TWO special needs schools in Glasgow are to merge.

Following consultation with parents and local people, Milton and Ashcraig additional support for learning secondaries, are to join.

The schools, in the north of the city, will come together on the Ashcraig site.

Ashcraig Secondary, in Smithycroft, which was built in 1984, will be refurbished to create a specialist provision for young people. The building should be ready for use from January 2015.

Milton School, Springburn, was opened in 1978 and the building is set to be demolished.

The decision to go ahead with the merger was taken at a meeting of the city council's executive committee.

Stephen Curran, the council's education spokesman, said: "This is a chance for more educational opportunities for the young people.

"The new school will have two learning pathways. One will be designed to meet the needs of pupils with complex learning needs and the other to meet the needs of young people with a broader range of learning needs."