Construction work has started on a new secondary school in Perth.

The new Bertha Park High School is the 100th school to be built as part of the Scottish Government's £1.8 billion Schools for the Future Programme.

Up to £19.6 million of funding is being provided towards the development, which will contain community sports facilities.

Around 200 jobs will be created over the construction period, including 17 apprenticeships, and the school is set to be ready for occupation in August 2019.

Speaking following the turf-cutting ceremony, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "We are committed to ensuring our young people and teachers can thrive in modern, state-of-the-art school buildings and our record on improving the education estate speaks for itself.


"We have made fantastic progress and have wonderful, award-winning schools across all parts of Scotland which stand as testament to that – Bertha Park will be an exciting addition to those existing schools.

"I have seen the real difference these buildings can make to the lives of pupils, teachers and parents, as well as the wider communities they serve, and we will continue our efforts to improve the condition of our entire learning estate, from early years through to schools and colleges."

Gemma Boggs, Education Delivery Director at Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), added: "Our expert management of the Schools for the Future programme is helping all of Scotland's 32 councils succeed in delivering the very best teaching and learning environments within ever-tightening budgets.

"As well as supporting many thousands of construction jobs, the programme is creating and delivering world-class, award-winning learning environments that not only meet future educational needs but are vibrant community assets as well."

(LM/JP)