The Future of Bothkennar Primary School

Update - 17 September 2026

Following the decision of the Executive (Including Education) on 17 September 2026 to approve the proposal to close Bothkennar Primary School, Falkirk Council has now informed Scottish Ministers of this decision in accordance with Section 15(2) of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 as amended.

Details for submitting representations to Scottish Ministers are as follows:

• By email - schoolclosure@gov.scot
• By post - The Scottish Government, School Infrastructure Unit, 2B (North) Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ

The deadline for making representations to Scottish Ministers is Wednesday 7 October 2026 (3 weeks from the decision date).

Falkirk Council's Executive (including Education) considered the findings of the statutory consultation on the future of Bothkennar Primary School at its meeting on 17 September 2026 and approved implementation of the proposal to permanently discontinue education provision at Bothkennar Primary School with effect from 22 December 2026 and that the pupils who reside in the Bothkennar Primary continue and permanently receive their education at Beancross Primary School.

The Council is satisfied that implementation of the proposal is the best solution to address the underlying reasons for its formulation, namely:

• Bothkennar Primary School has been formally mothballed for approaching 7 years with no pupils in attendance since August 2019.
• School roll projections have been developed using health board data on the number of pre-school children living in the Bothkennar Primary School catchment area.
• The catchment demand for places in Bothkennar Primary School continues to be assessed to be very low and is not projected to rise in the foreseeable future. There are currently only 21 pupils residing in the catchment and data indicates that only 9 pupils will reside in the catchment by 2029/30.
• Whilst the school is mothballed, the building is deteriorating with limited budgets for repairs, maintenance and capital investment.
• The Local Development Plan does not identify any relevant housing sites within the catchment area that would impact upon future demand for school places.

The Council has carefully considered all the consultation feedback and reviewed the proposal to consider whether any of the representations led the Council to reconsider any other options as being reasonable alternatives to the proposal. The Council has accepted that the representations made during the consultation period have not provided any options which are reasonable alternatives to the proposal to close Bothkennar Primary School. The Council is satisfied that none of the alternatives considered is a viable or suitable option to address the underlying reasons for the proposal.

• Re-opening the school is not viable.
• Re-opening Bothkennar Primary School with increased occupancy through rezoning and extending the catchment area is not viable.
• Re-opening Bothkennar Primary School with available capacity used for early years provision or other purposes is not viable.
• Continuing with the mothballing of Bothkennar Primary School is not viable.

The Council is satisfied that none of the alternatives considered is a viable or suitable option. Reopening Bothkennar Primary School is not a sustainable option given the very low projected pupil numbers and the availability of suitable provision at the nearby Beancross Primary School. There are no viable or suitable options for increasing the catchment area of Bothkennar Primary School and no new evidence was received during the consultation to demonstrate that it would be a realistic or deliverable alternative. No evidence was presented to demonstrate sufficient demand to support sustainable nursery provision. Continued mothballing was also considered but is not regarded as an appropriate long-term solution given that the school has been mothballed since 2019 and there is no evidence that pupil numbers will recover in the foreseeable future.

The Council has reviewed the Educational Benefits Statement that was prepared. The Council is satisfied that the educational benefits and effects identified therein remain valid. The Council considers that there are positive educational benefits associated with pupils from the Bothkennar Primary School catchment area continuing to receive their education at Beancross Primary School, and that these benefits would continue should Bothkennar Primary School be permanently closed.

The Council is satisfied that implementation of the proposal to close the school will not have a major effect on the sustainability of the Skinflats community given its proximity to nearby settlements and services. Bothkennar Primary School building is not being used by the community. The Council has also noted that no evidence emerged during the consultation process to suggest that the current mothballing arrangements have adversely affected community sustainability

The Council has also considered the transport impact for pupils residing in the Bothkennar catchment. Since the school was mothballed in 2019, eligible pupils have received free home-to-school transport to Beancross Primary School in accordance with Council policy. The arrangements have operated successfully throughout this period, and no evidence has emerged to suggest that pupils from the Bothkennar catchment area have experienced educational disadvantage because of the travel arrangements. A small extension to the route covered by the existing school bus from the Old Town/Glensburgh area of Grangemouth was required. Whilst this resulted in a small increase in the carbon footprint for the Council due to a slightly longer journey (circa ¾ mile), Falkirk Council is content this distance, and the travel times involved, are within the range which currently exists for other pupils across Falkirk.

This notice is to inform interested parties regarding the decision made at Falkirk Council Executive Committee on 17 September 2026 to approve the proposal to close Bothkennar Primary School with effect from 22 December 2026.

This notice is available in accordance with Section 11A(3) of the Act.