On March 19th, 2015 the Parent Council had a curriculum sub-group meeting with Headteacher, Mrs Boggan, where we enquired about staffing plans for the 2015/16 academic year. You can imagine our surprise when we were informed that our current Deputy Headteacher’s contract will terminate before the next academic year. We understood that it would continue until November 2015, an understanding stemming from a meeting at the school with Education Officer Ralph Donaldson (06/03/2014).

As we all want what is best for the students at St Columba’s I feel I should share with you an insight into the contributions made by Mrs Hagney as Depute Head.

Her presence has been a tremendous asset to the school and it has been her dedication and determination that has driven forward the successful implementation of a number of activities at the school. These include ‘vertical learning together groups’ where older students are responsible for supporting their younger peers, lunch time clubs where children are active (above and beyond the mere two hours allocated in the curriculum) and involvement of parent helpers to improve the learning environment at the school.

We have just had another visit from HMI Moira Cummings where she reflected very positively on the progress that St Columba’s continues to make. As a Parent Council we are worried that the removal of our Depute Head at such a critical time in the school’s improvement programme would significantly undermine the headway our Senior Leadership Team has worked so hard to secure during 2014/15.

We are therefore asking the Fife Council Education and Learning Directorate to reconsider their decision and instead, honour the understanding reached at the meeting with Education Officer Ralph Donaldson (06/03/2014).