Three new schools are needed to combat rising education demands in Eastwood.

That was the claim in a report into how potential new homes could affect school provision in the area.

Andrew Cahill, East Renfrewshire Council’s director of environment, said a new denominational primary school with an early years nursery would be needed by August 2024.

He also insisted a non-denominational primary school with nursery and an additional support needs unit will be required by August 2028.

And another denominational secondary school will be needed by August 2029, according to the report, which didn’t rule out expanding St Ninian’s High.

Mr Cahill said: “Currently, the schools within the Eastwood area of the authority have increasingly high occupancy levels.

“In order to mitigate the impact of proposed new housing sites and to reflect the impact of increasing pupil product rations, three new educational facilities would be required.”

Councillor Paul O’Kane, East Renfrewshire’s education convener, confirmed that no decisions have been made on whether to build the new schools.

He said: “Any increased pressure on the school estate which results in additional requirements and future needs, for both secondary and primary provision and/or extensions, will continue to be monitored to the action programme and review of the local development plan.

“Options will continue to be explored for a new primary school in Newton Mearns and potentially extensions to secondary schools in the Eastwood area post-2025.

“The period where the plan runs out, 2025, is where we are looking to in terms of the timing and scheduling of any potentially new denominational secondary.”

However, Councillor Jim Swift, of the Conservatives, hit out at the SNP and Labour administration, insisting that, if the schools are built, the authority’s debt could double.

He said: “I would like to remind people that the council’s debt burden was £177million before the budget meeting earlier this year.

“We have been advised that the council require two new primary schools, as well as a new high school and 40 acres of land to develop these new schools.

“That’s £60million for the new high school plus another £40 to £50million for the new primary schools plus 40 acres at £1.5million an acre, which is an awful lot of money.

“That’s almost as much as our total debt before March.”