Wednesday afternoon was one of those reality moments in the project.  Representatives of ESA McIntosh met with someone from Hubco, Moray Council staff and ourselves.  This company and its staff have been involved in the furnishing of countless new schools for many years.  They brought with them the first draft of room layouts and catalogues of possible furniture.  For the first time we were discussing what the inside of the new building might look like and how teaching areas might operate.  There is still a long way to go with many meetings examining each room in detail, but now we are looking at the pupil and teacher experiences in the learning spaces.  So what colour do we want the desks, or the chairs, or the canteen seats, or the cupboard doors, or the…?  Important details that can contribute much to the ethos of the school.  Watch this blog for more details!

The silence of the last couple of months does not reflect the large number of meetings that have been taking place.  Although the anticipated start date is now March 2015, the planned handover in October 2016 is still a realistic target.  Many people have been working hard to bring the plans to reality.  A nine hour meeting on Monday allowed for a final review of the room data sheets.  Samples of furniture should be available for staff to view next week.  Detailed work is also being done on the impact of the construction period on the life of the school.  The fire drill positions have already been changed to avoid the anticipated building site.  This afternoon the latest match for the U13 and U14 football teams took place.  This time next year we will need to find an alternative venue for their fixtures.  Although there are a lot of details to be worked through by Moray Council, Hubco, the architects and the construction companies, there is a positive message amongst those involved.  Weekly posts will hopefully follow to keep everyone up to date with the progress.

Friday sees the end of the session and the start of the holidays.  At the school itself there has been little activity regarding the new build.  An acoustic survey has come and gone and we are waiting for a bat survey to be completed by Friday.  However, there has been a lot happening else where.  Last night Steve Petrie from Balfour Beatty spoke at the annual prize giving.  It was good to hear not only about his own career path but also for parents to learn about the ethos of the construction company and their positive aspirations for Elgin High School.  This morning, Andy Oliver from Hubco, spent four hours chatting through a number of issues – including possible systems to support those with hearing impairment – as well as reviewing the room data sheets.  Both have assured us that we are moving forward and the project is still on target for the start of construction.  Monday 5 January 2015 is the date.  Next week will see the staff and pupils scatter across the globe on holiday.  If there is any more news it will be added to this blog.  If not, we will be back on 18th August (19th for pupils!).

While there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes, direct involvement in the new build by staff in EHS has been limited for the last few days.  The good news is that Shona Leese has been appointed as Senior Project Officer.  She is currently working in the Designing Better Services section of Moray Council.  We look forward to Shona joining the team in a few weeks.  The Parent Council met earlier this week.  They have agreed that the annual Parent Forum (Tuesday 23 September) will be a good occasion to update parents on the plans.

A quiet week for those of us in the school – although there has been a lot of work done elsewhere.  However, interviews were held on Wednesday to appoint a new Senior Project Manager.  This is a key post.  The successful candidate will be responsible for co-ordinating Moray Council’s side of the project.  I hope we will be able to make an announcement early next week.

The Project Board met on Thursday morning.  This included reps from Moray Council, Hubco and some of the key companies.  Again, it is good to report that we are on schedule.  Although there are still various pieces of work to be finalised, the initial plan is nearly complete.  There was also a meeting with Moray Council transport staff looking at the future access to the site, by buses, bikes, cars and pedestrians. It should all be much safer than the present site.  We are getting close to being able to make the latest design public – so keep watching this blog.  EHS staff had a preview of a recent version at the in service meeting on Friday.  Although folk are keen to see details, there was a general welcome for what has been achieved to date.

Today it was good to welcome Nicola from TGP Landscape Architects to EHS.  Not just because she provides evidence that the construction industry needs women, but also she brought the first draft of possible plans for the grounds.  These included plenty of trees and grass as well as a design for an outdoor classroom that has exciting possibilities.  There will be a lot more discussions to take place, including the options for the sensory/Additional Support Needs Garden, but it looks as if we will have both an attractive and interesting landscape for the new building.

Wednesday afternoon saw the official launch of the new build project.  This was marked by a meeting in EHS for representatives of everyone involved in the project including: Hubco, Moray Council, the architects, the construction company and the civil engineers.  With everyone together it was good to share the vision and set out plans for the coming months.  We also saw the latest design – which looks exciting.  So that everyone could understand what we hope to achieve, we showed the DVD made by EHS pupils more than two years ago at the time when we were campaigning to be included in the SFT scheme.  This highlighted clearly some of the issues that must be achieved in the new build to overcome existing challenges.  The presence of superb home bakes from the existing EHS canteen helped the 3 hour meeting pass quickly!

A simple thought from looking at the picture above.  There is definitely room for more girls to take up jobs in the construction industry and in leadership roles in local government.  Your skills are welcome despite what the photo might suggest.

Over the last two weeks it has been difficult to add anything specific to the Blog.  However, since returning from the Easter holidays I can reassure everyone that we have been exceptionally busy.  The main focus has been completing Room Data Sheets.  This has been a daunting task as some of the technical detail required has been beyond the expertise of a Head Teacher and has involved consultations with specialists.  We have had a couple of very useful meetings with a consultant from Highland.  He has brought a wealth of experience and helped us to ask the correct questions as to what we want or need.  Moray ICT have been great in giving input into their requirements – although it is very difficult to second guess where ICT will be in two years time, let alone 20 years into the future.  Moray DSO have been exceptionally helpful in looking at the kitchen and canteen as well as the maintenance/cleaning needs.  There are some exciting ideas emerging about catering.  Hubco staff have also been sharing their experiences.

Meanwhile, the architect continues to provide creative solutions to issues we raise.  It is also good to have Martine, Project Manager, back after a period of illness.  Sadly, later in May she is off to another post – we will miss her for her hard work and many contributions.  The post has been advertised – applicants are welcome.

Good progress is being made and the positive response from councillors and others to the presentation at the steering group was welcome.  Hopefully it will not be long before we can share the design with a wider audience.

While there is stil nothing to see on the ground, progress continues to be made.  There was very useful meeting on Thursday with Hubco, Moray Council, the architects and Balfour Beatty.  We almost have closure on the outline plans.  The architects are producing more detailed plans and we are busy completing room data sheets.  Everyone is on schedule to complete this phase by the middle of May.  Hopefully, we will be able to hold a public display of the plans before the summer holidays.