Parents urge council not to shut Scotland's smallest secondary

Parents urge council not to shut Scotland's smallest secondaryImage source, Graham Robson/ GeographImage caption, Numbers have fallen steadily at the schoolByGiancarlo RinaldiSouth Scotland reporterPublished29 June 2026Updated 5 hours agoThe parent council at Scotland's smallest secondary school has urged the local authority to reject plans for its closure.Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) is being recommended to start the process of shutting the site in Dalry.It has capacity for 248 pupils but only eight are expected to attend when the new school year starts in August.DGC's education committee is being advised to start the statutory process, involving a number of phases, which would lead to it being closed permanently.Get in touchWhat stories would you like BBC News to cover from the south of Scotland? Contact formContact formDalry Secondary provides education for S1 to S4 pupils before they transfer to Castle Douglas High School about 16 miles (25km) away for S5 and S6.It has been at the centre of a lengthy battle over its future.Parents celebrated a decision to halt the "mothballing" of any secondary school in the region in 2024.However, pupils numbers have continued to fall and the council has now come back - following a consultation - with plans to shut it for good.The school had 13 pupils in the 2025/26 academic year, but that number is forecast to fall to just eight as the majority of the pupils in the catchment area are sent elsewhere.A report argued that sending the remaining children to another secondary could "provide access to a wider curriculum, larger peer groups and more sustainable staffing structures".Anne McEwan, who chairs the parent council, said it was disappointed the recommendation for closure was being taken to councillors without any alternative proposals."The future of rural education in Scotland needs to be considered in a different way to non-rural education," she said."The current situa...