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STV News
16-07-2025
- General
- STV News
Mothballed school to close permanently over falling pupil numbers
A school in Moray is to close for good after pupil numbers fell below the minimum threshold for several years in a row. Crossroads Primary School near Keith, which was mothballed in January 2023 after pupil numbers fell to ten, is to close permanently. The pupil roll remained 'well below' the council's minimum threshold of 15 for successive years with a decision made at full council to proceed with complete closure. Scottish Ministers said the council had fulfilled its obligations under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. Teaching at the school has ended with immediate effect, and the catchment area will be permanently reassigned to Keith and Rothiemay Primary Schools. Pupils from the Grange area have been attending other schools for a number of years, and their existing arrangements will remain unchanged by the closure. The local authority has said it will work with the community to consider potential future uses for the school building and grounds. Leader of Moray Council, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, who also chairs the Education, Children's and Leisure Services Committee, said: 'This decision has been taken with the best interests of pupils and the wider community in mind. 'With the school having been mothballed for over two years and no significant increase in the pupil roll, it's important to provide clarity for families and ensure continuity of education in nearby schools. 'We're committed to working closely with the local community to explore meaningful and sustainable future uses for the Crossroads school site.' The ministerial decision letter has been published on the Scottish Government website. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country


Scotsman
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Scottish council's U-turn on decision to close four nurseries hailed as 'victory'
The move comes after series backlash from communities affected by the initial closure announcement. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A council said it plans to drop its decision to close nurseries temporarily ahead of an emergency meeting next week. Aberdeenshire Council announced earlier this year it planned to mothball four nurseries across the region. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The move was met with a major backlash by communities affected by the proposals, with parents accusing the council of acting unlawfully. The affected nurseries include Crossroads, Ballogie, Glass and Sandhaven. Campaigners protesting against the temporary closure of Glass nursery after the announcement to mothball the facility was made earlier this month | Supplied An emergency meeting on the proposed closures is still due to go ahead on Monday. But in an unexpected U-turn, just days before the meeting, the council revealed it intends to pause any future mothballing of nurseries underway while it examines official guidance on the process. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Head of Aberdeenshire Council Gillian Owen said while the unusual decision was made to state the administration's intention ahead of the official meeting, next steps would 'still require to be considered through the decision-making process at full council'. Ahead of the meeting, Alexander Burnett, the MSP for Aberdeenshire West, had received confirmation from the Scottish Government the council should have held a public consultation, under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, before any decision was taken. The Act states councils should engage as 'early as possible' with families affected by proposals to mothball a nursery. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Conservatives MSP for Aberdeenshire West Alexander Burnett | Katharine Hay In letters sent to councillors ahead of the meeting, a parent group said: 'We firmly believe that the council has acted illegally and improperly when making the decision to mothball these settings and we would urge you to please consider our position in detail prior to the meeting. 'Crossroads Nursery is a thriving rural nursery which serves our local rural community, this is not a nursery with struggling numbers or for which there is a low demand. This is a much-needed rural service which has provided exceptional care and the best start in life for our young people.' Mr Burnett described the council's decision to remove the plans from the table as 'a victory for our rural areas'. 'These nurseries help form the pillar of our communities and they are assets that we must keep open across Aberdeenshire,' the MSP said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I am pleased Aberdeenshire Council has listened to the concerns of parents and has also agreed to review its mothballing policy, which I have also been campaigning for.' Mr Owen said: 'The administration is minded to seek a review of our mothballing guidance to incorporate a consultation process with parents. 'We acknowledge the strong feelings concerning the four settings and appreciate the concerns of parents who highly value their local early learning facilities. We are trying to balance the needs of children and families, with a challenging financial position – but it is critical we do this in the right way. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We will be recommending that we pause planning for all future mothballing activity currently underway, whilst we examine the guidance. Whilst we have been engaging with parents, we need to consult at a much earlier stage to inform the decision-making process, and we will explore how to integrate this into the procedure. 'We will also recommend reversing the budget decision identifying this as a saving in our 2025/26 budget process and seek to identify the saving from elsewhere.