240 fewer pupils per year

THE total school roll for the region has dropped by an average of 240 annually over the last three years, an alarming new report has revealed. And between academic years 2018/19 and 2024/25 there has been a ten percent drop in primary aged pupils registered in schools in Dumfries and Galloway. Education bosses have stressed that fewer pupils in classrooms is leading to “pressures and challenges” in delivering learning in schools in Dumfries and Galloway. A new report considering a rural education plan for the region will be tabled at the council’s education, skills, and community wellbeing committee next week. It states: “Declining enrolment poses challenges to the sustainability of our schools. There are considerable difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, particularly in primary and certain secondary schools, as well as in specialised subject areas. “Additionally, recruiting headteachers for rural positions has proven to be very challenging across many systems. “Curriculum for Excellence emphasises delivering coherent, broad, and progressive learning experiences, which can be more difficult to implement in very small educational settings. “Multi-year composite classes with limited pupil numbers may also impact opportunities for collaborative learning and effective curriculum delivery.” The document has been formulated in response to concerns from the community and councillors about the axe hanging over rural schools. The council is creating an updated overall Learning Estate Strategy, which will come back to the committee towards the end of the year. This will help set the direction for the future of education across Dumfries and Galloway. In the meantime, a closer look at rural schools and pupil numbers shows that 62 percent of the region’s schools are classified as ‘accessible rural’ and ‘remote rural’. The new report explains: “Whilst this may be seen as a high percentage of buildings, the number of pupils attending accessible and remote rural schools is much less. “Within primary schools 35 percent of all pupils attend rural schools. In secondary this value is 16 percent, or a combined percentage of 26 percent. “One of the biggest challenges the Learning Estate Strategy faces, is changing demographics and pupil decline.”