‘Very urgent’ new pupil appeal, as 170-year-old Clatt School faces ‘permanent closure’
CAMPAIGNERS have less than three weeks to save their 170-year-old school from closure by finding new pupils.
According to locals, Clatt School is facing permanent closure unless eight local children can be found to join for the next school year.
And Aberdeenshire Council has set a deadline of May 15, less than three weeks away, for them to receive the list of names.
Locals were told the news at a Clatt Village Hall meeting on March 24, 2024, by Aberdeenshire Council’s learning estates team.
The school was mothballed nearly two years ago, in July 2022, after the Head Teacher retired and the school roll dropped. It has not reopened since.
Morven Muirden, who represents Clatt on Tap O’ Noth Community Council, along with parents of children who used to attend Clatt School, penned a letter to the Huntly Express pressing for “very urgent action”.
In the letter, also shared across social media by parents, Mr Muirden warned that if more pupils cannot be found: “After 170 years our lovely little school will be closed forever.”
He urged people to “think about our precious village school”, and emphasised “how great it was and how great it could be again”, while warning about “how little time it takes for something to be taken away.”
However, he also emphasised that parents are free to choose where to send their children, and campaigners did not want to cause further disruption.
The letter added: “I feel that the school should not be in this situation and if action had been taken especially from the head of the parent council long before the head teacher retired we may not be in this situation.
“We have a great school here in Clatt, great facilities, the building is still perfect, everything in the school is in place to start again tomorrow.
“Please, please can parents think very carefully about this very important decision.”
The letter also included a call for those who would like to send their children to Clatt School to email: learningestates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk with information.
After the school was mothballed, pupils previously attending it were forced to travel by bus to school, either in Kennethmont or Rhynie.
Discussing he wanted Clatt School to reopen, Farmer Mr Muirden (61) explained his own deep personal links.
“I went through my Primary years at Clatt school, and lived in Clatt all my days,” he said.
“So I have a wee bit of passion towards it.
“I desperately want to see the school stay open.
“But they are making it desperately hard for that to happen.
“The fabric of local communities is slowly withering away.”
Largue School, 10 miles east of Huntly, was saved from being mothballed after a passionate effort by local residents.
The full letter
Very urgent action needed
We need eight pupils!
Following the Head Teacher’s retirement in 2022 and the school being mothballed, the Learning Estates team have confirmed that if we have at least 8 pupils then they will re-open the school for pupils to attend from August 2024 – July 2025 and August 2025 – July 2026 and thereafter.
We had a meeting in the village hall with the Learning Estates Team on March 24, 2024 and they urged parents to email the Learning Estates Team direct (learningestates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk) by May 15 if they wish their child to attend Clatt School in August 2024 as teaching staff will need to be appointed asap.
If not enough pupils are interested then after 170 years our lovely little school will be closed forever and will just be another statistic.
I very much respect parents and their children’s decisions and they may be more than happy in their current school and we would not want them to move again and disrupt the children’s schooling further.
However, I would also like everyone to think about our precious village school, the history of the school and how great it was and how great it could be again but also how little time it takes for something to be taken away.
I feel that the school should not be in this situation and if action had been taken especially from the head of the parent council long before the head teacher retired we may not be in this situation.
We have a great school here in Clatt, great facilities, the building is still perfect, everything in the school is in place to start again tomorrow.
Please please can parents think very carefully about this very important decision.
THANK YOU - MORVEN MUIRDEN
