Parents are vowing to fight council plans to close up to 10 primary schools and a secondary school in Moray.

Moray Council's Sustainable Education Review was commissioned by councillors as part of a 10-year plan to improve educational opportunities in Moray.

Currently, the council has 45 primary and eight secondary schools, with 13,000 pupils.

But, in the review, advisers suggest that councillors consider solutions for different Associated Schools Groups (ASG). For one, it would mean building a new coastal primary in Buckie to serve Findochty, Portknockie and one or both of Cullen and Portessie primaries. Meanwhile, Portgordon and Cluny could be merged.

In Forres, ASG the number of primary schools could be reduced from three to two of the same size, including a new-build in the south-west of the town to serve Pilmuir, resulting in the closure of Dallas and Logie.

Alves would remain under review, pending local housing development.

Another proposal is the creation of a 3-18 campus on the present Keith grammar/primary site to include Newmill, Crossroads and parts of Botriphnie's catchment. Other parts of Botriphnie would go to the Speyside ASG.

One of the most controversial suggestions has been to close Milne's High School in Fochabers with pupils going to Elgin, Keith or Buckie.

Meanwhile, Mosstodloch and Milne's primary could merge in former Milne's High building.

Craigellachie Primary is earmarked to go in with either Rothes or Aberlour; and a new rural primary would bring together Glenlivet, Knockando and Inveravon schools.

Chair of the Sustainable Education Review steering group, cllr Anne Skene, said councillors will be debating the report at a special meeting on November 3. "This is a major, serious piece of work commissioned by the cross-party Area Based Review group and requires careful study," she said.

"There are some exciting recommendations in the report which, if implemented, will go a long way to providing better educational opportunities for all pupils in Moray, recommendations that meet the needs of pupils in the 21st century."

But across the region parents have been preparing to fight the plan. One is Sandra Kennedy, a previous chair of Dallas Parent Partnership who is now on the committee to save Dallas Primary. She said feelings were running high in the community, which has a population of only around 220.

"We are horrified about the idea of closing our school and taking the children by bus to Forres," she said. "There are 23 pupils in the school who are absolutely vital to this community. If you take them out of the village I have no doubt that many of the parents will move and the community would be decimated."

She said her own son, aged 12, had left the school this summer, ,adding: "He was up writing to Prince Charles last night, he feels so strongly about it."