Work on an £850,000 extension of Hillside School in Portlethen will begin in January 2020, as part of an ongoing programme of investment into Aberdeenshire's school estate.

Bancon Construction has been appointed to add four brand new classrooms onto the school, and these are expected to be ready for use in time for the new school year in August 2020. The 330m2 single-storey extension has been tabled to support a rising roll at the school, which will continue to operate as normal during the construction phase.

Around £15m will be spent on major enhancement projects across Aberdeenshire's learning estate during this academic year, including a new kitchen at Ellon Primary, works to refurbish part of Banchory Academy to create new learning spaces following the opening of Banchory Sports Village, refurbishment of Fraserburgh Academy and an extension of Premnay School. The £55m Inverurie Academy Community Campus is also due to open in 2020.

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Head of Resources and Performance for Aberdeenshire Council's Education and Children's Services team, Craig Clement said: "There's certainly a lot of work ongoing, and we're very proud of our commitment not just to investing in schools but creating the best possible learning spaces and learning experiences for our pupils. These works follow our nationally-recognised primary school building brief which puts accessibility as well as outdoor learning and supporting the curriculum at the core of everything we do."

There are currently 152 primary schools operated by Aberdeenshire Council, 85 of which have a nursery unit. These schools serve over 20,000 pupils.

(MH/CM)