MORGAN Sindall Construction has begun work on a new £15.1 million educational campus for West Dunbartonshire Council in Renton, West Dunbartonshire.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held earlier this month to celebrate the milestone.
The main contractor has been appointed to deliver a multi-use campus consisting of a new home for the existing Renton Primary School, a new language and communication unit (LCU) and the new Riverside Early Learning and Childcare Centre (ELCC). It will be located on the site of the current primary school on Back Street, which will be demolished upon completion of the new build.
Once complete, Renton Primary School LCU and Riverside ELCC will provide 220 primary school pupil spaces to the area along with 80 in its nursery provision.
Designs by architect, Holmes Miller, focus on modern methods of teaching within the 35,000 square foot, three-storey, main building in line with the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) programme.
In place of classrooms, children will be taught in large, open plan learning areas. These will be adjustable thanks to an innovative use of furniture, which can be reconfigured for different class groups into spaces termed ‘campfires’. Special acoustic baffles will be installed to help control the noise level.
There will also be a language and communication unit (LCU) provision throughout the school, offering additional support for children with language difficulties in an enhanced setting.
Outside, there will be a multi-use games area (MUGA), a nursery play area and a general playground. There will also be two roof terrace playgrounds on the second and first floors. These will be adjoined by an outdoor slide which children can use to move between the areas.
Other amenities include a cycle shed and parking area with 68 spaces – six of which will be accessible bays, whilst two will have electric car charging capabilities.
Members of West Dunbartonshire Council attended the ground-breaking event earlier this month, alongside representatives from Morgan Sindall Construction and staff and pupils from the current Renton Primary School and Riverside Early Learning and Childcare Centre.
The ceremony began with a short speech by Councillor Karen Conaghan, Convener of and Spokesperson for Educational Services, alongside Councillor Ian McLaren, Convenor of and Spokesperson for Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development.
Work is expected to complete on the project in spring 2022.
Stuart Parker, managing director for Morgan Sindall Construction in Scotland, said: “We are thrilled to begin work on the new school and to once again partner with the Scottish Procurement Alliance on another important addition to the education offering in West Dunbartonshire.
“The new campus will provide the perfect space for a modern integrated teaching strategy, fit for twenty-first century education.”
Councillor Karen Conaghan, Convener of Educational Services said: “I was delighted to mark work beginning on such an important project which I know will enhance the learning experience for so many of our young people. I’m so glad they could join us too.
“Our aim is to provide them with a new and stimulating space which truly supports the many different ways in which children and young people learn, and to enhance their educational experience so they leave our school with the skills they need to succeed in the future.”