World-first as joint £17m campus bringing together Catholic and Jewish schools opens in Newton Mearns

A world-first school facility, which brings together the Catholic and Jewish faiths on one campus, has opened its doors to pupils.

The £17m faith schools’ joint campus in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, is now home to two primary schools, St Clare’s Primary and Calderwood Lodge, and a non-denominational nursery class.

A new £30m Barrhead High is also now complete and will welcome pupils for the first time on Thursday August 17.

Councillor Paul O’Kane, Convener for Education and Equalities, said: “While both St Clare’s and Calderwood Lodge will undoubtedly benefit from the fantastic individual learning environments, it is the shared areas which most excite me.

“By sharing ideas and knowledge all our pupils at this new joint campus will enjoy an enriched learning environment. The new Barrhead High is wonderful and gives the pupils a school to be proud of.

“I’m sure it will support our staff to continue providing all our pupils with excellent, well-rounded experiences which in turn will improve attainment levels across the board.”

The faith schools’ joint campus includes impressive features such as a shared central amphitheatre and outdoor obstacle trails.

Two sports pitches, first-class ICT facilities, art, science, music and drama areas are also included in the facility.

Anne Marie Absolom, Head Teacher at St Clare’s Primary, said: “The bringing together of these Catholic and Jewish primary schools on a single campus is a momentous initiative. It delivers a powerful message to the wider community that two different faiths can work in close co-operation whilst retaining their own unique identity.

“It’s an exciting venture that East Renfrewshire can rightly be proud of. We are looking forward to both schools working closely together to the benefit of our children and the wider community.”

Marion Carlton, Head Teacher at Calderwood Lodge, said: “The design of this fabulous new campus has been based on feedback from parents and representatives from both faith communities and I know it will provide us with a fantastic learning environment.

“It will give excellent opportunities for shared learning and interaction amongst all the pupils and staff. Bringing together these two faith communities on one campus is creative and innovative and I have no doubt we will all reap the benefits from this approach. We are all so excited about getting started in our new home.”

Also completed over the summer holidays was an £9m extension and upgrade at Crookfur Primary and Nursery to improve the facilities available at the school.

East Renfrewshire pupils at Calderwood Lodge will continue to transfer to Mearns Castle High School, their current associated high school, and St Clare’s Primary will be associated with St Ninian’s High School.