EAST Lothian’s newest primary school should be complete by next summer.

Work began on Letham Mains Primary School, on Haddington’s western edge, earlier this year.

The school, which is at the heart of more than 800 new homes at Letham Mains, is being funded entirely through developers’ contributions.

Morrison Construction, which is also behind the development of the nearby East Lothian Community Hospital, was appointed to build the primary school, which will have 14 classrooms suitable for pre-school and primary teaching, a dining hall, social space and a two-court PE hall with retractable seating for performance and community use.

Now the foundations and concrete base have been completed and the steel frame is being put in place.

As part of the project’s commitment to sustainability, 800 tonnes of ground soil taken from the site have been moved to other projects in the county, including a BMX track in Musselburgh.

Councillor Shamin Akhtar, a Haddington ward member and cabinet spokeswoman for education, visited the site to meet with Morrison Construction’s team there.

She said: “It’s great to see the progress that is being made on the new school.

“Haddington is growing, with people choosing to live here because it’s a lovely town with beautiful natural settings and good transport links within the county and wider region.

“It’s important that we keep up with the pace of growth, have facilities in place to accommodate it, and ensure our wider community benefits from it.

“I look forward to returning to Letham Mains Primary School later in the construction process as it continues to take shape.”

Outside the new building, areas will be designed for outdoor learning, PE and play.

Jim Hanna, Morrison Construction project director, said: “It was great to be joined by council representatives on site so they could see the progress we are making.

“With groundworks and foundations complete, we are now under way with the steel frame for the new building which will start to provide the community with a sense of what the school will look like once delivered.

“Morrison Construction is committed to minimising the impact of our activities on the environment and local community.

“Already during the project we have been able to divert hundreds of tonnes of soil from landfill for reuse at Musselburgh, and we look forward to maintaining a proactive approach to sustainability throughout our time at Letham Mains.”