Work begins on £5m Perth and Kinross school dedicated to vulnerable children

Work has commenced on a “state-of-the-art” school for vulnerable children after it received more than £4m in donations and fundraising.

Nestled in the rolling hills of Perth and Kinross, Secamb Care and Education will provide residential care and specialist support for children who have experienced significant trauma.

The new project comes after the former home, which supported children with complex needs for 40 years, was deemed no longer fit for purpose – with a lack of dining facilities and no assembly hall or gym space.

However, the new facility has now received more than £4m thanks to donations and fundraising, and will be redesigned to include a multipurpose recreational space which can be used as a gym or dining area, and six new carefully designed classrooms to provide calm environments for children to learn.

Algo began work on the site last week. Story Shop via Supplied

Construction company Algo broke ground on the site last week – with November 2025 the target completion date for the £5.5m project.

Seamab’s CEO Stuart Provan described the project as “the beginning of a new era”.

He added: “The custom-build which is now underway represents a huge opportunity for us to support our kids to reach their full potential. It is really an emotional moment, because it’s been such a long time coming.

“To be able to nurture our students in an environment that will serve them is a dream come true for so many people involved with Seamab. Our teachers and school support staff have been doing the very best with what’s available, but the reality is the current school building just does not provide all of the opportunities the children deserve.

“We are hugely grateful to all of the supporters who have raised funds to help to make this dream project a reality.”

Development of the new facilities comes after funds were raised by Scotland’s business community, charitable trusts, and philanthropists led by Chris Stewart, CEO of the private real estate investment and development firm Chris Stewart Group.

The charity’s ambassador, Chris Paterson, a former rugby star who earned 109 caps for Scotland, said: “When I visited Seamab for the first time I couldn’t get over how unfair it was that the children were in the position they were in, and how resilient they were. It was humbling.

“It’s absolutely incredible what the staff at Seamab have been able to do with such limited resources. This will allow them to do even more to give hope and a fair chance at a happy life to children who truly deserve the best of the best.

“The new facilities will be transformational and from speaking to young people at Seamab when I visit, there’s a real excitement for the future in the air. That’s priceless.”