Police called to school

Published 19 Sep 2012 11:50 17 Comments

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POLICE were called to Woodmill High School following an incident on Thursday.

The new school rector Sandy McIntosh said what had been a minor incident had been "blown out of proportion" through social networking.

Mr McIntosh, said, "An incident between a small number of pupils in one of the school corridors resulted in young people from outwith the local area becoming involved via facebook and twitter.

"As a precaution against any trouble we called the police to provide a presence but nothing came of it.

He added, "We are aware of the potential for social media to blow minor incidents out of proportion so we try to diffuse any potential problem before it occurs.

"The school also runs a number of programmes aimed at helping our children become tolerant, understanding and well-balanced individuals."

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

ItsErnie
202 posts
Sep 19, 22:59
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The standard of spelling in the Dunfermline Press continues to decline. It's 'defuse' not 'diffuse' for goodness sake!

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jollymolly
93 posts
Sep 20, 08:01
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Take the phones off them when arriving at school give them back when leaving !!

"Problem Solved"

Recommend? Yes 57 No 6
MrUnderstood
26 posts
Sep 20, 08:38
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Diffuse is American-English version of the same word, this style is being adopted all over the world these days. It'sErnie I do agree that its a sorry state of affairs when a local paper cannot tell the difference.

Regarding taking pupils phones off them, this is a breach of their rights. Just like telling them to hand over their wallets, shoes or any other item BUT again I do agree completely that a school is no place for them.

There are devices you can purchase to block mobile phone signals within certain boundaries, school may want to invest in these moderately cheap devices to restrict mobile usage in areas of the school.

Wow the calibre of the articles on here gets better every day, what next? Maybe a story about someone missing the bus... journalists/reporters get your fingers out & look for some real stories that might be worth reading. END

Recommend? Yes 19 No 20
Dunfyresident
66 posts
Sep 20, 08:41
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I know someone who used to write articles for the Dunfy Press - they were free of any spelling errors, but once re-typed by the paper, they were full of typos!

Recommend? Yes 9 No 2
B2theB
145 posts
Sep 20, 08:56
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Get it right, people.

Check your facts before you become grammar nazis..........

I think it's a sorry state when people think the newspaper is wrong, when in actual fact, they are.............

Either defuse, or diffuse would have been acceptable in this context.

Defuse basically means to make less dangerous, and diffuse means to scatter.

You would defuse the situation by removing the danger, or the potential for explosion from it, and diffuse the same situation by scattering the gathering and spreading apart the elements.

1dif·fuse

adjective di-ˈfyüs

Definition of DIFFUSE

1

: being at once verbose and ill-organized

2

: not concentrated or localized

— dif·fuse·ly adverb

— dif·fuse·ness noun

Examples of DIFFUSE

The forest was filled with a soft, diffuse light.

Origin of DIFFUSE

Middle English, from Latin diffusus, past participle of diffundere to spread out, from dis- + fundere to pour — more at found

Recommend? Yes 28 No 21
redrobin
285 posts
Sep 20, 09:36
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Are we really concerned if the press can spell or not?

Yes I criticise the press for pathetic news stories, however

bottom line is that there was a situation at the school which required action, and the much maligned teachers did the right thing!

As for our bibliofile above, oh yeah I did listen to my english teacher hence the ability to communicate but I used that valuable knowledge to improve my life, not spend time looking up derivations to criticise others.

Recommend? Yes 23 No 11
ningin
85 posts
Sep 20, 12:41
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we need the press to report ....and if its a local issue ,at least its being reported ...must people always want to read of the misgivings of politicians......dunfermline press is providing a service to its public and free for comments ,.....spelling has lost its importance with the texting craze now upon us..........

Recommend? Yes 4 No 7
Robert Burdock
17 posts
Sep 20, 13:40
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@ningin - "Spelling has lost its importance with the texting craze upon us." What a ridiculous comment to make!

