Good progress being made on St Clement’s School

Good progress is being made on the development of a replacement building on a new site for St Clement’s School. A report on the statutory consultation for the relocation of the school will be presented at next week’s Education Committee meeting.  

Education Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: “St Clement’s School provides for some of the most vulnerable children in Highland so it is essential that we continue to make good progress on a new replacement building that will meet their needs, and the needs of the local community. The service is currently working to develop plans for the new setting including its capacity, function, and the internal and external facilities at the school. Officers will be seeking the involvement of parents, carers, staff, and pupils in some of these discussions.”

Local Members were updated on the progress of the school at a recent meeting of the Dingwall and Seaforth Committee. The Highland Council’s Estate Strategy Manager, Robert Campbell updated local Area Members at the meeting on the recent developments of the project.

Area Chair for Dingwall and Seaforth, Cllr Graham MacKenzie said: “I am pleased to hear that good progress is being made on the development for St Clement’s School, which will be an essential resource for our local communities. I would like to thank Robert and his team for their continued hard work towards the completion of this capital project. I look forward to receiving further updates in the next few weeks.”

Local Ward 8 Members for Dingwall and Seaforth, Cllrs Angela MacLean and Margaret Paterson added: “St Clement’s School is an asset to our community; however, the building is not in an adequate condition to deliver a quality learning environment for our most vulnerable pupils. A new replacement building is welcomed by us as local Ward Members and also by parents in our communities who have been well represented in meetings with the Parent Council.”

The development of the design proposals for the new facilities will be taken forward in tandem with the required statutory consultation process.

A report on the statutory consultation for the relocation of the school will be brought to the next Education Committee meeting on 24 February 2022. A further update will be provided at the next meeting of the St Clement’s Stakeholder Group in March.