Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville marked the start of work on a new state-of-the-art primary school in north Perth as she performed the turf-cutting ceremony.
The £19.9 million replacement school will house the current Balhousie and North Muirton primary schools when it opens in spring 2023.
There will be capacity for up to 500 pupils, a large nursery and provision for children with additional support needs.
Constructed on the grounds of the current North Muirton Primary School, the new campus will boast a multi-use games area (Muga) pitch for both school and community use as well as an outdoor activity trail.
The eco-friendly building will be the first primary school in Perth and Kinross – and one of the first in Scotland – to be built to Passivhaus standards.
This means the school will be constructed with materials which allow it to be heated or cooled with very little energy, with energy consumption expected to be reduced by 60% to 80%.
Local pupils, staff and parents were asked to suggest possible names for the new school and one will be finalised at the local authority’s lifelong learning committee in January.
Ms Somerville said the north Perth school will provide “state-of-the-art learning” while meeting climate change targets.
She said: “The new North Perth Primary School demonstrates Perth and Kinross Council’s continued commitment to their school estate.
“I am particularly pleased that this school will be one of the first primary schools in Scotland to be built to Passivhaus standards where energy-saving measures are an integral part of the building design.”
The school’s construction is supported by Scottish Government funding through the £2 billion learning estate programme.
The remainder of the project – thought to be around 50% – is being funded by the local authority.
Ms Somerville continued: “This facility will provide state-of-the-art learning environment that the pupils and staff of the current Balhousie and North Muirton Primary Schools and the whole community can be proud of.”
Councillor Caroline Shiers, convener of the council’s lifelong learning committee, said: “This is an exciting project that will create a new school from very solid foundations in the community in north Perth and provide a modern learning and teaching environment to help children achieve to their fullest.
“Alongside this, delivering one of the first primary schools in Scotland to meet the Passivhaus standards for energy efficiency is going to contribute to our work to tackle climate change locally.”
A replacement building for Perth High School will also be built to Passivhaus standards when it is completed in 2024.
