A north-east school which has been almost 20 years in the making was officially opened yesterday by the provost of Aberdeenshire.
Students, teachers and councillors gathered at Drumoak primary to launch the new energy-efficient building.
The school was constructed to replace the former building which had been in Drumoak since the 1800s.
The primary school now boasts six classrooms, an amenity for pre-school teaching, activity areas and a library space, as well as a large gym hall which can be used by both pupils and the community.
The contractor, Robertson Group, started work on the project in May 2014, with pupils walking through the doors of the new school in February 2016.
As part of the official opening, which commenced with performances from pupils, the council’s Hamish Vernal unveiled a special plaque at the school.
The provost said: “This brand new school replaces the former primary building which was from the Victorian era and was no longer suitable for our young people to be educated in.
“This is a project I have been involved in for over 20 years and we have always wanted a new school here and it’s absolutely magnificent.
“The community all deserve this new school and it’s a wonderful facility. Seeing all the children enjoying themselves was also wonderful, buildings are buildings, but it’s the children and staff that make the school.”
Aberdeenshire council invested over £7.3million into the project as part of the school estates programme.
Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s education, learning and leisure committee, Councillor Alison Evison, said: “It’s fantastic to see the school and even more fantastic to see how the children are benefiting from it.
“It’s always a long project building a new school, but it’s fantastic it is finally here and the school estates programme is one the council is very excited about and something incredibly important to the council and community”
Headteacher at the school, Paul Wilson, added that it would be a “great resource for many years to come.”
Regional Managing Director of Robertson Eastern, Keith Taylor, said: “It was a pleasure to work on the development at Drumoak, bringing the architects’ drawings to life.
“We have delivered a modern teaching space, which provides a positive classroom environment and will make a meaningful difference to the pupils’ learning experience.”
