New teacher wanted for remote 15-pupil school

A community in one of the remotest parts of the UK is hoping to find a new full-time teacher for its 15-pupil school.

The current teacher at Kilchoan Primary on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, in the west Highlands, is moving to part-time working.

Kilchoan residents have been helping spread the word about the £52,800-a-year full-time role on social media, and one post about the job has been shared more than 7,000 times so far.

Local mum Kirstie Shirra said the vacancy was more than job: "It's an opportunity to be part of a brilliant, small, vibrant community."

Ardnamurchan is the most westerly part of mainland UK.

Kilchoan sits on the south coast of the vast peninsula and has views across the Sound of Mull to the island of Mull.

It has a population of about 150 people and is one of a small number of communities dotted around the edges of Ardnamurchan's mountainous interior.

Kilchoan hit the headlines last year after one of its residents - wildlife cameraman and TV presenter Hamza Yassin - won 2022's BBC Strictly Come Dancing.

With the community being a two-hour drive to the nearest large town - Fort William - it is often easier for residents to take a ferry to Mull for food shopping and accessing services.

Kilchoan Primary has one composite class made up of P1 to P7 pupils.

The school has one full-time teacher who is overseen by a cluster head, which is a head teacher who looks after a number of small schools.

The primary has another teacher who visits one day a week, a pupil support assistant, admin support and a cook.

The roll has increased in recent times after new families moved in, and it will rise to 16 pupils this August.

Highland Council has offered a salary of more than £52,896 and a relocation package of up to £6,500.

The deadline for applications is next Monday.

Parents say a potential alternative to securing a new teacher could be cover being provided from the nearest other school in Acharacle- about an hour's drive along winding, single-track roads.

Local residents have shared the job advert on social media in the hope to getting it to as wide an audience as possible.

The school is one of the community's focal points, with others including the community centre and local shop and post office, the Ferry Stores.

A Facebook post by local coffee shop, Puffin Coffee, has had more than 7,000 shares.

Owner - and mum-of-two - Olivia Wyness said: "We live on the very edge of west coast of Scotland on this peninsula.

"We love it here. Love the outdoors and the views we've got.

"We have a shop, a pub, a restaurant with rooms, a coffee shop and a community centre that really sustains the community."

Kirstie Shirra, a climate campaigner who also runs a small bakery, said: "It's a great opportunity for the school to bring in a new teacher and someone new to the community, which is always welcome.

"The children are all in there together. They are sort of like an extended family.

"The big ones take on roles of mentoring the younger ones and they all muddle along together."

She added: "Geographically, Ardnamurchan is the most westerly point on the UK mainland.

"It has so much to offer if you are into the outdoors - things like kayaking and walking - and wildlife.

"From my office window, looking out, I have seen dolphins and eagles."