THE Scottish Government has fulfilled one of its key aims with the construction of 117 new schools in 10 years.
The project, which was jointly funded with £1.13 billion from the Government and £665 million from local authorities, will benefit tens of thousands of pupils.
Education Secretary John Swinney said: “In the last 10 years, we have worked in tandem with councils across the country to invest significant funding to improve the condition of our entire learning estate.
“In doing so, thousands of pupils have benefited from being educated in state-of-the-art facilities making their school life more pleasant. Teachers also value being able to work in modern facilities that are fit for purpose.
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“As illustrated by the latest available statistics, more children than ever before are being taught in good or satisfactory buildings. We have taken great strides to ensure our school buildings are modern and of high quality and make a real difference for pupils and teachers.
“These schools are at the heart of their communities which is why our investment has been absolutely essential. Looking forward, we will continue our successful partnership with local authorities beyond this milestone to build more schools delivered through the new £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme.”
Lossiemouth High School in Moray was the 117th school built through Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme.
The school has now been handed over to the local council and is due to open to pupils in April after the Easter break.
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Over the last decade, a minimum of one new school project has been delivered in every local authority – in addition to each council’s own school improvement initiatives.
School Estates 2020 statistics indicate that schools reported as being in good or satisfactory condition, has increased by 1.6% to 89.9% in the last year – an improvement of 29% since April 2007.
A new £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme will be managed by The Scottish Futures Trust over the duration of the next Parliament on behalf of the Scottish Government.
The leader of the education infrastructure programmes at the Scottish Futures Trust, Gemma Boggs, said: “The success of the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme is the result of an enormous collaborative effort right across Scotland.
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“As programme managers, we have worked with countless partners and organisations to improve the condition of the school estate.
“The programme has supported advances in teaching and learning practice, it has brought communities together, it has engendered collaboration within and between the public sector and its delivery partners, and fundamentally it has inspired learning.
“From the early stages of programme development to completion, SFT is extremely proud to have played its part in reaching this significant milestone.”
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