Brian Ferguson: Tears and anger – but fight to save St Margaret's starts

Published on Monday 14 June 2010 22:42

IT SHOULD have been one of the proudest and happiest occasions of the year. But for the pupils at one of Edinburgh's leading private schools yesterday, posing for the annual photograph was a much sadder occasion than they would have envisaged a few days ago.

Many were still coming to terms with the fact it could be one of their final days at St Margaret's, the 110-year-old institution which was put into provisional liquidation last week.

Other independent schools in the city are said to have been inundated with inquiries from worried St Margaret's parents, even though official registration dates have long since passed.

The mixed emotions of shock and surprise that came in the immediate aftermath of the sudden announcement are said to have given way to feelings of confusion and uncertainty among the 397 pupils.

St Margaret's accepts boys up to junior level, with an all-girl senior school. The decision on closure had been timed to ensure it would not coincide with exams.

But one parent, who has pupils in both the primary and secondary schools, told The Scotsman: "It is too much for many of them to take in. How on earth can a parent explain receivership and liquidation to a primary pupil?

"We weren't even sure if the school photograph would go ahead, but the parents were very keen that it did and it was an emotional occasion for everyone.

"It's hugely unsettling not knowing which school you're going to be at or that you're almost certain to be split up from your friends."

Among the parents, who were plunged into turmoil after being told of the closure via an e-mail from liquidators KPMG at 8:25pm last Thursday, there is simmering anger that the school's dire financial plight had been kept from them until it was too late.

They had to wait until Friday to receive word from the head-teacher, Jennifer McGhee, seemingly at the behest of KPMG, who insisted on approving her statement which admitted news of the impending closure was "catastrophic".

Parental fury is matched with a resolve to explore every option for keeping the school going. But

an annual operating deficit of up to 500,000, mainly caused by plummeting pupil numbers, has been a growing headache for the past five years.

A mother of two secondary pupils said: "We have been left with so little time to do anything about this because this was kept quiet from the parents.

"There was no warning about this at all from the governors and it's ridiculous to leave it to this stage to bring in the receivers. There are a lot of questions about how much money is owed, and to whom, not least those parents who have paid fees for next year in advance."

On the school's Facebook website, messages of support from parents and pupils have been flooding in. One says simply: "I had fantastic school days there and really feel for all the current pupils who will have to be educated elsewhere. Good luck to you all."

The Parents and Friends Association, set up last year to raise funds for the school, has suddenly found itself drawing up plans to cut staff, raise fees and work out a way to make St Margaret's a viable proposition again.

The campaign group has been canvassing parents for pledges of financial help, and is touting for a potential "white knight" to emerge from the shadows.

Its campaign website does not pull any punches with a statement that warns a "hard-headed approach is required to remedy the situation".

It adds: "At the moment, the primary issue is to identify a business model that closes the operating deficit, and moreover, generates an operating surplus with which to amortise existing debts.

"Simple arithmetic dictates that the solution is a combination of increased fees and lower costs. There is no way of avoiding the fact that this will imply pain for both parents and staff."

One source close to the association, which has put together a potential rescue package, said: "There was a lot of hysteria, and quite a few tears on Friday. There is quite a bit of hope now, and everyone is genuinely rallying round. But we all know it is a race against time."