THE new St Columba's and Woodmill high schools - built at a cost of £122 million in Halbeath - officially open to pupils today.
The idea of a 'super campus' for the city was first raised at Fife Council 10 years ago and, after finally securing the funding, a "world class" facility was promised and built in two years.
The schools at Dunfermline Learning Campus will accommodate 2,700 pupils and almost 250 staff, and boast a top class environment for teaching.
Inside the new St Columba's and Woodmill high schools. (Image: Keith Hunter)
“I was fortunate enough to get a guided tour around the new campus on Monday and the facilities are brilliant,” Councillor Derek Glen said.
“Now that the facilities are all fully kitted out and ready for the kids to arrive, it’s really quite exciting to see what they’re going to be able to experience there.”
He described the classrooms and shared spaces as “fantastic” and added: “The icing on the cake is the new and innovative areas.
Inside the new St Columba's and Woodmill high schools. (Image: Keith Hunter)
READ MORE: Step inside new campus as Fife Council take ownership of high schools
“We’ve got amazing sports facilities, which include dance studios as well as some of the big games halls that you’d expect, but we’ve also got the learning lab.
"It includes open plan space for project work as well as being kitted out with things like PCs for IT projects, green screens for filming things, and a recording studio and so on.”
The new schools will replace the now empty buildings in Abbeyview which will be knocked down and replaced by housing.
Inside the new St Columba's and Woodmill high schools. (Image: Keith Hunter)
The ‘super campus’ idea was first suggested by Councillor Bryan Poole, the council’s then education spokesperson, in 2014 but the idea stalled due to a lack of funding.
The council set aside £125m in February 2019 and the Scottish Government confirmed funding in September of that year, one month after the fire that ripped through Woodmill High.
In September 2021, the relocation of the schools to Halbeath was formally approved and BAM Construction began building work in the summer of 2022.
“I’m really excited that the Dunfermline Learning Campus will welcome its first pupils this term,” said Cllr Cara Hilton, education spokesperson for Fife Council.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to especially welcome the students of St Columba’s and Woodmill high schools to their new building.”
Inside the new St Columba's and Woodmill high schools. (Image: Keith Hunter)
She added: “I know how excited my youngest two children and their friends are about starting at the DLC.
"It really is an outstanding learning environment and I hope they’ll take full advantage of this new state of the art facility and the huge opportunities it will provide.”
Cllr Glen said the first half of the term will be an “opportunity for the pupils to settle in and become familiar" with the campus, which means "the community-use aspects won’t kick in until after the October holidays”.
This delay was criticised by some local sports clubs.
He added: “Once you get past the October holidays, I think the wider community - some of the sports clubs and so on - will be able to start making use of the facilities as well, which will be an extra bonus for the whole city.”
AHR, architects and building consultants, worked closely with the council and BAM on the project.
The new facility is more than 26,000 square metres in size, making it the largest building built to Passivhaus standards in the UK.
By optimising natural light, ventilation and air tightness throughout, it's designed to be energy-efficient, cost effective and comfortable.
The campus will be shared with Fife College. Their new facility is being built by Balfour Beatty and is scheduled to open next year.
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