Two rural Aberdeenshire primary schools are to be mothballed for a second year due to dwindling pupil numbers.
Aberdeenshire Council has decided to keep Fisherford and Easterfield schools closed for another year.
Last May the local authority was told that just three children would be left at Fisherford School due to families moving out of the area.
Easterfield School met the same fate as its pupil roll fell to eight and the decision was made to mothball both facilities.
What does mothballing mean?
If a school is mothballed it is temporarily closed as pupil numbers are too low to justify keeping it open.
Aberdeenshire Council has said that in order to reopen them there would need to be “sufficient pupils on the roll to make educational experiences viable”.
Easterfield School is located in the Turriff area and the remote rural school has capacity for 25 pupils.
Meanwhile, Fisherford School is located near Rothienorman and can accommodate up to 30 pupils.
Could schools have reopened?
Earlier this year parents in both catchment areas were asked if they had any interest in enrolling their children in the schools.
Two families in each area had said they would be happy to send their children to them but the roll numbers would have been less than five.
Due to the lack of pupils they will both be closed for the next school session.
What could happen to the rural Aberdeenshire schools?
As this is the second year the schools will be mothballed the local authority has said it is “appropriate” to consider the future of both facilities.
Councillors will be asked to note the decision to mothball both schools at a meeting of the Education and Children’s Services Committee next week.
They will also be asked to approve the start of an options appraisal on the future of the two facilities.
The results of the appraisal will help officers to figure out the next steps for each school and could eventually lead to them closing forever.
School could close for good
Meanwhile councillors are also expected to make a recommendation to close another north-east rural school.
Committee members will be asked to consider the recent consultation to close Longhaven School.
The school was initially closed in 2018 following unsuccessful attempts to find a new head teacher.
Their recommendation will go before full council for the final determination at a later date.
Should the school close for good its catchment area would be reassigned with pupils in the area attending either Boddam or Port Erroll schools.
