The campus will see Aitkenbar and St Peter’s Primary School co-located along with a new Early Education and Childcare Centre (EECC) to replace the existing Andrew B Cameron and St Peter’s centres.

The building is being constructed on the site of the grounds of St Peter’s Primary School in Bellsmyre and will welcome its first pupils in August 2016.

It is the first time West Dunbartonshire Council will have hosted a denominational and non-denominational school within the same grounds. Although the schools will continue to be run separately, they will share facilities including the dining room, assembly hall, gym and playground.

Councillor Michelle McGinty, convener of educational services, said: “It’s fantastic to see work starting on this new building which will provide first-class educational facilities for the children of Bellsmyre. We are investing in a number of school projects right across West Dunbartonshire which will create facilities to support our teaching staff to deliver a first-class education to our children and young people.”

Councillor John Mooney, depute convener of educational services, added: “This co-located school is a vision which parents at both Aitkenbar and St Peter’s have held for a number of years and I know they will be delighted to see work starting on site. I’m sure like me, the whole community will enjoy seeing the new school building take shape over the coming months.”

Pupils and staff from St Peter’s Primary and children from St Peter’s Early Learning and Childcare Centre have moved into temporary accommodation on the Aitkenbar campus to allow the works to go ahead.

The former St Peter’s Primary School has already been demolished to make way for the new building which is being delivered by hub West Scotland.