Kier has been appointed by East Ayrshire Council for the development of a new primary school in Netherbridge.

Appointed by East Ayrshire Council, Kier will demolish the existing school and construct a two-storey building with state-of-the-art facilities that will provide 278 pupil places.

A turf-cutting event has been held to celebrate the start of the project, with representatives from Kier joining Councillor Jim McMahon, Depute Leader of the Council, who performed the official ground-breaking, Linda McAulay-Griffiths, Chief Education Officer and Head of Education and Head Teacher Jemma Donnelly.

Procured through the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework, this new school is part of East Ayrshire Council's 10-year Capital Investment Programme and is set to provide a modern learning environment for pupils.

The 2199m2 building will feature nine classrooms and four supported learning spaces as well as a new artificial sports pitch, outdoor learning zone and play areas. The building has been carefully designed, with input from local residents and teaching staff, to optimise natural light and will feature a number of sustainable solutions that will support the buildings energy efficiency.

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The new school is due to complete in autumn 2022 and over the duration of the project, Kier will engage with the local community as part of its commitments to leaving lasting legacies in areas in which it works. Kier pledges to provide:

• Eight school activity days

• 11 work experience placements

• Seven construction careers events

• 157 training weeks on site

Phil McDowell, regional director at Kier Construction North & Scotland, said: "We have extensive experience building new schools across Scotland and we are delighted East Ayrshire Council has chosen us to deliver the new school in Netherthird.

"The local community has been involved in this project from the start and this involvement is set to continue as we look to work with local supply chain partners and provide job and training opportunities as we construct the new school. We will also keep residents up-to-date with the progress we are making as we focus on delivering the new school in time for the next academic year."

Councillor Jim McMahon said: "This is a really exciting time for Netherthird Primary School and the whole community. It was a real honour to perform the official ground breaking with Head Teacher Jemma Donnelly and Evie from P5 and Lucy from P2. Jemma has worked closely with Kier and the project team helping to develop the design for the new school. She is committed to keeping parents, carers and the young people updated as the exciting new building starts to take shape.

"I know that the children are really excited about visiting the site for planned special activity days and I was also delighted to hear from Kier that there will be 11 work experience placements for our young people during the build. Kier has also committed to holding seven construction careers events for our young people, so the build will have a positive impact on the wider community."

This award is testament to Kier's experience in the educational sector, with other live projects in Scotland including Ness Castle Primary School in Inverness as well as completed projects, Alness Academy and Queen Margaret Academy.