Friday March 13th 2026
Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander joins East Lothian Provost John McMilland, education spokesperson Councillor Fiona Dugdale, headteacher Viv Short and senior pupils at the official opening of Whitecraig Primary School
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
The Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander helped children officially open their new school in East Lothian today saying it gave ‘hope’ for the future.
Mr Alexander, who is the local MP for Lothian East, joined pupils, teaching staff and council officials at Whitecraig Primary for a special assembly celebrating their new facility.
And Mr Alexander said taking part in the event at such a perilous time in the world gave everyone involved ‘hope for the future’.
He said: “It is a great privilege to be at the opening of this school and to see the investment we are making in the next generation. It is not just a great school it represents a great determination and belief we have to keep investing in the future of our children.
“When I see what is happening around the world it is hard to feel hopeful but anyone who watched the pupils here and saw the school leadership and commitment of all involved from parents and teachers will leave with hope for the what these youngsters will achieve in the future.”
The new £18.5million Whitecraig Primary School welcomed its first pupils through its doors in January this year and currently has 117 children on its roll but with hundreds more houses due to be built in the small community, on the outskirts of Musselburgh, the roll is expected more than double in the next ten years and it has been built with a capacity for 275 children in total.
The children from the school presented a poem they worked on to an invited audience which revealed the transformation of moving from their old primary school building which was built in the late 1950s and is to be demolished.
In it they described the old school as a “perilous place to be” adding that when it rained “the walls burst into tears”, however they said their new school was a “new world we had never met before” saying “it shines with light pouring
into every single room.”
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney, who had been due to attend, sent a recorded message after business in the Scottish Parliament prevented his appearance.
In it he said: “Education helps us understand who we are, and it helps us to get to where we want to be in life.
“Back in 2019, when I was Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, I launched the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme, so it’s a real pleasure to see some of that investment put to such good use here in Whitecraig.
“These facilities are fantastic, they support the growth we’ve seen across East Lothian, and they’ve been designed with real care.”
Whitecraig Primary School Head Teacher Viv Short led the children in songs to open and close the assembly before they joined her in showing off the school facilities to their visitors.
She said: “The new Whitecraig Primary School building stands as a significant investment in our children and our community.
“It provides a high‑quality learning environment where our values of honesty, kindness and respect are lived every day. Our pupils are immensely proud of their school, and this new building reflects their aspirations, supports their growth, and strengthens the heart of Whitecraig for years to come.”
East Lothian Council’s education spokesperson Councillor Fiona Dugdale, said: “We are very proud of Whitecraig Primary School and all that our teams have achieved to deliver it.
“They have created beautiful spaces for teaching and learning that will benefit the whole community. Whitecraig Primary’s children were excited to showcase their new school to our invited guests and were the perfect ambassadors, demonstrating their school’s values to everyone.”
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