Deputy First Minister lays foundation stone
The foundation stone for Scotland’s most innovative and ambitious community learning project – the £ 68m Barony Campus in Cumnock – has been laid by Deputy First Minister John Swinney.
The new building will offer unparalleled educational, sporting, social, enterprise and leisure opportunities to children, young people and the local community.
Welcoming the Deputy First Minister to the site of the new Campus, council leader Douglas Reid, said: “East Ayrshire is leading Scotland with this Campus, which has been brought to life thanks to the input from pupils, parents, teachers and the wider local communities.
“East Ayrshire Council has education and the success of our children firmly at the heart of our Capital Investment Programme and I am delighted to welcome the Deputy First Minister to lay the foundation stone at the Barony Campus.
“This is easily the biggest capital investment we have ever undertaken and the Barony Campus will be nothing short of extraordinary.
“It will offer an up- to- theminute learning and teaching environment to enable every child and young person to reach their full potential, regardless of their background, as well as giving the local community access to a host of superb sports, leisure, educational and social facilities.”
Deputy First Minister, John Swinney said: “I would like to thank East Ayrshire Council for inviting me to unveil the foundation stone at the site of the new Barony Campus and help mark the start of the process which will result in a fantastic facility that the whole community can be proud of.
“The innovation and design fits perfectly with our vision for education into the future and I congratulate the Council on what promises to be an outstanding new facility for all.
“I wish the school, and everybody in it, all the very best for the future and look forward to visiting the Campus again once it is completed.”
To mark the occasion, pupils from all schools and members of the local community prepared time capsules to be buried on the site, containing items of local relevance and importance. The young people delighted guests with their explanations of the contents of their capsules, which included school ties, photographs, press cuttings, timetables, music items and teacher survival kits.
John Swinney commended the young people for their contributions, saying that they were “outstanding in how they represented their school and great examples of why Scotland can be confident of its future”, before donning a VR headset to take a virtual tour of the new Campus.
The name of the campus pays homage to the heritage of hard work, togetherness, community spirit, pride and respect - hallmarks of the mining history in the local area.
It will comprise four new establishments: Robert Burns Academy, an amalgamation of Auchinleck and Cumnock Academies) Lochnorris Primary School, welcoming pupils from Barshare and Greenmill Primary Schools
Hillside School, which will be purpose built for young people with complex additional needs, retains its name Cherry Trees Early Childhood Centre, which will deliver the new early years arrangements for children from Barshare and Greenmill Early Childhood Centres.