School buildings
Local authorities have a statutory duty to manage and maintain their school estate, and ensure the adequate and efficient provision of school education in their area. In that context, they may undertake reorganisation of their school estate at any time.
Improving school buildings
Since 2007, the number of schools in ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’ condition has increased from 61% to 90.7% in 2023.
The £2 billion investment in the school estate through the Learning Estate Investment Programme is intended to build on that progress. The Learning Estate Investment Programme is being delivered in partnership with local authorities, and will benefit tens of thousands of pupils across Scotland.
Phase 1 projects were announced in September 2019, Phase 2 projects were announced in December 2020 and Phase 3 projects were announced on 30th October 2023.
The Learning Estate Investment Programme follows on from the successful £1.8 billion Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme, which delivered 117 new or refurbished schools across Scotland by 2021.
Find out more at:
- Schools for the future for full funding details
- Learning Estate Investment Programme funding details
- Scottish Futures Trust
School closures/changes to the school estate
School closures (or rationalisations), mergers or altering catchment areas can be prompted by many factors such as changing population patterns and the need to provide suitable school buildings for pupils and teachers.
If a local authority proposes to change any part of the existing education provision in its area then it must engage in a formal consultation process under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. All major changes which affect schools are subject to clear consultation with parents, pupils and communities.
Local authority consultation process
We produce guidance on the consultation process:
- timeline for local authorities on the consultation process
- statutory guidance for local authorities
- financial template and technical guidance for local authorities
- proposed changes to your child's school: guide for parents and guardians
A local authority must provide financial information in the proposal paper it prepares for any school closure consultation. Local authorities are strongly recommended to use the financial template which has been developed for this purpose.
Scottish Ministers 'call in' process: make a representation to ministers
Scottish Ministers have the power to 'call in' a local authority decision to close a school. After the local authority has taken its decision, there is a three week period, which begins on the date the decision is made, for anyone to make representations to ministers requesting the case to be called in or not called in.
You can make a representation in relation to ministerial call in for schools. This is the direct route to have your views taken into account during ministers' consideration of school closure cases.
There is then a further five week period for ministers to reach a decision on whether or not to call in the case. Ministers can only call in a decision if there is strong evidence of either:
- the local authority failing to comply in a significant way with the requirements set out in the Act, or
- the local authority failing to take proper account of a material consideration relevant to its decision
Current school closure proposals
Dumfries and Galloway Council
There is one closure in Dumfries and Galloway Council:
- Hutton Primary School
Deadline for representation: 30 October 2024
Deadline for Scottish Ministers’ decision: 4 December 2024.
Stirling Council
There is one closure in Stirling Council:
- Crianlarich Nursery
Deadline for representation: 16 October 2024
Deadline for Scottish Ministers’ decision: 20 November 2024.
Aberdeenshire Council
There are two closures in Aberdeenshire Council:
- Fisherford Primary School
- Easterfield Primary School
Deadline for representation: 16 October 2024
Deadline for Scottish Ministers’ decision: 20 November 2024.
Representations to Scottish Ministers should be sent to the email or postal address below by the deadline stated. Representations are welcome from all interested parties who would like to provide evidence towards the Scottish ministers' decision to call in, or not call in, the council's decision for review by a School Closure Review Panel. All notifications of a decision by a local authority to close a school and related documentation should be emailed to schoolclosure@gov.scot.
For information about how we handle your data, please see our privacy notice.
Once ministers have decided whether to call in a closure proposal or not, they write to the local authority setting out their decision and a copy of the letter is published on this site.
See a collection of correspondence relating to ministerial decisions on school closure proposals.
Also see:
- details of ministerial decisions on school closure proposals: 2021
- details of ministerial decisions on school closure proposals: 2020
- details of ministerial decisions on school closure proposals: 2019
- details of ministerial decisions on school closure proposals: 2018
- details of ministerial decisions on school closure proposals prior to 2018
School Closure Review Panels
If ministers decide that a case should be called in, it is referred to the School Closure Review Panels for review of the proposal and to reach a decision. The SCRP may:
- grant consent to the proposal, with or without conditions
- refuse consent to the proposal and remit it back to the education authority for a fresh decision
- refuse the proposal
Rural schools
The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 also made special provisions for rural schools.
We maintain a rural school list, setting out every school in Scotland that is designated as a rural school. This list is periodically updated. This followed a review of how the list was compiled in order to address a small number of anomalies, as recommended by the Commission on the Delivery of Rural Education.
For further information see: rural school list
Related information
Archived school buildings content prior to 2018 is available on this gov.scot archive.