6 September 2016

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the new Boroughmuir High School to announce that twenty nine newly built or refurbished school buildings will open to pupils across Scotland during this academic year.

The new schools are part of the Scottish Government’s £1.8 billion Schools for the Future programme, which will see a total of 112 schools rebuilt or refurbished by 2020.

This will be the highest number of school buildings to open in any one year since the programme began in 2009.

Speaking during the visit, the First Minister said:

Education is at the heart of our ambitious plans for the year ahead to improve the lives of people across Scotland, and I am committed to doing all I can to improve the life chances of every child and young person. Ensuring children are able to learn in new, modern, fit for purpose surroundings is a crucial part of this.

“By the end of this parliament we will have delivered 112 new or refurbished schools across every local authority in Scotland – more than double the number envisaged when the Schools for the Future programme started.

“These new school building projects also provide an important boost to local economies through the creation of construction jobs and apprenticeships. This is key to our committment to boost the Scottish economy through infrastructure investment.”