A SCOTS high school lost a quarter of its staff to sickness in one day.
A total of 23 teachers out of 107 at Dunfermline High, Fife, were struck down by maladies including colds, chest infections, loss of voice, and ‘flu.
Bewildered pupils had to be taught en masse in the assembly and dinner halls because there were not enough supply teachers to cover the absences last week.
Brian Blanchflower, the school’s rector, admitted: “Over the last couple of weeks we have had a very high level of staff absence due to illness. One day we had 23 staff absent.
“We have had real difficulty in locating subject-specialist supply staff from the Fife Council supply list, especially at very short notice.”
Fault
Mr Blanchflower claimed the school had coped “quite well” in what he described as “extraordinary” circumstances.
“Some pupils have been placed at desks and chairs in the assembly hall [and] provided with work by their subject departments,” he added.
But not all parents are happy. One mother, who has two children at the school, said: “There was not enough teachers and children were told just to get on with their work.
“Even when they got into the hall the teachers were saying: ‘Why are you here? Is your teacher off today as well?’.
“The teachers don’t seem to know who’s off or what’s happening.
“I just think it’s a bit of a farce when they are doing Highers.”
Another parent complained: “Someone’s at fault here. Whether it’s budgets or whatever, it’s a joke and shouldn’t be happening – they can’t even get a substitute teacher out.”
