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'Very sad day' as consultation begins on closing one-pupil school

BBC A small school in the Borders with a playground and play equipment outsideBBC
Consultation on plans to permanently close Fountainhall Primary will run until 12 October

A consultation process has started on plans to permanently shut a tiny rural primary school in the Borders.

Fountainhall Primary's roll had fallen from 24 in 2020 to just a single pupil enrolled last summer which saw it close on a temporary basis.

A review found that parents of the dozen children who live in and around the village were happy for them to go to neighbouring Heriot Primary about five miles (8km) away.

Now the official consultation process has started on closing the site for good and will run until 12 October. A senior council official called it a "very sad day".

A public meeting will also be held on 16 September at 17:30 in Fountainhall Village Hall.

If approved the plans would see Fountainhall closed for good and the catchment area rezoned to Heriot Primary.

Another angle of Fountainhall Primary - a small rural primary in the Borders
The school was shut on a temporary basis last summer when the number of pupils enrolled fell to just one

Scottish Borders Council said no final decision on the proposal would be made by elected members until the statutory consultation was completed and all representations had been considered.

Scottish ministers must also review the outcome in line with national legislation to provide approval.

Julie Pirone, the council's executive member for education, youth development and lifelong learning, said: "Any proposal to permanently close a primary school and early learning centre is not taken lightly and is a very sad day.

"Our priority is to ensure clarity and stability for families in the Fountainhall community and to try and support the sustainability of Heriot Primary School as a viable small rural school in the area.

"The statutory consultation will give everyone a chance to have their say, and we are committed to listening to all views before any final decision is made."

Despite a local campaign to keep the doors of the single-teacher school open last summer it was shut on a temporary basis due to the decline in pupil numbers.

The site has a capacity for 50 and catered for 24 pupils in 2020 but that fell to just five by the end of the 2024-25 school year.

Just one pupil was registered to return last year after the summer.

Alternative provision is available in the village of Heriot.

Last year residents there called for families to move to the area in order to help boost its school roll.