JOHN SWINNEY OPENS WAID COMMUNITY CAMPUS

Waid Community Campus was officially opened by Deputy First Minister John Swinney at a ceremony with almost the whole school community looking on. The unique design of the building, with its central atrium and impressive “Hellerup” stairs, meant that most of the school could witness the official ceremony from the balconies and be a part of the historic occasion. The audience also included the three previous headteachers of Waid Academy. Mr Swinney addressed those assembled saying: "Waid Academy has been at the heart of the East Neuk throughout its 150 year history and this new building has extended that role in new and exciting ways, hosting a wide range of community facilities all under one roof. I am pleased that the Scottish Government was able to provide funding of £12.3 million from our Schools for the Future programme to help make this happen. “I am very impressed by the way the building’s cutting-edge design complements the ethos of openness, inclusiveness and welcome which Waid Community Campus offers. The young people I have met today are making full use of this wonderful building and I wish them all the best for their future.” The project is the third school to have been delivered for Fife Council and the Scottish Government by hub East Central Scotland in partnership with BAM Construction. The building has been fully open since August and the Waid Academy pupils are already benefiting from a fantastic new learning experience in their state-of-the-art high school. The wider community is also loving the new facility which includes a council customer service point, library, sports and leisure facilities, learning opportunities and a hugely popular community cafe - all under one roof. Convener of Fife Council's Education and Children's Services Committee, Cllr. Fay Sinclair commented: “Bringing a range of services together with this amazing new school makes it much easier for local people to access the services they need. "New sports, learning and community facilities and classes supported by Fife College, along with a new library are all here now in one building. It is great to see the local community enjoying the benefits of the new Campus." Rector Iain Hughes is delighted with the new building. He commented: "We have all settled into our new home, getting used to new ways of working and we are still finding new and exciting ways to use this very flexible building. "I've always been immensely proud of our young people, who are a credit to their families and communities, and I'm so pleased that they have been given such an outstanding building to learn in. They are taking full advantage of the learning spaces, which are supporting the innovative teaching and learning provided by our staff." Fife Council along with the Scottish Government invested £24.3 million in the new Waid Community Campus, providing services for the whole community. It is one of six secondary schools and two primaries which make up Fife Council’s £250m+ Building Fife’s Future Programme. Gary Bushnell, Chief Executive, hub East Central Scotland said: “This is a fantastic new facility that has been purpose built to meet the needs of the local community. Our teams worked closely with Fife Council, their wider stakeholders and BAM Construction to manage the project to successful completion ahead of programme and on budget.”