Clatt School

What you told us

The Council proposed to discontinue education at Clatt School, which had been mothballed since August 2022. The catchment area of the school was proposed to be re-assigned to either Kennethmont School or Rhynie School. To gather opinions on this proposal, a statutory consultation was conducted from 4th September to 8th November 2024, including a public meeting on 1st October 2024 at Clatt Village Hall and an online survey. The consultation process also included discussions with pupils and staff from the affected schools.

Survey Results: Out of 23 survey participants, 56% supported the closure of Clatt School and 34% preferred Option 2: realigning the Clatt catchment area to Rhynie School.

Public Engagement: Members of the public attended the public meeting and a minute was taken and is published on the Aberdeenshire Council website.

Pupil Feedback: Pupils from both Kennethmont and Rhynie Schools were consulted on the proposal and identified potential benefits and challenges of integrating Clatt pupils into either school.

Staff Feedback: Staff were also consulted on the proposal.

What we're doing

The consultation findings, including feedback from surveys, discussions, and the Education Scotland report, were reviewed by Council officers.

The consultation report was presented at Marr Area Committee on 18th February 2025, followed by Education and Children’s Services Committee on 20th March 2025 and the final decision on the proposal was made by Full Council on 24th April 2025. On 19th June 2025, Scottish Ministers upheld the Council’s decision to close Clatt School and realign its catchment area to Rhynie School.

As of 23rd June 2025, Clatt School is permanently closed, with its catchment area officially realigned to Rhynie School to ensure the sustainability of rural education.