Kilchrenan Primary set to be mothballedOT following failure to fill head teacher post

Kilchrenan Primary School has been recommended for mothballing after no applications were received for its vacant head teacher post. The school’s head teacher retired in February and the school roll is due to fall from six pupils to four after the summer holiday.

Argyll and Bute Council officers have now recommended that the school is mothballed, with the building retained for two years. Pupils due to attend will go to Taynuilt Primary, six and a half miles away.

A report will go before the authority’s community services committee at its virtual meeting today, Thursday March 10. Should mothballing be agreed, a further review will take place in March 2023.

Executive director Douglas Hendry said: ‘As of February 2022 the head teacher retired and the education service has been unable to recruit a replacement. Shared headship was considered, however, a number of parents made the decision that the roll of six pupils, falling to four from August 2022, is too small to effectively meet the needs of their children.

‘If there are no registered pupils by the beginning of the 2023/24 session, it is proposed a preliminary assessment of options regarding the future of the school be undertaken.

‘Should the school subsequently be considered for formal closure, a statutory consultation process in accordance with the 2010 Act will be necessary.’

Mr Hendry said the school roll had been falling for a number of years, declining rapidly over a short period of time due to families’ wishes for a denominational school.

He added: ‘Pupils residing within the Kilchrenan catchment area currently attend schools within Oban or Taynuilt. There are no primary one pupils registered to attend Kilchrenan in session 2022/23.

‘All members of staff have either been redeployed or accepted redundancy.

‘In the event of pupils moving to live within the catchment area for Kilchrenan Primary and seeking to attend, the present situation is that the school may require to reopen at the next appropriate session if a sufficient level of demand for the school can be demonstrated and if staff can be recruited.’