9th March 2026
The keys to Tain's new £72 million school campus have been handed over to The Highland Council, paving the way for pupils and staff to begin their move into the modern, state-of-the art facility later this spring.
The new community campus brings together Tain Royal Academy, Craighill and Knockbreck Primary Schools (to form the newly named, Tain Primary School), and St Duthus School onto a single site, providing education for children and young people aged 3 to 18.
Each school will retain its own identify in the new campus with some shared learning environments and facilities.
As well as early years, primary, including Gaelic medium, and secondary provision, the campus includes a range of new community facilities including after-school access to outdoor sports pitches, a 2-court gymnasium and 4-court hall, and a dedicated dance and drama studio.
Transition arrangements for pupils and parents are now underway, as work begins on installing furniture, fixtures and equipment. Pupils from Tain Primary (including early learning childcare) and St Duthus will begin attending Tain Campus from Wednesday 22 April, with Tain Royal Academy pupils following on Wednesday 3 June after SQA exams.
Chair of the Education Committee, Cllr John Finlayson, visited the community campus last week as part of the handover from contractors Kier Group, where P1 pupils from Craighill and Knockbreck officially received the keys to the new building
Cllr Finlayson said: "It was fantastic to visit the new Tain Campus and see the outstanding facilities created for pupils and staff. This marks an important milestone for the Tain community, and I am confident this new community campus will support a high-quality learning environment, flourishing Gaelic medium provision, and wider opportunities for collaboration between the three schools and the wider community for years to come. I would like to thank parents, pupils, and staff for their patience as we complete the final stages of this project."
Tain Campus is the first school building in Highland to be Passivhaus certified, incorporating high levels of insulation, an airtight building fabric, and a mechanical ventilation system with efficient heat recovery. The new community campus will replace existing school buildings that are no longer fit for purpose.
The investment in the community campus is part of a wider drive to upgrade the school estate across Highland, with more projects set to follow across the region as part of the ambitious Highland Investment Plan, a £2.1 billion, 20 year capital investment programme to deliver improvements to schools, local infrastructure, and services.
PHOTO
P1 pupils, left to right, Harriet Oliver, Ruby Kawea, Euan Souter, and Robbie Sutherland, with Simon Scott, Head Teacher, Tain Primary School.
25 February 2026
Preferred contractors appointed for first phase of Highland Investment Plan projects.
Highland Council has appointed the preferred main contractors for the first construction projects to be delivered under its new Highland Investment Plan (HIP).
Morgan Sindall, Morrison Construction, Robertson Group and Ogilvie will work on seven key multi-million-pound projects across the region from Thurso to Inverness.
Highland Council leaders welcomed the appointments as a key moment for the HIP, which will build on the momentum from the early work already carried out.
The HIP is a £2.1 billion, 20-year capital investment programme led by the Council to deliver improvements to local infrastructure and services and will be financed through a combination of capital investment and a dedicated annual allocation of 2% ring-fenced Council Tax revenue.
This includes £750 million of investment over the next five years.
A key element of the HIP is the creation of community hubs, known as Points of Delivery (PoDs), supporting a move towards a single public estate incorporating schools, offices, depots and partners, creating more integrated community-based facilities.
The first projects to have preferred main contractors appointed are:
Beauly Primary PoD - Morgan Sindall
Charleston Academy PoD - Morgan Sindall
Dingwall Primary PoD including St Clements School - Robertson Group
Fortrose Academy PoD - Morrison Construction
Inverness High School PoD - Ogilive Construction
Thurso PoD - Morrison Construction.
Tornagrain Primary PoD - Robertson Group
The appointments will allow contractors to be involved in the consultation, design and pre-planning stages of the HIP projects.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner, said: "This marks a major milestone for the Highland Investment Plan and a welcome step forward for our communities. The plan represents an innovative and ambitious approach to capital investment, which will deliver long-term, sustainable improvements to our schools, community facilities, offices and depots across the Highlands."
Convener of the Council, Cllr Bill Lobban, said: “The HIP is a ground-breaking and innovative long-term infrastructure investment programme, which will create transformative change over the next decade, With these contractors now appointed, we can move to the next phase of our planning, including further engagement with our communities and design and pre-planning activities.”
Chair of the Housing and Property Committee, Cllr Glynis Sinclair, said: “The HIP will help drive significant economic growth and deliver community benefits across the Highlands, including new homes and local employment opportunities, as well as graduate and apprenticeship posts. This investment plan will play a vital role in encouraging more people to live and work in the Highlands, positioning our area as a sustainable destination of choice.”
The Council has overall responsibility for the delivery of the HIP programme, supported by hub North Scotland as delivery partner.
Hub North Scotland Chief Executive Richard Park described the appointment of the preferred main contractor as a landmark moment, adding: “The ambition and scale of investment for this plan are unprecedented and great progress is already being made to help design and deliver these new community facilities at pace.”
Gordon Williamson, Managing Director for Morrison Construction Building Highland, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to this first phase of the Council's Highland Investment Plan. We look forward to working with all the stakeholders involved to bring forward plans for these two new schools and help create the educational facilities that local students deserve.”
Stuart Parker, Managing Director of Morgan Sindall Construction in Scotland, commented: "We are thrilled to have been appointed to deliver both the Charleston Academy and Beauly PoD projects, and to be starting what we hope will become a strong, long-term partnership with hub North Scotland. These appointments reflect our continued work with The Highland Council and the strength of our Inverness-based team, which has extensive experience delivering projects across the region.”
Elliot Robertson, Chief Executive Officer for the Robertson Construction Group, said: "The Highland Investment Plan is a transformative programme that will bring lasting benefits to communities across the region. We look forward to collaborating with Highland Council and hub North Scotland to deliver the Dingwall and Tornagrain projects. Our team is ready to apply its previous expertise in delivering community-based integrated facilities.”
Martin Poole, Preconstruction Director, Ogilvie Construction, commented: “We are delighted to have been appointed to this contract and look forward to working collaboratively with Highland Council and hub North Scotland to deliver a high-quality building at Inverness High School.”
The preferred main contractors join HIP project teams which include architects NORR, Holmes Miller and the in-house Highland Council Design & Construction team, along with consultants from a wide range of disciplines including Currie & Brown, Doig & Smith, Turner & Townsend, DSSR, Goodson Associates, Brown & Wallace, Atkins Realis, Fairhurst, Rybka, Harley Haddow and Etive.