PRIMARY pupils have devised a unique new way to bring their local community together.

Youngsters from Alexandra Parade Primary are opening the city's first public cafe - run entirely by school children.

Dubbed Crumble and Crust, the venue will be open seven times between now and the end of the school year.

As well as teaching pupils a raft of valuable new skills, it is hoped community members will get involved.

Teacher Gayle Eccleston said: "We have been involved in Education Scotland's Food For Thought project for the past four years and so we were looking to do something a bit different that would involve the local community and bring people together.

"We sent letters home asking for parents and pupils to name the new cafe and Crumble and Crust was the favourite suggestion, voted for by pupils.

"We are really looking forward to opening the doors and inviting everyone in."

Youngsters at the Dennistoun school have been grafting to make every detail of their new cafe perfect.

For the launch, P5 and P7 pupils are doing the work and have been hard at it in the kitchen making food to sell from a menu they have devised.

Mrs Eccleston said the cafe will provide a wide learning opportunity for youngsters.

As well as studying healthy eating, food technology and menu planning, pupils will learn business skills as they will have to make their books balance.

They will also be working the tills and learning money handling.

Marketing skills are also on the curriculum as, after yesterday's launch, the school wants to get the word out for the next cafe opening.

There will also be waitressing and customer service skills to get a handle on.

Mrs Eccleston added: "The children will be learning such a wide range of skills that they will be able to keep with them as they move through secondary school and on to the world of work.

"We also parents to know that healthy eating and food technology skills can be transferred from school to the home - so everyone is having the chance to learn."

Youngsters were selling homemade flapjacks, banana muffins, tuna pasta salad, sandwiches and salad.

Next time the cafe opens it will be P3 and P5 who are in charge of the venue - and the menu.

Pupils also chose the prices so the most expensive thing for sale is coffee at 50p.

Mrs Eccleston said: "Our hope was that parents picking up their children will stay and we have families with lots of children so we wanted to keep the prices low and make sure everyone can be involved.

"For our future cafes, which we're arranging dates for, we'd really like the local community to come along.

"The pupils were really excited ahead of the launch - and I was a bit nervous.

"But this is something we'd definitely like to keep going and expand in the coming months and years."

Crumble and Crust cafe will open from 3.15pm til 4.15pm with the next dates to be announced.