Two East Lothian primary schools will remain mothballed for the new academic year starting in August 2025.
East Lothian Council has confirmed that Humbie and Saltoun primary schools will remain mothballed due to the low numbers of families seeking places. Children will instead continue to learn at Pencaitland Primary School with free home-to-school transport provided for those living more than two miles away.
Fewer than ten pupils
Humbie Primary School was mothballed from August 2024 and Saltoun from October 2024. Prior to this, each school had fewer than ten pupils enrolled across primaries 1 to 7. The last available cost per pupil was £21,129 for Humbie in 2023/24 compared to an East Lothian average that year of £8758, and £26,210 for Saltoun in 2024/25 compared to a county average of £8096.
Both schools’ buildings are considered ‘satisfactory’ for condition and ‘poor’ for suitability using criteria set by the Scottish Government. Suitability is a measure of whether a school is fit for purpose in delivering an effective modern curriculum
Families informed
East Lothian Council’s Head of Education Nicola McDowell has written to families to confirm arrangements for the new session.
She said: “This decision is based on the best possible educational experience for children, given the very small rolls that would exist. Educational benefits and the quality of learning for children is compromised when operating with such small numbers.
“As an authority we also have a responsibility to ensure that we are providing best value throughout our services and across East Lothian. Having schools operating significantly below capacity does not represent best value for our council or demonstrate equitable allocation of financial resource across the county.
“I would like to thank Pencaitland Primary School Head Teacher, Ms Crossan, and the entire school community for the warm welcome that Humbie and Saltoun children have received.”
The decision was taken in accordance with the legislative requirements under the Schools Consultation (Scotland) Act 2010. It will be reviewed within 12 months.