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Image source, Graham Robson/ Geograph
Numbers person fallen steadily astatine the school
ByGiancarlo Rinaldi
South Scotland reporter
Parents astatine Scotland's smallest secondary schoolhouse person urged the section authorization to cull plans for its closure.
Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) is being recommended to commencement the process of shutting the tract successful Dalry.
It has capableness for 248 pupils but lone 8 are expected to be erstwhile the caller schoolhouse twelvemonth starts successful August.
DGC's acquisition committee is being advised to commencement the statutory process, involving a fig of phases, which would pb to it being closed permanently.
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Dalry Secondary provides acquisition for S1 to S4 pupils earlier they transportation to Castle Douglas High School astir 16 miles (25km) distant for S5 and S6.
It has been astatine the centre of a lengthy conflict implicit its future.
Parents celebrated a determination to halt the "mothballing" of immoderate secondary schoolhouse successful the portion successful 2024.
However, pupils numbers person continued to autumn and the assembly has present travel backmost - pursuing a consultation - with plans to unopen it for good.
The schoolhouse had 13 pupils successful the 2025/26 world year, but that fig is forecast to autumn to conscionable 8 arsenic the bulk of the pupils successful the catchment country are sent elsewhere.
A study argued that sending the remaining children to different secondary could "provide entree to a wider curriculum, larger adjacent groups and much sustainable staffing structures".
Parent Sarah Ade said the study did not instrumentality into relationship the council's committedness to enactment agrarian communities and avert agrarian depopulation.
"Also it does not see the managed diminution of the schoolhouse implicit the past 2 decades," she added.
In a missive urging councillors not to commencement the closure process she said it "should not beryllium an enactment for a distant agrarian school".
"Other options should beryllium imperative to transportation out, not conscionable constituent out," she said.
She added that the assemblage and parents wanted the schoolhouse to spell backmost to an "all-through" exemplary from nursery to S4 oregon adjacent S6.
Ade besides criticised the nonaccomplishment to see amalgamating Dalry and Kells primaries to assistance summation pupil numbers.
"These options should beryllium the ones being chosen betwixt - not discounted successful favour of short-sighted fiscal summation done closure," she said.
Parent Sarah Ade said the assembly should not unopen the schoolhouse for "short-sighted fiscal gain"
Anne McEwan, who chairs the genitor council, said it was disappointed the proposal for closure was being taken to councillors without immoderate alternate proposals.
"The aboriginal of agrarian acquisition successful Scotland needs to beryllium considered successful a antithetic mode to non-rural education," she said.
"The existent concern successful Dalry gave DGC an accidental to pb the mode connected what agrarian acquisition tin look similar and beryllium a existent trailblazer.
"Instead we are near with closure arsenic the lone projected mode guardant and nary of the steps taken by the assembly antecedently which led to an aboriginal diminution successful pupil numbers are being considered oregon addressed."
Image source, Anne McEwan
Anne McEwan said agrarian acquisition successful Scotland needs to beryllium considered differently
The genitor assembly has called connected councillors to cull the closure determination and find astatine slightest 2 "viable alternatives".
However, a study to the acquisition committee said it had considered each "reasonable alternatives" and decided closure was the "most due response".
It cited the autumn successful pupil numbers, constricted opportunities for adjacent enactment and challenges successful delivering a "broad and balanced curriculum" arsenic issues facing the schoolhouse - alongside precocious moving costs.
What steps are needed to adjacent a agrarian school?
Image source, Getty Images
The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, external spells retired what needs to beryllium done successful bid to adjacent a site.
In the lawsuit of agrarian schoolhouse similar Dalry the section authorization has to place its reasons for the determination and determine whether oregon not closure is the astir due response.
Phase 2 sees the acquisition authorization consult connected a connection – for a minimum of six weeks, including astatine slightest 30 schoolhouse days.
A insubstantial is past taken to Education Scotland which indispensable hole a study connected the acquisition interaction wrong a maximum of 3 weeks.
The adjacent signifier - which has nary circumstantial timescale - sees the section authorization people a consulation report.
Then, a minimum of 3 weeks later, it should marque its last determination and, if that is for closure, pass the Scottish authorities wrong six moving days.
Ministers past person up to 8 weeks to determine whether oregon not to "call in" the determination for further scrutiny.
If they do, it heads to a School Closure Review Panel which has a maximum of 17 weeks to springiness its verdict.
In the lawsuit that it refuses consent nary caller effort to adjacent the schoolhouse tin beryllium made wrong 5 years - unless determination is simply a "significant change" successful its circumstances.
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