Academy staff bullying claims highlighted in letter to OIC chief executive

A letter from Stromness Academy staff, citing concerns about “outrageous bullying behaviour” at the school, has been sent to the chief executive of Orkney Islands Council.

The council has refused to comment on the issue, or confirm receipt of the letter, which is understood to have been signed by 40 of the school’s 63 staff members.

It is also understood that not all staff were asked to sign the letter, with the school’s senior management team and those on temporary contracts excluded.

Following this week’s front-page story, a copy of the letter was passed to The Orcadian today, Thursday.

In it, the signatories claim that they had “reluctantly come to the decision that action is required” against a “situation we have been labouring under for the past few years, as we go about our everyday business in the school.”

Claiming an “atmosphere of fear and oppression”, the letter alleges that staff have been denied “dignity at work” and that their opinions and suggestions are being ignored.

The letter also cites concerns about the allegedly “aggressive way” pupils are spoken to for “minor offences, if indeed they can be termed as offences at all.”

It concludes: “Nothing short of a thorough and robust investigation into the specific situation at Stromness Academy will satisfy us”, adding that they “trust that some form of action will be taken without further undue delay.”

A statement to the newspaper, released by the OIC on Monday afternoon, simply read: “Orkney Islands Council does not comment on internal staffing matters.”