Scottish Borders Local Association

Parents cry foul as SBC cuts their head off

Published Date: 9 April 2009

By Kenny Paterson

PARENTS at a Borders primary school have pleaded with Scottish education minister Fiona Hyslop to intervene in a dispute over the lack of a head teacher.

It comes after Scottish Borders Council education boss Glenn Rodger told the Newcastleton School Partnership (NSP) that he wants the school to have a depute head who would teach, plus a non-teaching head who would be shared with Stirches Primary School in Hawick – some 20 miles away.

But at a meeting last month, the parent council told Mr Rodger this was not an acceptable option, claiming it would be detrimental to their children's education.

However, Mr Rodger and the education department are sticking to their guns, much to the anger and frustration of local parents.
And now, as well as urging Ms Hyslop to get involved and collecting a near-300 signature petition, they are also organising a public meeting in the village.

NSP chairperson Julie Armstrong this week told TheSouthern: "We are trying to raise awareness of the awful position Newcastleton Primary School has found itself in after an extremely flawed consultation process held by Scottish Borders Council through its Transforming Children's Services document."

The parent committee is still seething after the original proposal in SBC's Transforming Children's Services programme was changed without their knowledge to leave Newcastleton with a shared head teacher instead of getting one of its own.

As a result, the NSP says the new plan is "totally unacceptable" as Newcastleton is a geographically isolated school which is entitled to a full-time head teacher as defined by SBC policy.

However, SBC's executive member for education, Councillor Catriona Bhatia, argues that a depute head would be an "improvement on the current situation" at the school, which Mrs Bhatia pointed out has been without a permanent head teacher for the last 12 months.

She told TheSouthern: "We have tried to recruit a headteacher on two previous occasions, but failed to do so, leaving the school in limbo for a year. "It has proven difficult across the Borders attracting head teachers to these posts like Newcastleton.

"I can totally understand the feelings of parents – every time shared headship has been discussed there has been disquiet as it looks like the council are taking something away – but hopefully an arrangement can be reached that suits all.
"I do understand parents' grievances as the proposals were not in the original consultation document, but it is now important to give stability to the school and do what is in the best interests of the children."

But Councillor David Paterson says he remains fully behind the parents' call for a standalone head to be kept at Newcastleton.

"Newcastleton has no affinity with Stirches and they have made it absolutely clear this can't go ahead," he said.
"There can only be a climbdown by the council and surely common sense will prevail."

Hawick and Hermitage councillor George Turnbull believes Mr Rodger's latest offer is a good compromise.
"I can't see an improved offer from the council. It is 'take it or leave it' for the parents and at the moment they have chosen to leave it."

Mr Turnbull told TheSouthern that in the original consultation document, the parents had left the issue of shared headship blank, as it did not concern them at that time.

"Then, two days before the meeting on December 18 (the SBC Transforming Children's Services meeting at Newtown St Boswells), SBC realised it had a problem to address with the shared headship," explained Mr Turnbull.

"There's been a lot of crticism from scrutiny (SBC's scrutiny panel), which says this is not the way to conduct business. We're trying to improve services, not hinder them.

"This has left a bad taste for all councillors, not just those from Hawick."
The NSP plans to stage another meeting on the headship of the school by the end of the month.

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