Plans to mothball a primary school in the Falkirk council area with just eight pupils could be put off for a year to see if that number grows. A report going to Falkirk Council's education, children and young people executive next week is recommending to members that Blackness Primary School should remain open at least until March 2024.
This follows a consultation with parents, staff and the wider community, where 77 per cent of the 91 replies were against the idea of closing the school. Those against included all of those with children at the school, the Parent Council, and several pupils.
Parents campaigning to keep Blackness PS open told the council that the school is the heart of the rural community and its closure would be a huge loss. Many also felt very strongly that the school is a positive environment where children thrive with a very good standard of education.
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One former parent said in response to the consultation: "This school is integral to the village, you are effectively removing something which has served the community for over 100 years… A village school will never be a 'big' school, it serves its community in the same way other schools serve their communities, and no two are the same."
There were some responses in favour of the proposal, including a small number of staff and parents at Grange Primary in Bo'ness, which the Blackness pupils would attend if their own school was to close.
Those in favour said that there are educational benefits of moving to a larger school and that a school with such a small number of pupils is not financially viable. The report suggests that closing the school could save the council around £171,000 a year.
The current 2022/23 budgeted operating cost of Blackness PS is £31,697 per pupil per annum, excluding transport costs, while the average cost per primary school pupil in Falkirk is £5,606 per annum. Crucially, however, the consultation revealed several pre-school aged pupils that had not yet been registered with the Council.
That could mean the school roll of catchment pupils could rise to 11 pupils in August, then 14 pupils in August 2025 and 16 pupils in August 2026. The report states that given this, it is officers' view that the school remains open for the 2023/24 session and the position is reviewed again in March 2024 when the total number of catchment pupil enrolments for the 2024/25 session is known.
Falkirk Council's policy is to consult on mothballing schools when the roll falls below ten pupils from the catchment area. Parents who campaigned to keep the school open will ask to address the meeting on Tuesday, which will be livestreamed on the counci's YouTube channel.
