Scottish Borders Local Association

Angry parents' legal threat

Published Date: 02 July 2009
By Andrew Keddie

FURIOUS parents in Newcastleton are set to seek a judicial review in a bid to overturn last week's controversial decision by Scottish Borders Council to deny the village school its own dedicated head teacher.

Instead, members voted 18-11 for the isolated 67-pupil primary to share a head with Stirches primary school, 21 miles away in Hawick.

“This is a real kick in the teeth for a community which already feels sidelined by this council,” said Julie Armstrong, chair of the Newcastleton School Partnership (NSP). “On this issue, our views have been totally ignored and the mood is one of anger and utter frustration.

“We will wait until the end of the summer holiday and consider our options, which include seeking a judicial review at the Court of Session and lodging a complaint with the Public Services Ombudsman because we believe there is evidence of maladministration by council education officials.”

That is a reference to the cost-cutting Transforming Children’s Services (TCS) review which went out to lengthy consultation last year.

Throughout that process, the document recommended a number of shared headships involving rural and urban schools, but notably exempted Newcastleton because of its remoteness. It did, however, propose a shared head for the neighbouring Hawick primaries of Wilton and Stirches.

But as Councillor David Paterson, whose Hawick and Hermitage ward includes Newcastleton, reminded colleagues on Thursday, a meeting of Wilton and Stirches parents unanimously opposed such a link and, shortly before the council approved the TCS document on December 18, the Newcastleton/Stirches shared headship was recommended.

“At the 11th hour, the goalposts were moved ... and a grave mistake was made on December 18,” said Mr Paterson. “Let us correct it now.”

Mr Paterson was supporting the motion of fellow ward councillor George Turnbull (Con.), a member of the ruling administration.

“I urge the council to honour its commitment to the children and parents of Newcastleton and restore their confidence in this council,” said Mr Turnbull. “Proper consultation was bypassed on this occasion and a decision made for reasons of expediency.”

And the third Hawick and Hermitage member, council vice-convener Ron Smith (Lib. Dem.), concurred.

“Newcastleton has taken on the role of a reluctant bride at an arranged marriage ... but it is a community united in calling for a single head teacher.

“They are concerned about the long and winding road to Hawick where there have been two recent accidents involving the school bus ...

The internet is buzzing with calls for a single head from villagers who have lost their police and ambulance presence, and are currently without a kirk minister.

“Put simply, this is a community which has lost faith in Scottish Borders Council,” said Mr Smith.

In the absence of the executive member for education (Catriona Bhatia), it fell to her Liberal Democrat colleague Graham Garvie to defend the decision who moved the following amendment: “That in acknowledging the views expressed by the local communities and local members, SBC will continue to work with the schools and communities of Newcastleton and Stirches to deliver an effective shared headship for the benefit of pupils.”

Councillor Garvie said he and Mrs Bhatia had had extensive discussions with education director Glenn Rodger and other education staff. “We are satisfied the arrangements proposed for a joint headship with Stirches is the best way forward ... for the nurture, education and wellbeing of the children of both schools.”

He said a primary of Newcastleton’s size would normally have three teachers, one of whom would be a principal teacher.

The new model gave the school a non-class committed (non-teaching) headteacher (Ann Carruthers of Stirches) in addition to a depute head (Ann Clark, currently acting head at Hobkirk) which only schools of over 172 would have in the present model.

“This is a significantly stronger leadership and management model for a small school,” claimed Mr Garvie.

He was supported by ex-teacher Councillor Jock Houston who said it had been accepted by the local authority that heads should be non-class committed to allow them to lead and manage, and such a single post could not be justified at such a small school as Newcastleton.

In the vote which ensued, the Tory/Lib Dem/Independent ruling group held firm to defeat the three Hawick rebels who were supported by the SNP and Borders Party opposition groups.

Mrs Armstrong, who watched the debate at Newtown along with six other Newcastleton parents, said later that councillors should have been aware of the impact of various staff changes at the school in the last year, since the departure of former head George Gilchrist to Parkside, Jedburgh.

“Until December, we had Mrs Carruthers as a shared head and, although no-one is questioning her abilities, it did have an adverse impact on the activities and morale at Newcastleton.

“Then from January we have had Sandra Ingles, who lives in the village and was depute at Wilton, as interim teaching head who was at the school five days a week and the difference was massive and spirits soared, with lots of projects and activities, and excellent communication with parents.

“And, of course, the road, is a major issue, especially in the winter when we may have neither head nor depute head in school.

“This ill-advised and ill-informed decision fills pupils and parents with trepidation about what will happen after the holidays and flies in the face of a petition to retain a designated head which 280 of the 290 households in and around the village supported.”

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