New era for education in Cumbernauld as new secondary reaches half way stage

The new Greenfaulds High School, which is being built on the existing campus of the 1970s secondary, is the replacement building for 1350 pupils.

A year has now gone by since construction began at Athelstane Drive.

In addition to the school itself, the showpiece project with increased transport access involves the creation of one full-size pitch with an eight-lane synthetic running track and a pitch for field events.

However, the state-of-the-art sports campus will not be completed until August 2017.

This will mean that pupils will have to use facilities elsewhere.

A total of two-thirds of funding came from the Scottish Government with the remainder being topped up by North Lanarkshire Council.

The design of the school itself is exclusive to this site.

However, the model has been drawn from other secondaries, recently constructed through the council’s investment programme

There are plans to demolish the original building after pupils finally file into the new school.

Convenor of learning and leisure services Jim Logue said: “I am delighted that the new building is making such good progress.”

And Greenfaulds High School’s head teacher Linda Park agreed, adding: “Everyone is really excited about moving in to a wonderful new facility.

“We’re working closely with the constructors to provide opportunities for our pupils to learn about the construction of such a large building.

“Principal teachers have already met with contractors to identify suitable slots in the curriculum for construction staff to speak to pupils about the use of subjects in their role.

“In addition, work experience opportunities for some of our pupils who are interested in construction work as a career have now been identified.”