Neilston Primary and St Thomas’ Primary are among the Scottish schools set to be rebuilt or refurbished in the first phase of a new Scottish Government £1bn investment programme, which has been welcomed locally by Renfrewshire South MSP Tom Arthur
Through the Learning Estate Investment Programme, the Scottish Government will contribute funding of between £220 million and £275 million in partnership with local authorities across the country to replace 26 schools, with a further phase of investment to be announced within 12 months.
The announcement coincided with National Statistics showing the proportion of schools in good or satisfactory condition increased from 61.1% in April 2007 to 88.3% in April 2019. The School Estates Statistics 2019 also showed that the proportion of pupils educated in these good or satisfactory condition schools has hit a record of 89.6%, up from 60.8% in 2007.
Tackling the climate emergency is central to Scotland’s new Learning Estates Strategy, with lessons learned from previous education infrastructure projects informing future construction to create low carbon digitally enabled schools and campuses. Scottish Futures Trust will manage the programme on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Neilston’s MSP Tom Arthur commented:
“I’m delighted to see Neilston included in the first phase of this new investment programme, which I am sure will be a real boost for pupils, teachers and parents, as well as the wider community.
“This investment builds on the progress made over the last 10 years, with 928 schools built or substantially refurbished since 2007.
“Yesterday’s announcement is great news for Neilston and East Renfrewshire, and I look forward to these projects progressing.”
East Renfrewshire Council Leader Tony Buchanan added:
“This is fantastic news for East Renfrewshire from the Scottish Government that will see millions invested in a new education campus in Neilston.”
Background
- The £1 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme was announced in November 2018.
- Scotland’s Learning Estate Strategy can be viewed online.
- School Estate Statistics are published annually.