New Year, new school for Whitecraig Primary

Whitecraig Primary colleagues and pupils have started the New Year in a new school.

Staff were on hand last Wednesday to welcome children to their new school which has been developed on land adjacent to the previous building.

Designed in-house

Designed by our in-house team in the Strategic Asset and Capital Plan Management service, the new school provides a striking landmark at the village’s western edge with its charcoal grey brick exterior, copper-coloured cladding and accents and sawtooth-shaped roof.

The building has eight classrooms and an Early Years centre to meet demand from a growing school population in the area.

A new signalised junction with Whitecraig Road was included as part of the project to create a safer route for cyclists and pedestrians.

Calming and nurturing spaces

Inside our interiors team has chosen colours, textures and finishes to create calming and nurturing spaces that reflect the area’s local history and landscape with ample references to the natural world. A palette of gentle greens echoes the fields around the village offset by soft blues and blush pink with timber dividers and light maple doors.

Flashes of mustard mirror the school’s yellow badge while charcoal and slate-coloured wall and flooring finishes link to Whitecraig’s mining heritage.

The project received funding from phase one of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme, administered by Scottish Future’s Trust. Morrison Construction was awarded the £18.5m contact in February 2024 following a competitive tender process. 

'New possibilities'

Whitecraig Primary School Head Teacher Viv Short said: “Opening the doors of our new building at Whitecraig Primary School is a truly special moment for us all. It represents not just new walls and classrooms, but new possibilities for our children - spaces  where curiosity can flourish, confidence can grow and every young person can be supported to be the best they can be.

“Whitecraig Primary School has always been at the heart of its community, and our new building strengthens that connection, providing a welcoming place for families, partners and neighbours to come together. We are immensely proud of this next chapter and deeply thankful to everyone who has helped make it possible.”

Work has now begun to disconnect and safely demolish the old school building before the ground is landscaped.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this project.