As deeply concerned parents of the Tullynessle Primary School and Nursery, we are writing this petition to Aberdeenshire Council to express our disappointment at the recent decision to mothball Tullynessle Primary School and its nursery. This decision is based on a new governance rule that mandates the closure of any primary schools with less than 8 students but does not take into account attendance level to adjacent nursery settings. 

Currently, Tullynessle Primary School has only 7 students, 1 student away from minimum requirement according to new local governance. However, it is important to note that Tullynessle Nursery currently operates at an impressive 70% capacity and will be at 100% capacity by January 2025. These numbers are being ignored by the current governance and do not have any consideration in their spreadsheet-lead decisions. 

This is similar to what has been happening to a number of local schools in Aberdeenshire, such as Largue and Clatt Primary Schools, where parents have been questioning too the very weak criteria provided by Aberdeenshire Council on their decision and the complete lack of consultation with the communities, short notice and "a decision has been made" attitude.

Parents and teachers have only been given an 8 weeks notice to advise of the change and proposed individual meetings to find suitable alternatives.

Additionally, they are not taking into consideration of the already poor number of public and private early years childcare service available in the Alford catchment, with very few local nurseries available within a reasonable distance of Alford providing the same hours and days.

Closure of the nursery cause concern to the current parents, but will also affect other families currently in other local settings which will now become further overcrowded with parents becoming further concerned regarding the education and wellbeing of their children.

The nursery has earned a reputation within our community for its dedicated team of teachers, outdoor settings, and comprehensive educational plans that nurture our children's growth. As parents we are very proud of our nursery setting, planning to send siblings in the future who were already looking forward to join the wonderful environment  lived and enjoyed by their older brothers or sisters. As it stands parents from the nursery are only left with 2 local options with one offering not the same hours/days and being regularly overcrowded and the other being extremely remote and difficult to reach. Additionally, children are having to leave their friends and beloved teachers at such a critical time when first friendships and relationships are being formed for the very first time.

The proposed closure has left parents like myself distraught as there are no other realistic local alternatives available for us. Our children's education should not be compromised due to bureaucratic decisions made without considering their impact on small communities like ours.

We urge Aberdeenshire Council to reconsider this decision and keep Tullynessle Primary School and Nursery open. We believe in the value these institutions bring to our community - they are more than just numbers. Please sign this petition if you stand with us in preserving quality education for all children in Alford regardless of school size or location.

Formal complaints can be submitted to the Council on the below weblink: https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/contact-us/have-your-say/have-your-say-guide/