Friday, 09 May 2008 12:49

Pipers, bands and a choir of primary school children were on hand today (Friday 9 May) to give a musical welcome to Michael Russell, MSP, Minister for Environment, when he arrived in Mid Argyll to officially open the Lochgilphead Joint Campus

Addressing an audience of 600 schoolchildren and invited guests, the Minister said, “I am delighted to officially open Lochgilphead Joint Campus and see the fantastic facilities now provided. The schools have a great history, helping to deliver education for generations. It is great to see that tradition continuing with this new state-of-the-art campus.

“This is a real landmark for the future of education in Lochgilphead. The new campus offers a hugely improved learning and teaching environment in which both teachers and pupils will flourish, and facilities which will also benefit the local community.” He went on to unveil a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

Councillor Isobel Strong, Argyll and Bute Council’s Spokesperson for Education and Lifelong Learning said, “I am delighted that the Minister was able to join us to celebrate this important occasion. It has been a long hard road to reach this stage, but it has all been worth it.

“Our vision of providing a teaching and learning environment fit for the 21st Century has become a reality for the teachers and pupils here in this school today and for teachers and pupils in years to come.

“This Joint Campus enables us to see children and young people get the best out of their school years in a seamless transition. I am delighted to have been a part of that process.”

The Lochgilphead Joint Campus, one of five of Argyll and Bute Council schools built under the ground breaking non-profit distributing organisation model, comprises Lochgilphead High, Lochgilphead Primary and Whitegates Learning Centre. The campus provides pre-school, primary and secondary education, together with provision for pupils with additional support needs.

A Spokesperson for ABC Schools, the council’s programme partners, said,“We are delighted to have the opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives by delivering these new schools to the benefit of the children and the communities of Argyll and Bute.”

Craig Pagett, Managing Consultant at Navigant Consulting, the company responsible for delivering the project, said: “It is an enormous pleasure to be involved in the delivery of such exceptional education provision; providing younger generations the very best learning environments to fulfil their ambitions. All five facilities offer fully inclusive and accessible facilities for over 4500 children throughout Argyll and Bute. Lochgilphead Joint Campus was delivered on time and on budget and proves the NPDO model can work."

Additional and enhanced sporting facilities are included in the form of the Mid-Argyll Sports Centre and the campus boasts one full-sized, fenced, floodlit all-weather pitch, plus two half-sized grass pitches.

The school was opened to pupils in October 2007.