Consultation on New £100m School Campus in Thurso
Highland Council is set to begin a consultation regarding plans to construct a new £100 million school campus in Thurso, Caithness.
The proposed campus would include Thurso High School, noted as the most northerly secondary school on the British mainland, along with the relocation of two local primary schools to the site.
Concerns have been raised about the existing high school buildings, particularly after one block was closed in 2022 due to structural issues.
The consultation on the new education campus is scheduled to start in August and will last for a minimum of six weeks.
The council highlighted challenges posed by an aging school estate in Thurso, with several buildings no longer adequately supporting modern learning requirements, accessibility, and inclusion.
The campus is part of the Highland Investment Plan and aims to bring together Thurso High School, Pennywell Primary School, and Miller Academy Primary School into a single, purpose-built facility.
Officials emphasized that the plans focus on creating modern, high-quality learning environments designed to better serve the needs of children and young people.
There is potential for the campus to offer enhanced additional support needs provision, as well as opportunities to strengthen Gaelic medium education.
John Finlayson, chairman of the education committee, described the plans as a "positive step" for Thurso and the future of education in the town.
"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."
New Beauly School
In a related development, the education committee has agreed to recommend relocating Beauly Primary School to a new, purpose-built building.
Highland Council stated that this decision represents a "significant step forward" in delivering a modern school for Beauly.
The proposal involves constructing a new school on a site west of Cnoc na Ràth.
The statutory consultation for this project took place from December 2025 to January 2026 and included a public meeting along with opportunities for written feedback.
Additionally, councillors have approved the initiation of a consultation on a proposal to permanently relocate Plockton Primary School to the Plockton High School campus.
