SCHOOL PLEDGE DELIVERED IN ABERDEEN

SCHOOL PLEDGE DELIVERED IN ABERDEEN

251^st NEW SCHOOL OPENS WITH MORE TO COME

The SNP today surpassed an election pledge to match the previous Executive’s plans for school building “brick for brick” as the First Minister opened Cults Academy in Aberdeen.

The SNP manifesto promised to “match brick for brick current plans for improvements in our schools”, which according to the previous Executive’s school building programme was 100 schools between 2006 and 2009 and according to Labour’s 2007 manifesto would be 250 in this term. Cults Academy is the 5^th new school is two years in Aberdeen and the 251^st new school across Scotland.

The state of the art school building, which also houses a range of community facilities and has been awarded green flag status as a eco-school saw it’s funding and contracts approved in December 2007 and the first pupils moved into the new building in October 2009.

SNP MSP for the North East Maureen Watt said:

“Cults Academy pupils join the 110,000 pupils across Scotland who have been lifted out of poor school conditions into new or refurbished buildings since May 2007 and is the fifth new school in Aberdeen to open since 2007.

“The SNP committed to meet the previous Executive’s plans for school building and we have surpassed them, building more schools at a faster rate.

“There are even more schools to come, with the Government’s £1.25 billion package building 55 new schools including a new primary school in Aberdeen.

“Despite the collapse of Landesbanki who provided initial financing for the not for profit building project, with the assistance of the Scottish Futures Trust Aberdeen Council were able to get the project back on track and deliver not only Cults Academy but more new schools for the city.

“In tough financial times this project not only helps those pupils and teachers who now have a new building to learn in and the community who will benefit from the great new facilities but has provided crucial work over the last few years for all those involved in the building process.”