Midlothian Council has announced that a site has been identified within the University of Edinburgh's Easter Bush Campus for the construction of a replacement for Beeslack Community High School.

The council is finalising an agreement with the university to buy the land for the school, which will be a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Centre of Excellence.

Midlothian Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Ellen Scott said: "The chosen site, being right next to Easter Bush, offers a fantastic opportunity to work in partnership with the university.

"We're very excited at the prospect of building a high-quality, inspiring learning environment, where pupils can take advantage of the STEM expertise on its doorstep – Easter Bush is a world-leading research and innovation campus specialising in animal biosciences, agritech, veterinary medicine and medicine.

"The new Centre of Excellence will not only raise attainment and help pupils secure high paying jobs in the future but linking with the university, it will also become a knowledge base, helping inform improvements to building design, the curriculum and teaching methods across Scotland."

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The school, which is expected to open in 2026, will be able to accommodate 1200 pupils with capacity to expand to take up to 1600 pupils and will have a dedicated learning space for children with Additional Support Needs (ASN).

It will be built to energy-efficient Passivhaus standards meaning it will have very low carbon emissions, helping the council towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Professor Bruce Whitelaw, Director of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, said: "We are delighted to be working alongside Midlothian Council on this ambitious, collaborative project. By being part of the University of Edinburgh's Easter Bush campus, this new school will draw from our world-leading expertise to become a STEM Centre for Excellence. The University has already had great success working with Newbattle Community High School in Dalkeith, and we want to build on this to help young people achieve their full potential."

Three sites were identified by Midlothian Council for consideration and councillors agreed the chosen site as Easter Bush in the summer of 2021.

Cllr Scott added: "With commercial negotiations having reached an advanced stage, we are delighted to now be able to share the location of this exciting project. Local people including pupils, staff and parents will be consulted about more detailed plans for the school to make sure its facilities remain at the heart of the community."

Beeslack Community High School Head teacher Lynn Black said: "Our pupils, staff and wider school community are really looking forward to helping create a unique building and centre of excellence that exceeds expectations and inspires current and future users for decades to come."

The replacement for Beeslack will be Midlothian's second Centre of Excellence. Newbattle Community High School opened as a Digital Centre for Excellence in 2018.