Gaelic speaking members of a Lochaber community are eagerly awaiting the opening of a new Gaelic primary school in the region.
Pupils will be welcomed to Lochaber Gaelic School in Caol, Fort William, for the start of the new term on Wednesday, August 19.
Keys were handed to Highland Council by Robertson Northern construction company and final touches and checks are ongoing, with the landscaping and amenity areas being completed.
The new facility is part of an overall scheme involving the building of four new schools in the area.
These also include the opening of the new Lundavra Primary School in October, which merges Fort William Primary and Upper Achintore Primary schools.
There will also be a joint campus to replace Caol Primary School, with a new Caol Community Centre opening in October, and another project involves combining the existing Fort William and Lochyside Roman Catholic Schools.
Education committee chairman Councillor Drew Millar, said: “Pupils, parents and teachers are eagerly anticipating the opening of the new school, which will provide an excellent learning environment. Each new school also has both indoor and outdoor facilities available to community groups for letting out with school use times so the whole community will benefit.”
Councillor Hamish Fraser, chairman of the Gaelic implementation group and the community safety, public engagement and equalities committee, said: “The development of the Gaelic language and culture will be greatly enhanced in the area by this new Gaelic Primary School. The benefits of bilingual education have been widely acknowledged and this kind of education will also help to develop and sustain the Gaelic language among young people.”