Following the decision of the Executive Committee on 17 September 2026 to approve the proposal to close Limerigg Primary School, Falkirk Council has now informed Scottish Ministers of this decision in accordance with Section 15(2) of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 as amended. 

Details for submitting representations to Scottish Ministers are as follows: 

• By email - schoolclosure@gov.scot 
• By post - The Scottish Government, School Infrastructure Unit, 2B (North) Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ 

The deadline for making representations to Scottish Ministers is Wednesday 7 October 2026 (3 weeks from the decision date).

Falkirk Council's Executive (including Education) considered the findings of the statutory consultation on the future of Limerigg Primary School at its meeting on 17 September 2026 and approved implementation of the proposal to permanently discontinue education provision at Limerigg Primary School with effect from 22 December 2026 and that the pupils who reside in the Limerigg Primary continue and permanently receive their education at Slamannan Primary School. 

The Council is satisfied that implementation of the proposal is the best solution to address the underlying reasons for its formulation, namely: 

• Limerigg Primary School has been formally mothballed for nearly 7 years with no pupils in attendance since August 2019.  
• School roll projections have been developed using health board data on the number of pre-school children living in the Limerigg Primary School catchment area. 
• The catchment demand for places in Limerigg Primary School continues to be assessed to be very low and is not projected to rise in the foreseeable future. There are currently only 11 pupils residing in the catchment and data indicates that fewer than 5 children are expected to enrol over the next 3 years.  
• Whilst the school is mothballed, the building is deteriorating with limited budgets for repairs, maintenance and capital investment.   
• There are no imminent house building proposals in the catchment area of Limerigg Primary School that would affect current pupil projections.  

The Council has carefully considered all the consultation feedback and reviewed the proposal to consider whether any of the representations led the Council to reconsider any other options as being reasonable alternatives to the proposal. The Council has accepted that the representations made during the consultation period have not provided any options which are reasonable alternatives to the proposal to close Limerigg Primary School. The Council is satisfied that none of the alternatives considered is a viable or suitable option to address the underlying reasons for the proposal. 

• Re-opening the school is not viable.  
• Re-opening Limerigg Primary School with increased occupancy through rezoning and extending the catchment area is not viable. 
• Re-opening Limerigg Primary School with available capacity used for early years provision or other purposes is not viable. 
• Continuing with the mothballing of Limerigg Primary School is not viable. 

The Council is satisfied that none of the alternatives considered   is a viable or suitable option. Reopening Limerigg Primary School is not a sustainable option given the very low projected pupil numbers and the availability of suitable provision at the nearby Slamannan Primary School. There are no viable or sensible options for increasing the catchment area of Limerigg Primary School and no new evidence was received during the consultation to demonstrate that it would be a realistic or deliverable alternative. No evidence was presented to demonstrate sufficient demand to support sustainable nursery provision. Continued mothballing was also considered but is not regarded as an appropriate long-term solution given that the school has been mothballed since 2019 and there is no evidence that pupil numbers will recover in the foreseeable future. 

The Council has reviewed the Educational Benefits Statement that was prepared. The Council is satisfied that the educational benefits and effects identified therein remain valid. The Council considers that there are positive educational benefits associated with pupils from the Limerigg Primary School catchment area continuing to receive their education at Slamannan Primary School, and that these benefits would continue should Limerigg Primary School be permanently closed. 

The Council is satisfied that implementation of the proposal to close the school will not have a major effect on the sustainability of the Limerigg community given its proximity to nearby settlements and services. Limerigg Primary School building is not used by the community. The community has a well-supported village hall, which is the focus for most village activities. The Council has also noted that no evidence emerged during the consultation process to suggest that the current mothballing arrangements have adversely affected community sustainability 

The Council has also considered the transport impact for pupils residing in the Limerigg Primary School catchment. Since the school was mothballed in 2019, eligible pupils have received free home-to-school transport to Slamannan Primary School in accordance with Council policy.  The arrangements have operated successfully throughout this period, and no evidence has emerged to suggest that pupils from the Limerigg catchment area have experienced educational disadvantage because of the travel arrangements. The journey between Limerigg and Slamannan is approximately 2 miles and takes around 5 minutes by bus or car. Falkirk Council is content this distance, and the travel times involved, are within the range which currently exists for other pupils across Falkirk.  

This notice is to inform interested parties regarding the decision made at Falkirk Council Executive (including Education) on 17 September 2026 to approve the proposal to close Limerigg Primary School with effect from 22 December 2026. 

This notice is available in accordance with Section 11A(3) of the Act. 

In February 2026, Falkirk Council’s Executive (including Education) agreed that a consultation with all stakeholders be undertaken on the proposal to close Limerigg Primary School and realign its catchment area to Slamannan Primary School. Falkirk Council has undertaken this consultation seeking views on the proposal, under the terms of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 as amended. The Consultation Report can be viewed below.

A decision on this proposal will be made by Falkirk Council’s Executive on the 17 September 2026. An update on the decision made in regard to this proposal will be made available here.

On 19 February 2026, the Executive (including Education) agreed to progress a statutory consultation on the proposal to permanently close Limerigg Primary School and permanently rezone the school's catchment to Slamannan Primary School.

This follows preliminary engagement with the local community in 2025.

• Limerigg Primary has been mothballed for almost 6 years, with no change in circumstances since August 2019.
• Pupil demand remains low in the catchment area, with projections showing little likelihood of significant increase.
• With primary rolls falling across the Council area, there is limited scope for re-opening to be a practical option.
• While mothballed, the school building continues to deteriorate, and there are limited budgets for repairs, maintenance and investment.

Before any final decision can be taken on a permanent school closure proposal a formal consultation is required in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

The purpose of this formal consultation is to gather the views of relevant consultees who would be immediately affected by the closure of the school and report back to the Executive (including Education) before a decision can be made.

A public meeting has been arranged and is open to all interested parties at Slamannan Primary School on Wednesday 11 March 2026 at 18:30.

The proposal document and notice of the consultation can be found below: