A new panel to review school closures has for the first time overturned a closure decision by a council, blocking plans to shut four primaries in north west Skye.
The Highland Council had voted to close: Dunvegan Primary School and Nursery Class; Struan Primary School and Nursery Class; Knockbreck Primary School and Nursery Class; and Edinbane Primary School and Nursery Class.
A new community school was to be built at Dunvegan to accommodate them all.
There was considerable parental opposition, with claims that some pupils as young as four and a half, could be travelling much longer than the 30 to 40 minutes council officials had estimated.
There was also criticism of the procedures. The decision to go out to public consultation on the closure plans was taken in May last year and the consultation closed on July 11. It had due to be debated in November but the final decision was not taken until January 2015.
However from August 1 new regulations came into force which were based on the presumption against closure. Local parents believed the consultation was held earlier specifically to get round this. The council always denied this.
But the review panel, which from March 30 took over the responsibility from Scottish Ministers school closure decisions which are called in by the Scottish Government, has now found the authority's procedures wanting.
In particular that it had not fulfilled its obligations under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, and therefore consent was refused for the Skye the closures.
The council said it was disappointed at this decision. The Chair of the Education, Children & Adult Services Committee, Skye councillor Drew Millar said: "We undertook an extensive consultation, taking account of the ideas and aspirations expressed by all of those involved. We listened to parents when we came to our decision, and we sought to accommodate the range of views. Many parents will share our disappointment, and we shall now take stock and consider the options, including whether the Council will lodge an appeal."
The Council has 14 days to consider whether it should lodge an appeal.
Tim Spencer, a parent from Edinbane said he hoped the council would now abandon its ill conceived plans.
"It is great news that the review panel is agreeing with what we have been saying. Obviously here must be some caution because the council may still yet appeal against it. However we hope that Highland Council respects the decision of the panel; hope that they listen in future to what the community and parents are saying. I think what this underlines is that a public consultation should be genuine and not just a paper exercise."
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