Alex Salmond has been accused of betraying Fife parents waging a determined battle to keep Pitcorthie Primary School open.
“The most powerful man in Scotland hung about the school gates telling worried parents that the only way to save their school was to vote for him,” slammed Labour MP Thomas Docherty.
“As soon as the referendum was over, he ordered Government officials to close the school.
“It is the worst kind of politics,” said the Dunfermline and West Fife Labour politician.
“There will be a lot of angry parents in this community who trusted Alex Salmond, and people all over Scotland will be asking if there is anything he says that we can believe.”
After a long and agonising wait, parents and pupils of Dunfermline’s Pitcorthie Primary were dealt the devastating blow that they had lost the fight as the announcement came that the Scottish Government was to close the school by August next year.
While sobbing parents were highly critical of the way Fife Council broke the news by sending letters home in pupils’ schoolbags the decision caused widespread anger.
Pitcorthie was earmarked for closure under Labour-run Fife Council’s schools estate review. The executive committee agreed to shut it but the decision was called in for investigation by the Scottish Government.
And the agony continued as a decision was delayed until after the independence referendum.
The plan turned into one of the most contentious of the entire review as a Save Pitcorthie group was formed to fight to keep the school open to provide continuity in their children’s education.
It became a key battle in the hard-fought Dunfermline by-election between the SNP candidate and eventual Labour victor, new MSP Cara Hilton.
It was Mrs Hilton who pushed for the Scottish Government to call in Fife Council’s controversial decision, claiming the consultation had been flawed.
Mrs Hilton said: “I am shocked and bitterly disappointed for the parents and children of Pitcorthie Primary School who have been badly let down by Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and Mike Russell, all of whom said that they would fight to keep Pitcorthie open.
“Alex Salmond even came to Dunfermline last year and stood side by side with the parents and children of Pitcorthie where he held banners calling for the school to be saved.
“My heart goes out to all of the pupils, parents and staff at Pitcorthie Primary School who will be shattered by this news.”
Mr Docherty, who was particularly unhappy over the long wait for the announcement, dubbed the decision disgraceful.
“This is a betrayal for local families who were promised by Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon that their school would not shut,” he said.
Andrew Hutchison, who has played a key role in the Save Pitcorthie group, said the local authority’s consultation had been merely a token gesture.
And he said the fight would now turn to ensuring the wellbeing of the children at the centre of the row.
His own daughter, Adele, who will be eight next week, has already posed difficult questions he simply cannot answer.
“She is already upset as her favourite teacher is moving and now is asking where she will go to school,” said Mr Hutchison.
“Parents are upset and their kids are even more upset they are wondering why their parents are crying. We have to find a way to break it to them they will have to move to a new school.”
Fellow campaigner and mum, Kirsty Riddell, added: “There have been a lot of tears today. If I am honest, in the last few weeks I have not been very optimistic, but nothing prepares you for the day it is actually in front of you, that it is closing.”
She said she was proud of those in the campaign group for a hard-fought and clean debate.
Education spokesman Bryan Poole said: “Closing a school is not something that is done without long and careful consideration. We simply can’t continue to provide that level of service if huge amounts of our budgets are taken up maintaining deteriorating school buildings.”
Fife Council leader David Ross added: “We understand this may be a challenging and sometimes difficult time for parents and staff but we will be working closely with them to help them through the process and try to allay any fears they have.
“Every effort will be made to ensure that the children affected by the closure will be able to make the move into their new schools as seamlessly as possible.”
Catchment areas will now be re-zoned and children from Pitcorthie will move to Lynburn, Commercial and Touch primary schools.
Photo by David Wardle