£800m schools upgrade in Scotland

Scottish Education Secretary John Swinney has revealed that 25 new schools and campuses are to be constructed or refurbished to provide modern, state of the art learning facilities for approximately 21,000 children and young people across Scotland.

Scottish Government funding, alongside local authority contributions to Phase 2 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme, will enable almost £800 million of investment across 18 local authorities. The programme will deliver digitally enabled, low-carbon schools and campuses, ensuring they are inclusive and welcoming places that meet the needs of the whole community.

The Learning Estate Investment Programme follows on from the successful Scotland’s Schools for the Future (SSF) Programme which to date has delivered 116 new or refurbished learning facilities, with the final project in the programme due to open in April 2021. The SSF programme will have benefitted approximately 78,000 pupils who will now learn in fit for purpose, good or satisfactory condition schools.

Swinney said: “I am determined that our pupils have access to high-quality, up-to-date facilities that parents, staff and children can be proud of. This next phase builds on our commitment and proven track record in replacing schools in the poorest condition so that more children or young people can be educated in high quality buildings and ensure equity of provision.

“Scotland’s construction industry has worked incredibly hard to deal with the many challenges presented by the Covid pandemic. This funding will help the sector, sustaining many jobs and providing a welcome boost to communities across the country. Many of the projects will include wider community facilities and integration as part of the new school build or refurbishment. These facilities are so much more than just a school where children are educated, they are the centre piece of communities with links to the wider learning estate such as further education facilities and community libraries.”