This is the view of the school playing fields this afternoon (Tuesday).  Although final agreement on the project has still to be reached so that the formal contracts can be signed, it was good to see the SSE vans at the school.  In addition to moving their cables, Vodafone and BT are also there getting the site ready for the construction work to begin.

 Meanwhile at the far end of the fields and beside Greenwards Primary School, work on the construction of the new approach road is making very good progress.  All very encouraging, but it will be good when we are able to cut the turf at the start of the work on the building itself.

I am just back from 2 amazing weeks in Zambia visiting the Victoria Falls, a national park and our partner school in Mukonchi with a group of pupils and staff.  We were able to join in their lessons and be part of their school for a few days.  While we may be frustrated with the delay in starting the new build for EHS, the time in Africa was a stark reminder of just how much we have compared to many in the world.  It also reinforced the truth that the most important aspect of a school is not the building but the relationships between pupils, their families, staff and the local community.  We met some fantastic people and were made very welcome.  It was good to be able to learn together with our Zambian counterparts, despite the physical conditions that surround them every day in their school building.

Meanwhile it was exciting to return to Elgin and find that enabling work is soon to start.  This involves moving the high voltage and Vodafone cables.  Agreement has still to be reached over the ESA10 issues.  However, discussions are ongoing and the work that will be completed in the next few weeks is an indicator of the increasing confidence that we will soon be able to announce a date for the turf cutting ceremony.

At the end of Edgar Road work on the new access road has begun.  This is good news.  Although there is still nothing new to report on the main building contract, it is good to end the school session with positive news of progress.  The holidays start tomorrow and, along with a group of senior pupils, I will be disappearing for two weeks to Zambia to visit our partners school.  Hopefully when I get back and restart the blog there can be some further good news.  Enjoy the summer holidays!