Kinneff School
A decision was made to mothball (temporary closure) Kinneff School from August 2024 due to the low roll expected for the 2024/25 session. Due to no enrolments, placing requests or interest in attending the school from January to May 2025, the school remained mothballed for the session 2025/26.
Education & Children Services Committee, on 22 May 2025, agreed to the preparations of an Option Appraisal and pre-engagement stages of a statutory consultation under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 on the future of Kinneff School.
On 9 October 2025, Education & Children's Services Committee approved the launch of a Statutory Consultation regarding the permanent closure of Kinneff School following the Option Appraisal outcome. The Option Appraisal Report can be viewed in the document widget on this page.
Aberdeenshire Council is proposing to discontinue education at Kinneff School which is currently mothballed and to re-assign its catchment area to either Bervie School or Catterline School.
The consultation ran from 12th January until 6th March 2026. This covered the required minimum of 30 days consultation during term time.
Two public meetings were held, one online on 4 February, 6.30pm via Microsoft Teams and the other was held in-person on 3 March 2026 at 6pm in the Kinneff and Catterline Village Hall. An online survey was also part of the consultation.
Following the statutory consultation period, officers submitted the proposal document, survey results, written and oral representations, and other relevant documentation to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMIE) for their consideration. HMIE produced a report addressing educational aspects of the proposal.
Officers will review the proposal in the context of HMIE report, survey results, oral and written representations and produce a final report on the consultation. This will then be presented to Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee, Education & Children's Services Committee then on to Full Council for a decision.
Following the Full Council meeting, the Council will enter an eight-week call-in period when members of the public can ask Scottish Ministers to call in the decision. If the decision is not called in, the Council will proceed. If the proposal is called in the School Closure Review Panel will consider the proposal. This may take up to 16 weeks. If the panel grants consent to the proposal, the Council will then commence the implementation process.
Please note the proposed changes, if approved, will take place immediately after the conclusion of the statutory process relating to school closures
The find out more about the proposal, view the Education Consultation page.
There are useful links and documents on this project page regarding the Schools Consultation Act and the Place and Wellbeing Assessment Process. There are also the meeting resources which were available during the drop-in meeting on 3 June 2025. The Option Appraisal Report and the Proposal Document.
Please follow this link to view additional policy documents on our Engage Learning Estates Hub Page:
https://engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/hub-page/ecs-learning-estates
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We are still accepting enrolments and the school may reopen if there is sufficient interest.
If you are in zone for Kinneff School and would like to attend the school, please complete an admission form on the website:
https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/school-info/admissions/apply-for-a-school-place/
If you are out of zone, but would like to attend Kinneff School, please complete an out of zone placing request on the website:
https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/school-info/admissions/out-of-zone-school/
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Since August 2024, Kinneff School has been mothballed. Mothballing is the temporary closure of a school which does not, in itself, lead to statutory consultation.
In January 2025, there were no enrolments or placing requests for Kinneff School and in March 2025, Officers wrote to the residents of the Kinneff School catchment area to give the opportunity to express interest in their children enrolling at the school. No responses were received, therefore Kinneff School will remain mothballed for the session 2025/26.
The Education and Children’s Services Committee on 22 May 2025 received an update report and authorised an option appraisal and pre-enagement stages of a statutory consultation on the future of Kinneff 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 Kinneff community and Kincardine & Mearns 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 this survey, as well as emailed to LearningEstates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or posted to Aberdeenshire Council, Learning Estates, Unit 15, Harlaw Way, Inverurie, AB51 4SG.
We would be grateful if you could complete this short survey indicating your views on the future of Kinneff School. This will allow officers to explore all possible options for the school.
The survey will be open until 11 July 2025 and any alternatives to closure should also be submitted to Aberdeenshire Council by this date.
Map 1 - Kinneff School Catchment Area Map
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Who's Listening
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Phone 01771 676600 Email learningestates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk -
Phone 01771 676600 Email learningestates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk -
