Work on the Gilmourton and Auchengray Primaries is due to begin before the end of this year.

The schools will be built to the latest specifications for comfort, safety and running costs.

Gilmourton PS will comprise two classrooms and the new facilities will include a modern canteen and gym, and landscaping work will be carried out to the grounds of the school, such as a playground upgrade, car parks and recycling stores. Although the work will create a top-class modern school, the past will not be forgotten – the sandstone from the previous building will be retained and incorporated into the new entrance.

Auchengray Primary will be a new one-classroom school and will also have a state of the art MUGA (multi-use games area) pitch which will allow the children to participate in a variety of sports regardless of the weather.

The contracts for the two schools are the latest to be awarded by South Lanarkshire Council as part of the £800 million-plus Primary Schools Modernisation Programme. This programme of works has so far seen more than 100 new primary schools built, with over 80 per cent of children (approximately 20,000 pupils) in nursery, primary and Additional Support Needs establishments now being taught in brand-new or fully-modernised school buildings.

The council’s estate of 17 secondary schools was also fully transformed as part of the £318m Secondary Schools Modernisation Programme. This has resulted in 15 brand new and 2 fully refurbished schools that fully meet the needs of a 21st Century learning environment.

Daniel Lowe, head of property services at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “I am delighted to see these two developments moving forward and look forward to working with Morrison Construction to bring much-needed facilities to two of our villages.

“Across Lanarkshire, the new schools provide light and bright surroundings for pupils and create an ideal place for children to learn and staff to teach. The schools are fully equipped for 21st century learning with first-class IT provision throughout and a range of flexible accommodation that can be used for different styles of teaching. By replacing old, outdated buildings with attractive, modern structures we have also changed scores of our local neighbourhoods for the better, and the schools themselves provide welcome facilities for those communities.”

Eddie Robertson, regional director, Morrison Construction Building Central, added: “We are delighted to secure these two projects which reflect our reputation and strong market presence within the education sector. We look forward to successfully delivering both projects for our client and the wider stakeholders, and in turn providing pupils, teachers and the communities in South Lanarkshire with an enhanced built environment and improved facilities.”