Girl’s name on ‘worst pupils list’ enrages mum

Claims cleaner found notice after retirement party and posted it online

A Dundee mother whose daughter was named on a poster allegedly listing troublesome Grove Academy pupils has told of her anger and “embarrassment” over the saga.

The poster, on display at a deputy headteacher’s retirement party in a city hotel, was found by a cleaner and a picture of it posted online.

Dundee City Council denies the list identifies the worst-behaved pupils, saying it merely names those who were given particular assistance by the teacher.

But the mother of the former pupil, who did not want to be named, claims her daughter was not helped in any way by the school. She said: “I was livid to say the least. “I called the school and spoke to the head teacher regarding this – his view is that the cleaner who shared this story has lost her job, the list was not labelled and had been compiled by the teacher whose retirement it was in memory of pupils she felt she had made a positive impact on.

“My daughter was not happy at Grove and left on bad terms so I don’t understand why she would think she had made a positive impact in her life.

“This is all nine years ago and my daughter should be allowed to move on from the past.

“This kind of paperwork should have been looked after by the teacher in the same way as she would look after her own purse, or bank details and should have been destroyed, or kept in a safe place by the teacher.

“How are the people on this list supposed to apply for jobs now that this has gone viral – it will always be there.”

The private party was held at Monifieth’s Panmure Hotel but the cleaner worked for an external contractor.

When contacted, the company allegedly concerned denied involvement in the incident and refused to confirm its employee had been sacked.

The mother added: “I really hope that someone from the school be held accountable for this rather than passing the buck to a cleaner.”

The cleaner could not be traced and Dundee City Council said it would not be commenting further.

In an earlier statement, they said: “An untitled list of former pupils was produced by the teacher to show individuals she felt she had made a difference to and supported during her time in the classroom and in the school in general.

“The list was only on display at a private function held outside of the school outwith school hours.

“It was not, at any time, shown anywhere in school in the view of current pupils.”

The woman’s daughter was a former pupil at Grove Academy.