Sod cutting ceremony marks the start of construction of new £13 million city school

23 February 2017

Work officially commenced on the new £13 million Stoneywood School with a special turf-cutting ceremony today (Thursday 23 February).

Councillor Angela Taylor, Education and Children’s Services Convener, performed the ceremony at the site of the former Bankhead Academy which was gutted by fire in 2012. The new state-of-the-art primary school is due for completion by Easter next year.

Funding for the new Stoneywood School was allocated in Aberdeen City Council's five-year Capital Programme and the project follows a public consultation in which the majority of responses were in favour of both the new school and the new site.

The new school will house the 434 pupils currently attending the existing Stoneywood School and will also house a nursery.

Councillor Taylor said: “This is another fantastic milestone in our £145 million capital investment in education. Only the other week we saw the opening of £5 million Greenbrae School extension and saw at first-hand how delighted and proud the children and staff are with their new state-of-the-art facilities.

“I’m sure that when the pupils at Stoneywood see their new school they will be just as enthusiastic as will the pupils attending the new Lochside Academy and the Centre of Excellence in the north of the city.

Lindsay Cowan, Morgan Sindall contracts manager, said: “This is an important project for the people of Aberdeen. We’re incredibly pleased to have been selected by the Council to help realise its plan of delivering invaluable additional primary school places and it’s great to get work underway.

“The new school will feature notable sustainable elements and modern fit-for-purpose classrooms; we’re confident it will be an enduring addition to the education offering in the area, and well received by pupils and staff alike.”