Statutory consultation on the discontinuation of education provision at Ae Primary School

Review of Education Provision Notice and Summary of Proposal for closing Ae Primary School, Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. 

Dumfries and Galloway Council is consulting on the proposal to close Ae Primary School. This notice provides a summary of the proposal; it is a requirement for you to be notified of the consultation as a consultee, in accordance with Schedule 2 Section 1 of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

Dumfries and Galloway Council is conducting a public consultation from Thursday 27 August to Friday 9 October 2026. This is the period in which you will be able to make representation to Dumfries and Galloway Council in respect of the proposal. It is important that everyone we are consulting with tells us about their thoughts on the proposal.  

This summary provides further information on where a full copy of the proposal can be obtained and also advises as to how you can make representation. 

The Proposal

Dumfries and Galloway Council is proposing, subject to the outcome of the statutory consultation process, to discontinue education provision at Ae Primary School, which is currently temporarily closed, and to realign its catchment area to Nethermill Primary School. As a result, the feeder secondary school for pupils currently living within the Ae Primary School catchment area would change from Dumfries High School to Lockerbie Academy.

It is proposed that education provision at Ae Primary School be discontinued with effect from 23 April 2027. Implementation of the realigned secondary catchment area will take effect at the start of the 2027/28 academic year.

Reasons for this Proposal

This is considered to be the most appropriate response to address the reasons for the proposal which are:

• Ae Primary School has been temporarily closed since 31 March 2023 for more than 3 years
• there is no evidence to suggest that there is sufficient desire from current catchment families to enrol or transfer their children to Ae Primary School despite the number of catchment pupils increasing during the period of temporary closure
• Dumfries and Galloway is currently experiencing a significant and sustained fall in pupil numbers with the National Records of Scotland predicting a further 18% fall in the 0-15 age group over the next 10 years
• along with several other rural councils, Dumfries and Galloway Council is facing increasing challenges in recruiting staff

Dumfries and Galloway Council Plan 2023-2028

Councils, as an Education Authority, have a statutory duty in terms of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to make adequate and efficient provision of school education across their entire area for the current school population and future pattern of demand. This is reflected in Dumfries and Galloway Council Plan 2023-2028, Education and Learning Directorate.  

The council will improve education and learning opportunities to help all our children, young people and citizens fulfil their potential. This starts with pre-school, then school, before progressing into further or higher education or transition into work. We will work with our partners to create and promote lifelong learning opportunities so everyone in the region can live a meaningful and fulfilling life and contribute to their community. 

Strategic outcomes

• places of learning are inclusive, sustainable and meet the needs of local communities
• we get it right for every child
• children, young people and adults transition successfully through all life stages   
• young people and adults succeed in what they want to achieve 
• participation in creativity and play is part of early and lifelong learning experiences  
• local people can build their skills and confidence  

Alternatives to the proposal (including the proposal)

The proposal and reasonable alternatives to the proposal were considered as part of the preliminary requirement and are detailed below;

1. status quo (continuation of temporary closure (previously known as ‘mothballing’)) – no change to the current school arrangements at Ae Primary School, with the expectation that pupil numbers will increase sufficiently to allow the school to reopen
2. closure – this would involve a statutory consultation on the proposal to close Ae Primary School and realign the catchment area. (This was included for completeness at the drop-in sessions and online survey to enable stakeholders to comment. As closure is the proposal itself (rather than an alternative to it), it is not examined as a reasonable alternative)
3. reopening of the school – Ae Primary School would be reopened

Representations may be made on the following:

•    the proposal
•    reasonable alternatives to the proposal as listed above; and 
•    suggestions of other reasonable alternatives not listed above that address the reasons for the proposal

What we will do

We will consult by: 

• providing a notice of the consultation and a summary of the proposal to the relevant consultees - this is that notice and summary
• placing an advert in the local press
• putting information online
• holding a public meeting to explain the proposal (Tuesday 15 September 2026)
• ask all consultees to tell us what they think of the proposal including via an online survey

What to do now

•    read the full proposal document
•    attend the public meeting which will be held on Tuesday 15 September 2026 at 6pm at Ae Primary School, Ae
•    let us know what you think by 5pm on Friday 9 October 2026 via the survey 

Ae Primary School proposal

Ae Primary School Statutory Consultation Survey

Write to: 
Statutory Consultation – Ae Primary School 
Dumfries and Galloway Council   
Militia House  
109/111 English Street  
DG1 2HR  

Email to: [email protected]  

Respondents are required to clearly state the capacity in which they are expressing their views and agree to their name and any statement/comments being published as part of the Statutory Consultation process and published in the final Consultation Report (all other personal information will be redacted).

What's next

Dumfries and Galloway Council is seeking your views on the proposal during the consultation period - it does not assume that the proposal will go ahead. All points raised during the consultation period will be included in the final consultation paper before being presented to Elected Members at Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing Committee where a decision will be taken as to the outcome of this process.

If the proposal goes ahead, any children current and future from the Ae Primary School catchment area would be educated at Nethermill Primary School, although parents/carers would still be able to make placing requests for other primary schools.

Please note that this summary document is for convenience only. Copies of the proposal paper can be obtained from:

• Ae Primary School, Ae
• Nethermill Primary School, Parkgate
• Dumfries and Galloway Council Headquarters, Dumfries