New schools will be built from Aberdeenshire to Ayrshire in the first phase of a nationwide £1 billion investment programme.
The Scottish Government will contribute funding of between £220 million and £275 million in partnership with local authorities across the country to replace 26 schools, with a further phase of investment to be announced within 12 months.
A new Currie Community High School is included in the first phase.
The announcement comes on the day National Statistics showed the proportion of schools in good or satisfactory condition increased from 61.1% in April 2007 to 88.3% in April 2019. The School Estates Statistics 2019 also showed that the proportion of pupils educated in these good or satisfactory condition schools has hit a record of 89.6%, up from 60.8% in 2007.
Tackling the climate emergency is central to Scotland’s new Learning Estates Strategy, with lessons learned from previous education infrastructure projects informing future construction to create low carbon digitally enabled schools and campuses. Scottish Futures Trust will manage the programme on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Several of the projects bring together nurseries, schools – including specialist centres for pupils with additional support needs – colleges and universities in multi-purpose campuses for pupils aged from three to 18, with additional facilities that benefit surrounding communities.
The first projects in this phase could open as soon as 2022-23.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Education Secretary John Swinney and COSLA spokesperson for resources Councillor Gail Macgregor launched the strategy alongside projects at Peterhead Academy, one of four Aberdeenshire schools being replaced in this phase.
Today we announced the first schools being replaced across Scotland as part of the £1 billion schools investment programme, informed by the new Learning Estate Strategy developed with @COSLA.
Find out the first 26 schools ➡️ https://t.co/2SghgFmig2 pic.twitter.com/cbLtUO4aHF
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) September 9, 2019
The First Minister said: “This additional £1 billion investment will benefit around 50,000 pupils across Scotland, with the first phase set to upgrade and modernise schools across 11 of our local authority areas.
“This investment builds on the progress that we have made over the last 10 years. The National Statistics published today reveal that, even before today’s announcement, Scotland’s school estate has never been in better condition, with a record percentage in good or satisfactory condition. That is a result of sustained investment and we will now build on that.
“Modern, state of the art buildings can make a real difference to the lives of pupils, teachers and parents, as well as the wider communities they serve. This investment continues our efforts to improve the condition of our entire learning estate, from early years through to schools and colleges.”
Mr Swinney said: “Creating and maintaining high quality, fit for purpose educational facilities demonstrates to pupils, teachers, staff and the community how valuable learning is.
“The progress made through Scotland’s Schools for the Future has had a significant impact on the condition of schools across the country – almost 90% of pupils are learning in schools in good or satisfactory condition.
“We are committed to making even more progress and I have seen myself the urgency with which some schools require updating. The first phase of the £1 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme prioritises schools in need of updating or where there are significant capacity issues, as identified by local authorities, to ensure rapid progress where most required.”
Councillor Macgregor said: “COSLA is delighted today to launch the new Learning Estates Strategy in partnership with the Scottish Government. Over the course of the Strategy, Councils will contribute at least £2 billion to the Programme and the Scottish Government’s contribution of £1 billion is welcomed.
“The joint investment that Councils will make with the Scottish Government in Scotland’s schools over the course of this Strategy will improve the learning environments of thousands of children and young people across the country.
“Councils welcome the focus on building links across communities and across learning environments including colleges. Supporting our children and young people to access the learning journey that will help them reach their full potential is vitally important to local authorities and I look forward to the exciting opportunities for innovation that lie ahead.”
Kerry Alexander, Director of infrastructure finance and programmes at the Scottish Futures Trust, said: “As programme managers we are very much looking forward to working with our public sector partners on the Learning Estate Investment Programme to deliver world-class learning environments to support the future educational needs of learners, as well as providing vibrant community facilities for everyone to enjoy and benefit from.”
Edinburgh’s education leaders have welcomed the announcement, which will see the building of a new Currie Community High School. City council Eduction Convener Cllr Ian Perry said: “Building a new Currie Community High School has been a top priority for the Council and today’s announcement is really encouraging news.
“It’s a real boost for our ambitious plans to replace six high schools as part of our Wave 4 programme. Just last month planning permission was approved for a new Castlebrae High School with work due to start on site later this year and we have put in place funding for Phase 1 of a new Trinity Academy.
“Replacement schools for Liberton, WHEC and Balerno are all part of our plans as we aim to replace poor condition high school buildings with fit for purpose, learning and community hubs. These will be innovatively and sustainably designed so they are inspirational places for learning for the next generation.
“We already have robust business cases in place for these schools and will continue to work in partnership with the Scottish Government, COSLA and others to develop a joined-up investment strategy which will ensure the full programme of new high schools can be implemented as quickly as possible.”
Cllr Alison Dickie, Education Vice Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This announcement gives us a great opportunity to innovatively build schools for the future that are fit for 21st Century learning.
“A key element of any new school design is the many aspects that support greater accessibility and inclusion for all young people and encourages learning opportunities for the whole community. We’ve already started early engagement with Currie staff, parents and the wider community and this will now be developed further as we start detailed design planning next year.
“In line with the Council’s bold commitment of being carbon neutral by 2030 we will be looking to ensure Currie is a model for low carbon schools and investigate opportunities to achieve Passivhaus accreditation.
“As a former teacher I know how important it is to embrace innovative ways of improving the learning environment. We will ensure that our plans for new schools are designed to be inclusive and meet the wide variety of learning styles and learner needs. We are committed to creating a first-class learning estate and ensuring all our children have the best possible learning environment in which to flourish.”
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