Cabrach School failed to win a reprieve when Moray councillors endorsed the decision to close the four-pupil school.

The fate of the tiny school was sealed at Wednesday’s meeting of the full Moray Council, and the decision will now be referred to Scottish ministers for their consent.

Councillor Jeff Hamilton, who chairs the education and social services committee, called on members to ratify that committee’s decision taken last month to shut the school.

However, he moved an amendment by asking fellow councillors to support the mothballing of the school for two years, adding that during the two year period, the situation would be subject of a review which would take into account any demographic or population changes in the area.

"I hope that the council can support that," he said.

Councillor Graham Leadbitter ( Elgin City South) tabled an amendment to retain the rural school and said: "The SNP, as a group, opposed this at the time and I propose that this be rejected and that Cabrach be removed from the stage two review."

Seconding, Councillor Pearl Paul (Speyside Glenlivet) added: "Once again I would make the comment about rural development and we should be looking at regeneration. I know that Cabrach has had its problems but it is entitled to rural development."

Councillors supported the motion to close Cabrach and mothball the school for two years by 15 votes to seven.

Following the meeting Charles Bestwick of the Moray Forum, a member of the Scottish Rural Schools Network, issued a statement welcoming the decision to amend the closure recommendation to include the mothballing of the school.

Dr Bestwick added: "The Forum remains committed to assisting the Cabrach action group in developing proposals for securing the future of Cabrach Primary, which we contend will require a cooperative partnership of Scottish Executive, Council and the local community."

The Moray Forum has also accepted an offer from Councillor Hamilton to be involved in the re-examination of the current two-stage review process, and Dr Bestwick said that the forum was looking forward to a constructive involvement with Moray Council.

Closing the doors of Cabrach, where just 16% of the building’s total capacity is being used, is expected to save the council £67,000 a year. The average cost of educating each child is £24,045 a year compared to the Moray average of £2,763. The decision on the future of the school was subject of a two stage review process involving stakeholders groups.

Last month’s education and social services committee heard that there were no real prospects of the roll increasing and it would actually decrease next year when one pupil leaves for secondary school.

The school did not, in the eyes of a senior education official, offer an ideal social or educational situation, and he felt that the interests of the chidlren would be better served – and the council would get better value for money –by moving them to Mortlach Primary in Dufftown.

One parent said that the Scottish Executive was now the last hope, adding that she had voted SNP for the first time on the grounds of what they had pledged to do for rural schools.

e.green@northern-scot.co.uk

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