Construction is progressing on a new £18.3 million East Calder Primary School, to replace the existing school building which is not suitable for the future delivery of high-quality education.

The project is being funded through the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP), a partnership between Scottish and local government to invest in facilities for education which is managed by infrastructure body, the Scottish Futures Trust.

The project is being delivered on behalf of the council by Hub South East with Morrison Construction as the main contractor. This is the same partnership that recently delivered the new multi-school Winchburgh development, West Calder High School and Calderwood Primary in East Calder.

To mark the start of the joint project, West Lothian Council’s executive councillor for education Andrew McGuire was joined by minister for children and young people Natalie Don MSP for a special sod-cutting ceremony.

Councillor McGuire said: “I’m delighted to see work starting on a fantastic new East Calder Primary School, which will be hugely welcomed by the local community.

“West Lothian already has one of the top-rated school estates in the country, and the superb new East Calder Primary will help ensure that even more of our children have the best possible platform for education.”

Minister for children and young people Natalie Don said: “The new East Calder Primary School will feature high quality, up-to-date facilities that parents, staff and pupils can be proud of, and I am very pleased to be here to break the first ground.

“The Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme will invest £2 billion in Scottish schools, in partnership with local authorities, ensuring many of our young people are learning in the schools of the future.”

Eileen Mackin, project director for Hub South East said: “We were delighted to welcome the Minister to site and celebrate the start of construction on the new East Calder Primary.

“Our successful relationship with West Lothian Council has already delivered a range of inspiring learning spaces and we are proud to be entrusted with the latest investment in their education estate.

“We look forward to making the plans a reality and ensuring that a range of social value initiatives are delivered locally so that the wider community benefits from opportunities during construction.”

Allan Cunningham, operations director for Morrison Construction Building Central, commented: “We are delighted to be getting underway with what is set to be another exciting schools project with our partners at West Lothian Council and Hub South East.

“As a team, we have a strong track record in delivering high-quality educational facilities for the students of the region and we all believe that this new school at East Calder will only add to that.”

The current East Calder Primary School building has a number of issues including suitability, accessibility and sustainability that make it unsuitable for modern education.

The replacement school is being built next to the existing school in Langton Road and will be completed by August 2024. The existing school will then be demolished, with the exception of recently-built Early Years extension, which is being retained.