Goths! in Catholic school!

ST DAVID’S High School in Dalkeith was a place where most parents felt secure in the belief their children were being educated in a moral environment which protected them from some of the more disturbing aspects of youth culture. But the trial of Luke Mitchell for the gruesome murder of Jodi Jones has rocked that assumption to its foundations.

The police investigation into the killing exposed a culture of drug taking, violence and Satanism among some pupils which raised disturbing questions for the authorities that run the Roman Catholic secondary school - one of 59 such schools in Scotland.

Midlothian Council has refused to reveal what action, if any, was taken to tackle Mitchell’s behaviour, but senior school sources admit teachers were "not in control" of the teenager.

Now parents and politicians have demanded an investigation into why a pupil with a history of violence, drug dealing, underage sex and a fascination with Satan was allowed to continue his damaging behaviour seemingly unchecked.

Mitchell’s criminal activities and his attempts to corrupt other pupils with drugs and Satanism were no secret at St David’s. But at a time when the Scottish Executive’s policy was to avoid excluding troublesome pupils, he was allowed to remain at the school, mixing with other youngsters - one of whom would pay for her relationship with him with her life.

One school source said:

"Luke’s problem at school was indiscipline. He had control over a group of pupils who were scared of him. But he would also defy teachers. If he didn’t want to do something, he wouldn’t do it.

"I don’t think the teachers had control of him. I think he was in control."

Mitchell was recognised as the ringleader of a group of pupils who were involved in "Goth" culture, fascinated with Satanism and the occult. Yet sources at the school say his behaviour was not brought to the attention of the school board.

One parent close to the school management team said: "It’s very worrying it wasn’t picked up and dealt with earlier. Parents were not told there was any problem with Satanism and I don’t remember hearing Luke Mitchell’s name raised. If teachers had worries, but these weren’t acted on sufficiently because of the local authority, that would be very concerning."

There were signs of serious problems with pupil behaviour at St David’s even before Jodi’s murder. In 2001 13-year-old Emma Robertson hanged herself in her bedroom at the family home in Dalkeith. Fellow pupils claimed she had been the victim of bullying, which some said was rife in the school. The then headmaster, Joe Boyd, denied bullying was a serious problem. Just one month later a further scandal hit St David’s when four 14-year-olds were reported to the police after being caught with cannabis in the school gym. All four were suspended, but none were permanently excluded.

Given such incidents, a report by government school inspectors in September 2001 makes remarkable retrospective reading. The inspectors not only failed to uncover any serious problems at St David’s, they praised the "good standard of education within a very caring and supportive atmosphere".

The report noted that "the guidance team, although containing mostly new and acting guidance teachers, managed their respective responsibilities well" and there were "very good" arrangements for supporting children’s welfare.

Yet some teachers were concerned about Mitchell’s obsession with violence and the occult. He was referred to an educational psychologist after an assault on another pupil when he was in primary school, aged 11. By January 2003 some teachers at St David’s were also growing concerned.

English teacher Geraldine Mackie received an essay from Mitchell on the subject of the end of the world. In it, he described himself as violent and Satanic. "It was quite worrying," Mackie told Mitchell’s trial. "There were quite a few things in it I found a little bit disturbing. I thought he needed to have a little chat with someone - perhaps he was in need of support."

A spokeswoman for Midlothian council refused to confirm what support Mitchell received, saying Jodi’s murderer was entitled to have that information kept confidential.

But what is clear is that Mitchell’s behaviour continued to spiral out of control. At one point he carved the Satanic number 666 into his arm with a school compass, and it has been reported that a music teacher intervened as Mitchell throttled another pupil. On that occasion it is believed that he was referred to an educational psychologist, but refused treatment. A spokeswoman for Midlothian council refused to comment on whether police, social workers or mental health professionals had been approached by the school about Mitchell. Asked if the school had tackled Mitchell’s drug dealing, she insisted it "was not happening inside the school".

Fiona Hyslop, SNP education spokeswoman, said failures in communication between agencies responsible for children was a common feature in tragic cases such as Jodi’s death.

She added: "The Executive does have a responsibility to review and reflect whether the support agencies could have worked better together."

Hyslop also criticised the Executive policy, abandoned last September, of giving head teachers targets to cut the number of pupils excluded, including those with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Councillor Peter Boyes, education leader for Midlothian Council, suggested a review of what had happened at St David’s would now begin. "Questions are going to be asked on Monday," he said. "We will have a look to see if we need to make any changes. We will examine our policies to see if they are successful or whether we have to change certain aspects, such as more checks in the corners of the playground. We have policies against drugs and knives and will examine whether they need to be improved."

A spokesman for the Catholic Church said the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES) had not been aware of any concerns about Mitchell, who is not a Catholic.

He said issues such as drug dealing and violence in schools were a matter for the council.

Shortly before Jodi’s murder, a new headteacher was appointed at St David’s, Marian Docherty, and since then the school has moved to a new building on a shared campus with Dalkeith High school.

At a service to remember Jodi on July 3 2003, Mrs Docherty said that she had been impressed by the way youngsters at St David’s had helped one another after the tragedy.

Many in the local community have seen these changes as a chance for a positive new start for the school’s staff and pupils following the tragedy.

Donald MacKay, Midlothian’s director of education, said staff from St David’s had attended drug training sessions and added: "St David’s take this issue very seriously and has a robust anti-drug policy which follows council and Scottish Executive guidance".

He also stressed that Mitchell’s carrying of knives did not reflect the general situation in Midlothian schools.

He said: "This is not an issue within Midlothian schools but if there was a suspicion that a pupil was carrying a knife staff would take immediate action and pupil and staff safety is paramount."

A spokesman for the Scottish Tory party said: "People in Dalkeith and the surrounding areas will want to know that the local authority, the education authorities and the school have in the past done everything they could and will if necessary learn any lessons there are from this tragedy."

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/scotland/Safe-Catholic-school-that-let.2597261.jp