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Aberdeenshire school to be mothballed due to falling pupil numbers

Strachan School
Strachan School

A rural school is to be mothballed due to its plummeting pupil roll.

Strachan School has been the subject of closure talks for a number of years and now education bosses have decided they will shut the facility until there is sufficient interest from parents to justify reopening it.

Aberdeenshire Council said the school would become “un-manageably low” due to a number of re-zoning requests from parents as well as youngsters moving up to secondary school.

The school is to remain closed after the summer break with staff relocated elsewhere.

Gillian Owen, chairwoman of the education committee, said: “One of the pillars of education in both our primary and secondary estates is peer learning.

“Children learn valuable life skills from the interactions they experience at school, which compliments their formal learning.

“To continue to operate this school at such a level would be detrimental to that learning process. On balance, it would appear that moth-balling Strachan School is best for everyone.”

The future of the school has been up in the air for a number of years due to its low pupil numbers.

In 2015, parents successfully campaigned to keep it open after the authority announced it would shut its doors.

A campaign was mounted by the Strachan parents – Iain Gillies, and Andrew and Jennifer Neish – whose children were the last to study at the Feughside school.

Now the council has left the door open for the school to re-open should enough families move into the catchment area in the future who wish to attend.

Banchory and Mid-Deeside councillor Rosemary Bruce said she would be discussing the decision at a meeting of Feughside Community Council.

“I think in this case it is what it is because of the particular circumstances,” she said.

“The council has agreed to mothball but have left room to open it should the numbers come up again.

“The council has to look at any requests as and when they come in.”