Recommend? Yes 6 No 2
beaker
80 posts
Sep 20, 17:20
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a went too woodmill in the seventys didint do me no harm

Recommend? Yes 11 No 5
ItsErnie
202 posts
Sep 20, 19:37
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B2theB you made me laugh even more than the Press's original mistake. Can't you distinguish a verb from an adjective (aside from a nonsensical use of 'diffuse')? (Rhetorical)

Anyway, onto the original topic, minor incidents are part and parcel of school life and generally well handled by the headteachers. Is there so little of moment around the town that this trivia is worth reporting?

Recommend? Yes 3 No 1
Martix
13 posts
Sep 20, 21:58
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hahaha beaker..

I personally don't care if someone makes a typo or not, given the amount i make myself..

opps "the amount I make myself.."

As for taking the phones of kids, would it not be better to teach them when they could and could not use them, than to simply deny them the use at all. What happens when a kid sees a crime in progress and needs to call the police or a fire and needs to call the brigade? Denying them the ability to do so, is essentially gross negligence. Regardless of personal civil rights.

As for the issue itself, my neice goes to woodmill and I am sure that if the head decided a police presence was required and the police thought so.. then so be it.

We are here to guide kids into becoming adults, not limit them to continuing to being kids. Perhaps people should give that more thought before posting.

Recommend? Yes 2 No 16
TheDEXExpress
109 posts
Sep 21, 09:05
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While I am as concerned about grammatical correctness as the next poster, I am a bit more concerned that the Head Teacher felt the need to call the police in to deal with a disciplinary matter. It may be that it was justified depending on what the facts were. But it is a sad sign of the times.

Recommend? Yes 6 No 0
jollymolly
93 posts
Sep 21, 12:16
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"Martix" you would make a great teacher "guiding the kids into becoming adults"

Good Morning Children

Lesson :-

(1) what time to put your phone on ! "I right"

(2) what time to put your phone off ! "I sure"

Perhaps you should give it more thought before posting!!

Recommend? Yes 11 No 1
bbfbjbsb
5 posts
Sep 22, 14:59
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My children go to woomill and I am aware of the circumstances surrounding these events.

I would like to put on record that I fully support the actions the teaching staff took and have taken since. It is clear to me these actions were for the good of the children and the school.

Woodmill is a good school with good staff who do a good job. Yes there are a tiny minority of children who cause issues but I am sure that is the same at all schools.

Recommend? Yes 8 No 2
Tobythecat
7 posts
Sep 23, 11:30
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bbfbjbsb - I left Woodmill after six very successful years June 2011 and I'd like to just echo how good the staff are. I thourghly enjoyed my time there.

In regards to the phone situation, I'm hearing stories through the grape vine from current senior students. However from what've I've gathered I also support the staff in their efforts.

Recommend? Yes 3 No 0
retroman
1 post
Sep 24, 04:07
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I went to woodmill for only 3 years back in 2001, the insane level of bullying and fights going on in the school was atrocious and the lack of interest the teachers took in solving the problems was pretty ridiculous which was why i left early, because they couldnt be bothered to do anything about it...i never liked woodmill since 80% of the students were just thugs and vandals thinking they could get away with anything, it wouldnt surprised me if its the same now since abbeyview isnt exactly one of the safest areas in dunfermline and i dont imagine seeing any difference in the years to come

Recommend? Yes 6 No 5
sambles83
1 post
Nov 29, 13:29
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I attended Woodmill from 1995 to 2001. Whilst some of the students came from disadvantaged backgrounds the school does serve a variety of areas, some more affluent than others. People are always too quick to judge this school and tar it with a bad reputation merely because of its location. This shows biased and ignorance. Those ignorant enough to judge this school on this basis would clearly benefit from the education offered at woodmill where you are taught to respect diversity and those who come from different backgrounds to yourself. It's also important to note that where you are from does not determine who you are, it is how you are raised, your values, the education you have and your respect for others and your environment that is important.

Recommend? Yes 3 No 0

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