Ayr residents claim schoolkids are making their life misery

Apr 2 2010 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

SCHOOLKIDS are making our lives hell.

That’s the claim of neighbours living in fear of pupils from Belmont Academy.

A group of residents, whose houses overlook the school, say every day is a living nightmare.

They claim pupils are hurling bottles at cars, urinating in closes and brawling in gardens.

The problems come despite Belmont having a dedicated campus police officer to patrol surrounding streets.

One resident, who was too scared to be named, insisted: “We’re living in fear every time the bell rings to let the pupils outside.

“They do whatever they want and clearly have no respect for anyone.

“I opened my curtain one day last week and saw 40 of them in the garden cheering on a fight.

“It was horrible to witness and very scary, but that’s what we put up with on a daily basis.

“And if you ever go out and challenge them, you’re just making yourself a target.”

Frightened residents invited the Post to witness a typical lunch hour at the school.

We watched as pupils clambered into gardens, kicked down brick walls and launched safety barriers on to the road.

Another resident confessed: “We were all kids at one time and you accept a bit of high jinx now and again.

“But there’s a limit to what you can take and they crossed the line here a long time ago.

“It was horrendous during the winter because they would stand and pelt cars with snowballs which had goodness knows what inside them.

“I’ve had my car thumped with bottles but the campus police officer told me the kids are only sold plastic bottles now – as if that makes it any better.

“They’ve got 20mph speed bumps outside the school and sometimes I think they’re to slow down cars to make them easier to hit.”

Neighbours say they’ve hit a brick wall in their complaints to the school and feel they’re not being taken seriously.

Headteacher Alan Moir assured residents in January that pupils’ behaviour would be monitored – and council executive Harry Garland also waded into the debate.

In a letter to residents, he said: “There are some 1300 pupils attending Belmont Academy and there will inevitably be some minor inconvenience at particular times of the school day for local residents.”

But the residents say it’s far more than minor – and that things are getting worse rather than better.

South Ayrshire Council’s Brian McInroy, head of service and school management, said: “Belmont Academy is a flagship school of 1300 pupils who have been achieving academic results which are among the best in Scotland.

“We expect high standards of behaviour from pupils on and off the campus and we have robust procedures to deal with any instances that fall short of those standards.

“However, we are aware of a small number of concerns raised by a very small number of residents within the vicinity of the school and have been working actively to address this in conjunction with our campus police officer.

“We fully recognise the importance of maintaining good relationships with the local community and, through the curriculum for excellence, we actively encourage the values of citizenship and personal responsibility.”