Education in Moray: Inveravon Primary faces being closed for good
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The death knell is sounding for one rural school in Moray.
Councillors will be asked at a meeting tomorrow to begin statutory consultations to close Inveravon Primary in Ballindalloch for good.
The school was mothballed when no children turned up for lessons after the summer holidays in 2017.
Parents had decided to move their children to either Knockando or Aberlour primaries, which are both around six miles away from Inveravon.
In the previous term there had been 13 pupils at the school, but the building has the capacity for 50.
No parent has enrolled their child at the primary in the five years since.
Mothballing the school has saved Moray Council almost £118,000 a year.
It would cost £206,000 to bring it back into use and up to a suitable condition.
The building was originally gifted to the local authority by Ballindalloch Estate more then 100 years ago.
If closed it will be returned to the original owner, along with about a third of an acre of land the council bought to extend the site in 1926.
Earlier this year two online sessions and a face-to-face event were held at Speyside High School to look at options for Inveravon.
While there were suggestions the building could be used for community activities and re-opened as a school, there were more comments saying it should close.
Members of Moray Council's education, children’s and leisure services committee will discuss the issue tomorrow.
In a report prepared for the meeting, Andy Hall, the council's learning estate manager, said: "Since the school has been mothballed, there have been no requests from parents to enrol their children at the school during the primary enrolment periods in January 2018, January 2019, January 2020 and January 2021.
"Consequently, during this period the school has remained mothballed."
If agreed the consultation, which has to be carried out during at least 30 days of term time, will run from August 29 to October 7.
Two public meetings will be held as part of the consultation, both on September 27.
The first will be at Inveravon Church from 1.30pm, and the second at Speyside High School Community Centre from 7pm.
An online meeting will also take place the following day from 7pm.
