DEVELOPMENT work to extend three Glasgow schools to cope with the increasing demand in placing requests will be completed by August 2022.

Glasgow City Council has agreed to fund the extensions, worth £8 million, for St Paul’s High School, Carntyne Primary School and alteration work at Notre Dame High School.

As a result, 13 new classrooms will be developed at St Paul's meaning that the capacity limit will increase from 900 to 1200 places.

Elected members also agreed to a £1 million fund to develop designs for a new school in the city centre – a future consultation will be launched soon to gather views - and a fourth Gaelic Primary School at the former St James’ Primary in the Calton.

READ MORE: Glasgow schools could receive share of £8m for vital extensions

The budget for the two new schools from the council is estimated to be £13 million with up to 50% of the overall costs coming for the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme.

At the city administration committee, Depute Leader councillor David McDonald said: “This news is welcome, and it is great to see extra investment coming into the school estate.

“I am particularly happy to see the money for the extension at St Paul’s. This is something councillor Spear and I have been campaigning on.

“Greater Pollok has the largest number of students in any ward in Glasgow and as a result St Paul's and a number of schools have struggled with capacity issues.

“I am pleased to see a solution to that programme.”

Conservative councillor Robert Connelly said: "This is great news for the Calton Ward. This will bring the building at St James' back into use and will be used for Gaelic medium education and will be first in Glasgow's East End."

Questions were also raised about the potential job opportunities this development might create.

Councillor Soryia Siddique added: “I welcome the investment in the educational estate building on the success of the historical programme.

“I look forward to continued updates at the educational committee. What I want to ask is there likely to be apprenticeship programmes that might be produced from this work that potential school leavers may take advantage of?”

READ MORE: Finnieston gym to be demolished to make way for new flats

Education convener councillor Chris Cunningham responded: “I would certainly hope that there would be.

“We are all working that under the presumption that city building will work on the two new schools and in those circumstances I would hope they would be able to come forward with programmes for apprenticeships so that the largest number of young people can take the opportunity to learn and develop their school on site.

“I expect these things will be dealt with through the appropriate committees.”

Council leader Susan Aitken also said apprenticeships should be possible for school leavers.

She added: “I think all of the council’s building and procurement now has those kinds of community benefits built in with apprenticeships as standard.We will look forward to seeing how that goes.”