And finally…the Highland community that built its own primary school

And finally…the Highland community that built its own primary school

Faced with an inadequate primary school building and unhappy with their local council’s proposals to address this, a small Highland community decided to build a new facility themselves.

Strontian Primary School in the Ardnamurchan Peninsula has roll of about 30 pupils.

It was built in the mid-1970s and the building has seen better days.



Highland Council had proposed making improvements to the old school, before the community took it upon themselves to finance their own school building and lease it to the council to use as a school.

Now completed and due to open its doors in the coming weeks, the overall cost of more than £900,000 for the new school has been met through a community shares issue and grants.

And this Strontian Community School Building Ltd-led innovative project does not end there.

Should it no longer be needed as a school in the future, the building has been designed in such a way it can be converted into affordable homes in the future.

Head teacher Pamela Hill said the 1970s primary school building was now “a bit dated and sad”.

She told the BBC: “There is not much space for us at the moment.

“We really need a school that is a bit more up-to-date with technology suited for children for the 21st Century, and somewhere where there is a bit more space for them as well.”

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