Hopes of saving the district's smallest primary from the axe were sent soaring after the Scottish Executive threw out a closure call.

Mum Helena Sierakowska, whose son and daughter make up half the role at Cabrach, was delighted at the decision.

Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop refused to sanction the move by Dumfries and Galloway Council to close four-pupil Glentrool Primary, near Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway.

Councillors on Moray's education committee voted a fortnight ago to close Cabrach in an effort to deal with under-capacity, highlighted in a school estate review which at one time flagged up 21 primaries for possible closure or merger.

Ms Sierakowska said then that the fight was far from over and was pinning her hopes on the SNP-led Executive, after the party had campaigned during the election on a presumption against school closures.

She said: "The decision by the education minister is excellent news and gives me a lot of hope. Moray Council was very shortsighted in its decision. It should be proud of Cabrach which performs extremely well.

"I feel Cabrach is a special case because there has been so much depopulation in the area. This is the only public building and we cannot afford to lose it."

She welcomed the Executive's decision along with her children Alan and Milly, who are pupils at the school with Gregor and Maddi Nelson. Cabrach has the capacity for 25 pupils.

The parents are to meet with SNP MSP Richard Lochhead and MP Angus Robertson at the school next Friday to argue their case for staying open.

The decision by the education secretary is set to be closely studied by Moray Council officials.

The full council, which meets on Wednesday, could reject the decision of the education committee, although all councillors sit on it, and if the move to close Cabrach is ratified, it will be referred to ministers.

A spokesman said: "Clearly, given the summer recess we are not anticipating a response from the Minister until September at the earliest, or possibly even later than that.

"We cannot anticipate the minister's decision so meantime it is business as usual in Cabrach."

The school will reopen after the summer holidays with its four pupils. Closing Cabrach and transferring the pupils to Dufftown would save the council £67,000 a year.

It costs £24,045 a year to educate a pupil at Cabrach compared with the Moray average of £2,763.

f.mcpherson@northern-scot.co.uk

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