Dumbarton Academy pupils claim they're left to teach themselves

Teenagers approached the Reporter over initial claims a maths class had been left without a dedicated teacher for two months.

Council officials denied the allegation, but pupils said they are being taught by three different members of staff in classes with different skill levels.

The school denied further claims about staffing and said the “false claims” were “unsettling and upsetting” to teachers and support staff.

Pupils told the Reporter some failed their National 5 exams last year and are resitting alongside National 4 pupils who, according to the student, “end up being scolded for not knowing something we were never even taught”.

And there have been claims of problems in modern studies, religious and moral education, and PE, where a teacher left the school of about 620 pupils just last week.

The school said modern studies was fully staffed, RME was being covered by a teacher from another school, and there were no vacancies in PE.

Pupils also said registration is not taken in all classes in first period, leading up to one in four youngsters not turning up on time for school - and no alerts being sent to parents.

The council responded: “Moving registration from the start of the day has improved the timekeeping of pupils.”

In separate interviews, pupils referred to the situation as “unstable” and getting worse as they face exam stress, lack of support from teachers and being told by some staff that they’re “over-reacting”.

One senior pupil told the Reporter: “Currently we are being taught [maths] by three different teachers, sometimes four, who are all attempting to teach us different topics at the same time, resulting in a bunch of confusion between everyone.

“Half of the time we are all lost with the lessons. One time the substitute who was teaching us wasn’t even a maths teacher, she was a PE teacher who, and I quote, ‘didn’t know much about maths’.

“The situation is stressful for us all and I’ve seen students in the classroom begin to cry because they don’t understand the work.

“We need a maths teacher who will teach us consistently, not three substitutes who barely communicate and are attempting to cram everything into our heads all at once.

“It’s a mess.”

The pupil, whose identity the Reporter is protecting, said concerns have been raised by pupils and parents, but been knocked back.

Exam results published by West Dunbartonshire Council in September showed a drop in National 5 exam success at Dumbarton Academy from 81 per cent to 77 per cent this year, the lowest in four years. National 4 pass rates dropped from 99 per cent last year to 92 per cent in 2018, the lowest in five years.

Council bosses have previously highlighted wider difficulties in recruiting teachers for certain subjects, particularly maths.

In August, we reported the council was still trying to recruit for five teaching positions, including ones at Dumbarton Academy and Bonhill Primary.

At the time, the council said vacancies were only a small part of a 900-strong teacher workforce.

One of the senior pupils told the Reporter it was too late to drop the subject, despite their struggles, meaning a wasted class and no option to change to a more valuable subject.

They said the issue is causing family stress as they face the cost of private tutors to make up for school failures.

Despite national attention on mental health issues, the teenager told us: “I have bordered on breakdowns over this. Breakdowns aren’t uncommon and when they do occur they are treated as jokes or ignored.

“I do not feel supported at all and honestly can’t tell you anyone who does throughout the entire school.

“Everyone treats student mental health as a joke. I myself have a lot of mental health issues and have been treated as a joke and told I’m over-reacting.”

A second senior pupil in a different class told the Reporter there was little support until just before last year’s exams, and teachers had dismissed concerns, saying pupils “should have known it by this point”.

And while a study room was provided, it was difficult when they had “no idea what I was meant to look at”.

The teenager said: “It also had a significant effect on my mental health.

“It put a ton of pressure on me to self teach subjects I wasn’t confident in to begin with, and by the time the exams came around I felt isolated and unable to ask for help.

“It felt like running into a brick wall and expecting to get better.”

Another youngster said: “First period is normally quieter now. Some classes are resigned to not having people in for first period now.

“It feels fairly common at this point, more so with certain people. The people that skipped registration will still skip it and now also miss out on some class, and interrupt the class by coming in late.”

Claire McInally, Dumbarton Academy head teacher, said: “

These claims have not been raised with me or my staff by pupils or parents and it’s disappointing that an unnamed person has contacted the Reporter with these completely unfounded accusations.

“I would encourage anyone with any concerns to contact me directly in order that I can provide reassurance.”

Dumbarton Academy’s parent council said they had not been approached by parents or pupils about staffing concerns.

They added: “If any pupil or parent wishes to speak to us directly about any concerns that they may have, we can be contacted via the Dumbarton Academy Facebook page or via the school office and we will be happy to raise these with the senior leadership team on their behalf.”

One of the youths said: “The school is becoming more and more unstable, and it’s becoming harder to study the material because of the amount of people leaving and the lack of people being able to teach courses.”

And the second pupil told the Reporter the school was now “lifeless and unstable”.

The teenager said: “

here are many teachers in the school that are trying their best and are very nice people. T

“The negatives greatly outweighs the positives though.”

Jim Halfpenny, West Dunbartonshire secretary for the EIS teaching union, said: “Dumbarton Academy, like all schools, is held together by the hard work and extra unpaid hours put in by its teachers.

“The stress which accompanies these conditions, workload and deterioration in salary will affect teacher supply.

“Pupils and parents have been short changed by successive governments who have consistently undervalued teachers in Scotland and as a result compromise the educational achievement of these children.”

Councillor David McBride said: “These reports are concerning to learn and I will make urgent enquiries with senior officers to seek a full response.

“I believe all staff and pupils should be fully supported in our schools and pupils require a consistent learning experience.”

Jackie Baillie MSP added: “The focus of all our efforts should be to ensure that pupils are receiving the proper teaching and support that they need.

“I have sought reassurances from the school and hope that the school is doing everything that they can to make up for teacher absences.

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Statement from West Dunbartonshire Council

“Mental health is a priority for the school and we pride ourselves in the support we provide to our young people.

Individuals are supported by a range of staff including the Pastoral Care Team; Pupil Family Support staff; the Senior Leadership Team; the school counsellor and the Educational Psychologist. 

There are robust processes in place to ensure the school works in partnership with the young person, their family and any other appropriate agencies who can provide support including CAMHS and crisis counselling.

Outcomes for learners with mental health issues are very good. Given the acute focus that the school places on mental health, several staff have recently completed ASIST suicide prevention training.

Additionally, there have been 32 senior phase pupils, seven staff and our Police Scotland youth engagement officer trained recently in mental health first aid with a view to ensuring that we provide the best support possible to our young people.

We have robust procedures and extensive support in place to ensure the attainment of all young people is tracked throughout the session.

If any areas of concerns are highlighted, a range of supports are put in place including working in partnership with the young person’s parents/carers.

The school works hard to maintain a strong focus on positive destinations for all of its pupils.

Working in conjunction with staff from Skills Development Scotland and the WDC Senior Phase Officer, pupils have access to a range of opportunities to explore career opportunities.

Positive destinations for pupils from Dumbarton Academy are among the highest in the authority and have been for some time.

Our staff work tirelessly to secure the best possible outcomes for all pupils. There are a number of ways in which young people are encouraged to express their views and there are lots of examples around the school of “You said/we did” feedback.

The school encourages pupils to speak to any members of staff to raise concerns and they can be assured that they will be listened to and appropriate support put into place.