Parent power has forced council chiefs into an embarrassing U-turn on its decision to mothball a rural Aberdeenshire school.
Strachan Primary will reopen for two pupils today – just a few months after the local authority shut it down due to low pupil numbers.
Last night, councillors hailed the parents who had “stuck to their guns” and secured the victory.
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 and who have been fighting the closure decision since July.
Mr Gillies’ son Aaron, 9, and Mr and Mrs Neish’s son Rory, also 9, are believed to be the only two pupils returning today.
Both had been attending Banchory Primary since the summer.
The parents had accused the council of bullying local parents into sending their children elsewhere after announcing Strachan would be mothballed at the end of the 2014-15 school year.
The campaigners had claimed that the number of pupils dropped to two only after the council announced it was going to make it a “one classroom, one teacher” primary.
The move appeared to prompt 17 families to withdraw their children and enrol them at Banchory, Hill of Banchory and Finzean schools instead.
As recently as last month, Aberdeenshire Council was continuing to insist that the school would only reopen if there was sufficient demand in the local area.
But Mr Neish, a farmer, viewed today’s re-opening as a victory in keeping the school in the village – and said the campaigners now aimed to encourage other local parents to school their children at Strachan.
He said: “I’m born and bred in Strachan and I think it would be a real shame for the village to lose its school.
“When I was there in the late 60s, early 70s there were about 40 to 60 kids there.
“There are plenty of kids in the local area but many parents want to send them to Banchory because it has such a good reputation.
“We’re now down to the bare bones so we hope we can persuade other people to send their kids to the school and keep it open.”
A spokesman for the local authority said: “We can confirm that two children will be attending Strachan school on Monday”
Liberal Democrat councillor for Banchory and Mid-Deeside, Karen Clark, said the council had “done the right thing”.
She said: “The education service I think feel it is not the best arrangement but I think for the community this is an opportunity for them to ideally commit to keeping the school viable and trying to go forward with a good plan for everybody.
“These parents were clear they wanted to have their kids educated at Strachan even though the education service feel the way they do. They stuck to their guns.
“I think it has been very difficult for everybody involved and I do believe that for those who took their children out from the school it would be very difficult for them to take them back.
“But it does give an opportunity to think about it again and for the community to collectively ask the question ‘what do we want? What can we do?”
“I think it is positive, the council have done the right thing.”
SNP councillor for the area Linda Clark said: “I take my hat off to anybody who fights for what they believe in. It is very much the right thing.
“What will happen in the future? I don’t have a crystal ball. Should the other parents change their minds, the school will remain open to them.
“To be frank people are absolutely entitled to put their bairns anywhere they want to get them educated. I do think there is a lot of things to be said for a small, country school.
“What is most important in my mind and the minds of my colleagues is the education of these bairns. It is the duty of care they have to have the best education we can offer them.”
Head teacher of neighbouring Finzean Primary – Marjorie Temperley – will be in charge of the school, whilst one teacher has been assigned to Strachan.
If further local parents decide to enrol their pupils back at Strachan, more teachers could be brought on board to help.
Councillor Alison Evison, chairwoman of the council’s education committee, said the decision had been reached as a result of discussions with the parents.
She added: “The council has an ongoing policy of looking at school rolls when making decisions about schools.”