It's double trouble at school thanks to NINE sets of twins

Published on Thursday 9 October 2008 09:59

IT can't be the easiest thing trying to remember the names of every pupil in a class.

But teachers at St Mary's Primary in Leith have an even harder job as they have nine sets of twins – most of whom are identical.

Staff are at loss to explain why the school has attracted so many twins in recent years.

There are two sets in P6, one set in P4, three sets in P3 and two sets in P2, including Jessica and Victoria Hughes, the daughters of Falkirk manager and former Hibs player John Hughes.

St Mary's, in Link Gardens, welcomed its newest set on Monday, with the arrival of three-year-olds Beenzu and Michelo Dougan to the nursery.

In total, the 18 children make up around five per cent of the school and nursery's 329-pupil population.

Headteacher Stephen Gilhooley said he has not seen anything like it in his 12-year career.

He said: "It's quite unique.

"I have worked in a few schools and this is definitely a high ratio.

"You get the odd set in other schools, maybe even two, but I've never come across so many.

"It's really unusual to have so many in one building."

Mr Gilhooley, who just joined the school after the summer holidays, added that the school has a history of attracting twins.

"I'm just new here but our depute said there's been quite a number of twins over the years.

"There must be something in the water."

Some parents choose to separate their children during the school day by asking that they are put into different classes so that the siblings don't rely on each other too much, while others are happy for the twins to learn together.

Some of the pupils look so alike that their parents have taken measures to ensure teachers can easily tell them apart and stitched their names onto their school jumpers.

Inza Munamunungu, Beenzu and Michelo's mother, would benefit from such an aid, as she sometimes gets her own daughters mixed up.

She said: "To be honest sometimes I look at them and don't know which one I'm talking to until I look a bit closer and they always insist on wearing the same clothes."

The 42-year-old said she had been shocked by how many twins there are on the school roll.

She said: "You don't really notice twins until you have twins of your own. When I was told the school had a high number of twins, I thought there might be about three or four, but I never expected there to be so many.

"It was a complete shock when I discovered I was having twins.

"They're my first. It can be hard work but they bring so much joy.

"They fight with each other but then they'll cuddle and kiss."

The Evening News has already told how Drummond Community High School has more than its fair share of twins – and even has a set of triplets.

The four sets of twins and set of triplets are all in the same year and make up around ten per cent of the school's total intake of first year pupils.

Staff at the school made the decision to put the siblings in different classes in the hope that it will make it easier for them to make new friends.