Primary school shut as all its pupils leave

A COUNCIL has mothballed one of Scotland’s smallest schools – after its five pupils left.

Stirling Council said Buchanan Primary School in the village of Milton of Buchanan, near Loch Lomond, would be “temporarily closed” until at least 2019.

The roll at Buchanan Primary has fallen steadily in recent years, with just five pupils from the surrounding area enrolled in 2017, down from more than 20 in 2014. All five children have since requested and accepted a place at nearby Drymen Primary, leaving the school roll empty.

Stirling Council said staff have all been reallocated roles.

Susan McGill, the council’s education convenor, said: “The decision to mothball any school is never taken lightly.

“However, with the remaining five pupils choosing to attend Drymen, we have agreed to mothball Buchanan Primary School until 2018/19.”