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Parents gather in anger at Moray Council plans to slash school jobs

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Dozens of angry parents gathered in Elgin yesterday as their campaign against Moray Council plans to slash classroom support posts at some primary schools gathers momentum.

The Enable disability charity arranged the summit at the town’s Laichmoray Hotel, and Moray MSP Richard Lochhead and Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross both attended to learn about the group’s concerns.

Parents have lashed out at local authority proposals that will see hours for additional support needs staff cut at several primary schools.

The council has confirmed that the plan will “inevitably” result in job losses and will mean some needy children will lose one-to-one supervision.

But despite parents’ warnings that the move could jeopardise their children’s education and safety, the council’s children and young people’s services committee voted it through last week.

Councillors pledged to arrange a meeting with affected parents to explain the process in detail, and attempt to allay some of their worries.

But the campaigners said they would continue to push the authority into a rethink, and yesterday met to discuss their aims ahead of meeting education bosses.

Greenwards Primary School in Elgin and Hythehill Primary in Lossiemouth are among the schools facing the steepest reduction in hours.

Lorna Spink, whose epileptic daughter is in primary one at Greenwards, said she has not been told how she will be impacted, and now faces “six weeks of stress” over the summer break.

Leading campaigner, Rachel Duggan, said the meeting had been “productive” in helping shape the argument they will present to education bosses.

Moray MSP Richard Lochhead fielded several questions from anxious parents about the possibility of the Scottish Government intervening in the row.

Mr Lochhead said: “This campaign clearly has momentum behind it, these parents are very concerned about what’s in store for their children.

“The council must recognise that families have to be at the heart of any new policy like this.”

Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross, who is also a Fochabers Lhanbryde councillor, added: “It’s important that the council clarifies things to these parents, we can’t have this uncertainty going on.”

A Moray Council spokesman stressed that the scheme had been approved by elected representatives following a lengthy debate, and that parents would have the chance to discuss their concerns with officers at a meeting in the near future.