and the pupils learned lots from them.”
Play was at the heart of this experience, making learning hands-on, engaging, and meaningful. Activities like bridge-building and galley construction encouraged creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving as pupils worked together to bring their ideas to life. Singing, marching, and interactive play gave learners the chance to move, explore rhythm, and develop coordination in a way that felt completely natural and fun. For teachers, this was a fantastic opportunity to observe learners in a new context, seeing how they engaged with the activities, interacted with different people, and applied their skills in a playful way. This event reinforced the power of play-based learning, showing that problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration thrive in active, immersive experiences. This event was a great example of how play can bring people of all ages together and enhance learning through FUN.
Find out more about the Play Pedagogy Award
Share:
