CAMPAIGNERS have called for the “cloud of uncertainty” to be lifted from Moray’s rural schools amid fears that they will be first in the firing line if the local authority decides to wield the axe.
Parents with children at the smallest primaries say they feel “vulnerable” as an independent review of education in the region continues and the council tries to find ways of slashing spending by £20million over the next three years.
They spoke out as local MSP and Scottish Government minister Richard Lochhead visited 14-pupil Inveravon school on Speyside.
All 45 primaries and eight secondaries in the area are under the microscope and Moray Council insists it is “not ruling anything in or out”.
A report is due to be presented to councillors in March.
Inveravon Primary parent council chairman Tim Rogers told Mr Lochhead yesterday that parents felt their school was “vulnerable”.
He said: “It can’t be good for the morale of teaching staff. Good schools should be commended and supported.”
He said Inveravon – which became the first in Moray to be awarded an excellent evaluation by inspectors in 2012 – was at the heart of the rural community.
He said: “The kids fill a minibus – that’s not enough to go marching outside the council offices.
“Community spirit is in the school. We don’t have a village hall. It wouldn’t just be a school you’re closing, it’s a community that’s been here for hundreds of years.”
He said he was concerned that the council had so far taken a “smoke-and-mirrors” approach to its schools estate review.
Mr Rogers, who lives at Ballindalloch, said: “If everything is under the banner of a general school review, what does that mean? We are feeling under pressure.”
He added: “When you get five minutes to speak to them (councillors) in a corridor, they care terribly.
“But you know what they’re thinking – it’s the elephant in the room.
“You would still have to bus the kids somewhere if it closed. The building is in ideal condition. It doesn’t need money spent on it.”
Mr Rogers, whose six-year-old son Aaron is in primary two, added: “People work here and live here – it’s a rural community.
“Once the school is gone, it’s gone.”
He said his three-year-old son Joel was among the preschool children in the area who would benefit in future from the education at Inveravon.
Rural Affairs and Environment Secretary Mr Lochhead, who met staff and discussed parents’ concerns with Mr Rogers, said: “There a very nice feel about the school. It was a great privilege to meet the children and hear about their work over the past year.”
The SNP MSP added: “Parents feel the school is in a vulnerable position given the ongoing review.
“The sooner we can lift the clouds of uncertainty covering our rural schools, which help to keep our communities sustainable, the better.”
Trisha Lawson, chairwoman of Glenlivet and Inveravon Community Association, was also at yesterday’s visit.
She said: “I’m glad Richard Lochhead has taken an interest, to make sure he knows what we are all about.
“We are a community but we are a scattered community – it’s a focus.”
Parents at other Moray primaries welcomed Mr Lochhead’s calls for clarity last night.
James Roberts, whose daughter Florence is a pupil at Knockando Primary, said: “We attended a consultation in November. The guy started the meeting by saying how much money they had to save – and then they said there’s no plan or agenda for closure. The impact on the community would be quite severe.”
Steve Mullan, whose son Finlay is in primary three at 42-pupil Mosstowie Primary, near Elgin, said he was not feeling confident about the outcome of the review.
“It’s a case of waiting to fight the battle when it’s ready to be fought,” he said.
” I think they have probably already decided. We don’t feel safe at all.”
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