Hut 9 was established in April 2005, in a temporary hut in the school grounds. At first, staff were brought in to work with the pupils. Hut 9 now has its own dedicated team: a project facilitator, three project workers and a staff member from Moray Youth Action. In addition, there is significant and ongoing input from Forres Academy staff, the school nurse and the community policeman.

Information is shared, for the benefit of individuals, with services such as:

• the children's panel
• youth justice
• social work
• educational psychologists
• inter-agency meetings 
• School Liaison Group meetings.  

The School Liaison Group has representatives from the various support services and meets to discuss help and support to meet the additional needs of individuals.

Individual support

The individual pupil is the focus and Hut 9 attempts to show that there are alternative ways of learning. It also attempts to widen the perception of educational provision and, in so doing, to involve the young people in activities that are meaningful to them.

The provision includes:

• a 'chill out' facility where the pupils can simply relax and chat
• a classroom, where support/individual teaching can take place
• a cooking area, where pupils are encouraged to help prepare snacks and meals
• a link to skateboard facilities
• enterprise activities: for example, making a calendar for sale
• space and support for working on bikes 
• mentoring from LCN members
• proactive intervention to prevent young people reaching exclusion.