New £37m Cumbernauld Academy is nearing completion

The new facilities are being delivered by Morrison Construction Scotland on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council through Hub South West Scotland.

Project manager Mark Stirling said: “It is a very busy time on site as we focus on the internal works of the project.

“The main activities being undertaken within the building include electrical installation, painting, decorating and floor laying with final commissioning of the buildings systems – lighting, heating, water etc – now well advanced.

“Other activities in addition to these will be the fit out of the school kitchen and tiling to the main social space, while good progress continues in the assembly hall and theatre with many classrooms finished.

“Externally the walls and roof are finished with the architectural features of the building now on show, including the zinc cladding. Hard and soft landscaping also continues to progress well with tar works set to begin.

“Our experienced team will continue working hard to deliver this fantastic facility on time for the Cumbernauld community.”

The new campus will have a school with capacity for 1250 secondary pupils and a replacement venue for the current Cumbernauld Theatre, which will include facilities such as a 305-seat main theatre auditorium, an 80-seat digital media cinema, café, studio theatre with 105-seat capacity and a dance studio.

Mark Cairns, head teacher of Cumbernauld Academy, said: “The new building looks fantastic and the entire school community is really excited about the opening, which will take place after the summer holidays.

“There’s a real sense of shared anticipation and positivity about the future among pupils, parents and staff. The new facilities will provide our pupils with outstanding opportunities in which to develop and thrive through state of the art learning experiences; and the new campus will also bring wider benefits for community use.

“The pupil engagement group worked closely with the construction team to produce some wonderful bespoke features which everyone will be really impressed with.”

The second phase of construction work will be to demolish the first blocks of the current school building and complete all of the new parking and footpaths, which will allow the new Cumbernauld Theatre to be occupied.

The third phase would be for the sports pitches to be completed once the remainder of the old school is demolished.

Neil McGrory - Local Democracy Reporter