Latest news with #LearningEstateStrategy
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
First look as Edinburgh's new £50m 'state of the art' secondary school opens
Construction of the brand-new £50 million Currie Community High School in Edinburgh is now complete. Pictures have now revealed the stunning transformation of the school. The building was handed over to the City of Edinburgh Council who appointed Kier to deliver the new high school building. This week staff and pupils started the new school year in the state-of-the-art learning and community campus. The new learning campus has been built to Passivhaus standard, minimising energy consumption and reducing the reliance on active heating or cooling systems. Make sure you keep up to date with news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here. The new school and community campus has also been designed with the needs of learners, as well as the local community in mind. It includes a four-court sports hall, a gym hall, fitness suite, dance studio, a Passivhaus four lane swimming pool and a 3G pitch. Children, education and families convener, councillor James Dalgleish, said: 'The handover of Currie High School marks a new era for staff and pupils alike, as well as the local community, and it's fantastic to see that the new school building is officially open. 'Alongside this, it was crucial that the building met our sustainability commitments, and it is fantastic that the school is one of the very first Passivhaus secondary schools in Scotland.' 1 . Building handed over to City of Edinburgh Council The new school building has been designed in line with the guiding principles of the Scottish Government's Learning Estate Strategy. | The City of Edinburgh Council Photo: The City of Edinburgh Council Photo Sales 2 . School ready from August Construction of the brand-new Currie Community High School in Edinburgh is now complete. | The City of Edinburgh Council Photo: The City of Edinburgh Council Photo Sales 3 . 'Designed with the needs of learners, as well as the local community in mind' In addition to the Passivhaus design, the new school includes other sustainable features. | The City of Edinburgh Council Photo Sales 4 . Classrooms across three floors Aiming to encourage cross curricular and collaborative learning, the school has two large open plan learning plazas that are easily accessed by classrooms on all three floors. Designed with inclusion of all learners in mind, along with classrooms in an Integrated Support Zone, there is a sensory room and nurture room. | The City of Edinburgh Council Photo Sales
Daily Record
17-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Councillors to decide on £100m East Ayrshire school investment
The programme of refurbishment, extensions and rebuilds would cover more than a dozen East Ayrshire schools. East Ayrshire Council has unveiled a five‑year investment £100 million plan to refurbish, extend or rebuild more than a dozen schools, as well as delivering Scotland's first EnerPHit‑certified primary in Galston. The blueprint is set to go before the council's Cabinet on Wednesday ( June 18) as part of its Learning Estate Management Plan 2023‑24. The 85‑page report shows all but one of the area's 54 learning establishments are now in A‑ or B‑rated condition (13 'good', 40 'satisfactory' and only St Sophia's temporarily classed C while its deep‑retrofit is completed). Suitability has climbed too, with 26 schools rated 'excellent' and 18 'good'. However, pupil numbers remain below the council's 85 per cent occupancy target, averaging 78.8 per cent in primaries and 75 per cent in secondaries. The increasing population in the north of the authority is seeing the greatest pressure on schools, with Annanhill in Kilmarnock, Lainshaw and Stewarton primaries all above 90 per cent. And Stewarton Academy has hit 87 per cent — pressure the council hopes to ease with a £20.5 million extension and ASN wing due to start next year. Further refurbishments are pencilled in for Logan, Dunlop, Mount Carmel, Nether Robertland and Loudoun Academy, while Lainshaw Primary will gain a four‑class extension and new drop‑off loop to meet 'unprecedented' housing‑driven growth. The plan flags a 'rapidly changing profile' of additional‑support‑needs pupils: with 31 per cent of East Ayrshire children having an ASN record, and specialist placements up 153 per cent since 2017. Officials say every major project will follow Scotland's Learning Estate Strategy and the council's own net‑zero roadmap. St Sophia's EnerPHit pilot, which has received £4.3 m in Scottish Government funding, is expected to cut heating demand by up to 80 per cent and provide a template for other retrofits. If Cabinet approves the priorities, detailed design work will begin over the summer so contractors can break ground early in the 2025/26 financial year.
