“The school will be open if children enroll,” that is the message that Edderton Community Council chair Gordon Allison.
Hopes are high in the Ross-shire village as a motion which could see the saving of the under threat primary school has been filed with Highland Council.
Councillor Jim McGillivrary, representative for Ward 4 East Sutherland and Edderton, has been central to the efforts to save Edderton Primary School in the face of a potential “mothballing” as the school roll looked set to fall to only two pupils.
However, the Community Council were dismayed to learn that parents and staff had been told of the effective closure without any decision being officially taken by either the Education Committee or the full Highland Council.
A letter to elected representatives stated that the village councillors felt “railroaded” and that having found out about the decision due to “copies of emails distributed to other stakeholders,” that this represented, “both a flagrant disregard of the democratic process and an indication that our consultation process was not being conducted in good faith.”
Councillor McGillivray, however, has filed a motion with the Sutherland County Committee which will meet on 2nd June and which might present salvation for the under fire community.
“In view of the precedent set at Duror Primary School, and since no formal decision has yet been taken by Members, that this Committee agrees that no mothballing of Edderton Primary School be pursued for the next academic session in order to allow time for a full evaluation of the potential increase in pupil numbers”.
The experienced Councillor has also moved the same motion to appear in front of the Education Committee two days later, on the 4th June, where discussion regarding the process in which Education Officers told parents that the school would definitely be mothballed at the end of session, and they’d have to find alternative provision for their children, can be discussed.
“This does potentially represent some light at the end of the tunnel,” Community Council Chair Gordon Allison said.
“Councillor McGillivray is a long time friend of Edderton who attends our meetings without fail and has heard the concerns and frustrations expressed by locals.
“I sincerely believe that his motion is an opportunity for Highland Council to revisit what, at best, seems a flawed process and which might be able to reverse the decision, as happened in Lochaber with Duror Primary School.
“After the sensation of being railroaded without due process, we just have to hope that the light at the end of the tunnel is not that of an on-coming train but one of salvation.”
