RELIGOUS division should be avoided at Tullibody's new shared campus according to a councillor who spoke to fellow elected members last week.

North Ward SNP representative Councillor Archie Drummond highlighted there are lessons to be learnt from joint educational sites elsewhere in Scotland, when the chamber heard an update on the shared Tullibody South Campus at a full council meeting last Thursday, January 12.

The new building and grounds will bring together Abercromby and St Bernadette's RC primary schools with a new nursery as well.

It is now understood that the educational establishments will be sharing the same building on site.

The councillor, who grew up in the wee village of Oakley in Fife, brought to the chamber the schools of his home town as examples to highlight certain shared campus issues.

The Oakley Campus is home to Holy Name RC Primary School and the Protestant Inzievar Primary School and Nursery.

Elaborating following the meeting, Cllr Drummond told the Advertiser: “There is now a joint campus in the village, whereas there used to be two separate schools.

“I went along to meet with the headteachers, it must now be six or seven years ago. On the wall outside you would normally expect to find a call button.

“Well, in that school, there are two call buttons for the same door; one for the Protestant school, one for the Catholic school.

“When you look through the door, there are two desks; one for the Protestant school, one for the Catholic school.

“Whichever one you press, they'll let you in, then you go through and on the floor there are too badges; one for the Protestant school, one for the Catholic school.”

He explained: “The religious division is enshrined in the building by having two buttons and two desks and two doors and all the rest of it.

“You don't need to do that, you could have one desk – it makes economic sense.”

The councillor also said things have evolved since – the schools share the same library and the same gym with the children taking on sports competitions together as Oakley Campus.

At last Thursday's meeting, elected members were told a number of visits are being planned to shared campuses in neighbouring authorities next month and they are welcome to tag along.

It is expected the design will be finalised in around a year's time with consultations, workshops and discussions planned up until April this year.

During the meeting, Councillor Ellen Forson, the SNP opposition's education spokesperson, sought assurances the new nursery will be able to deliver when free child care entitlement goes up to the currently proposed 1140 hours per year.

Following the meeting, she said that it is important councillors keep a close eye on the project given the tight timescales involved, adding: "As we move to increasing the availability of quality, flexible early years education and childcare, it is important that we ensure that any new education facilities are able to deliver this and I am pleased to have received assurances that this will happen at the new Tullibody South Campus."