Four schools put on mothballed list

Four Highland primary schools are slated for an extended summer break after the council mothballed them due to declining enrolment.

Highland Council recently mothballed Kinlochewe and Elgol primaries, effective from this month. These follow on from earlier decisions to mothball Badcaul and Struan primaries in January and April, respectively.

Mothballing a school means temporarily closing it until the roll increases. During the mothballing period, the local authority must keep schools ready to reopen if they become viable again.

In the cases of Badcaul and Elgol, the roll had fallen to zero ahead of the 2023 school year. The enrolment totals at Struan and Kinlochewe are withheld for pupil confidentiality reasons.

All pupils are now attending “alternative schools in their area as agreed with their parents or carers,” a council spokesperson said.

Because there were fewer than five pupils at each school, revealing the alternative schools could breach pupil confidentiality.

The council spokesperson said the council may mothball a school if its roll dips below a viable level.

“When a school roll falls very low, the council and/or community may consider that while the school is not presently viable, there is a reasonable prospect that the number of pupils in the area will increase to allow the school to be re-opened in the future,” the spokesperson said.

This threshold is likely to be different for every school. The exact number weighs staffing needs, school capacity and other resources, such as the cost of transport.

Recent statistics put each of the four recently mothballed schools at or below 20% capacity in 2022.

And recent council projections predicted that the school rolls would have fallen to zero by 2026.

The decisions to mothball these schools in the western Highlands come shortly after the council unveiled an ambitious plan to replace Dunvegan Primary School on the Isle of Skye.

The four mothballed schools join Torridon, Canna and Roy Bridge primaries on Highland’s list of mothballed schools.

Highland Council officers have recommended closing Roy Bridge permanently.

In September, the council is expected to hear the results of a recent public consultation to determine the future of Roy Bridge.

AT RISK: Struan, top, and Elgol primaries are put on hold.