Balfour Beatty has confirmed it has been award the contract for the new £28m Portobello High School in Edinburgh. The school, once completed, will be the largest in the city and will accommodate some 1,400 pupils within the catchment area.

The construction firm will be responsible for the design and build of the three-storey facility, which will have a total floor area of approximately 16,800m2. Two all-weather sports pitches, as well as a swimming pool, will also be included as part of its sports' facilities.

Construction work is due to commence on site in October 2014, with a scheduled completion date of 2016, in time for the new school session.

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Welcoming the start of building works, Councillor Paul Godzik, Convener of Education, Children and Families at Edinburgh Council, said: "It is great to see construction works now starting on the long-awaited new Portobello High School which will be ready for the start of the academic year in August 2016.

"We are pleased to be working with Balfour Beatty on this project which will allow us to deliver high quality educational and sports facilities that I know will be welcomed by both the school and wider local community."

Hector MacAulay, Balfour Beatty Delivery Unit Managing Director, added: "We are delighted to be awarded the contract to construct the new Portobello High School. We look forward to continuing to work with the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver a state-of-the-art school with educational facilities that give people the best opportunities to both teach and learn.

"During the construction period we will engage with the local community to keep them updated with the progress of the works and to deliver community benefit targets leaving a lasting legacy for the area."

(JP/IT)