A new school in Dundee opened its doors on Thursday as pupils attended the £27.8 million Baldragon Academy for the first time.
The new secondary school in the Kirkton area completes a wider campus including the already-opened £8.1 million replacement for Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery.
The development was left in limbo for several months in 2015 as the Scottish Government worked out whether the funding should have been classified as private or public by the EU.
The issue was sorted before the end of that year and the green light given for the work to recommence.
Head teacher Kenny Hearn was joined on the opening day by Dundee City Council children and families service convener councillor Gregor Murray and executive Paul Glancy.
The SNP councillor said: “The impressive replacement for Baldragon Academy shows we are investing for the future of our young people through an ambitious building programme.
“The new school is providing state of the art facilities to meet the challenges that our pupils will face in the years ahead.
“The new Baldragon Academy, along with the nursery and primary schools, is another major enhancement of learning and teaching facilities in Dundee
“This educational campus will provide an inspirational learning environment for pupils ranging in age from nursery children to young people preparing to leave school to take up new opportunities.”
The project was led by hub East Central Scotland in partnership with Dundee City Council, Scottish Futures Trust and Robertson Tayside.
Gary Bushnell, chief executive at hub East Central Scotland, said: “We are proud to have managed the successful delivery of the project from initial design to completion and it’s great to see staff and pupils in their new school, which has been built to the highest standards to meet the needs of the community it serves.”
Kevin Dickson, managing director for Robertson Tayside, said the development makes it one of the best shared campuses in the country.
“Building the new Baldragon Academy was a real pleasure for everyone at Robertson and it is fantastic to see the doors open to pupils,” he said. “The shared campus is among the best in Scotland and I am sure that the modern facilities will be embraced by everyone at the school.
“We take great pride in Baldragon Academy, which is one of a number of schools we have built across Tayside, and wish pupils and staff every success for the future.”
