Planners received the go-ahead to break ground for a much-needed new nursery at Milton of Leys Primary School.
On-site work began this week, and officials hope the facility will be complete by August 2022.
The new extension will allow the use of more classrooms for primary education.
This also comes nearly in time for families to take advantage of the Scottish Government’s newly-expanded free nursery care entitlement.
Supporters of the project say that they originally hoped the nursery would be ready in 2019.
Much-needed capacity boost
Milton of Leys Primary is currently at 93% capacity, according to Highland Council statistics. Roll forecasts predict that it could be full within 10 years.
But local councillor Ken Gowans said that he hopes the new nursery expansion could help alleviate that pressure.
“This will release the classrooms in the school that are currently used for the nursery. That is very much needed given the significant amount of development in the area.”
The plans call for space to accommodate provisions for 96 nursery-age children. This year, the Scottish Government increased the free early learning and childcare provision to 1,140 hours a year. It is available to all three- and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds.
Fast-growing: two expansions in a decade
The school has already expanded twice since its opening in 2011, which is a sign of the pace of growth in the city.
The new nursery will need to help absorb the needs of a potential – and controversial – 800-home development nearby.
There are a number of other relatively new developments around the Inverness area, which are putting pressure on existing schools and led to a demand for more education settings in the region.
Builders recently broke ground for a new primary school in the Ness Castle area. The completion date for the £14.8 million project is August 2022.
The project is part of a two-phase strategy to provide capacity for more than 800 pupils in the local area, to try to keep up with local developments.
More school projects around the corner
This week, the council is scheduled to discuss five major school projects. According to council documents, the priority projects are:
- Beauly Primary School – New School
- Culloden Academy – Extension/Refurbishment
- Dunvegan Primary School – New School
- Park Primary School – New School
- St Clement’s School – New School
Some, such as the Culloden Academy expansion, have been the source of frustration and confusion among parents and councillors alike. Some are optimistic about the progress. But others say new developments are only increasing the need for infrastructure.