Fife Council's Education Service is currently consulting parent councils about possible changes to the leadership organisation of schools in the East Neuk of Fife. All the proposals involve removing all the headteacher posts from East Neuk primary schools in favour of a single "super head" based at Waid.

Early feedback from parents suggests they are horrified at the thought of losing "their" headteacher. Each primary school in the East Neuk has a unique character and identity in which the headteacher is pivotal - for children, staff, parents and the wider community. East Neuk headteachers know all the pupils in their schools personally, and many of their families too. A headteacher is essential for leadership and accountability; a remote "managing director" is no replacement.

The set of proposals do not appear to have been consulted on or agreed upon by elected members - a very general high level proposal for leadership was agreed by members of the Education & Children's Services Committee in September 2021 but it was not made clear this would mean removing all the primary headteacher posts in the East Neuk. 

Parents fear that the consultation currently underway is not genuine as there is no option to retain primary headteachers, only different ways of compensating for their removal. In other words, this petition is essential because the decision to get rid of headteachers in the East Neuk is being presented as done and dusted. Proceeding in this way is not democratic. Nor is it any way to operate for an Education Service which advocates working in partnership with parents or communities.

East Neuk schools are being asked to give up their primary headteachers in what is essentially an experiment. This is the first time such an arrangement has been attempted in Fife, and reports of its success elsewhere in Scotland are mixed at best.

East Neuk communities are distinctive, relatively small and rural/coastal in nature. They already suffer from a lack of public services compared to towns or more urban areas in Fife, and this "rationalisation" of education discriminates against the area, fails to take into account its particular character and needs and will lead to further educational loss. At a time when Fife Council is supposed to be recovering from the ravages of Covid, especially in our schools, it beggars belief that it is considering the abolition of primary headteachers.