With a capacity for 129 children, the purpose-built facility provides four new ELC classrooms with free flow access to outdoor space, inclusive of a new reception area, cloak space and servery for dining.

External improvements were made to the play area by relocating the trim trail and orchard, the provision of a new basketball court, along with improvements to the existing car parking layout, new cycle bays for active travel, and drop off provision. Internally within the existing school, the original nursery spaces have been repurposed to provide a new staff base and toilets.

Housing and property chair at the Highland Council, Cllr Glynis Sinclair, said: “It is excellent news that the pupils at Hilton Primary School have a brand new ELC building to enjoy. The building is an asset to the community but also to the council as its design will help to meet our ambitious Net Zero carbon targets which are at the forefront for leading to reduced waste, reduced embedded carbon, and reduced whole life carbon.

“Thank you to council officers and Morgan Sindall for working and collaborating together over the past three years to deliver this vital building which will help to minimise our environmental impact.”

The design of the building is also in-line with Morgan Sindall’s ‘de-carbonising communities’ strategy.

A group of pupils attending Hilton Primary School were involved in a construction forum which was created in collaboration with the school and Morgan Sindall. Morgan Sindall organised a weekly tour of the site to discuss its progress and answer questions by pupils, who would then report back with an update to their classroom.

To acknowledge their work throughout the project, certificates of achievement were awarded to the pupils of the construction forum. The certificates were signed by Morgan Sindall and the school’s Head Teacher.

Education chair, Cllr John Finlayson, said: “Well done to the pupils of the school’s construction forum for making sure that their classmates were updated each week on the progress of their new ELC building. It is great that the school and Morgan Sindall provided the opportunity for pupils to receive a unique learning experience by getting them involved directly with the project with site visits and taking the time to answer any questions they had.

“It is important that our children are encouraged to take an interest in developments in their school environment while also learning about the world of work and the construction industry. Their involvement will help to improve not only their own learning experience but also those of other pupils in the future.”