Censorship row after Angus school pulls Black Watch from curriculum

An Angus secondary school is at the centre of a censorship storm after stopping Higher Drama pupils from studying a play about the Iraq War.

Black Watch is an acclaimed play apparently banned from Webster’s High School in Kirriemuir because of bad language and sexual content.

Parents of fifth year pupils say they are outraged that the SQA-approved Higher text play written by Gregory Burke has been removed from the curriculum.

Pupils were partway through study of the text and had already produced detailed work as part of their course when it was pulled.

One parent called the move “censorship”.

He said: “All of these pupils are young adults and should be treated with the respect they deserve.”

An Angus council spokesman said: “While the play has not been banned, it is not being used as a core text this year.”

For more on this story, see Monday’s Courier.