Mother's fear for future over Dalry secondary school

A mother of a pupil at a rural secondary school in southern Scotland fears it is gradually being closed.

Marta McDonald's son, Karol, is in S3 at the school in Dalry in Dumfries and Galloway.

Concerns have been raised after S4 pupils were recommended to transfer to Castle Douglas High School due to falling numbers.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has said it will provide lessons for children who wish to stay at Dalry.

The secondary school caters for S1 to S4 pupils only and they usually move to the site in Castle Douglas - about 16 miles away - if they wish to continue their education after that.

However, the council wrote to the parents of nine pupils in S3 last year to highlight concerns about the "very limited curricular pathway" if they chose to stay at the school in Dalry.

A number have since chosen to take their children to Castle Douglas which the local authority said left just four pupils projected to be in S4 after the summer.

It said that on that basis it would not be possible to deliver the full entitlement of Curriculum for Excellence and wrote to the remaining parents recommending they also move school.

Ms McDonald, whose son is in S3, said that although not affected this year, the situation was already having an effect on him.

"He is very anxious, he does not want to leave the school - he has got friends there," she said.

She said she feared the move could ultimately lead to closure of the school which has a roll of about 50.

"Due to a push, I suppose, with the lesser and lesser offering - all the children now are being told 'Well you might have to go, you might have to leave'," she said.

Ms McDonald said that had wider implications in "undermining the school's offering or indeed its presence" in the town.

She said that without a secondary school it would prove difficult to attract people to live and work in the area.

"It seems like people in the north of Dumfries and Galloway are not as important as elsewhere," she said.

"We would just welcome proper discussion, constructive discussion on how to ensure all the kids in Dumfries and Galloway have the same opportunities.

"We would welcome an open discussion with the council and with senior management to find a solution that is kind to the children and has children in mind."

She said that could lead to a "positive outcome" of trying to sustain the school and even attract more children to it.

The council said it was committed to finding the best resolution to the situation.

"We are continuing to speak to pupils and parents to make sure young people are confident in the options they make," it said.

"It is not the case that there will be no S4 to enter, as provision will be made."