Pupils threaten to quit

Sixth year pupils at Sgoil Lionacleit in Benbecula have threatened to quit after a raft of issues with teachers and school management came to a head.

The entire sixth year are said to have requested leavers' forms to exit the school because they are so fed up at the hassle they are receiving on top of chaos over withdrawn subjects.

Education minister Angela Constance’s office has been altered to the row.

Western Isles Council is investigating the concerns.

Pupils threaten to quit over school row, council investigates

3 June 2015

Students' complaints will be aired at a parent council meeting on Monday. It is understood education director Bernard Chisholm or a senior education chief in Stornoway may join the meeting via video conference link.

A number of subjects have been axed and the school is failing to deliver a co-ordinated sixth year timetable, according to pupils who have just moved onto sixth year.

Pupils say they are being pressurised to do subjects they don’t want - the alternative is to leave the school and not study Highers or advanced Highers.

Some feel the very restricted options for courses offered at Sgoil Lionacleit risk wrecking their chances of getting to college or university.

Individual parents have been contacting mainland schools to see if they will provide the missing subjects by distance learning.

It has been suggested that a new pre-entry requirement was unofficially imposed for Higher Psychology. Despite trying to concentrate on sitting exams this week, some pupils were apparently told to write a 300-word essay about the topic by Friday.

Several pupils were reminded or told by teachers they had the option of exiting school, it is alleged.

It is believed staff say no pupil was asked to write an essay and no-one was told to leave school.

One unhappy parent called the situation a “shambles.”

They said it is “unacceptable” students are unfairly berated for a problem not of their making.

The parent said: “The entire sixth year - around 35 to 40 pupils - went to the school office to pick up leavers' forms this morning.

“One of the teachers saw what was happening and intervened. They managed to calm things down.”

The parent said by removing course choices, “you then remove the demand for the subject.”

Guidance teachers faced a queue of pupils seeking advice as the school changed previously agreed subject choice forms, say pupils.

School management are unable to offer any support and, instead, are threatening pupils with sanctions, it is claimed.

Students were locked out of the sixth year common room and - with the school library operating limited hours - left without a place to study, they say. The school fails to provide a room for them to work yet certain staff reprimand them for hanging about, it is claimed.

With nowhere to go, the affected pupils simply wander around the corridors doing nothing for a lot of the time - to be threatened with the loss of the sixth year common room by senior staff members.

Western Isles education director Bernard Chisholm said he is investigating the concerns over the new timetable, subject choices and access to the common room.

Mr Chisholm has called for a report from the head teacher and will also “speak to parents and clarify the particular issues.”

Mr Chisholm said: “No subject has been axed at the last minute. However, there have been changes to choices based on demand and/or staff availability.

“Some advanced higher subjects are not available. This is not unusual and one of the subjects brought to my attention is currently not available in any of the Western Isles schools although we are looking at what alternative arrangements can be made.”

He added: “I am aware that there is a parent council meeting on Monday evening and I would anticipate that concerns from the parents will be addressed at that time.”