A £1.9 million investment to extend St Margaret's Academy in Livingston has been dedicated by His Eminence Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien.

The extension has resulted in a new multi use hall for PE, assemblies and exams, and four extra classes for the Modern Languages department.

The work has increased the capacity of the school to 1,100 pupils. A key feature of the work is that the new extension fully matches and integrates with the existing building.

Executive councillor for education, Andrew Miller, was joined by the Cardinal to unveil a plaque and celebrate the dedication of the new extension. The Cardinal also celebrated a Feast of St Margaret mass, with St Margaret being one of the few Scottish saints.

Councillor Miller said: "The completion of the works at St Margaret's Academy marks another important stage in the overall project which has resulted in substantial refurbishment and extension of four of our secondary schools. This is in addition to the new Deans Community High School and Armadale Academy which were opened in 2009.

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"This is the second time that the Cardinal has been to West Lothian in recent times to celebrate a significant investment in our schools. West Lothian Council has invested heavily in ensuring that our school buildings meet the needs of pupils, parents and the wider community.

"It is imperative that the fabric of our school buildings is of a high standard, which we know improves the learning environment for pupils. I'm delighted that pupils, both now and in the future, will be able to take advantage of the fantastic new facilities."

His Eminence Cardinal Keith O'Brien commented: "I was delighted to be at St Margaret's Academy on the Feast of St Margaret herself, Wednesday 16 November 2011. Having been present as Archbishop in St Margaret's Academy at its official opening by His Eminence Cardinal Winning, it was indeed a privilege for me to be following in the footsteps of my illustrious predecessor as Cardinal, to dedicate the magnificent new extension to St Margaret's Academy.

"St Margaret's Academy has certainly proved itself to be a 'centre of excellence' in West Lothian and indeed in Scotland itself. I am sure this new extension, which provides such various facilities, will add a great deal to the use of school buildings and, of course, help greatly in the formation of the next generations of young people from West Lothian.

"In dedicating the building, I had, of course, in my thoughts and in my prayers, the re-dedication of all associated with St Margaret's Academy to the high standards of service shown by the Patroness of the school, St Margaret herself. A queen dedicated to the service of the poor and less able in the Scottish society of almost 1000 years ago, we ourselves must have a similar care for the poor and the powerless, as well as, like Margaret, influencing with our Christian ideals those in positions of responsibility."

(GK)