Plan to shut Tullynessle School rejected by review panel

Aberdeenshire Council's decision to shut a mothballed rural school has been overturned after a review panel said the impact on nursery provision was not properly considered.

The permanent closure of Tullynessle School was approved earlier this year after a two-year campaign by parents to keep its "thriving nursery open.

The School Closure Review Panel said the council failed to include the nursery as a "relevant and material factor" at every stage of the consultation, and has refused permission for the closure.

The local authority said it would assess its next steps.

In April, Aberdeenshire Council decided to shut the school and its nursery due to the primary's roll falling below eight pupils.

Parents have campaigned since 2024 to keep the early years site open and had urged for it to be considered on its own.

They said the procedure to not include the nursery in the decision-making process was "undemocratic".

The review panel, which is an independent public body, concluded the nursery should have been included.

It said it was "apparent" the school and nursery were interlinked, and early years should not have been "invisible" to the consultation process.

The panel stopped short of ordering a new nursery consultation, or directing exactly what the council must do next, but asked the authority to revisit the plans.

It is understood 23 families expressed an interest to send their children to Tullynessle nursery for the current school year.

Silvia Hufstetler has campaigned since 2024 to keep the nursery open.

Her daughter had to move nursery after the closure, and now both her children face longer journey times.

"We are very happy this is the outcome", she said.

"The frustration is we are two-and-a-half years down the line now and our family and other families have now felt the hit for a long time."

Hufstetler added: "It is increased travel time, fuel costs, and having to give up hours of work because we now have to take children elsewhere."

Hufstetler told BBC Scotland News she had to pay £2,000 extra on her car lease due to the extra mileage associated with the extra travel.

She added that her mother, who is in her 70s, is dealing with much of the commute to allow the family to stay in work.

The mum-of two said her fear was the council would ultimately come to the same decision to shut the site.

She said: "It needs to be a listening exercise and acting on the feedback and outcome of that in a fair and democratic way."

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "The panel has referred the proposal back to Aberdeenshire Council for a fresh decision.

"We will now carefully consider the decision and determine our next steps."

Scottish Action for Rural Education said the review panel's decision was a "win for all of Scotland's rural schools and nurseries".