The keys to the new £61 million Nairn Academy have been handed over, clearing the way for pupils and staff to move into their new school after the October holidays.
Contractor Balfour Beatty formally handed the campus over on Tuesday 22 September, bringing one of Highland Council’s flagship education projects to the point where an entirely new chapter can begin for the school.
Head teacher Julie Macdonald was joined by pupils, staff, councillors and representatives from Balfour Beatty for the milestone, which was also marked with a cake made by local baker George Asher.
Parents, carers, pupils and members of the wider Nairn community will be given their first opportunity to look around the completed facilities over the coming weeks.
The three storey school has capacity for 800 pupils and has been designed to provide modern teaching and learning spaces alongside facilities which can serve the wider community.
Its sports provision includes a new synthetic grass pitch, multi use games area, 100 metre running track, games hall and gymnasium.
The building has also achieved Passivhaus certification, placing a strong emphasis on energy efficiency and reducing the amount of energy required to operate the school.
Head teacher Julie Macdonald said:
“It’s a really exciting time for all of us associated with Nairn Academy.
“We are very grateful for this significant investment for the Nairn community.
“We are positive about the benefits the development will bring to our young people, colleagues, partners and the wider community.
“Our Balfour Beatty contractors have done a fantastic job.
“We have enjoyed working with them from the initial plans through to completion.
“They have engaged well, keeping us informed and included throughout the process.
“It has been brilliant to watch the build take shape and it now provides us with a fantastic teaching, learning and social space.”
The new academy is the second of three Highland schools being delivered through the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme, following completion of the Tain 3 to 18 campus.
Work has also begun on the new Broadford Primary School.
Councillor John Finlayson, Chair of Highland Council’s education committee, said:
“What we have in Nairn is an outstanding facility, and a high-quality learning environment that will serve the young people of the catchment area and the wider community, for years to come.”
For Nairn, the handover is also the culmination of years of work to secure a replacement school.
Councillor Michael Green, Chair of the Nairnshire Committee, paid tribute to former teacher, minister and councillor Tom Heggie, describing him as a driving force behind the project.
He said:
“This is a proud day for Nairn.
“The handover of this outstanding new campus marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for pupils, staff and the wider community.”
The academy forms part of a much larger programme of investment planned across the Highlands, with the council’s £2.1 billion Highland Investment Plan intended to improve schools, infrastructure and public services over the next 20 years.
For pupils and staff at Nairn Academy, however, the most significant moment comes after the October break when years of planning and construction finally give way to everyday school life inside their new home.
