Consultation on plans for new £100m school campus in Thurso

Highland Council is to begin a consultation on plans to build a new £100m school campus in Thurso in Caithness.

Thurso High School, the most northerly secondary school on the British mainland, would be part of the campus and two local primaries would also be relocated there.

There have been concerns about the current high school buildings, with one block having to be closed off after structural issues were discovered in 2022.

Consultation on the planned new education campus is expected to begin in August and will run for a minimum of six weeks.

Highland Council said it was facing challenges from an ageing school estate in Thurso, with a number of buildings no longer well suited to modern learning, accessibility and inclusion.

The local authority said the campus would be part of its Highland Investment Plan bringing together Thurso High School, Pennywell Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School in a single purpose-built site.

Officers said the plans focused on creating modern, high quality learning environments that would better meet the needs of children and young people.

They said the campus could have enhanced additional support needs provision while there was also the potential to strengthen Gaelic medium education.

Education committee chairman John Finlayson described the plans as a "positive step" for Thurso and for the future of education in the town.

He said: "It is important to be clear that no final decisions have been taken.

"The consultation process will allow us to hear directly from pupils, parents, staff and the wider community before we take any further decisions."

Meanwhile, the education committee has agreed to recommend the relocation of Beauly Primary School to a new, purpose‑built building.

Highland Council said the decision marked a "significant step forward" in delivering a modern school for Beauly.

The proposal would see a new school built on a site west of Cnoc na Ràth.

The statutory consultation, which ran from December 2025 to January 2026, included a public meeting and opportunities for written feedback.

Councillors have also approved the start of a consultation on a proposal to permanently relocate Plockton Primary School to the Plockton High School campus.