Friday 5 June will see the doors of the new Dumfries High school open to pupils for the first time.
The new build, part of the Dumfries Learning Town project, has seen significant investment from Dumfries and Galloway Council in recent years. This investment, alongside a revenue grant from the Scottish Government paid over the next quarter of a century, will give pupils and staff the opportunity to learn and teach in a brand-new environment.
The building works started on site in April 2024 and the school element of the project has been completed after just over two years. The remaining elements including the demolition of the original school, which has stood since the early 1960’s, and landscaping of the school open and green spaces, is set to be completed by spring next year.
The new Dumfries High School has what has been termed a ‘fibre backbone’ to the school. This is the first school in the UK to provide fibre directly to the classroom. The technology allows the benefits of fibre speed right to the classroom, which will be of huge benefit to learners and staff alike as they embark on a new chapter of Dumfries High School.
The school will be able to accommodate more than 900 learners and 100 staff, and the community sport side of the building will be overseen by Greystone Rovers, who have had a long-standing agreement with the school.
The council’s Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing Committee Chair, Cllr Tracey Little is excited for the opening. She said:
“I am delighted to see the new school opening just days away. As a local Ward member, a former pupil and a parent of former pupils, the school has a close affinity within my own household, and I know the school community is hugely excited ahead of the first day of school in the new-build.
“The investment from the council in this project has been long-standing and it’s fantastic to be so close to what is a momentous day for the Dumfries High school community.”
Vice Chair, Cllr George Jamieson added:
“The new building really is state-of-the-art. The fibre to classroom is innovative and the school is everything an education setting of the 21st century should be – accessible, a mix of learning spaces and technology-friendly.
“I am immensely proud to see this part of the project get over the line and I wish all the pupils and staff the very best for their first day ‘in office’.”
An official opening of the new Dumfries High School is programmed in for late August, when the new academic year is underway.
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