A parent of a Duror Primary School pupil is urging Highland Council to keep the rural school open as discussions continue on its future.
The school’s roll looks likely to be halved from four to two in the summer 2o24, with two primary 7 pupils leaving Duror to start at Kinlochleven High School.
The next nearest school for Duror residents is located around seven miles away at North Ballachulish (St Brides Primary School).
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Laura Maclellan’s child is a primary 4 pupil and attends the school with a primary 5 pupil.
Ms Maclellan said: “It seems that the Highland Council does not think there’s much reason (for the school) to be kept open.
“The children are taught here with the advantage that most schools don’t have, which is outdoors learning.
“It has accommodated up to 10 pupils per year and it’s situated near Cuil Bay, where the kids are able to get exercise and are taught about their history at the same time.
“Duror primary also gets the use of its community hall for pantos, parties, meetings etc., and the Highland Titles wildlife reserve shows the children what wildlife and natural resources are in their area.
“It’s a unique school – not only have older residents schooled their kids here, but for any new residents of the community, they won’t have a school for their children and know how wonderful it is to have their children learn at the school.”
She added: “It is also clustered with Ballachulish, St Brides and Glencoe (primary schools), so they do get to associate with more children and go on trips to science museums, swimming lessons and school sports.
“The Highland Council should hold off closure as it’s a devastating blow to Duror as a whole and the money spent on keeping it open is well worth spending.
A representative from the Highland Council’s education department met with parents at Duror on Wednesday November 1 to discuss the future of the school, which first opened in 1887.
Ms Maclellan told the Lochaber Times that parents had only been notified about the possibility that Duror could be mothballed two weeks before this meeting took place.
Another parent, who attended the meeting, told the Lochaber Times: “The council proposed that the school is “mothballed” – closed temporarily and the kids relocated until numbers potentially increased.
“This isn’t able to happen without parents approval, which we never gave. The council are now considering closure unless the number of kids increases.”
Other local residents noted on social media that the school had been under threat before and praised the school’s approach to learning.
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “Highland Council held informal discussions with the local community on the future of Duror Primary School.
“The school roll has fallen recently and is expected to drop further to two pupils in August 2024.
“The council will be considering the matter further in light of the community feedback.”