TWO Falkirk primary schools are set for final closure, nearly seven years after they were last attended by pupils.
It is the second time that Falkirk councillors have been asked to approve the closure of Bothkennar Primary, in Skinflats, and Limerigg Primary School, after the Scottish Government refused to endorse a previous council decision.
The government said that more consideration should have been paid to alternatives to closure and ordered a new consultation process to begin for each school.
The new consultation started in February and, according to the report going to Falkirk Council’s executive, one member of the public and two teachers attended a public event about the closure of Bothkennar Primary in person, while one local resident attended the Limerigg event.
Both consultations highlighted the role that the schools had played in community life and while there was little opposition to the closure for educational reasons, there was strong support for the buildings being repurposed for community use.
Both reports say that the Falkirk area – like the rest of Scotland – is experiencing declining numbers of school and nursery pupils and, if they were to reopen, both school rolls are predicted to fall even lower.
Throughout the latest process, the council has worked with HMIE Inspectors, who have “agreed that the council has demonstrated clear educational benefits associated with the proposal”.
The Inspectors noted that children from Limerigg and Skinflats “benefit from learning and socialising within a larger peer group”.
Children from the Bothkennar catchment area will continue to attend Beancross Primary in Grangemouth and pupils from Limerigg will continue to attend Slamannan Primary.
If members approve the proposals, the closures will still need the final approval of Scottish Ministers.
If that is given, both Bothkennar Primary and Limerigg Primary will be permanently closed from December 22.
Both reports will be considered by Falkirk Council’s executive on Thursday, September 17 at 10 am in Grangemouth Community Education Unit, Abbots Road. The meeting will also be livestreamed on Falkirk Council’s YouTube channel.
