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First phase of £3.2m refurbishment completed at Inverness school


By Hazel Urquhart

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Smithton Primary
Smithton Primary

THE first phase of a major refurbishment programme at an Inverness primary school has been completed.

Two new classrooms have opened at Smithton Primary, much to the delight of principal teacher Lynne Macdonald who said the new facilities increased opportunities for its 450 children as well as staff.

Pupils have also got a new a multiuse games area.

“It’s made a huge difference,” she said.

“It gives us a lot more space and just little things like having blackout blinds on sunny days and having all the children in seats at the same height really helps.”

The £3.2 million refurbishment project to address the school’s current and future capacity needs began last April.

Once completed, it will see a total of five additional classrooms created along with two support needs rooms, a dedicated space for senior pupils and an extended gym hall.

Local councillor Trish Robertson said it was excellent to see the project start to take shape.

“The expansion was badly needed and having the extra space must be better for the children,” she said. “I’m really pleased it’s gone up so quickly.”

Iain MacDonald, special works manager for Morgan Sindall, which is carrying out the renovation work, said construction was currently on track for completion by September.

“The most important thing for us has been not to interrupt the daily activity of the school,” he said.

“But another big thing is giving the kids a good experience of construction – there’s a perception that construction is about the trades but there’s so much more to get involved in”.

Miss Macdonald added: “The workers have been great. They always make sure they receive any deliveries before 8am which really helps and means the construction isn’t impacting the children. That’s the most important thing.”


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