Ambitious plans to transform the education of children and young people with additional support needs in Girvan and South Carrick are now being put in place. South Ayrshire Council is preparing to begin work on the project to build a new Invergarven School.

Built in 1870 Invergarven is a special school for primary and secondary children and young people with complex additional support needs. With the original building on Henrietta Street having reached the end of its natural life, the school is moving to a new site.
The £3.7m facility will be project managed by the Council Professional Design Service and built in the grounds of Girvan Academy, delivering spaces for learning and teaching including a sensory room, life skills kitchen, multi-use hall, hydrotherapy pool and external areas that support outdoor learning.
The new school will increase capacity by around a third with 20 children and young people able to be taught at any one time (up from 15 at the old school).
Councillor Margaret Toner, Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning said the new building would benefit generations of families, "Invergarven has an enviable reputation for excellence, with staff working hard to deliver the best possible education to the diverse range of children and young people on the school roll.
"But with the old building now full to capacity and badly in need of an upgrade, we are now moving ahead with our plans to build a brand new school in the grounds of Girvan Academy, allowing the two schools to forge far closer ties in the years ahead.
"When the building opens next year it will help to transform the quality of education on offer and comes as part of a significant period of investment in a number of schools across South Ayrshire."
Julie McManus, Acting Headteacher at Invergarven School, said this was an exciting time for pupils, families and staff, "Everyone involved can't wait for the new school to open, and it's hard to believe we'll be moving in a little over a year.
"The replacement building will help us to grow in the years ahead, while also providing children with a modern space to learn in that will transform their education.
"While there's still a lot of work to do, with so much good will, a striking new design, and work about to start, I'm sure the wait will be worth it as Invergarven moves into a new era."
Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2017 and is expected to be completed by April 2018.