Supporters of Pitlochry High School (PHS) have called on Perth and Kinross Council to invest in the school, declaring: “It’s our turn now.”

Hundreds filled the town hall on Sunday for a public meeting about the school’s future.

PHS had been under threat of closure as part of the school estates review, but officers have now recommended it remain open with councillors expected to rubberstamp that position at a lifelong learning committee tomorrow.

Instead, the council is set to review senior school education across the whole of Highland Perthshire.

Sunday’s meeting was attended by John Swinney MSP, Pete Wishart MP, Murdo Fraser MSP, Cllr Caroline Shiers, Cllr Callum Purves, Cllr John Rebbeck and the three Highland Ward councillors, John Duff, Xander McDade and Mike Williamson.

Referring to that group as “the A Team, Andy Charlton, chair of Pitlochry High School Parent Council, added: “I told them that we’re very pleased with the recent recommendation for committee members to drop the threat of closure, a cloud that has been hanging over us for the last two and a half years.

“We welcome a more collaborative and creative approach to education in the region, with plans now to be formulated - with input from stakeholders - for the improvement of our valued school.

“When I stood up in front of those politicians on Sunday, I was not inviting them to invest in a failing school.”

Arguing PHS was one among the best performing secondary schools in Scotland up to S4, he added: “PHS is never in the news for low standards, bad reports, bullying or anything negative. It was only in the school estates review because of the condition of the building. That’s not something the staff or parents can control.

“Our students have to walk to the Atholl Palace Hotel to play tennis. The whole school decamps to Pitlochry Festival Theatre for the most important day of the school year, our prize giving.

“I told the meeting on Saturday that after nearly 45 years of occupying what was mean to be a temporary building, it’s our turn now.

“To make that point, I showed between 15 and 20 photographs of school buildings in the authority which have had major improvements. Our building is now clearly past its sell-by-date.”

Mr Charlton, who has two children at the school, told the PA he felt the solutions to improving PHS and managing the process should be coming from “those who have chosen to stand for public office”.

He added: “My children may have moved on by the time real decisions on improvement come to pass, but you only have to look at the fully-populated nursery class to see the future in terms of numbers and demand. There are lots of children in the system.

“At Wednesday’s meeting, members will be told that the school roll is rising. The criteria to be considered in the school estates review was a 60 per cent occupancy or below.

“We went into the review with a 61 per cent occupancy and our numbers are set to swell in future.”

Councillor Xander McDade said after the meeting: “As I reminded the meeting, failure to invest in our community is a political choice and there are ways for the money to be accessed for a new campus if the political will exists.”