West Lothian Courier

Pupils and staff all set for big move

New school to open doors after Easter holiday

- DEBBIE HALL

Pupils and staff at Cedarbank School are getting ready to move into their new stateof-the art building.

Constructi­on is expected to be completed this month, with students and teachers moving into their new space after the Easter holidays.

The new building in Livingston is set to be handed over to West Lothian Council after delivery partner Hub South East and main contractor BAM Constructi­on confirmed the build will be complete later this month.

Cedarbank provides quality education for secondary pupils with additional learning needs from around West Lothian, and is currently spread over three locations.

The new stand-alone, modern purpose-built facility will bring Cedarbank pupils from S1 to S6 together under one roof in the same campus as The James Young High School.

Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatric­k said: “I’m delighted that the outstandin­g new Cedarbank School will be ready for pupils from next month.

“The excellent facilities at the new Cedarbank will bring the whole school together in one place, ensuring we can deliver the best possible education for the young people who attend.

“Many thanks to Hub South East and BAM Constructi­on for their hard work to deliver the new school on time and on budget during the challenges of the pandemic.”

The new school is part of a £26.5 million investment in schools dedicated to supporting pupils with additional support needs, which will see a new Beatlie School in Livingston built as well as improvemen­ts to Ogilvie Campus in Livingston and the Pinewood ASN

School in Blackburn. Roddy Clark, Hub South East’s operations director, said: “We’re proud to continue our positive working relationsh­ip with our partners in West Lothian Council as we deliver another inspiring learning estate developmen­t.

“I commend everyone involved in progressin­g the build of this new specialist facility during the challengin­g circumstan­ces of the last few years.

“The feedback from those pupils and staff who have visited the site during the constructi­on of Cedarbank has been positive and it’s encouragin­g to see the excitement grow as they get ever closer to being able to enjoy their new, modern learning space.”

Kris Moir, project manager,

BAM Constructi­on added: “We are delighted to have supported Hub South East Scotland and West Lothian Council on another firstclass educationa­l facility.

“This scheme has drawn on BAM’s expertise and extensive experience as a leading education provider in Scotland and we are proud to have played our part in the creation of this new modern learning environmen­t that will inspire pupils for many years to come.”

The facilities within the school include a multi-purpose hall, specialist classrooms for CDT, Music, Science, Home Economics, Art, IT and Life Skills in addition to standard classrooms.

There is also a kitchen/dining area and externally a mixture of

natural hard and soft landscapin­g, comprising of spaces to learn outdoors and an allotment.

A dedicated school access road has been built from Dedridge North Road, separate from the Quentin Rise entrance for The James Young High School.

Executive councillor for education David Dodds added: “The new £7m Cedarbank School will make a positive difference in lives of many local young people, giving an ideal platform to help them learn and achieve their potential.

“West Lothian already has one of the best school estates in Scotland, and investment­s in new schools at Cedarbank, Beatlie, Winchburgh and Calderwood can only enhance this further.”

 ?? ?? Making progress Headteache­r Carol McDonald, and council leader Lawrence Fitzpatric­k with officials at the site
Making progress Headteache­r Carol McDonald, and council leader Lawrence Fitzpatric­k with officials at the site

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom