The campus, which is being built by Morrison Construction, was due to bring pupils from five schools together on the one campus this August.

The build was progressing on schedule when the lockdown was called on March 23, after which guidance from the Scottish Government meant that all construction work on site had to stop.

Morrison Construction will be back on site to finish the build, but an updated completion date won’t be expected until the end of June.

Linda McAulay-Griffiths, the council’s head of education, said: “The impact of COVID-19 has affected every part of our society and every business. The construction industry has not been exempt from the lockdown restrictions, which have been essential to protect the NHS and saves lives. This means that Morrison Construction have not been able to get onsite to complete the build and the campus will therefore not open in August as planned.

“Teams across the council are liaising closely with the Scottish Government and Morrison Construction and as soon as we have received appropriate guidance from the government work will restart. We sincerely hope that when the new guidance is issued, our contactor will then be in a position to declare a completion date by the end of June.

“Our teachers and young people have been following the build closely and with great excitement. We will continue to keep them informed as plans progress and when the building work restarts.”

Contingency plans have been put in place for the 2,500 pupils due to attend the new school after the summer holidays.

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