East Lothian Council’s development partner, Hub South East Scotland, will deliver the new build and has appointed Morrison Construction as the main contractor, with jmarchitects leading on design.

Additional secondary school provision is needed to accommodate a growing school roll in the area due to ongoing and planned housing development. The project is part of Phase 1 of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP).

Planning permission for the new build was unanimously approved last month and preparatory works have already begun on site, with main works to begin in August 2021 and the construction works programmed for completion in summer 2023.

Alongside modern teaching and social spaces, the facility will include specialist provision for young people with complex needs, a dedicated Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) centre, and a tots and teens area.

Community spaces and a day centre for older people, as well as new sports facilities, are also planned. The building has been designed to complement the neighbouring primary school with extensive glass, access to natural light and brick-clad facades.

Councillor Fiona Dugdale, cabinet spokesperson for education and children’s services on East Lothian Council, said: “This is a significant milestone signalling that construction of the facility can proceed.

“The facility will provide additional secondary school capacity for the area and supports our vision for dynamic and thriving local communities, in one of Scotland’s fastest growing local authority areas.

“It is vital that we ensure high-quality local infrastructure is provided to meet the needs of local people and the new building will provide a fantastic, modern learning environment.

“I am confident that children and young people will reap the benefits of the new facilities which will be built at Wallyford and I look forward to seeing the site progress in the months ahead.”

Roddy Clark, Hub South East’s operations director, said: “After successfully delivering the award winning Wallyford Primary School, we are delighted to be working in partnership with East Lothian Council on a new secondary school for the area.

“It’s exciting to see the range of services which will benefit from this new, modern campus. As well as providing state of the art learning spaces for young people, it will be a real collaborative asset for the area, allowing the development of community and further education partnerships. We’re looking forward to making these plans a reality.”

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “East Lothian Council’s priority project for investment is one of the first phase of projects to benefit from the Scottish Government’s £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme.

“This school will be at the heart of the Wallyford community benefiting pupils being educated in state-of-the-art facilities. Teachers also value being able to work in modern facilities that are fit for purpose.

“We will keep working with councils across the country to invest significant funding to improve the condition of our entire learning estate.”

Development of the project is part of Phase 1 of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP), managed by infrastructure body, the Scottish Futures Trust.

Gemma Boggs, who heads up the learning estate infrastructure team at the Scottish Futures Trust, said: “A key element of the new Learning Estate Investment Programme is an outcomes-based approach to deliver high quality, well maintained, digitally-enabled learning environments that achieve ambitious energy targets.

“We are excited to see the first project in the programme start on site and will work with all our partners towards achieving those outcomes so that the new facilities at Wallyford can support the future needs of learners, both young and old, and provide the community with vibrant facilities for everyone to enjoy.”

Eddie Robertson, managing director of Morrison Construction Building Central, said: “We are delighted to have reached Financial Close on the new Wallyford learning campus, a fantastic project for our partners Hub South East and East Lothian Council and the first to reach site through the Scottish Government’s Learning Estates Investment Programme.

“The project also represents a huge commitment to the young people of Wallyford, through the provision of digitally-enhanced areas for learning such as the new STEAM plaza, establishing partnerships with employability and further education providers to provide pathways into work, and the promotion of virtual learning and Inclusivity for all.

“We look forward to providing the community with access to state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor facilities for a wide-range of activities and learning spaces.”