East Ayrshire Council has agreed to proceed with a project which would see a new school campus developed in the region.

The scheme includes a new Hillside School Campus, which would replace Greenmill and Barshare Primaries along with Early Childhood Centres.

A new secondary school to replace Cumnock and Auchinleck Academies would also be developed along with new Supported Learning Centres, replacing those at Barshare and Cumnock Academy.

Proposals for the Cumnock Campus include:

• Modern learning facilities for all ages of children and young people.


• Built in provision for all children with additional support needs.

• Seamless transitions for children aged 2-18 years and beyond.

• Purpose-designed facilities for dining, games, sports and recreation, information communication technology, drama and the arts.

• Links to enterprise and further education included in the design.

• A leading-edge education and enterprise facility to attract inward investment and population.

• High quality working facilities for all staff.

The decision is to be considered by the council's Governance and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Eoghann MacColl said: "This new campus will have some of the best facilities in the UK and has the capacity to raise ambition and aspiration of this and future generations.

"It means that three separate schools with three separate head teachers will all have top notch sports, recreational, theatre and ICT facilities that will be accessible by the community as well."

(LM)