Primary school reaps the benefits of new dining hall and kitchen

Pupils from Dalneigh Primary in Inverness joined Highland Councillors Alex Graham, Janet Campbell and Bet McAllister earlier today (Friday 14 June) to mark the opening of the recently completed extension of the schools new dining hall and commercial kitchen.

The project has successfully seen the creation of the new dining hall with a capacity for 350 children over three sittings, two for primary and one for nursery.

Head teacher Rhona MacCormack said: “I’m delighted that work is complete.  The additional space and inclusion of an onsite commercial kitchen is going to make such a difference to our lunch time preparation and pupil experience as the number of children taking school meals is on the rise. Freeing up the hall will allow us to have lunchtime clubs and sports activities going on without affecting the serving of meals.”

Inverness West Cllr Alex Graham added: “This is a great day for Dalneigh Primary. Previously food was prepared at a nearby school and taken to Dalneigh. Pupils will now benefit from the new commercial kitchen and enjoy meals freshly prepared onsite. The new dining hall is a real bonus, providing better facilities and enabling the existing hall space to be used for other activities all day.” 

Morgan Sindall Construction was appointed under a design and build contract and the works were managed and supervised by the Council’s Property Team within the Development & Infrastructure Service.

Stuart Parker, Managing Director of Morgan Sindall Construction in Scotland said: “We’re very pleased to hand over this latest project for our longstanding and valued customer, the Highland Council. Delivering it on time is particularly gratifying and everyone involved can be proud of a job well done.” 

Cllr John Finlayson, Chair of the Care, Learning and Housing Committee, said: “Delivering this much needed addition to Dalneigh Primary School is a fine example of our priorities Programme ‘a place to thrive’ where we use innovative and flexible approaches when refurbishing and renovating our Highland schools in becoming more sustainable and making best use of the available budget.”

The construction cost is just under £1M and works were completed ahead of schedule.