The community of Portree will benefit from the new school

Alpha Schools is constructing 11 rural and urban community schools across the Highlands and Islands at a total cost of �134m.

Construction work in Portree - funded under a Public Private Partnership finance package - began on Tuesday.

Local Highland councillor Drew Miller said Portree had been waiting more than 30 years for the new school, which is scheduled to open in 2008.

He said: "It represents a new era in education and community facilities.

"It is something that the whole island has been waiting for well over 30 years and at last we are now seeing the start of a huge investment by the council into Skye.

'Run down'

"The existing school should have been finished off in the early 70s and only the first phase was completed."

He added: "The local swimming pool is over 30 years old and all the machinery and the building itself is rather run down.

"We are going to be getting a brand new full size swimming pool.

"That will be a huge advantage for a lot of youngsters and those who have to go to Inverness for proper training."