Construction on the new school began in February 2024. Mainline drainage infrastructure works have been completed while construction of a new site access road and school car park are ongoing. Work on the building substructure and reinforced concrete foundations continues ahead of delivery of the structural steelwork next week. The installation of the steelwork will mark an exciting point in the project when the outline and scale of the building will become apparent.
The new school is being built on land adjacent to the current building. Once the new school is completed and occupied, the existing school building will be safely demolished and the footprint landscaped to provide a playground area. The project has received money from phase one of the Scottish Government's Learning Estate Investment Programme, administered by Scottish Futures Trust. Morrison Construction was awarded the £18.5m contract to deliver the project in February 2024.
Cabinet member for Education and Children's and Family Services Councillor Fiona Dugdale visited the site to meet with the project and contractor teams, Whitecraig Primary School Head Teacher Viv Short and pupils.
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She said: "We have committed over £93m in our five-year capital programme for our education estate, including the development of three new primary schools, as well as extensions and upgrades to a number of other buildings. This is to help us achieve our aim to provide high quality, inspiring and nurturing environments for learning and that benefit wider communities.
"Discussions regarding a new primary school at Whitecraig have been ongoing for a number of years so it's incredibly exciting to see work underway. Extensive consultation has been carried out, including with the school's children, and architects from our in-house team have taken all of this information and translated it into a modern and efficient building design. It's great to visit site today when the foundations are being poured and to meet with the construction and project team, and, in particular, to hear from the children what they think about it so far.
"We have a strong and established relationship with Morrison Construction across a number of projects, most recently Wallyford Learning Campus, and look forward to the successful delivery of Whitecraig Primary School."
Philip Galbraith, Project Director for Morrison Construction Building Central, commented: "We were delighted to be able to invite representatives from our partners at East Lothian Council down to site to see the fantastic progress we are making. We already have an excellent relationship with the school, but it always a pleasure to invite the students to see what is going on, and find out how we are faring with creating the high-quality facilities that will benefit both them and future generations in Whitecraig in the years to come."
Viv Short, Head Teacher at Whitecraig Primary School, said: "Staff and children alike are filled with anticipation and enthusiasm for the opportunities the new school will bring. The children are excited about the sports facilities within the replacement building and are looking forward to creating new memories in their new school.
"We have all enjoyed watching the groundworks being completed and are now keen to watch the works above ground take shape. Every member of staff recognises the immense value this investment holds for our children and the entire community."
