A brand new beginning for Levenmouth

Martin Cooper of BAM hands over the keys to Cllr Tom Adams, Chair of Levenmouth Area Committee and Depute Leader of Fife Council Lesley Laird

The new, state-of-the-art facility was completed back in June, and will welcome senior pupils for the very first time today, while those in S1-4 will start lessons on Thursday.

It’s been over two years in the planning, with work starting on the site, to the side of the former Buckhaven High School, in March 2015.

The £44 million facility is the second largest in Scotland and has capacity for up to 1800 pupils.

Headteacher Ronnie Ross said: “As we get nearer to opening the door the excitement of everyone involved is mounting. The facilities are second to none.”

The school has been developed in tandem with a new Fife College building to provide a campus approach, strengthening the joint working between secondary and further education.

And ahead of welcoming the first students on Monday, Hugh Logan, college principal received the keys to the brand new building from Robbie Clark, operations director at McLaughlin & Harvey; the lead contractors who built and managed the completion of the new campus.

Mr Logan said: “Having Fife College and the Academy right next door to each other on the same site is sector-leading for education provision and will offer a wealth of opportunities for pupils, students and the wider community, which are easily accessible.”

A unique MathsLAB will be at the hub of the new campus. Designed by Fife College in conjunction with local primary school teachers, the facility will encourage ‘fun maths learning’ for primary pupils through to adult learners.

There will also be the opportunity for adults to gain maths qualifications thanks to a partnership between the college and the Open University.

Janet McCauslin, project director, is excited about the facilities and courses at the £6.2m campus which will soon be available to local people.

“The vision for our new campus is to help the people of East and Central Fife to move into exciting careers,” she said.

“In order to do this we have been working with employers in the area to identify the skills they are looking for in their workforce.

“Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects are key to a successful career and prosperous economy and all courses at our new campus will mirror this which in turn will support all ages to gain the qualifications and skills they need to succeed.

“Our new campus has a distinctly work-based ethos, and will also play host to other agencies such as Skills Development Scotland whose advice and guidance services will be available to all college students.”