Dear parent/carer 

We wanted to bring you an update on work on the new Paisley Grammar School Community Campus. This update is being shared with all parents and carers of pupils at the school currently, and those at associated primary schools, so you can see progress so far and some never-shared-before images of what it will look like inside once open. 

The new school is due to be open for August 2026. The current Paisley Grammar School building has served the town well for generations, but the new school will have modern facilities not possible on the current site. These will include: 

• two full-size sports pitches (one 3G and one grass), plus outdoor learning and social spaces
• modern facilities for practical subjects including a 300-seat theatre, fitness suite, dance studio, maker space, teaching kitchens, drama studio and music suites
• facilities for the wider community, such as meeting rooms and flexible learning spaces 

Above is a plan showing how the site will be laid out. On one side of the site will be the two sports pitches. You can also see the bus drop-off and turning circle (on the far side as you look at it), and the staff car park and drop-off zone (beside the pitch, on the near side). 

Work started in the summer and is going well – we’re sure you won’t have failed to notice the building if driving up Renfrew Road in recent weeks! Here are some drone pictures giving you a bird’s-eye view of progress so far 

As you can see, the steel frame of the building, much of the concrete, and the roof are now there. Next year, our contractors will make the building wind and watertight, and start fitting out the inside. 

Transport links 

One key thing to remember about the new school is that the road system around it will look very different by the time it opens. The school is being built within the site of a separate project (also led by the council) to build new road links, which will create safer walking, cycling and road access for pupils. 

You can see the routes for some of these links in the pics. They will include:    

• a new east-west road, still to be built, which the entrance to the new school will be off. This road will run from a new junction with Renfrew Road (just south of the roundabout at McDonalds), along the edge of the West College Scotland site, and join up with Abercorn Street and Harbour Road;
• the new road will eventually lead to a new road bridge over the River Cart, giving pupils living on the other side of the river easier access to the new school
• an underpass under Renfrew Road (from behind M&S to the B&M car park). This will join the new walking/cycling route (which we’ve already built) running up behind the college and along the side of the school site. This route will eventually lead to Renfrew and beyond, to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland, next to the airport.

You can also see in the photos the former Chivas administration buildings – these will not be part of the new school, but the council is currently marketing them to find a new owner and use. 

How school facilities will look 

Here are some never-shared-before architect’s images which showcase how the inside of the school will look, and some of the new modern facilities it will contain. 

The new school will offer a state-of-the-art learning experience and we hope your child will love it. We've added some captions below describing what the images show.