Hundreds of parents have supported a motion of no confidence in Hermitage Academy’s management.
There was heated debate at a meeting on Monday night about the school’s highly unusual curriculum, which means S4 pupils are not entered for National 5 exams.
Unions have objected to the system, and MSPs have raised the issue in the Scottish Parliament.
Earlier on Monday the Parents for Change group, which is calling for the exam system to be scrapped, met headteacher Geoff Urie and officials from Argyll and Bute Council, saying afterwards that Mr Urie had admitted cost factors influenced the policy of not presenting students in National exams.
A council spokesman strongly denied this, saying: “This is categorically untrue. No such comment was made.”
Parents also echoed unions’ concerns about ‘bi and tri teaching’, with N4, N5 and potentially Higher pupils all in the same classroom, with a spokesman adding: “We have had incidents this week where a number of pupils have been downgraded to National 5 from higher and handed a book to teach themselves.”
The council responded by saying this was ‘not an unusual arrangement’, adding: “It works well at a range of schools across Scotland.”
Later that day Parents For Change met the school’s parent council and local politicians, with more than 200 people supporting a note of o n=confidence in school management.
The chairman and secretary of the parent council have both resigned, but a new-look parent council is expected to be elected on December 13.
Such a shame as the teaching staff are second to none especially the music department. It’s time for a new management team, maybe they should put pupils and teachers on it?