Europe's smallest school opens its gates for the first time... for just one pupil

A six-year-old girl living beneath one of Europe's most active volcanoes is set to become the only pupil at a new school.Aysha, who lives in the fishing hamlet of Ginostra on the Italian island of Stromboli, will have an entire classroom to herself when lessons begin on September 10. The remote settlement, perched on the slopes of the famous volcano off Sicily's northern coast, is so isolated residents have christened it 'the island within an island'. With no roads connecting it to the rest of Stromboli and access only by boat, rough seas frequently leave the community cut off from the outside world.The village once had its own primary school, but it shut its doors two decades ago as the population dwindled to around 40 residents. Now local authorities have agreed to reopen it after Aysha's parents warned they would have been forced to leave the island.The child would have had to travel to a school in Lipari, the largest island in the Aeolian archipelago.Her parents, Monica Abbate and Raffa Bazine, say they have no intention to leave and insist their daughter is happy as the sole student. Aysha, who lives in the fishing hamlet of Ginostra on the Italian island of Stromboli (pictured), will have an entire classroom to herself when lessons begin on September 10 The volcanic island of Stromboli has long attracted filmmakers, memorably serving as the backdrop for Roberto Rossellini's 1950 classic Stromboli, starring Ingrid Bergman (pictured while filming)The classroom sits in the shadow of Stromboli, famed for its near-constant eruptions.'We love this little paradise, the nature, the sea, even the volcano that looms over our homes. We don't want to have to leave,' Mr Bazine told Italian news outlet Ansa. 'She hangs out with peers who stay here for months at a time, and she's learned a few words of German from the neighbours' children who go on vacation in Ginostra. She's a happy child,' the parents said. The new school, which will feature a single classroom, will open on September 10 in a building owned by the local parish of the Catholic Church. The opening of the school is 'a sign of solidarity for this isolated community', said Riccardo Gullo, the village's mayor. Schooling should be 'a fundamental right', even for people living in remote areas, he added. Father Nino Pirrotta, the parish priest, said: 'Schools are not just a place of learning, they are a focus for the community.'The volcanic island of Stromboli has long attracted filmmakers, memorably serving as the backdrop for Roberto Rossellini's 1950 classic Stromboli, starring Ingrid Bergman.More recently, the idyllic Italian island was transformed into a Hollywood set once again when Mick Jagger, Dakota Johnson and Josh O'Connor descended on Stromboli to film Three Incestuous Sisters, an adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's illustrated novel. The A-list cast spent several weeks on the remote island earlier this year shooting scenes for the much-anticipated project.Aysha is not the first student to have a one-to-one education in their own school. Aron Anderson, who is now around 20, was the sole student at what is arguably the most remote primary in Britain.The then-child was taught at Skerries Community School, on the tiny Scottish island of Out Skerries. The local council paid a staggering £75,357 a year for his schooling – double the price of sending a child to board at Eton – as reported in 2015. The island of Out Skerries, which has a population of 70 and covers only two square miles, is one of the most eastern of the Shetland Isles. The nearest town is the Shetland capital of Lerwick, which is two-and-a-half hours away by ferry. The island is 805 miles north of London and 386 miles north of Edinburgh.