After more than 100 years, Roy Bridge Primary School could close for good

By Garrett Stell

September 30 2022, 5:00 pm

Roy Bridge is one of six Highland primary schools that started the 2022-2023 school year with a mothballed status.

After more than 100 years, Roy Bridge Primary School could be closing its doors for good this year.

At this week’s meeting of the Highland Council education committee, members recommended closing the school permanently.

When the full council meets in October, they’ll consider the committee recommendation and decide whether the school has a future.

Roy Bridge has been mothballed since 2017, with pupils from the area attending nearby Spean Bridge Primary.

Parents ‘voting with their feet’

According to council records, enrolment at Roy Bridge has been on the decline since 2008.

Many comments submitted during the public consultation argued that the school was being closed without enough say from the community.

But council officers pointed to steadily declining roll and, more directly, parent choice as the reason for supporting closure.

Rather than a dwindling population, council records showed that many parents at Roy Bridge were submitting requests to attend nearby Spean Bridge instead.

During the consultation process, local councillor Allan Henderson said that the evidence regrettably pointed to only one viable outcome.

“When parents started to vote with their feet, and take a look at the shiny new schools around there, sadly the numbers dwindled so much that it took us to the inevitable decision that it should be closed.”

Many rural schools face uncertainty

Roy Bridge is one of six Highland primary schools that started the 2022-2023 school year with a mothballed status. All are rural schools and four were mothballed in 2022 because of declining rolls.

But it isn’t just an issue in the Highlands.

Across the north and north-east, 23 schools are currently mothballed. Some are in the same position as Roy Bridge and in danger of permanent closure.

Mothballing a school means closing it temporarily, but it can be difficult to rebuild the roll after years in limbo.

New families in the area are directed to alternative school sites unless they have a critical mass.

And students soon come to feel at home at their alternative school, meaning reopening a mothballed campus – even if closer to home – would cause more disruption to social development and learning.

Meanwhile, councils are required to keep mothballed schools in suitable condition and continue transporting pupils to their designated schools.

This can lead to hundreds of thousands of pounds being spent on schools where no learning is taking place.

Highland Council meets again on October 27, 2022. If the council votes to close Roy Bridge Primary School, Scottish Ministers will begin an eight-week process to review the decision.