Angus Early Years facilities
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Summary
Angus Council’s commitment to increasing early learning
Angus Council’s new early years facilities in Forfar and Carnoustie are being built to support the development of children under the Scottish Government’s new ‘1,140 hours’ initiative.
Key facts
- Two new build early years facilities for Angus Council.
- 205-place facility in Carnoustie.
- 150-place facility in Forfar.
- 1,140 hours funded childcare available from August 2020.
- For 3-to-5 year olds and eligible 2-year-olds.
Developing children and helping parents
There is growing evidence that a safe, nurturing environment outwith the home can offer children additional opportunity to socialise, develop verbal skills and discover that learning is fun. It also helps parents to balance their own needs to work, look after other family members or recharge.
Constructing early years facilities in Carnoustie and Forfar
The new £4.2m Carnoustie facility at Pitskelly Park will provide a comprehensive range of facilities for children and their families, with up to 205 places for 2-to-5 year olds.
In Forfar, a new £3.6m facility at the former Forfar Academy will provide a similar range of facilities, with up to 150 places available.
Both buildings offer high quality, flexible and accessible early learning and childcare and will have dedicated, landscaped outdoor space.
Low energy design
A key part of the environmentally-friendly design is to maximise south facing glazing, while the addition of a canopy will help to reduce the need for heating and cooling measures within the building.
Externally, materials including Sedum, Scottish Larch and zinc have been selected to assist the building settle into its environment, while it will also have a bio-diverse roof to encourage wildlife.
Bringing nursery projects to site quickly
The projects have been delivered in partnership with the hub East Central Scotland framework which, as with other national and regional frameworks, saves around 6 months on procurement. In addition, it brings added certainty around cost-effectiveness, value for money, quality and social value.
Another advantage is that they were constructed on land that was already within Angus Council's school estate ownership. The Forfar early years facility is on the site of the old Forfar Academy, which was replaced by Forfar Community Campus, constructed by Robertson in 2017.
