Wave 3 Schools

Portobello High School

Update Report to Council - March 2010

The project to build a new Portobello High School was approved by Council in December 2008 with funding of £41.5 million confirmed in February 2009. An update report is going to the meeting of The City of Edinburgh Council on 11 March 2010.

You can read the Council Report here (to be published 05/03/10)

As well as setting out the project's progress so far, and we can say that it is going well, the report looks at our proposals to compensate for the loss of open space at Portobello Park, where the new school is to be built.

Background

The original decision to re-site the school came with a number of conditions to meet. Some of these have already been met in full. A lot of investigation and work has also taken place to look at all the parks, open spaces and other facilities across the city to see how they compare, how they are used and how they could be bettered.
In light of this information we would like Council to change the conditions to be met so that we can use the resources we do have to help improve the quality and accessibility of local facilities rather than simply replace a quantity of land.

Next steps

The outline design should soon be at a stage ready to consult locally to help us shape the final proposals and submit a planning application. This stage will run for at least 12 weeks and there will be lots of opportunities to take part.

Once we have the dates and venues booked we'll advertise all the events locally and we'll post details here on this website. At the moment we aim to start in May 2010 so keep an eye out for more information.

• Our aim for schools
• What is Wave 3?
• Council report - 18 December 2008

Our aim for schools

Artist's impression of a new school

The City of Edinburgh Council wishes to have schools that are fit for purpose for teaching in the 21st century. Over the last 10 years, the Council has invested significantly in its schools estate. Through its first Public Private Partnerships (PPP) project, together with a number of capital projects; over 20 new and refurbished schools have opened in the city in the last few years. A second PPP project will see a further eight new schools open in the next two years.

The council is committed to continuing with this investment and has identified five new schools (the Wave 3 schools) that it would like to replace, dependent upon funding.

What is Wave 3?

Artist's impression of a new school

Wave 3 aims to deliver inspirational school buildings that are:

• Effective places for learning
• Versatile and adaptable
• Responsive to the forefront of educational developments such as Curriculum for Excellence
• Supportive of a range of activities associated with the learning process
• Capable of creating a greater range of pupil experiences and pupil choice

For more information, see the Wave 3 Business Case report (Word).

Council report - 18 December

A progress report (PDF, 2MB) on the Wave 3 Project will go to the Council meeting on 18 December. 

This report recommends that, subject to additional funding being confirmed in the February budget process, Portobello High School is progressed as the first new school. A further report to the Children and Families Committee in March will consider whether the new school should have space for 1200 or 1400 pupils.

The report includes information on the suitability and condition surveys which form part of the phasing approach for the Wave 3 Project.

Consultation update

Information is also provided on the outcome of the recent consultations with the Boroughmuir and St John's school communities.

Since the majority of Boroughmuir parents preferred a refurbishment of the existing school and this option will cost significantly less than a new school at Fairmilehead, it has been agreed that refurbishment of the existing school will be progressed when funds are available.

The school community at St John’s were also consulted on their preferred option (refurbishment or new build). Although parents were in favour of a refurbishment, the Children and Families Department have delayed a decision as the benefits of a new build have not been fully evaluated in the light of the opportunities demonstrated by recently completed new buildings.