Shetland Islands Council decided against closure

Officials had argued the single pupil at Skerries secondary would get a better education at a bigger school.

However, placard-carrying residents turned out to lobby councillors over fears that closure would see no new families moving to the island.

It is understood shutting the secondary department would have saved the local authority about �70,000.

It was the second time in recent years that the residents had faced the threat of losing the secondary department of their school.