Local authorities must seek the views of communities before any rural school is closed or mothballed, according to the Scottish Education Secretary.
In a joint letter to Finlay Carson MSP and Colin Smyth MSP, Jenny Gilruth said the Scottish Government’s statutory guidance includes advice on school closures and makes clear that communities’ views should be “at the heart of decision making.”
She stated: “Mothballing should only be for a temporary period and should be subject to regular review, at least annually, against the same requirements which led to the original decision to mothball.
“We expect mothballing to take place only where the school roll falls to zero or is very low and councils should seek the views of communities ahead of any decision to mothball.”
Her comments were welcomed by the Galloway and West Dumfries MSP who had written to the cabinet secretary regarding the challenges facing the delivery of education in rural setting such as the Glenkens area.
He shared the findings of the report commissioned by Glenkens and District Trust about the long-term sustainability of rural communities, particularly in relation to the impact of school closures on depopulation.
The Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP also voiced concern over the challenges in delivering a diverse curriculum in small rural schools as well as the need for a more integrated approach that aligns education with local economic development and community resilience.
Mr Carson said: “The Education Secretary makes it quite clear that before a local authority can proceed with the closure of a rural school in Scotland, they are required by law to demonstrate that they explored and implemented alternative measures to address the factors leading to the proposed closure.
“The authority must also provide evidence of these efforts during the consultation process ensuring that closure is only pursued as a last resort when no viable alternatives remain.
“Ms Gilruth has also pointed out that local authorities must also undertake further specific additional steps when they propose to close a rural school.
“These include clearly demonstrating that they have assessed the likely impact on the community and impact on travel to school arrangements for local pupils.”
The local constituency MSP insisted that if Dumfries and Galloway Council had followed this guidance it might have acted differently over the situation regarding Drummore Nursery.
