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Plans to Build New High School in Craigmillar Hit Snag

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Edinburgh City Council has announced that the construction of a new Castlebrae Community High School in Craigmillar will be delayed until 2018 at the earliest, citing the economic downturn and reduced demand for housing in the area. This setback comes as a blow to the Craigmillar regeneration project, which had initially aimed to complete the GBP 30 million project by 2011. With the current roll of the existing Castlebrae Community High School at around 270, the delay has raised concerns about the quality of education in the area.

Key Takeaways:

  • The construction of the new Castlebrae Community High School will not start until 2018 "at the earliest", as per the director of city development, Dave Anderson.
  • The delay is attributed to the economic downturn and reduced demand for housing in the area, which has affected the sales of homes that were expected to fund public infrastructure work.
  • The existing Castlebrae Community High School is expected to have a school roll of around 270, well short of its capacity of around 600.
  • The school attracted only a third of children from its catchment area, making it the least popular city school with parents.
  • Councillor Ricky Henderson, deputy leader and education spokesman for the Labour group, expressed disappointment and frustration with the delay, stating that a good quality high school is crucial for the regeneration of Craigmillar.

Statistics:

  • The new Castlebrae Community High School project is estimated to cost GBP 30 million.
  • The existing Castlebrae Community High School has a current roll of around 270.
  • The school has a capacity of around 600.
  • The school attracted only a third of children from its catchment area.
  • The housing development anticipated for Craigmillar is nowhere near the level forecasted, according to Cllr Gordon Mackenzie.

Sources:

  • Scotland on Sunday
  • Edinburgh City Council report
  • Councillor Ricky Henderson
  • Councillor Gordon Mackenzie
  • Dave Anderson, director of city development

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