New Tain 3-18 campus hit by more delays with opening set to extend past start of new school year
The opening of a new multi-million-pound super-school campus in Tain has been hit by further delays, Highland Council officials have confirmed.
At a meeting to discuss the progress of the project on Monday, developers for the new Tain 3-18 campus informed stakeholders that a previous estimate of the school being open for pupils in August was no longer achievable.
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Council members have since confirmed that “entry in October was now more likely”.
Tain Royal Academy and several local primary schools - had been due to be completed at the turn of the year, with pupils expecting to enter the school in early 2025.
But the sign off of the trouble-hit project was pushed back by six months last November, and has now been hit by a further two-month delay.
The setback now means that pupils who were originally expected to enter the school for the start of a new school year in 2025-26 are unlikely to do so – and instead will have to switch schools in the middle of a term, or just after.
The news raises an alarm bell for parents of primary school children who may now have to stay at Craighill Primary for the start of the 2025-26 school year.
The soon-to-be-shut Tain primary has lost the vast majority of its playground and outdoor space to the new school development.
Derek Louden, chair of the local authority’s corporate resources committee, offered a wide apology for the delay, stating that “all issues had to be resolved in advance” before the council could finalise the build with contractors, Kier Construction.
“Kier confirmed there would be a further delay at the meeting on Monday evening,” he said.
“They suggested that completion of the build by June with entry in August had slipped and that completion of the build by August with entry in October was now more likely.
“All I can do is apologise to the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and everybody in the community keen to see the project reach a conclusion for a further delay.
“There will inevitably be a long snagging list on such a complex and innovative Passivhaus project.
“No-one would want Highland Council to take delivery without all issues being resolved in advance. That’s what the builder will be working through with the council’s project team.
“I’m confident this will be done diligently and in as timely a manner as possible.
“The existing schools will continue to operate until the new campus is ready.
The pupils have been hard at work choosing a new name ‘Tain Primary School’ and designing a new uniform, which I understand is now ready to go.“
Kier Construction has been contacted for comment.
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