Built for the Future: Our Work at the New Paisley Grammar School Community Campus
After years of planning, construction and collaboration, the new £85.5 million Paisley Grammar School Community Campus is now open, with pupils and staff beginning the new academic year in one of Scotland's most significant new learning environments on 20 August 2026.
For the SSUK team, seeing pupils finally using the building is particularly rewarding.
We have worked alongside Renfrewshire Council to deliver the audio visual technology that sits throughout the new campus, helping turn the plans for modern, technology-enabled teaching and learning spaces into a working reality.
And while the installation phase is now complete, our involvement isn't. Through our ongoing support contract with Renfrewshire Council, we'll continue to support the staff, pupils and the technology on which they rely as the new campus settles into everyday life.
From Plans to a Working School
Founded by Royal Charter in 1576, Paisley Grammar School has been part of the community for almost 450 years. Its move to the new purpose-built campus represents one of the most significant changes in that long history.
The scale of the Council's investment is substantial. The campus can accommodate up to 1,350 pupils and incorporates specialist science and STEM facilities, drama and performance spaces, enhanced sports provision and a new home for Renfrewshire's Music School. It has also been constructed to internationally recognised Passivhaus standards.
But a modern learning environment isn't created by the building alone.
Technology is now fundamental to how teachers teach, pupils learn and information is shared across a school. Our responsibility was to ensure that the AV systems within the new campus supported that ambition while remaining practical and straightforward for the people who use them every day.
Technology Designed Around Teaching
Across Paisley Grammar School, our team has installed approximately 100 Promethean ActivPanel 10 interactive displays, providing modern interactive teaching technology throughout the campus.
These give teachers the flexibility to combine traditional teaching with digital content, multimedia resources and collaborative activities, while allowing pupils to interact more directly with the material being taught.
Our work also extended into specialist areas including Home Economics and Technical Education, where the technology had to reflect the different ways those spaces are used.
Across the wider campus, CleverLive digital signage provides a straightforward way of sharing events, announcements and other information with pupils, staff and visitors.
The result isn't technology for technology's sake. It's infrastructure designed around the people who will use the school and the different ways teaching and learning happen within it.
Bringing a Major Investment to Life
The opening has understandably been a significant moment for Renfrewshire Council and the school. The campus also forms part of a wider programme of investment in the area, with new transport links being delivered through Renfrewshire Council's AMIDS South project.
Speaking to The Gazette on the first day, Head Teacher Janice Levens described a "real sense of excitement" as pupils arrived and said the new building creates opportunities for new experiences while building on the strong community around Paisley Grammar.
And the reaction from pupils themselves is perhaps the most important measure.
S6 pupil Surbjeet Singh told The Gazette that the school had "really exceeded my expectations", highlighting the new spaces available for studying and focusing on learning.
Councillor Emma Rodden, Convener of Renfrewshire Council's Education and Children's Services Policy Board said:
“There is something very special about seeing a school like this come alive for the first time. For years, this was a vision on paper. Today, it is a place filled with young people, teachers, laughter and learning.
“Paisley Grammar School has been part of the story of this town for almost 450 years. We could never replace that history, but we have created a remarkable new setting in which the next part of that story can unfold.
“This is an outstanding achievement for Renfrewshire, and I want to thank everyone who has played their part in bringing this project to life.”
That transition from vision on paper to a school that works is something we're proud to have played our part in.
SSUK was one of several partners involved in bringing the Council's ambition for the campus to life. Our role was to make sure that when pupils walked through the doors, the technology needed to support teaching and learning was ready for them too.
Supporting Beyond Opening Day
For us, completing an installation isn't the end of the relationship.
Paisley Grammar School forms part of our wider, long-standing work with Renfrewshire Council, supporting technology across both new developments and the Council's existing education estate. Our involvement covers advice and planning through to installation, commissioning and long-term support.
Through our ongoing support contract with the Council, we'll continue to be there for Paisley Grammar School now that the building is operational.
That matters because the real test of technology isn't how it performs on handover day. It's how reliably it continues to work after thousands of lessons, meetings, presentations and everyday interactions.
As staff and pupils make the new campus their own, we'll be there to provide the support and expertise needed to help keep everything working as it should.
Looking for a long-term AV partner for your education estate?
With more than 30 years of experience, SSUK works with schools, colleges, universities and local authorities to deliver practical, reliable AV. From individual learning spaces to major new-build projects and estate-wide support, we’re the ideal partner to ensure the best return on your AV investment.
