Report recommends closure for St Margaret's Primary in Hawick

A report has recommended the school should be shut

A report has recommended the closure of a Roman Catholic primary in the Scottish Borders.

Councillors will decide the fate of St Margaret's in Hawick when they meet later this week.

Officials have advised that the school should shut and its pupils attend other non-denominational schools in the area.

The site has capacity for 100 children but the current roll is 14 with nobody enrolled in primary one for the current school year.

During consultation over the move, parents said they were happy with the learning provision at St Margaret's but voiced concern regarding the challenges their children faced with integration into the community.

The council report said that while closing the school would mean there was no longer any denominational education provision in Hawick there would be education and inclusion benefits for children attending their local catchment school.

The local authority has a planned programme to provide "adequate" religious instruction, education and observance for the St Margaret's pupils.

The Archdiocese of St Andrew's and Edinburgh said it was "disappointed" with the decline in pupil numbers but supported the council's closure plans.