Time called on Gartly School as closure process begins
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The formal process to close Gartly School has been set in motion by Aberdeenshire Council.
The discovery of a fuel leak, sending fumes into the school, forced it to close in December 2018 and despite work to remove the contamination costing £451,500, the school was mothballed in August and a formal arrangement made for pupils to attend Rhynie School.
The woman who led the campaign to save Gartly School believes poor maintenance of the school estate by Aberdeenshire Council is to blame and believes the infrastructure of local schools is being neglected.
Charlotte Whitley said: "The Council state that Gartly was a thriving school prior to the 'accident'. We should now focus on the complete mismanagement of the said accident which has resulted in the closure of a much needed rural school, massive upheaval for children and staff, removal of the last public service in Gartly, and hundreds of thousands of pounds spent."
Ms Whitley believes heating systems in particular need to be overhauled and says recent school closures due to boiler failures reinforce her case.
She continued: "The closure of Gartly is indicative of a wider failure of Aberdeenshire Council in the upkeep and management of school buildings.
"Kennethmont School is now full to bursting and is predicted to be at 128 per cent of capacity within a couple of years, and requires improvement works.
"As a community, we still fully believe that a school at Gartly is vital for our children, and for our village. Our school was successful and thriving - an accident occurred which was not managed appropriately at any stage, and has resulted in a proposed permanent closure.It remains the Council's responsibility to put it right, which means re-instate the school through whatever means necessary."
The consultation runs until Thursday, February 24.
A public meeting is planned for 6.30pm on Tuesday, January 25, at the Tin Hut and there's an online meeting from 11am on Wednesday, January 26.
Cllr Gillian Owen, Aberdeenshire Council’s education and children’s services committee chairwoman, said: “I would encourage the local community to let us know what they think by completing the consultation process.
"We want to find a solution that best meets the wishes of the local community from the options currently available. At the heart of any decision to propose a closure of a school is the educational welfare of the children concerned. With your support we can collectively work together on meeting their needs.”
