In 2020, Angus Council successfully bid for funding to replace Monifieth High School as part of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme.
The project has now progressed to the construction of the new building.
Between early 2018 and late 2019 a number of options were considered to develop the Monifieth schools cluster which included:
- refurbishing and extending existing schools
- forming a 2-18 through school
- building a community campus, and
- creating a tri school with neighbouring local authorities of Dundee City Council and Perth and Kinross Council.
As part of the above options, funding was identified within the Council Financial Plan to carry out improvements to Monifieth High School. The final extent of any project however would be dependent on the funding available.
In October 2020 a bid for funding to replace Monifieth High School was made as part of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme.
Angus Council received notification in December 2020 that funding for the project was approved. The funding from the Scottish Government Learning Estate Investment Programme relates to approximately 50% of the project cost and is based on achieving specific targets and conditions. Angus Council is responsible for the remainder of the project costs.
We see our schools as a community learning resource. Our planned new build Monifieth Learning Campus will offer an enhanced learning and teaching experience for approximately 1200 young people while increasing community access and opportunities.
A new build school will enable us to provide equity and excellence by allowing us the quality of space needed to deliver the wide variety of learning pathways required.
This will ensure that we support each of the 1200 learners to reach their ‘fullest potential’. In Angus we aspire for all of our young people to ‘achieve more than anyone ever thought was possible’, thus not daring to make a decision on what an individual’s potential may, or may not, be.
We envision a building that allows all young people to engage in learning that interests them and allows them to enter the next phase of their learning. At Monifieth we already have a significant proportion of the senior phase attend Dundee and Angus College. In addition, our college colleagues also deliver courses on-site.
The Monifieth Learning Campus will ensure the quality of the accommodation does not limit this offer; ensuring that every young person is following a curriculum that is best suited to their needs and is relevant in terms of local and national economic growth.
Our #everythingislearning philosophy is best served when all parties involved in the learning are purposefully built into the curriculum.
A new build Monifieth Learning Campus will strengthen our senior phase offer, allowing even more of a focus on skills and industry-recognised qualifications.
The new building will provide space to engage the community, our colleagues in community learning and development and the third sector who contribute so much to the learning of some of our young people.
A new build Monifieth Learning Campus will allow us to redesign the spaces used by our young people with the most complex needs and others requiring additional support, ensuring that every young person benefits from all that the school building has to offer.
The existing site has extensive outdoor space which will be redesigned to enhance opportunities for learning during the school day and for use by the wider community.
Walking and cycling routes in and around Monifieth are excellent but can always be improved. To promote active travel, however, site access points and on-site vehicular routes will be improved to increase the opportunities for young people, staff and the community choosing to walk or cycle.
We see our learning estate as the anchor assets of our communities. Location, configuration and accessibility are critical components.
We will work with our community partners in and around Monifieth to co-design a facility that enhances learning opportunities for all; improves outcomes; and contributes to a vibrant and sustainable future for the area.
The physical location of the site offers good active travel links. The new development will offer greater opportunities for community access, which has been limited in recent years due to the pressure on space.