St Andrew's Academy in Paisley is set for five new classrooms, a new oratory and more PE space, after a council report revealed the school has 1,468 pupils in a building designed for 1,250.

That puts the Barrhead Road secondary at 117% of its capacity. Councillors on Renfrewshire Council's Education and Children's Services Policy Board are being asked on Thursday (29 October) to agree the extension, along with more classrooms at Mary Russell School, the authority's specialist school for pupils with additional support needs.

What's planned at St Andrew's

The report says demand for places has stayed above capacity because of population change, new housing, parental choice and steady demand from both inside and outside the catchment area. Provisional designs drawn up with the school include:

  • a permanent extension with five classrooms, toilets and a staff base, joined to the school by a new link corridor
  • a covered outdoor dining and social area
  • a new science classroom, another classroom and a new oratory inside the main building
  • a new outdoor hard-surface sports area with fixed equipment, plus two extra changing rooms for PE

The council stresses that the change isn't a plan to take in more pupils than now. Instead, the school's official capacity would be raised to match the space it actually has. Detailed design and costs are being worked up with the council's PPP school provider, and the project would be put forward for the 2027/28 capital plan. If it's approved, work would run from 2027 and finish in 2028.

Mary Russell School full

Mary Russell School is running at 100% of capacity and is expected to stay that way, the report says, with a sustained rise in demand for specialist places. Three years of refurbishment and reshuffling inside the building have used up every bit of space, and some lessons now have to take place off-site.

Officers say building more classrooms on site is the financially sensible option because it would cut the need for costly out-of-area placements and the transport that goes with them. A formal design would be drawn up if councillors agree, with construction pencilled in for 2027 and costs also going into the 2027/28 capital plan.

Other school projects

  • Park Mains High School, Erskine: the extension is on track to finish in August 2027. Over the summer the school got a new kitchen, library, bigger dining area, extended bus loop and car park, a food technology room, a digital room and a new art classroom. The frame and stairs of the new teaching annex and PE block are up, and the buildings should be wind and watertight early next year.
  • Thistle Primary School, Dargavel: on track for summer 2027, with the building's structure complete, fit-out started and an all-weather pitch under construction. The first pupils will be registered from November 2026.
  • Johnstone: more than 750 people have given their views on the future of Johnstone's primary schools and Johnstone High School, and updated information will be shared in November.
  • Trinity High School, Renfrew: the first round of public engagement on options starts in November, with more to follow in 2027.

Paisley Grammar School Community Campus, the last big project, is now complete.

Image: St Andrew's Academy, Paisley. Photo: Richard Sutcliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.