police officer. The former Grange Academy building, opened in 1966, was demolished soon after the completion of the new school building in order to allow the construction and erection of new pitches and open area for pupils. Grange Academy plays host to a SRU 'School of Rugby'. In 2012, the school was selected as the Ayrshire base for the Scottish Football Association's Performance Schools, a system devised to support the development of the best young talented footballers across the country (there are seven such schools across Scotland). As of 2018, the dedicated coach for the young players at Grange Academy is James Grady. Capacity concerns Despite being a recent educational investment and new programme for building undertaken by East Ayrshire Council, in 2021 there were reports of Grange Academy and the wider Grange Campus being overcrowded and operating above the agreed capacity of students. Pupils in Annanhill Primary, also located within the Grange Campus, have claimed they feel unsafe, with claims of primary pupils having to share toilets with those attending the secondary school (Grange Academy). Due to the overcrowding, pupils from Annanhill Primary had to be taught in four classrooms housed in Grange Academy, meaning they also had to share other facilities such as toilet accommodations. In order to address concerns, East Ayrshire Council, the local authority in charge of the schools operations, have limited the pupil intake at Annanhill Primary in 2021 to address overcrowding and over capacity concerns, and also approved plans for the construction of two new modular classrooms for Annanhill Primary School. The overall Grange campus has a capacity of 1860 pupils, but in 2021 there were 1953 pupils across the campus. Annanhill Primary has capacity for 459 pupils but the school had 526 in 2021. A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council addressed the issue, saying "The School Interior Management Plan (SIMP) has highlighted capacity issues within Grange Academy on an annual basis over a number of years, and it would be prudent to consider a more sustainable option, that safeguards the campus occupancy levels in the longer term." Head of Campus post Following the retirement of Robert Johnston from the post of Head Teacher, East Ayrshire Council appointed Scott Robertson, Head Teacher at nearby Loudoun Academy to succeed Johnston in the post of Head Teacher. As part of the appointment, as well as being Head Teacher of Grange Academy, Robertson shall be the Head