Highland Council hails confirmation from Scottish Government that funding bids for new replacement schools in Nairn and on Skye have been successful
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A NEW replacement school for Nairn Academy is a step closer after a funding bid by Highland Council was successful.
The Scottish Government has announced that the bid, and another for a replacement of Broadford Primary on Skye, have both been accepted.
They are the latest schools to be awarded funding as part of Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s £1 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme, developed in conjunction with COSLA, and which announced the successful bid for Tain Campus in Phase 1 in September 2019.
Chairman of the council's care and education committee, Cllr John Finlayson, said: “This announcement is a major breakthrough for our school estate.
"I very much look forward to seeing work on the ground start to create new sustainable learning environments in both Nairn and Skye.
"We have done well in the first two phases of a school improvement programme which will I hope will in future result in many more communities feeling the benefit of funding from our partnership with the Scottish Government.
“As a Skye councillor who has been heavily involved in the Broadford bid and has also been working with the community, council officers and our MSP Kate Forbes, to get to where we are today, I am of course delighted that the badly needed new school for Broadford, is now nearer to becoming a reality.”
Chairman of the Nairn Committee and former teacher Cllr Tom Heggie welcomed the news of funding for a new Nairn Academy, saying: “This is a really tremendous and long awaited day for everyone in Nairn.
"The existing school is desperately in need of replacement. It is typical of the poor construction and design of buildings of its era and no amount of improvement could ever bring the building up to the standard which our young people and our teaching staff deserve.
“A new school will present opportunities for not only a greatly enhanced educational environment but also for improved community facilities. I am delighted that the hard work in putting together this bid has been successful and that we can all look forward to a top class environment for our young people to learn in.”
The Highland Council has 203 schools and Broadford Primary and Nairn Academy are on a list of agreed priorities for replacement or refurbishment.
Council leader Margaret Davidson said: “This is fantastic news for communities in Nairn and Skye and represents our ambition and a huge investment in both of these areas. It is a day for celebration to announce the building of not one, but two new schools in Highland.”
Fergus Ewing, the MSP for Inverness and Nairn, said the news was a "fantastic outcome" and followed "tireless" efforts by all involved.
He said: "This is a fantastic outcome for all those involved and I am pleased to see a successful ending after campaigning hard as the constituency MSP to bring this result.
“I want to thank the outstanding commitment and hard work from Nairn Academy teachers and pupils, the local councillors and Nairn community, that this has come about and is well deserved," he said.
“As the constituency MSP I have been engaging with the Highland Council throughout the course of this bid and offered my assistance and representation to the Scottish Government on the matter.
"I was delighted when the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney agreed to visit the Academy in August 2019, as this gave him the opportunity to see the school building first hand
“Having visited the Academy myself, I was immensely impressed to witness the enthusiasm, talent and dedication displayed by both teachers and pupils but was aware of the desperate need for a new building.
“It is through the tireless and dedicated commitment from all parties involved – after many years of hard work – that this has now become a realisation.”
