Council bosses have pledged to keep a mothballed Aberdeenshire school safe from closure for three years after its roll dropped from 19 pupils to just two.
Parents began to withdraw their children from Strachan Primary School earlier this year when Aberdeenshire Council announced it would become a “one classroom, one teacher” facility.
The school later closed and some parents claimed they had been bullied into sending their children elsewhere.
The local authority last week confirmed the school will remain mothballed but could reopen if a “sufficient number of parents” were willing to send their children there.
And yesterday, members of the education committee were told the school could remain in its current status for a further three years.
Local councillor Karen Clark urged the authority to remain “open minded” about future uses of the building.
She said: “The key is for the council to keep open minded and to support the community with regards to options for keeping the school building open, ideally for educational purposes.
“Whether it is a possible nursery or after school club and then if viable, it could move back to be a school once more. Let us keep all kinds of options in mind.
“Those who care about the school – and there are many – want to see it remain an active place for young people.”
Councillor Moira Ingleby questioned how long the school could be left “in limbo” before any decision to close it might be made.
Andrew Griffiths, the council’s head of education and staff development, said there would have to be a “legal process” around any decision to close it permanently.
He added: “There is a presumption against closure. The educational benefit is at the heart of the decision making process.”
Education director Maria Walker added: “It isn’t an easy issue. That is why mothballing isn’t a great solution for anything because you are in limbo.
“What we are trying to do is deal with it with integrity.”