STATE and private schools have been urged to overcome their traditional suspicions and work together more closely.

John Edward, director of the Scottish Council for Independent Schools (Scis) said greater collaboration would improve the availability of qualifications and help foster sporting and cultural links.

Mr Edward said there were already informal links between schools which went unnoticed and expanding such partnerships could help ensure a full range of exams such as Advanced Highers were on offer to all.

The move could also help address teacher shortages in some subjects and lead to the sharing of rugby or football coaches or joint music competitions.

His comments come after Tristram Hunt, the Westminster shadow Education Secretary, urged private schools to break down the "corrosive divide of privilege" and do more to help children from state schools.

Mr Edward said: "There are various things that are happening such as hub teaching schools for Advanced Highers and local partnership schools and there may be an assumption in some people's minds that our sector has deliberately stood aside from these.

"Likewise, with some of the issues around charitable status there is a view that sharing subject teachers is done reluctantly when in fact the opposite is true.

"Schools have always been keen to do that kind of thing, but it is just that the offer rarely comes their way or, if it is made, it tends to get caught up in local politics."

However, Mr Edward said making the arrangements too formal would be counter-productive.

He added: "If you try and formalise everything you are assuming that in every case there is a need on both sides, which there won't always be. We don't buy into the language of one sector helping out the other at all.

"If it is going to work it has to be about individual approaches being made from both sides where there is a mutual interest. Having a formality about it probably wouldn't work anyway and it would put too much expectation on both sides.

"If schools are not having that dialogue with local authorities then we would encourage them to do so. It would be good to get people to cross each others thresholds a little more often than they do."

Although Advanced Highers are considered Scotland's most prestigious exam, provision is patchy because they are expensive to run and some schools don't have enough staff to teach all subjects.

A recent survey by Scis found the range of provision much more widespread when qualifications offered by both private and state schools were considered.

If the suggestion is adopted more widely it would mark a historic collaboration between the two sectors, traditionally wary of each other.

Private schools believe the high quality of education they offer is of enormous benefit to society, but are seen in some quarters as elitist because entry for most is restricted to families who can afford the fees and pass entry exams.

Mr Edward said private schools were autonomous and could develop their own ethos and curriculum, but were not seeking to "put themselves apart" from the community or Scotland.

Nine years ago private schools were confronted with the prospect of losing their long-held status as charities, which is worth millions of pounds in tax breaks under an investigation by the Office of the ­Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR).

Subsequently, institutions such as Hutchesons' Grammar in ­Glasgow, Merchiston Castle in Edinburgh, St Leonards in St Andrews and Lomond School in Helensburgh were warned they needed to do more to pass the new "public benefit test".