Landmark ruling sees council forced to drop bid for school closure

Parents relieved that plans to axe rural primary are overruled

Plans to close a rural primary school have been blocked by a government watchdog in what is being hailed as a “landmark” case.

Perth and Kinross Council voted last year to axe Abernyte Primary as part of cost-cutting measures, saying the roll, which at the time amounted to just eight pupils, was too low for it to be sustainable.

However, Scottish Ministers called in the decision for further scrutiny and referred the case to the School Closure Review Panel.

It has now overturned the closure, saying there had been a “comprehensive failure of process” in the council’s consideration of financial details, previous actions to save the school and the impact on the community.

The panel has only been asked to intervene in a handful of cases and council bosses launched an ill-fated legal challenge to block the probe. However, the case was thrown out in the Court of Session, meaning it can expect a hefty bill.

In a report published this week, the reporter stated: “The panel considers that each of the three failures is significant on its own.

“Taken together, in the panel’s view there has been a comprehensive failure of process.

“The panel has considered carefully whether the council properly addressed the considerations it must address and has concluded that it has not.”

Parent council chairman Gerard McGoldrick said the ordeal has been a battle but families were relieved to have won and wanted to help the local authority increase the school roll. The group was expecting the figure to rise to 12 in the last academic year, despite the closure threat.

“The parent council and local community are over the moon. It’s a wonderful decision and the correct one,” he said.

“It’s amazing not just for our school but is a landmark case for rural schools across Scotland. Local authorities won’t make the same mistake again.

“It’s been a frustrating year but we’re looking forward to working with the council to make the school more sustainable – something they should have done at the start.”

Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the comments made by the panel and will give these full consideration.

“It is important that we provide clarity for the community at this stage in relation to what will happen next and we can confirm that we will not be appealing the decision of the panel.”

“It’s been a frustrating year but we’re looking forward to working with the council to make the school more sustainable – something they should have done at the start. GERARD MCGOLDRICK

Picture: Kim Cessford. Pupils of Abernyte Primary are delighted their school will remain open.