Excited primary school pupils were given an exclusive tour of the construction work at the new £40 million Queensferry High School yesterday.

The P6 pupils from local primary schools will be the first pupils to start S1 at the school which is due to be completed in Spring 2020.

Initial works on the school, being delivered by hub South East in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, started earlier in the year. The main building works, being delivered by Morrison Construction as the lead contractor, are now underway on the site.

The proposals include greatly enhanced sports facilities such as a larger games hall and a six lane swimming pool (increased in size from four lanes after taking into account community feedback), a new fitness centre, dance studio and floodlit 3G and 4G pitches.

The plans make many areas easily accessible to the public such as the assembly space within the school which is multi-functional with retractable seating that can be used for drama shows and film screenings. Similarly, areas like dining, CDT, food tech and art have been positioned so they can be easily accessed by the community for out of hours classes for maximum use of all these areas.

The new school is being built on the current school’s playing fields and, following completion, the old school will be demolished, with the area landscaped and a new pitch created on the site.

Councillor Ian Perry, convener for education, children and families at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It was great to see the construction work on the site progressing so well on our fourth new high school that we have built in recent years. This demonstrates our commitment to investing in our children’s education with the additional financial support from the Scottish Government’s Schools for the Future programme.

“With the expanding population in Queensferry our exciting plans for the school will provide much-needed community facilities and many of the areas will be easily accessible to the public which I’m sure they will be delighted with.”

Councillor Alison Dickie, vice convener for education, children and families at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The new Queensferry High is a great example of how we are taking every opportunity to innovatively build schools for the future that are fit for 21st Century learning. An important element of the school design is the many aspects that support greater accessibility and inclusion for all young people.

“The learning support and guidance suite has been purposely designed with direct input from specialist staff and the interior environment, in terms of lighting and acoustics, furniture and decoration, has been designed to accommodate pupils with a wide range of needs.

“We will continue to develop the designs of our future school projects so they can support the needs of all learners and provide a much more inclusive environment promoting greater health and wellbeing.”

John Wood, head teacher at Queensferry High School, said: “The event marks a seminal moment in the new build as we progress from the planning stage to that of construction.

“It will be exciting to see the new school take shape over with innovative learning spaces and resources which will benefit both the school and wider community well into the 21st century.”

Roddy Clark, hub South East’s projects director, said: “It’s exciting to be on site now that main construction works have begun, with Queensferry High School now a step closer to reality.

“As well as providing high quality, modern facilities for pupils and teaching staff, the new school features a low carbon design. This will not only deliver energy efficiencies and satisfy increasing environmental targets, but importantly it should have a beneficial effect on the learning environment and educational attainment for Queensferry’s young people.”

David Wilson, Morrison Construction operation’s director, said: “We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with the City of Edinburgh Council and Hub South East as we deliver this education facility for pupils, staff and wider Queensferry community.

“Throughout construction we will continue to engage with all stakeholders while creating education and employment opportunities ensuring this project has a positive impact locally. On Friday we are hosting a Meet the Buyer event and soon West Lothian College pupils will visit site visits to learn about our industry and the opportunities it offers.”