Skerries school in Shetland to close after vote

The Skerries school has three pupils

Scotland's smallest secondary school - Skerries in Shetland - is set to close next summer, after a narrow vote.

The school, which has three pupils, serves the Out Skerries, a small smattering of islands an hour and a half's ferry journey east of the Shetland mainland.

Shetland Islands Council made the decision to close it on the casting vote of its convener.

It came after a two-and-a-half hour meeting ended in a 10-10 vote.

The council has previously argued that Skerries pupils would get a better schooling if they were educated in Lerwick, and that closing the school would save almost £74,000 a year.

Islanders - who fear closure could force many families to leave the small island community - said they hope the decision can still be reversed.