S4 pupils at Dalry School are being “strongly recommended” to move to Castle Douglas High over the summer holidays.
The year group was due to consist of nine pupils after a timetable of subjects was agreed.
However, three parents then opted to move their kids to Castle Douglas leading to subjects being dropped – prompting more parents to make the change.
That led to headteacher James Smith writing to parents last Thursday – the penultimate day of term – expressing concerns about the educational experience for the remaining three children, with the “strong recommendation” for them to also go to Castle Douglas.
Parent council chairman, Alastair Lamb, said: “We’re hoping we can work constructively with the council to resolve this.
“I think there is a longer term problem. The offering year on year has melted away.
“They’re making incremental changes. The difference between now and seven years ago is huge.
“Doing less here makes it less and less attractive each year.
“We have a strong community, hopefully we can all pull together and make sure children in Glenkens get what they deserve.
“The Glenkens is changing, Covid has revived it, and there is quite a different demographic to what we had.”
Dalry School has both primary and secondary classes, with S5 and S6 students completing their studies at Castle Douglas High, where Mr Smith is the headteacher.
In 2016, it was decided the secondary school would come under the management of Castle Douglas High due to the difficulties in finding a new headteacher for Dalry.
Mr Lamb believes that was the start of problems for the only secondary in the Glenkens, which he says is thriving – highlighting a recent basketball success.
According to an email Mr Lamb received from Mr Smith, the three remaining S4 pupils would have to sit in the S3 class and would need to be prepared for “self-motivated and self-study” if they stay at Dalry.
Mr Lamb added: “This suggests little or no teaching input, except perhaps where National Qualifications are involved. It’s not really acceptable.”
A council spokesman said that following recommendations from inspectors in 2020, staff have been working to build the curriculum on offer across the schools “using their combined resources to widen the offer available to young people”.
Warnings about the limited curriculum were first flagged up with parents in November.
The spokesman added: “The school staff, led by James Smith as headteacher, have worked hard with young people to ensure their senior phase programme meets their entitlements and reflects their post-school ambitions.
“Following the choice made by more pupils to move to Castle Douglas High School from August, the headteacher and the head of education wrote to parents last week to set out that it was our professional view that it is not possible to deliver the full entitlement of Curriculum for Excellence for three pupils, that we recommend they commence their senior phase at their partner school.
