Parents fight against 'short-sighted' plans to mothball Largue Primary School

Parents at an Aberdeenshire primary school say they’ll fight against the council’s decision to mothball it.

The local authority announced Largue Primary, near Huntly, would close after the summer because its roll will drop to just seven children.

Sarah Ingram, moved to the village partly because of the school, she said: “Eilidh is due to start next year and there’s quite a few other children due to start with her in 2024 so we were really shocked to hear the news.

Parents were told last week by Aberdeenshire council that the village’s only school would close.

They were told anytime the number of children at a school drops below eight, it has to consider mothballing a school.

Come August Largue Primary, will have seven pupils, but campaigners say this number is due to triple over the coming years.

Largue parent Paula McRitchie said: ” I don’t know why the council doesn’t look at the longer term, within the next three years the school roll should be up to 21.”

The council say pupils will be offered a place at either, Forgue, Drumblade or Auchterless Primaries following a consultation with parents.

For some the closure of the school is an end of an era.

Farmer Peter Forsyth and his family have lived across from the school for generations.

He said: “We’ve had three generations of my family come here and my daughter Olivia would’ve been four.

“If the school closes there will be nothing left in our community.”

Aberdeenshire council said the decision has not been made lightly, and that an opportunity to re-open Largue Primary does remain should circumstances change..

Parents say they’ll continue to fight to keep the school open.