A new Eastwood High School has taken a step forward.

Design team, BDP, has held consultation events and focus groups with the school, pupils and members of the community.

And they’ve presented outline plans for the new school which is being developed as a joint project with Midlothian council to build Lasswade High School through the Scottish Futures Trust.

This is the pathfinder project which will deliver 55 new schools in Scotland through the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) in conjunction with Scottish Government.

The aim of the joint project is deliver two new schools and achieve efficiencies by using the same contractor and processes.

East Renfrewshire Council are building a new Eastwood High School at a total cost of approximately £31 million and Midlothian Council are delivering a new Lasswade High School at a total cost of £34 million.

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The new Eastwood High School, built on the grounds of the existing school in Newton Mearns, will provide enhanced school and community facilities which include sports pitches and library learning centre.

Education convener, Councillor Alan Lafferty, said: “The new Eastwood High School will be a welcomed by parents, pupils and teachers as a top class facility to match the top class teaching going on inside.

"The consultation events this week have been a real opportunity for local parents, pupils and teachers to see the outline plan for themselves and to have their comments heard by the people who are working on the detailed design for the school.”

The design team, BDP, will design both schools and are working in collaboration with both councils.

The consultation process has been set by the SFT and has included a three stage process involving the pupils, parents, teachers and community groupsto inform the requirements of the project.

The contractor for the building project will be appointed in May 2011, with building work beginning in January 2012 and the planned opening of the new Eastwood High School is in August 2013.

(GK)