Clatt School Closure Statutory Consultation

Aberdeenshire Council are consulting on the closure of Clatt School.  The consultation period will run from 4 September until 8 November March 2024.

Aberdeenshire Council proposes to discontinue education at Clatt School which is currently mothballed and re-assign its catchment area to either Kennethmont School or Rhynie School.

This consultation is being undertaken in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. The Act requires that changes to the school estate, including the proposed closure of a school is subject to rigorous statutory consultation.

Following the consultation period all comments received will be analysed, along with any written responses and emails received regarding the proposal.

A public meeting will be held to discuss this proposal on 1 October 2024 at 6.30pm at Clatt Village Hall, AB54 4NY

We want to get your views on the changes to Clatt School and the two options being proposed for the current catchment area of the school. These options are detailed in the survey and the consultation document. A copy of the consultation proposal document can be found here: http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/school-info/education-consultations/

This survey will be open until 4pm Friday 8 November 2024.  

In March 2022 a decision was made by the Director of Education and Children's Services to temporarily mothball Clatt School from the start of the new academic year, August 2022. Mothballing is the temporary closure of a school which does not, in itself, lead to statutory consultation. 

The Primary 1 admission period for Aberdeenshire Schools took place in the week commencing 16 January 2023, no applications were received for Clatt School.  The deadline for submitting placing requests was 15 March 2023, no applications were received for pupils wishing to attend Clatt School.

Officers wrote to all residents in the village of Clatt in May 2023, inviting anyone to express an interest in their child(ren) attending Clatt School.  There was an insufficient number of pupils wishing to attend Clatt School for the school to become operational again and to ensure the educational experience is viable for all pupils. On this basis Clatt School was mothballed for a further academic year 2023/24.

 The Education and Children’s Services Committee on 31 August 2023 received an update report and authorised an option appraisal to be carried out regarding the future of Clatt School. 

One of the options identified as part of the appraisal could be to close the school. If this is considered to be the only viable option for the school, then Aberdeenshire Council must undertake a statutory consultation under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. If closure was the only viable option, there would be extensive consultation with the Clatt community and Marr Area Committee.

It is important to ensure all other alternatives have been identified and robustly considered prior to undertaking any statutory consultation on this matter. Therefore, we would like to give you an opportunity to provide any further alternatives to closure. 

Any further suggestions can also be provided in the last question of this survey, as well as emailed to LearningEstates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or posted to Aberdeenshire Council, Learning Estates, Gordon House, Blackhall Road, Inverurie, AB51 3WA. 

We would be grateful if you could complete this short survey indicating your views on the future of Clatt School. This will allow officers to explore all possible options for the school.  

A drop in session with officers from Learning Estates has been arranged at Clatt Village Hall on 4 October 2023 at 5 - 6.30pm.  All are welcome. 

The survey will be open until 6 October 2023 and any alternatives to closure should also be submitted to Aberdeenshire Council by this date.

Map 1 - Clatt School Catchment Area Map