Parents hopeful that 18-pupil Dalry school can remain open

The school in Dalry currently provides education for pupils from S1 to S4

Parents at a rural secondary school in Dumfries and Galloway say they are hopeful it can remain open - despite numbers falling to just 18 pupils.

It comes after a council meeting to consider education options for the village of Dalry, near Castle Douglas.

Dalry Secondary provides schooling up to S4 . Pupils must travel 16 miles to Castle Douglas High School to continue education in fifth and sixth year.

Parent council chair Stewart Gibson said the talks were "encouraging".

• Mother's fear over school's future

Concerns has been raised about the school's sustainability as pupils had transferred to other sites in the region.

And this summer S4 pupils were recommended to transfer early due to falling numbers.

But Mr Gibson said: "Education officials were stressing that the meeting wasn't about looking at school closure, but how to best deliver the curriculum in such a unique learning environment.

"I think parents recognise the challenges of teaching small class sizes.

"However, we were encouraged and we're looking forward to working with the education department to help Dalry secondary flourish and not fighting against its closure."

Stewart Gibson said parents were hopeful the school could "flourish" rather than face closure

Mr Gibson said they had been "really relieved" by promises to work with parents to create the "best possible learning environment for local youngsters".

He said it was not uncommon for relatively small schools in Scotland to work in partnership with larger ones and that was a relationship they hoped could work between Dalry and Castle Douglas.

"We're hoping that we will be able to work very closely with the education department to make Dalry into the best secondary school that it can be," he added.

In a statement, Dumfries and Galloway council said: "Our council's priority is to offer the best possible learning opportunities to learners in all of our schools, and to allow them a full, all-encompassing educational experience as they make the journey through school."