After over 110 years, Inverurie Academy has a new home

After over 110 years year, Inverurie Academy pupils will return from their October holidays to a new building.

The secondary school are moving into the town's new community campus.

The £55 Million development has been built right on the border of the former school.

They will be joined in a few weeks by pupils from additional needs school St Andrew's.

This new facility offers a gym, a number of fully equipped sports halls and multi-functional theatre space - and a pool.

St Andrew's section of the building will benefit from multiple sensory rooms, a sensory garden, a warm water pool and therapy pool and dedicated rebound therapy space.

Inverurie Academy Head Teacher Mark Jones said:

"I'm very excited, this is the next phase for Inverurie Academy"

"It's the fact that it's shared that really excites me"

"The fact that we are moving into a building with community partners Live Life Aberdeenshire, with St Andrew's School and with a huge number of clubs, groups and societies."

"We bring a lot of heritage from our old building, which we were in for about 110 plus years, and I'm hugely excited that the staff and students are going to be leading us in the next chapter."

We asked Mr Jones what his favourite feature of the new building is, he said:

"Well my boys are all basketball fans, so I was tasked with finding out if there was a display board with a 'home' and 'away' so I'd have to say that's a particular favourite of mine."

Councillor and the Chairman of Aberdeenshire's Education and Children's services committee Gillian Owen said:

"It's absolutely fantastic, I think the whole community will be hugely excited."

Comparing it to the campus opened in Ellon in the past few years Councillor Owen said:

"It made a huge different to the community."

"Having everything in one area, where community groups can meet, you've got the swimming pool - it just has that cosy feeling with it - and I'm sure this campus too will soon get that feeling."