Education / SIC ‘working closely’ with Burravoe school as numbers fall below mothball threshold
EDUCATION officials will look at pupil numbers at the Burravoe Primary School in Yell later this year to explore whether a possible mothballing process should take place.
Figures as of March 2025 show that the roll numbers over the next three years are predicted to remain below the 20 per cent capacity mothball threshold.
Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) children’s services director Samantha Flaws acknowledged mothballing is a “very emotive” issue and said the local authority is “working closely” with Burravoe.
Under SIC policy most schools with a roll below 20 per cent capacity will be placed under consideration for possible mothballing.
The exception under this policy are schools on islands of small populations – Fair Isle, Foula, Papa Stour, Skerries and Fetlar.
These will be considered for mothballing when the roll is due to fall to zero, although the primaries in Papa Stour, Skerries and Fetlar are already mothballed alongside Skeld, which closed to pupils last year.
The topic of Burravoe was raised by North Isles councillor Ryan Thomson at a meeting of the SIC’s education and families committee on Monday morning.
Figures presented to councillors as part of an annual mothballing update highlighted that there were five bairns at the school as of September 2024 – 17 per cent of capacity.
Estimated figures as of March this year are three in 2025/26, four in 2026/27 and five in 2027/28.
Thomson sought clarity over why the mothballing process was not initiated in September last year when the capacity figure was below 20 per cent.
Flaws said she made the decision not to trigger the mothballing process at that point – which came after a “census day” was held – because the projected roll figure then for 2027/28 was “more positive”.
She said the figures as of March 2025 reflected an updated position, and confirmed that officials will re-look at the situation in September this year.
Flaws also said there have already been conversations with the headteacher regarding projected pupil numbers.
She reiterated that mothballing is a “very emotive and sensitive” issue.
“We know how difficult it is for schools and staff and communities, and we are working closely with Burravoe around that.”
Burravoe is one of two primary-only schools in Yell alongside Cullivoe, while there is also the Mid Yell Junior High School.
There are three stages to the mothballing procedure; once it is triggered then a period of assessment and consultation is carried out before any final decision is made.
Meanwhile Shetland West member Liz Peterson questioned if projected school roll figures and their relation to capacity could be kept private and not released publicly.
She was worried it could put parents off from moving into areas if they knew the local school was “under threat of being mothballed”.
But Flaws said it was important to be honest, transparent and open.
“I think that provides communities with the opportunity to be proactive about what they want do about the situation that they find themselves in,” she added.
“I also think it’s important that information isn’t hidden from parents and parents can make informed decisions in terms of their child’s education based on the facts in front of them.”
Governance and law manager Jan Riise added that the SIC is required to supply school roll figures to the Scottish Government annually “who then routinely do publish”.
“In some ways I think it’s not so much about disguising the information, it’s about the impact that that information then has,” he said.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
