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Dozens more schools to benefit from further £330 million funding. 

The first wave of schools to benefit from the expanded Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme has been announced by Learning Minister Alasdair Allan.

A further £330 million funding, confirmed by Finance Secretary John Swinney, brings the total investment for the programme between the Scottish Government and local authorities to £1.8 billion.

The first 13 local authorities to receive funding to allow them to either rebuild or refurbish some of the poorest condition schools in their estate, was announced by the Minister for Learning at Waid Academy in Fife, one of the schools which will be replaced.

Dr Allan said:

“The Scottish Government places a huge emphasis on high quality learning and is committed to delivering high quality, well designed, sustainable schools through the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme. The additional funding is testament to this aim.

“We originally aimed to build or refurbish 55 schools across Scotland and we have already exceeded this by funding 67 projects. This extra funding will now allow us to almost double our original target.

“The new facilities being built are fantastic environments for our young people to learn in and often provide amenities for the wider community that will be enjoyed by generations to come.

“The projects are also a welcome boost to the local economy, creating apprenticeship opportunities for young people and construction jobs across the country.”

Since launching Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme in 2009, all 32 local authorities have received funding to improve their school estate. Seventeen new schools are already open to pupils with 50 more due to open by March 2018.

Councillor David Ross, Leader of Fife Council , said:

“I am very pleased by today’s announcement of further Scottish Future’s Trust funding. This investment will help us to continue with our Building Fife’s Future Programme, which has already seen two new secondary schools and two primaries built in Fife, with another three underway.

“This new project at Waid will see us continue in our partnership with Scottish Futures Trust and I’d like to pay tribute to the constructive relationship between our officers and the SFT, which is at the heart of delivering these exciting school buildings.

“We have very ambitious plans for Waid Academy, to create not just a school but a whole community hub which is both innovative and inspirational in design and which will serve all the communities of the East Neuk. Today’s announcement will help us realise those ambitions much faster.”

Gemma Boggs, schools programme director at Scottish Futures Trust, stated:

“We are delighted with the opportunity today's announcement brings as it allows us to build on the huge progress we’ve made in managing the Scotland's Schools for the Future programme.”

“We are very much looking forward to working collaboratively with local authorities to achieve the very best value for the investment in their school estate. Thousands of pupils across Scotland will benefit, as will hundreds of local SMEs when construction starts."

Notes To Editors

£100 million funding for phase four of the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme was announced in June: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/-220-million-for-schools-and-health-facilities-e4d.aspx

The further £230 million funding announced in last weeks budget statement will be allocated to local authorities in November.

The schools to be built or refurbished under the first component of phase four of Scotland’s Schools for the Future are as follows:

• Aberdeen City Council – Stoneywood Primary School
• Dumfries & Galloway Council – St Joseph’s College (refurb)
• East Ayrshire Council – Bellsbank Primary School, Muirkirk Primary School, St Sophia’s Primary School and a new campus to replace Barshare Primary School, Greenmill Primary School and Hillside School
• Fife Council – Waid Academy
• The Highland Council – New 3-18 campus to replace Tain Royal Academy, Craighill Primary School, Knockbreck Primary School and St Duthus School
• Midlothian Council – Paradykes Primary School and Roslin Primary School
• The Moray Council – Applegrove Primary School (refurb), Millbank Primary School (refurb), Seafield Primary School (refurb), and St Gerardine Primary School (refurb)
• North Ayrshire Council – New 3-18 campus to replace Largs Academy*, Brisbane Primary School, Kelburn Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School
• Perth & Kinross Council – Kinross Primary School and Tulloch Primary School
• Scottish Borders Council – Broomlands Primary School and Langlee Primary School
• Shetland Islands Council – Bell’s Brae Primary School (refurb) and Sound Primary School (refurb)
• West Dunbartonshire Council – New joint campus to replace Haldane Primary School, Jamestown Primary School and St Kessog’s Primary School, new primary school to replace Highdykes Primary School and Ladyton Primary School (refurb), and St Ronan’s Primary School (refurb)
• West Lothian Council – Toronto Primary School (refurb)

* Largs Academy replaces the previously announced Phase 3 project, a new secondary to replace Ardrossan and Auchenharvie Acadmies.

Some of the above schools will be subject to statutory processes as set out in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010