The council has pledged to work with communities to identify ways of utilising empty classrooms but even if that fails the role played by schools – often at the heart of rural communities – will still be taken into account, as well as the educational case for retention, according to a new strategy adopted this week.

It is heartening news for campaigners who successfully held off the threat of the axe hanging over up to 21 primary schools last year, and they now believe co-operation rather than the conflict which erupted in the past will be the way forward.

However, one desperate mum is advertising in today’s 'The Northern Scot’ for school friends for her two children, the only pupils remaining at Moray’s school with the smallest roll.

Cabrach is likely to be the first whose future will be determined by the new school estate strategy, with the first stage of the review process being triggered when the roll drops below 60% of its working capacity.

Patti Nelson hopes to encourage people to move to the area or send their children to Cabrach under parental choice to join Gregor (9) and Madi (7).

The council has yet to reveal which schools are now at the trigger point, after officers spent the last few months measuring the size of classrooms to assist in the calculations – but over the next five years, working on projected roll figures, as many as 18 schools could be put under the microscope.

If they are investigated and saved from closure, their future would be assured for the next five years, with no other review taking place within that time period.

The problem of empty schools needs to be addressed and quickly, said council convener Eddie Coutts as the school estate strategy went before councillors on Monday, following public consultation which drew 714 responses from 9,350 documents sent out.

“One of the main factors to come out last year was to make the public aware of the gravity of the situation. A number of communities have come back and said yes to looking at ways to use spare capacity. A year ago, people would not have acceded to that; we have overcome that hurdle,” he said.

It was apparent from the tone of many of the responses that there is a fear in some areas that a review will end in closure and that communities felt threatened, said chief executive Alastair Keddie.

“This is at odds with the council’s stated position that primary efforts will be directed towards encouraging the long-term viability of individual schools. In this situation, local communities should be assured that the council will attempt to identify factors that will provide re-assurance over the future of schools,” he reported.

“It is recognised that the council has a duty to balance its legal duty to deliver best value with both the educational and financial consequences of operating with excess capacity, and the implications for the community in reducing that capacity.

“The establishment of a two-stage review process is intended to be a positive means of addressing the over-capacity issue as it will provide an opportunity at an early stage to identify possible alternative uses for excess capacity and other factors which might ensure the future of a school.”

Many of the responses submitted by school boards and action groups were on behalf of much larger numbers of people and it would be wrong to under-estimate the seriousness with which communities view the school debate, said parent Dr Charles Bestwick, who chairs the Rothiemay Action Group and is also a member of the Rural Schools Network.

“It is going to be vital communities engage with the council. They have said they want to be involved in the life of their schools which are vital to the community, so it is important they get involved,” he said.

“There has been a lot of argument and conflict and it’s time we got in to a constructive dialogue. We have said one of our keys issues has always been the education role and what value you place on that. That enshrines so many factors.”

The majority of respondents to the consultation were against the 60% trigger figure and the credibility of applying it in the context of small schools was questioned by Mr Bestwick.

He and fellow local campaigner Tess Erginsoy, from Craigellachie, will appear before the Scottish Parliament’s education committee on September 13, along with fellow network representatives, to give evidence in support of a national policy for a presumption against the closure of rural schools.

Mr Bestwick said: “We are not against change but in Moray our key aim has been to ensure any school review is justifiable on educational grounds. We accept the council, in developing the review strategy, is undoubtedly faced with a complex task but we welcome the strategy’s recommendation for the need to engage with the community.

“Closure seems to be the least desirable option. The five-year period is useful to avoid schools being placed under constant review.”

The first stage of the review would take into account the actual occupancy rate, forecasted trends in school roll, the potential for alternative uses of excess capacity, and a review of future housing development.

The outcome would go before the council’s educational services committee and only in the situation where options were lacking would the review move on to the second stage, focusing on factors such as sustainability and development of rural communities, travel distances and times and financial considerations, including the cost per pupil.

That would then leave councillors with the choice of retaining the school, with possible utilisation of spare capacity for other services, reducing the size of the school, mothballing it or closure/merger.

Mrs Nelson said her children would love to have more pupils at Cabrach.

“It would be very sad for the school to shut. I have put a public notice in 'The Scot’ asking anyone interested in coming to the school to let me know. We are happy to work together with the council and we hope the review will be a positive experience,” she added.

f.mcpherson@northern-scot.co.uk

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