School closures and depopulation

SCHOOL closures are running contrary to expert advice on halting depopulation, a parent council representative has warned this week.

John Magill, the secondary parent council representative on the education committee, raised the issue at last week’s committee meeting, pointing to a growing list of temporarily closed schools and upcoming nursery consultations as cause for concern.

Mr Magill said: “We’ve got a list here of half a dozen schools that are temporarily closed. There are consultations on nurseries going on at the moment — or will be going on almost guaranteed next year.”

He went on to comment that the council’s approach to school closures appeared incompatible with its own commissioned research on tackling depopulation, saying: “It seems a wee bit contrary to the depopulation information that we’ve got back from consultants around the urgent issues we have.

“Are we concerned about the schools that are closing in relation to the depopulation argument?

“And should we be doing more to try and not just shut schools, but try to shore them up or add value to those areas in order that they don’t shut? I understand the budgetary requirements as to why it’s happening.”

Provost Tracey Little, chair of the committee, replied: “I think what you’ve done there, John is highlight how complex the whole issue is.”

Mr Magill’s comments echo concerns raised previously by Mid Galloway and Wigtown West councillor Richard Marsh, who warned in March this year that closing small nurseries to save money was “completely opposed and counter-intuitive” to the council’s own depopulation research.

Councillor Marsh highlighted that the commissioned study specifically identified access to educational facilities as critical to retaining young families in rural areas.

Dumfries and Galloway’s population has dropped from around 149,490 a decade ago to approximately 145,860 in 2024, with forecasts projecting a further fall to around 143,000 by 2032. The region also faces a significant demographic shift, with an increasingly ageing population adding further pressure to public services.

The council’s funded research concluded that sustaining rural populations requires young people and families to have access to services including education, housing, health, and social infrastructure — factors now being directly challenged by the ongoing wave of school and nursery closures.

Earlier attempts to close five small nurseries from August were halted after it emerged that proper consultations had not been carried out. Those nurseries — at Collin, Creetown, Drummore, Kirkcowan, and St Teresa’s RC primary schools — will now go through a formal consultation process before any decisions are made.