A meeting is being held tonight after a mass threat by pupils to quit a Western Isles secondary school.
After a confrontation with school management, around 35 students are said to have requested leavers’ forms to quit school.
The entire sixth year at Sgoil Lionacleit in Benbecula threatened a walkout, claiming they were being ignored by senior staff.
It is unheard of for a mass group of pupils to take such action in the Western Isles, if not Scotland.
School meeting after students' walkout threat
8 June 2015
As a result, this evening's parent council meeting has been relocated to the larger lecture theatre within the school. The agenda has been cleared to focus on the controversy.
Central to the complaints is the axing or withdrawal of a number of subjects.
Pupils who have just started sixth year say the school is failing to give them the education required.
Physics, history, Spanish and graphic design are understood to be included in the list of subjects pupils say they are unable to take.
They maintain they are being pressurised to do courses they don’t want or to leave the school.
Some feel the very restricted options for courses offered at Sgoil Lionacleit may wreck their chances of getting to college or university.
According to pupils, the new choice form is aimed at 5th year students. If 6th year's
has already done Maths or English then they have a very limited choice -
Several pupils should leave school suggested staff, it is said.
Individual parents have been contacting mainland schools to get the missing subjects provided.
On Monday night, parents are set to query if school is failing on the requirements
of the legislation -
The council also has a duty to take due regard of the views of each individual pupil over decisions that affect them.
Though the Comhairle has pledged to listen to the concerns, it is understood it has failed to consult with pupils themselves.
Instead, a council’s investigation into the situation has obtained a report from some of the very people pupils claim are at the core of the issue.
After speaking to school management, the council maintains only half a dozen pupils
threatened to walk out -
The local authority says only one pupil/ parent directly raised concerns with the school. However, it is known the number is higher.
In addition, many pupils aired issues directly with their guidance teacher and with the school management.
A council spokesman said: “The change of course choices this year reflect pupil demand, capacity of teaching staff and timetable limits.
“However, it must be remembered that the pupil choices form for 15/16 provides greater choices than in the previous three years.
“It should also be noted that Lionacleit course choices are consistent with that of schools of similar size in Scotland.”