BAM Construction is set to hand over the new state-of-the-art Cedarbank School in Livingston to West Lothian Council.

Staff and pupils are expected to start the transition to the new school after the Easter break, following confirmation from delivery partner Hub South East and BAM, the main contractor, that construction will be complete in March 2022.

Cedarbank provides quality education for secondary pupils with additional learning needs from around West Lothian, and is currently spread over three locations. 

The new stand-alone, modern purpose-built facility will bring Cedarbank pupils from S1 to S6 together under one roof in the same campus as The James Young High School. Facilities within the school include a multi-purpose hall, specialist classrooms for CDT, Music, Science, Home Economics, Art, IT and Life Skills in addition to standard classrooms. There is also a kitchen/dining area within the school and externally a mixture of natural hard and soft landscaping, comprising of spaces to learn outdoors and an allotment.

A dedicated school access road has been built from Dedridge North Road, separate from the Quentin Rise entrance for The James Young High School. 


‘We are delighted to have supported Hub South East Scotland and West Lothian Council on another first-class educational facility. 

‘This scheme has drawn on BAM’s expertise and extensive experience as a leading education provider in Scotland and we are proud to have played our part in the creation of this new modern learning environment that will inspire pupils for many years to come.’

Kris Moir

Project Manager, BAM

Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: ‘I’m delighted that the outstanding new Cedarbank School will be ready for pupils from next month.  

‘The excellent facilities at the new Cedarbank will bring the whole school together in one place, ensuring we can deliver the best possible education for the young people who attend.

‘Many thanks to Hub South East and BAM Construction for their hard work to deliver the new school on time and on budget during the challenges of the pandemic.’

The new school is part of a £26.5 million investment in schools dedicated to supporting pupils with additional support needs, which will see a new Beatlie School in Livingston built as well as improvements to Ogilvie Campus in Livingston and the Pinewood ASN School in Blackburn. 

Roddy Clark, Hub South East's Operations Director, said: ‘We're proud to continue our positive working relationship with our partners in West Lothian Council as we deliver another inspiring learning estate development.  

‘I commend everyone involved in progressing the build of this new specialist facility during the challenging circumstances of the last few years. The feedback from those pupils and staff who have visited site during the construction of Cedarbank has been positive and it’s encouraging to see the excitement grow as they get ever closer to being able to enjoy their new, modern learning space.’

Executive councillor for education David Dodds added: ‘The new £7 million Cedarbank School will make a positive difference in lives of many local young people, giving an ideal platform to help them learn and achieve their potential.

‘West Lothian already has one of the best school estates in Scotland, and investments in new schools at Cedarbank, Beatlie, Winchburgh and Calderwood can only enhance this further.’

BAM has extensive experience of delivering education schemes in Scotland and across the UK. It was recently appointed to deliver the £46 million full-rebuild of Peebles High School in Peebleshire, the second education facility to be delivered by BAM in the Scottish Borders following the £32 million construction of Jedburgh Grammar Campus.

In February BAM began enabling works on the co-located high school element of the new £220 million Dunfermline Learning Campus. The new facility is due to open in 2024 and will bring together up to 2,700 pupils, students and staff from two high schools and Fife College in modern, fit for purpose and low carbon facilities.