North Lanarkshire school pupils and nursery children took their first steps towards a new era for education and community facilities as Stepps Primary, Cultural Centre and Library opened their doors for the first time.

Guests and visitors joined the 330 school pupils who got their first glimpse of education 21^st century-style as they attended their first day of lessons in the new school, which brings state-of-the-art facilities and benefits to the local community.

Stepps Primary, Cultural Centre and Library are part of the first phase of North Lanarkshire Council's Education 2010 project (being progressed in conjunction with Transform Schools (North Lanarkshire) Ltd), which will see a total of 24 new schools opened across North Lanarkshire by 2008. A further phase, with anticipated investment of up to £250 million, is also planned from 2008-12.

Today's school opening brings the total number of schools opened under Education 2010 to eighteen – meaning that the project is now 75 per cent complete. Each of the new schools benefit from a host of modern and innovative features and facilities for teaching staff and pupils, creating a state-of-the-art teaching and learning environment for pupils.

Facilities at the new Stepps school include two semi-open plan classroom areas,  a noisy/quiet room, interview room, staff resource room, visiting services/medical room, school library, gym/assembly hall, separate general purposes/dining area, community room, changing areas, seven-a-side floodlit synthetic pitch (available for community use in the evenings and at weekends), and a fantastic audio-visual (AV) room.

The AV room has been designed to not only provide conference facilities complete with the latest technology – it can also be used as a stage area when the wall at the back of the room, which is a full height acoustic partition, is opened to face out into the assembly hall.  This backstage area has been fully equipped with stage lighting, curtains and wireless sound system, allowing the assembly hall to act as a small theatre. There is also a general purpose community room for use by community workers and local groups during the day.

The nursery facilities – which will open in August 2008 – include a playroom for the 3-5 year olds with adjacent kitchen and laundry and walk-in store with direct access to a secure outdoor play area.

In a major boost for the local community, the school shares its site with a new cultural centre for Stepps – a first for the area.  The cultural centre consists of a new public library, which will offer better access for visitors in a new and improved environment; a community hall; self-catering kitchen; and two multi-purpose rooms that can be hired for community or private use. One of these rooms will be used for the art classes that previously ran in Stepps Hall, with different classes available for the young or the old.

Councillor Jim Logue, Convener of North Lanarkshire Council's Learning & Leisure Services Committee, joined local councillors, pupils, staff, parents and members of the local community to cut a ribbon to the entrance of the new school.

Councillor Logue said: "Stepps Primary, Cultural Centre and Library embodies everything that Education 2010 is about – bringing education and community facilities together for the benefit of those living in our local communities. Not only do we have state-of-the-art and flexible facilities that deliver a modern and effective education curriculum, we also have enhanced facilities and resources that can be enjoyed by the wider community in Stepps and the surrounding areas.

"The school building itself offers many opportunities for community use and the cultural centre will significantly enhance what is available. For example, the new library will offer improved access and will be open for longer and holds more than 11,000 items – an increase of 8.2 per cent on the old library -­ giving people what they want and need. And this is just one of the ways in which we are putting service and people first in North Lanarkshire. We're also improving nursery provision in the area, which is another significant boost.

"Facilities like these create a legacy for generations to come – and that legacy can be enjoyed by people of all ages as these facilities sit at the heart of community life, making a difference for everyone. There is no doubt that this really is the start of a new era for the local community in Stepps and I'm sure these terrific facilities will be enjoyed by all."

Bob Anderson, General Manager of Balfour Beatty Construction in Scotland added: "We are delighted to see the handover of this latest stage of schools as part of the Education 2010 initiative.

"The success of all of the individual projects to date has centred around the true private/public sector partnership that has developed between North Lanarkshire Council, Transform Schools and ourselves."

Anne D'ouse, Head Teacher of Stepps Primary, said: "We are all so excited about getting to work in our new school and taking advantage of these terrific new facilities that will help us provide the best teaching and learning environment possible. The new school is exactly what staff, pupils and parents deserve and will make a real difference in how we deliver the Curriculum for Excellence within Stepps Primary.

"We all know that education is about much more than bricks and mortar and our new school will continue to display the ethos and tradition of our old school, but now in a greatly improved environment, and that is great news for everyone in Stepps who can enjoy these terrific resources.

"We are also delighted to share our new home with the new cultural centre, and we will certainly be looking at how we can make best use of what we now have on our doorstep, and I'm sure local residents will be doing the same."

Local councillors welcomed the opening of the new school, library and cultural centre. Councillor Frances McGlinchey said: "I am very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the design of the new school. There's plenty of space, it's airy and a lot of thought has clearly gone into it." Councillor Brian Wallace added: "It's been a long time coming, but the new facilities exceed all expectations. The school is one of the best I've seen and it's great to see the kids looking so happy." 

Pupils also gave the school the thumbs-up: Michael McNair (6) said he thought the school was "cool"; Emily Moore (6) was "excited" about the new school; and Lucy Gray (5) thought it was "much better"!

Rob Stewart, Chairman of Stepps Community Council, summed up the local community's views, saying: "We have been waiting for a long time and it's great to see these fantastic facilities available for use. We are looking forward to holding our first meeting in the new cultural centre in December, and I hope the local community will make full use of this fantastic new resource."

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