Schools Mothballed In The Last 10 Years - Freedom of information requests
Title or Description
Schools Mothballed In The Last 10 Years
FOI Number
20250764
Date Received
16/06/2025
Type of Request
FOI
Request or Question
I am requesting the following information regarding the mothballing of educational settings in the Scottish Borders over the past 10 years (2015-2025 inclusive): A list of all education settings (including Early Learning and Childcare (ELC), primary schools, and high schools) that have been mothballed during this period.
Please include the name of each setting and the date mothballing was implemented.
Please confirm how long the mothballing was in place for, and what the end outcome was (e.g. if a setting closed permanently, when it was closed permanently; or if the setting re-opened, when did it reopen).
Please confirm the status of the setting as of the date of processing this FOI.
Please also confirm if the setting is subject to current mothballing Options papers and/or Council proposals to mothball or close.
For each mothballed setting, the rationale or justification provided by the Council at the time for the decision to mothball.
For each instance, whether a statutory consultation was undertaken under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.
If so, please provide the consultation title and date. If not, please confirm this. For decisions where no statutory consultation was undertaken, how did the Council assess whether the majority of parents were opposed to mothballing (as required under the 2010 Act and 2014 statutory guidance) in order to determine whether consultation was legally required?
Response
A Statutory Consultation is required under schedule 1 of the Schools Consultation (Scotland) Act 2010( As Amended) for any significant changes to schools such as catchments areas and permanent school closures ( including any stages of education and LA run ELC settings) / relocations/ admissions arrangements ie changing catchments or placing request procedures/ arrangements for transfer of pupils from primary to secondary/ primary school commencement date/ special classes/ transport to denominational schools/ denominational to non-denominational school/ closure of an LA run FE centre. Decision on whether to recommend to elected members to run a Statutory consultation depends on an assessment with regards the particular facts and circumstances at the time, and whether it is a permanent change/ significant change within the meaning of the Act, in consultation with the school and local communities. SBC mothball policy requires that consultation with local community- an Options Appraisal Process is undertaken to ensure no changes are a surprise and that local communities are integral to operational decisions and recommendations to elected members. If it appears that communities are in the majority against proposals to mothball, then a decision to move to a Statutory consultation would be recommended to be undertaken on closure as per Scottish Government guidance.
