A HIGH school parent council has won its fight to stop curriculum changes which it felt would be detrimental to pupils.

In February, the Reporter revealed West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) had relented to pressure from Our Lady and St Patrick's (OLSP) High's Parent Council and agreed to open up proposed changes to a public consultation.

WDC had originally planned to limit the number of subjects pupils can pick in their fourth year, to eight across all five high schools in the authority, from August of this year.

However, angry OLSP parents were opposed to this because it felt each school in the authority should be dealt with on an individual basis and wanted pupils to have the opportunity to pick eight subjects. Now after months of meetings between the parent council, the school community and Terry Lanagan, executive director of education, the council has decided to allow OLSP pupils to pick up to eight subjects in their fourth year.

Paul Myers, chairman of the parent council is delighted with the news and says it's a message to parent councils across the country that they can be a voice for pupils and their parents.

He told the Reporter: "After a long consultation they are now allowing OLSP to do up to eight subjects.

"I'm pleased to be working with the council to get the result that best works for everyone. In the end the council talked to, and listened to, the concerns of parents and worked together with the parent council.

"For lots of schools, parent councils are perceived to be fund raisers, but this shows they can achieve what they were introduced for in the first place, to give a parental voice and I think this shows they can work." A letter to parents signed by Terry Lanagan and Charles Rooney, the school's head teacher said: "The authority is satisfied that the curriculum model proposed by OLSP complies with the philosophy and requirements of Curriculum for Excellence." Education chiefs have said they will continue to review curriculum at all five high schools across the area in line with guidelines from Education Scotland.