- Latest phase of £2 billion programme announced
More school building projects across Scotland will benefit from a
share of the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme
(LEIP) to build new, modern, state of the art facilities.
Ten local authorities are to be awarded funding in the third
phase worth £450-500 million, which includes three
Additional Support Needs (ASN) schools and a total of six
projects which include ASN capacity.
The £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme is a joint
programme with COSLA and follows on from the successful £1.8
billion Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme, which
delivered 117 new or refurbished learning facilities across
Scotland from 2009 to 2021.
The successful projects are:
- Hazlehead Academy (Aberdeen City)
- Mull Campus (Argyll and Bute)
- Lochies ASN School (Clackmannanshire)
- Lenzie Academy (East Dunbartonshire)
- Carrongrange ASN School Extension (Falkirk)
- Forres Academy (Moray)
- Chryston High School Extension (North Lanarkshire)
- Kirkwall ASN Centre (Orkney)
- Brae Campus (Shetland)
- Riverside and Letham Primary School (West Lothian)
Education Secretary said:
“I am determined to deliver excellence and equity across
Scotland’s schools, and ensuring that pupils are educated in
modern, state of the art facilities is an important part of that.
“This latest phase of the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment
Programme will continue to support local authorities to deliver
improvements in our school estate, and ensures continued progress
in ASN provision in particular. This latest round of investment
means that every Scottish local authority which submitted a bid
has now received funding for a project in Phases 1, 2 or 3 the
Learning Estate Investment programme.
“As a direct result of Scottish Government investment, the
proportion of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition has
increased from 61% in April 2007 to 90.7% in April 2023 and this
investment will build on this remarkable progress. We will
continue working with COSLA to explore how we can deliver further
improvements in the school estate, as well as ensuring provision
in those areas experiencing population growth.”
Councillor Tony Buchanan, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and
Young People, said:
“We welcome today’s announcement of the projects which will
benefit from phase three of this joint Learning Estate Investment
Programme.
"Creating the very best possible learning environments to allow
children to thrive is a top priority for our councils. Scottish
Local Government funds 50% of the programme and we are delighted
to that more children and families will benefit from access to
the improved educational environments while also contributing to
our net zero goals.
"These council led projects really demonstrate the innovation
from Local Government and partners that makes positive change a
reality in people’s lives.”
Stephen Long, Learning Estate Team Lead at the Scottish Futures
Trust, said:
“We are pleased to continue our support to improving the learning
estate in a wide range of communities across all parts of
Scotland.
"This new phase will build on the ambition of previous phases by
addressing embodied carbon, utilising zero emission heating,
creating healthier learning environments and encouraging outdoor
learning.”
Background
Phase 3 projects are expected to be completed by 2027.
