FURNACE Primary School’s future has come under further scrutiny after council officers recommended that a draft closure proposal be formed.
The school has been subject to a temporary closure by Argyll and Bute Council since December 2024, with an extension to the process agreed a year later.
A report has now stated that closure of the school and redrawing its catchment area to be covered by Inveraray Primary School is the most reasonable option for its future.
Councillors will now be recommended to allow officers to formulate a draft closure proposal to be considered in December. If adopted, it would begin a public consultation process.
The report will go before the authority’s community services committee at its meeting on Thursday, June 4.
Executive director Douglas Hendry said that three possible options had been considered as part of a previous exercise – reopen the school, continue its temporary closure, or close it permanently.
He said that consideration had been given to community feedback, pupil numbers, rural factors, educational benefits and financial information.
Mr Hendry continued: “An authority that is contemplating a rural school closure proposal must satisfy the preliminary requirements set out in Section 12A of the 2010 [Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act prior to formulating any proposal.
“Consideration was given to the underlying reasons as to why the future of Furnace Primary School is being reviewed, and all reasonable alternatives to closure of the school as a response to those underlying reasons were identified.
“All three options (including closure) were then assessed – having particular regard to likely educational benefits, likely effect on the local community and likely effect on travelling arrangements.
“Following this assessment, closing Furnace Primary School and realigning the catchment area of Inveraray Primary School to include the current catchment area for Furnace Primary School is considered to be the most reasonable option to address the underlying reasons for the possible proposal.”
Furnace Primary School had its catchment area extended following the closure of Minard Primary School in May 2024.
However, this is reported to have had no material impact on pupil numbers at Furnace Primary.
