Closure of two schools move closer with plan for public consultations

Parents have slammed Aberdeenshire Council’s move to launch public consultations on the closure of two mothballed primaries.

Pupils have not attended Gartly School, south of Huntly, since the discovery of a major oil leak.

And Longhaven School near Peterhead closed its doors due to a dwindling population and a struggle to appoint a head teacher.

Neither school has welcomed pupils since 2018 and the futures of both primaries have been discussed ever since.

Now the council has agreed to run public consultations on the potential closures of both after elected officials backed reports on the schools.

Charlotte Whitley, the mother of a now-former Gartly pupil, had previously praised the teachers at the school but also vowed to keep fighting to give it a future.

Mrs Whitley said: “We are super disappointed the council has made this decision and we still stand by the fact that in the long run, it is more viable to reopen the school.

“Slowly but surely that building is being left to rot. It is becoming an eyesore at the end of a cul-de-sac.”

By law, Aberdeenshire Council has to run 30 days’ consultation on any school closures and it means any concerns can be addressed. The local authority plans to run the consultations between December 7 and February 24 2022.

A public meeting on the potential closure at Gartly will be held at Gartly Community Hall on January 25 with an online event the next day.

Longhaven Community Hall will host a public meeting on January 24 with an online discussion taking place on January 25.

Gartly and Longhaven schools face closure.