Councillors urged to consider review of Buckie schools estate

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Council officials recommending a review of schools in Buckie

MORAY’S EDUCATION OFFICIALS are indicating that the time might come when the region needs to cut the number of smaller primary schools.

Senior officers have highlighted the situation in primary schools serving Buckie – saying that maintaining eight in the area is holding back the education of children in the area.

There are three primary schools in Buckie itself, while surrounding coastal communities each have their own primary – several with rolls that are well below capacity. The issue was visited four years ago but plans to reduce the number of schools were abandoned in the face of fierce opposition from parents.

Last week during an interview on the weekly radio news magazine Wave Newsbeat, Council Leader George Alexander again repeated his own belief that the time was getting close when Moray would be forced to revisit its school estate.

In a report to the Children and Young People’s Services committee on Wednesday, councillors are being reminded: “Across the Buckie schools there continue to be staff vacancies which are not filled – and this is impacting on head teachers who are teaching classes for considerable periods of the week.”

Officials are now urging councillors to seek public opinion on the future of schools in the area in the early spring next year – but any such suggestion looks likely to again be resisted by parents.