The council’s investment in local children’s education is set to continue. A £4 million extension will add seven more classrooms to nearby Newton Farm Primary School, increasing its capacity by almost a third.
This would grow the school to meet anticipated demand in the Newton Community Growth (CGA) area – one of a number of CGSs being developed by the council as part of the Glasgow City Region City Deal.
The council’s Education Resources chair, Councillor Katy Loudon said: “The Newton CGA area has proven very popular with young families and I am delighted that we are now in a position to take forward proposals to extend the primary school.
“All being well this will be completed by August of next year, ensuring Newton Farm Primary School will be bigger but also still at the very high standards we have developed at all our secondary and primary schools across South Lanarkshire.”
The proposed extension was reported to the council’s Executive Committee today. Officers told the committee that when Newton Farm Primary School was planned and initially designed a second phase of development was always anticipated.
The committee heard that the proposed extension would increase the number of mainstream classrooms at the school to 21, allowing the roll to grow from the current 489 pupils to a new capacity of 630.
There will also be a catchment review which will take account of the longer-term growth of the Newton area, with options including consultation to be agreed at a future meeting of the Executive Committee.
The extension will cost £4.39 million, with a contribution of £790,000 anticipated from the Newton Community Growth Area. The council has already invested £170,000 in design work, and the £3.43m balance would be funded by council borrowing, subject to the future approval of the Executive Committee.
The Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Improvement Programme have agreed to provide Revenue funding to support the ongoing costs of this project.
South Lanarkshire Council has already rebuilt or totally refurbished all secondary and primary schools in the area.
