Scottish Catholic Observer

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow has written to the Scottish Government to protest the ‘unjust and discriminatory’ closure of St Joseph’s Primary, Milngavie.

In a letter to the St Joseph’s Parent’s Council, who have tirelessly opposed the closure of their school by East Dunbartonshire Council, Archbishop Tartaglia informed parents of a letter he has sent to Mike Russell MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, formally asking him to review the decision to close the school.

“I have taken this course of action because I believe, as you do, that the proposal for closure and merger is unjust and discriminatory,” the archbishop’s letter says. “As you know the council appears content to provide three non-denominational schools in the town of Milngavie and one in Baldernock, while there will be no Catholic school provision if this decision stands. So the removal of the only Catholic school in the community could not be more significant for your community.”

The archbishop also thanked the parent council and the school community and supporters for their ‘tireless work in defence of a continuing Catholic educational presence in Milngavie.’

East Dunbartonshire Council voted last month to close St Joseph’s Primary and St Andrew’s Primary, Bearsden, and merge them in a new build campus on the current St Andrew’s site. The council maintains that the schools are under occupied and that pupils will benefit from new modern facilities.

Parents from St Joseph’s met with Mr Russell on Thursday at the Scottish Parliament to personally hand over their own request for the Scottish Government to stop the closure from going ahead.

Laureen McIntyre, St Joseph’s Parent Council chair, said she was delighted that Archbishop Tartaglia had decided to write to the government. “Ministers must consider the Church’s views very seriously when making their decision,” she said. “It was also kind of him to praise parents for our campaign. Over the past few months, the whole community has rallied round in support of St Joseph’s and we have taken real heart from his comments.

“Following so soon after our meeting with the Education Secretary, Mike Russell, at the Scottish Parliament, we are increasingly hopeful that common sense will prevail and the school will be saved.

“St Joseph’s is the fastest growing school in the whole of East Dunbartonshire and our children have the right to be educated in their own community here in Milngavie.”

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