Today’s Press & Journal had a short update on the extension to Edgar Road that will become the entrance to the new building.  The Moray Council is talking of moving this work forward into the 2013/14 budget.  This will allow an earlier start to the work and make a clear separation between this development and the discussions about the western link road.  However, this still has to pass through various process before any turf is cut.

Plans are also under way to arrange a meeting between Moray Council staff and Hubco who will be moving the project forward.  This is scheduled to take place at the end of next week and should give a clear indication of timescales, etc.

Martine Scott, the newly appointed Senior Project Officer visited Elgin High School this morning.  Accompanied by Nick Goodchild from The Moray Council, Martine had the opportunity to tour the present building and see for herself some of the issues which will be addressed by the new build and hear about the aspirations of the school community.  She also looked around the grounds to see where the building will be constructed.

Following interviews last week, Moray Council has appointed Martine Scott to the post of Senior Project Officer.  She will have responsibility for leading the project within Moray and liaising with Hubco and Scottish Futures Trust.  Martine currently works with Moray Council and has already started meeting with other people involved with the development.  Martine said, ” I’m delighted to be appointed to the post of senior project officer and start work on March 6th.  I am especially looking forward to working with the staff, pupils and whole school community to develop the Elgin High School to become wonderful new spaces to be proud of.”

The first meeting of the Moray Council Steering Group for the new build was held this morning.  This included councillors, council officials and a representative of the Parent Council.  The group has the remit of keeping an overview of developments.  It was good to have a review of progress and the next steps of the project as well as hearing how it will link to the Hubco which will be responsible for much of the planning and build.  The timescale for starting in spring 2014 and opening in summer 2015 is still very much achievable – although there is a lot of work to take place.  A Senior Project Manager should be appointed very soon.  This person will have responsibility for taking the project forward.  An encouraging meeting!

On Monday a group of third year EHS pupils spent the morning in new Elgin Academy building.  In the future, this group of pupils may be used to organise consultations with younger pupils to help influence the design of the new EHS build.  For most of the pupils it was the first time that they had been in a different secondary school.  They came away very impressed by what they saw and with lots of ideas that would help improve life for pupils in Elgin High School.  We are very grateful to senior pupils in Elgin Academy for taking the time to talk about their school.

On Thursday evening last week it was good to welcome parents of P7 pupils who will be starting at EHS in the summer.  They had a tour of the current building and we could explain the plans for the new building that their children will enjoy when they move into S.3.  Good discussions and a useful reminder that we will need to make sure that during the construction period part of the playing field is kept for lunchtime football!

This next week will see the first meeting of the project committee.  A group of councillors, parent council rep and council officials that will take an overview of the developments over the coming years.  More details to follow.

The pupils and staff have now been back for a week.  Plans for the new build are beginning to get going again.  There was a useful meeting this morning with staff from Moray Council Development Services.  A number of issues about timing were covered to ensure that the project meets both planning and SFT/North Hub deadlines.  We also spoke about the planning requirements to make sure that these are considered from the beginning and potential delays can be minimised.  The target, at the moment, is to have the initial public consultation on the planning application  ready for July 2013.  There is a lot of work and discussions with stakeholders to take place before that!

The term has now ended and the Christmas holidays have begun.  We started the session in August with a sense of anticipation of the announcement of funding and we  have reached December with a positive mood that Elgin High School will get a new building.  However there is also a realisation that there is a lot of work to take place in the next few months if the timescales are to be met.  A couple of important meetings are scheduled for the first half of January.   These will identify what has to happen and get the detailed planning under way.  It is good to know that there is a strong commitment not only by EHS staff, pupils and parents but also from colleagues in all departments in Moray Council.  More information will appear after the holidays.  Happy Christmas!

It is several months before any final decisions have to be made, but EHS staff are already thinking about which departments should be together –  not only to encourage co-operation and for pupils to recognise the links between subjects, but also to make the best use of resources.  As well as subject departments, thought is also being given as to how the pupil support departments could work together and overcome the current difficulties of Kestrel House and Support for Learning being at opposite ends of the building.  At the moment, the discussion meetings are only raising the issues so that everyone can contribute positively when the architects start asking the same questions.  Full consultation with pupils and parents will take place in the New Year.

An important development today.  The Moray Council has advertised for a Project Officer who will be a key person in co-ordinating the developments and seeing the project through to completion.  The advert is available through Council.   The job spec includes the following:

The Moray Council has been awarded funding to replace one of its secondary schools (Elgin High School) through phase 3 of Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme. Further funding has also been awarded for improvements to Milne’s Primary School.

The Moray Council will work in partnership with Hubco North and other local authorities in the delivery of these projects.

The Council requires an experienced Project Officer who will be key to the successful delivery of these high profile projects within a very tight time frame. The post holder will be responsible for developing project briefs and maintaining the appropriate flow of information between stakeholders, partners and contractors. They will also need to ensure projects keep to programme and that appropriate governance arrangements are in place.

The post holder will need to have excellent project management, decision making and communication skills. They will also need to be comfortable with working on their own initiative with limited supervision.

The post is fixed term for 3 years.