Community outraged at head teacher proposals

Fife Council proposals that could see head teacher posts removed from all East Neuk primary schools will spark a “tidal wave” of opposition, an MSP has claimed.

Willie Rennie, MSP for the North East Fife constituency, has said he “cannot fathom” how the proposals would work and urged the council to reconsider their plans.

Wendy Chamberlain, MP for North East Fife, has also expressed her concern over the proposals, saying if they were to go ahead it would be a “dramatic change” for local communities.

Their comments come as a petition set up to “save East Neuk’s headteachers (sic)” gained more than 1,500 signatures over the weekend, with angry parents labelling the proposals as “outrageous” and “totally ridiculous”.

Fife Council’s education service is currently consulting parent councils about possible changes to the leadership organisation of schools in the East Neuk.

Three “leadership models” are being proposed, one of which advocates removing individual head teacher posts from schools in the coastal towns and replacing them with one head teacher serving them all – including Waid Academy.

However, the proposals have sparked criticism from local politicians – including Scottish Lib Dems education spokesperson Willie Rennie – who expressed concerns over how it would work.

He said: “Our East Neuk communities have a strong sense of identity, and I think the level of opposition to this plan will be like a tidal wave. I just can’t believe that the council think this is the right time for such a dramatic change. Schools are still struggling to cope with the pandemic, and many staff are off selfisolating. This is not the time to even think about this.

“I’ve never known such a large geographical area and so many schools to be covered by just one head teacher. I cannot fathom how any new head teacher will be able to provide effective leadership for 1,600 pupils over nine schools.”

Wendy Chamberlain MP added: “I share the deep concern of many parents in the East Neuk about what these plans could mean and the pace at which they are moving forward.

“Parents are right to expect that head teachers have personal connections with the communities they work in, and this is even more important in rural communities like those in the East Neuk.

“It is hard to see how a single head teacher covering such a large area and so many schools could fulfil that need.”

Fife Council’s proposals have also been met with concern from local union reps, who say the views of parents must be listened to before any decision is made. EIS Fife representative David Farmer said: “The EIS does not support the principle of super head teachers.

“Parents are important stakeholders and clearly in the East Neuk a number of them are unhappy with the proposals.

“Those concerns and their highlighting of them are entirely proper. We want to engage with parents on these issues. Through dialogue our hope would be a resolution could be found.”

Last week, head of education and children’s services at Fife Council Angela Logue said that the council is exploring a number of options to improve leadership arrangements across primary schools in NE Fife.

She added: “We are meeting with local parent councils this month to discuss three proposals and listen to their views and opinions.”