Work has begun on a new £8.9 million primary school tipped to provide “a wonderful asset” to a Perthshire town.
The new Alyth Primary School will involve refurbishment of the present Victorian building providing community facilities, and a new school.
A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council said work on the new part of the school is scheduled to be completed by February next year.
However, they added that it will take another four months following this to demolish most of the current building.
The £8.9m investment by the council will see the new school attached to a wing of the Victorian-era building.
Last year, Perth and Kinross Council decided to put all the children at the primary school in one class to allow contractors time to assess what space was required for the new part of the project.
There then followed a detailed design stage for the main works.
These will include refurbishment of the Victorian building providing community facilities, and a new school including nine classrooms, a gym hall, dining hall and associated ancillary facilities.
The council spokesman said: “The main construction work began on-site in January, and these works are programmed to deliver the new primary school in February 2017.
“There will then be another four months of work to demolish the current Alyth Primary School, create a new car park including nursery drop off, and to establish new external areas.
“This whole project represents an £8.9m investment in Alyth, providing modern facilities for the school and local community to enjoy.”
Councillor Dennis Melloy, one of the representatives for the Strathmore ward, told The Courier that this “major investment” in upgrading Alyth Primary School is a “very welcome boost” for the education of children and for future generations.
“The community at large will also greatly benefit, and everyone is looking forward to the building works progressing,” he said.
“It is so important for the town to have their own school, and we are fortunate in having an excellent head teacher and wonderful teaching staff.
“They have been working in difficult surroundings for some time now as it had the highest maintenance requirements of any primary school in Perth and Kinross.
“The new build of Alyth Primary School will be a wonderful asset for the town.”