Edinburgh is set to build five new schools and expand five more

Edinburgh is set to build five new schools – and expand five more – under budget plans set to be voted on by councillors next week.

Some £296 million would be spent on the new buildings, with all ten projects expected to completed within the next few years.

New primaries are proposed for Builyeon, Gilmerton Station, Granton Waterfront, Newcraighall and St Catherine’s, while the expansions would be for the primary schools at Hillwood, Queensferry and Frogston, and Castlebrae and Craigmount high schools.

The Granton Waterfront school would serve new developments in the north of the city, as thousands of residential units are set to be completed in the next few years.

Meanwhile, the new school at Gilmerton Station Road would serve growing areas in the southeast of the city.

The Builyeon primary school, located in South Queensferry, would add capacity on top of the two existing non-denominational and RC primary schools in the area, in anticipation of new housing being built nearby.

Queensferry’s existing non-denominational primary school is also set for an expansion under the plans.

The primary at Newcraighall will replace the existing school and nursery already there, with 630 primary places and 128 in the nursery.

A new school in Gracemount would also replace an existing facility, St Catherine’s RC primary school.

Hillwood primary school in Ratho would get an expansion, as would Frogston primary, near Burdiehouse, which would see its capacity expanded by 196 pupils.

Castlebrae and Craigmount high schools, located in Niddrie and near Corstorphine respectively, would grow in order to accommodate new developments near both sites.

Another £26m would be invested in upgrading special needs schools, and the council’s Holiday Hubs scheme, which provides respite for families of additional needs pupils, would also be set for a boost. 

If approved, funding for the service would increase by £100,000, bringing the total up to £1m – enough to prevent previously considered cuts to provision and allow the hiring of new staff.

Elsewhere in the budget proposal, £5m would be put towards safer travel, including safer commuting routes to school for kids.

The total budget for Children, Education and Justice Services is set to be £552m, an increase of £19m over last year.

By Joe Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter