'Mothballed' Inveraron primary school recommended for closure

A rural Speyside primary school is being recommended for closure.

Councillors will make a decision on the future of Inveravon Primary in Ballindalloch next week.

The school has had no pupils since August 2017 and has since been mothballed.

A report to the education, children’s and leisure services committee on Wednesday (19 April) recommends the school should shut for good.

It follows a consultation on closing Inveravon, which was approved by elected members in August 2022.

The report said: “The recommendation of officers is that the council should adopt the proposal to permanently close Inveravon Primary School and re-assign its catchment area between Knockando, Aberlour and Glenlivet primary schools.”

The three primaries are all within the Speyside High associated schools group.

Eligible children will receive transport to their catchment primary.

Any increase in school transportation costs is not thought to be substantial.

Parents decided to move their children to either Knockando or Aberlour primaries after the summer recess in 2017.

The schools are both around six and a half miles away from Inveravon.

In the previous term there were 13 pupils at the school, which has capacity for 50.

In the last five years no parent has enrolled their child at the primary.

Mothballing the school has saved Moray Council almost £118,000 a year.

It would cost more then £206,000 to bring the school back into use.

And a further £130,000 would be needed over the next five years to keep it in a suitable condition.

The building was gifted to the local authority by Ballindalloch Estate more than 100 years ago.

If closed the school will be returned to the original owner, along with about a third of an acre of land the council bought to extend the site in 1926.

There have been suggestions the building could be used for community activities or re-opened as a school.

But these have not been considered viable options.

The closure consultation ran from August 29 to October 7 last year, and included two public meetings and an online event.

If a decision to shut the school is taken on Wednesday, that will go to a meeting of the full council in May for final approval.