Aberdeenshire Council has progressed plans to close village primary schools across the region – ushering in the end of an era for five communities.
During a key education meeting today, councillors voted to mothball schools at Tullynessle in Donside and at Kinneff, near Stonehaven.
Meanwhile, Fisherford and Easterfield will be permanently closed, along with Clatt Primary School.
It comes after education bosses warned that 33 schools across Aberdeenshire were sitting “half-empty” when discussing the need for savings earlier this year.
Nevertheless, elected members lamented that even older folk, who had perhaps left their schools decades ago, remained “very attached” to the buildings.
But ultimately it was argued that the closures would better serve youngsters, as they would benefit from learning in bigger classes.
Kinneff Primary School on the chopping block
While schools across Aberdeenshire burst back into life last week, Kinneff Primary School instead stayed silent.
For the first time since the 19th century, the coastal community between Stonehaven and Inverbervie is without a school.
Kinneff Primary School had been a source of concern for some time, and this year the roll plummeted to just eight children as there were no admissions for the 2024/25 term.
With that, pupils were instead offered places at Bervie or Catterline schools.
Today, Aberdeenshire Council’s education committee voted to go ahead with the mothballing plan.
East Garioch councillor Jim Gifford said it was hard to achieve teaching standards in a smaller school where kids are less able to learn from one another.
There will be another report on the school’s future next spring.
Clatt Primary School gone in Aberdeenshire closures
Clatt Primary School dates back 170 years, but has lain empty since 2022.
It was mothballed at that point, and now councillors have moved forward with plans for its permanent closure.
Locals in the village south of Huntly mourned the fact their “lovely little school will be closed forever” as they called for action months ago.
But a council report states: “No families expressed an interest in their children enrolling at the school for the 2023/24 session.
“No pupils have enrolled at Clatt School for the 2024/25 session.”
Education officer Maxine Booth told the committee: “We value our rural schools.
“We just have too many of them…”
Easterfield School goes out with a whimper amid Aberdeenshire school closures
When public talks on the potential closure of Easterfield School, near Turriff, were arranged this year, nobody turned up.
The council will now move forward with plans to shut it.
It comes as no children have attended the rural school since 2021.
However, officials pledged to make sure the building was looked after as new uses are sought for it.
Councillor Louise McAllister said: “These schools are the heart of villages and small towns.
“People feel quite attached when they pass a school, and they don’t like to see it covered in weeds.”
Fisherford School officially closes after 90 years
Despite having capacity for 30 pupils, Fisherford School near Fyvie has lain empty since 2021.
The building, which dates back to 1932, will now be officially closed with children going to Rayne North School instead.
Councillor Jenny Nicol said she hopes the site can find a community use in the future.
She added: “This is a deeply sad decision.. While acknowledging the closure has been done with care, and for educational benefits.”
Anne Simpson added: “Even people who were there 50 years ago feel very attached to their schools.”
Tullynessle School to close – but could nursery have future?
There were some concerns about the closure at Tullynessle – primarily to do with the nursery being included in the plans to shelve the school.
Council policy states that if a school is mothballed then the nursery automatically is too, regardless of its roll.
Councillors heard from chairwoman of the Tullynessle Parent Action Committee, Silvia Hufstetler, who broke down just how much impact this aspect of the mothballing could have.
Mrs Hufstetler said that “many of our families already had their youngest ready to go” to the nursery when they heard of the plans.
She also added that she knew “families cutting down on working hours” to make sure their children could attend the nearest nursery.
Councillor Louise McAllister called for a report to be looked into immediately.
All councillors agreed to this, and education bosses will go back to the drawing board to figure out a plan, which they say could take as long as 10 months.
The nursery was at 70% capacity and due to be full by 2025, with 36 families interested in putting their kids there.
How school roll tumbled in five years
A report on the school side of things paints a different picture.
It states: “Officers have closely monitored the roll at Tullynessle School for a number of years.
“In 2018 the school had a roll of 21 pupils, declining to 13 pupils on the roll in 2023. On 15 April 2024 the roll at Tullynessle School was 13 pupils.”
By April it emerged that this year it would stand at just eight, and pupils were instead sent to Keig as the mothballing process got under way.
Could there be more Aberdeenshire school closures?
Aberdeenshire Council’s education boss Laurence Findlay told the meeting that other parents with children at smaller schools need not fear about their future.
“Aberdeenshire is a large rural area and we will always have rural schools,” he said.
“Rural education is really important.
“But demography changes and patterns of behaviour change. Parents make different choices about education.”
What do you think of the future of rural schools? Let us know in our comments section below
How does mothballing work?
Mr Findlay explained that mothballing is a “safeguard”, for when a school roll drops and parents choose to send their children to more populated primaries.
He added that this can sometimes happen quite rapidly, as rolls plunge towards the “trigger” point for mothballing when the number reaches just eight children.
Officials stressed that “mothballing” does not strictly mean the school will never reopen.
It means that schools will be closed for two years, in case the potential roll bounces back to higher than that minimum number.
Read more about the Aberdeenshire school closures:
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