Scottish parents keep wary eye on closure of rural schools

Parents from a Scottish primary school threatened with closure are considering legal action in a bid to keep it open. Families whose children attend Crossroads Primary, near Kilmarnock, will seek legal advice in an attempt to force East Ayrshire Council into keeping it open.

The proposed legal action comes after The Herald revealed yesterday that the Scottish Government had decided not to intervene in the case. Under the terms of new legislation brought in by the Scottish National Party to protect rural schools, parents can appeal to ministers to review decisions by local authorities. However, in the case of Crossroads, the Government decided East Ayrshire had fulfilled its obligations under the 2010 Schools Act, and, therefore, will take no action.

Campaigners now fear scores of small, rural primary schools across the country could be shut – with the Scottish Rural Schools Network warning of an impending “cull.” Yesterday, Michael Russell, the Education Secretary, dismissed such views as “scaremongering.” Read more in The Herald online.