NEARLY 80 staff at the crisis-hit Hamilton School have been made redundant after liquidators were called in.
Teachers and support workers face losing a month’s wages because owner and principal Kathlyn Taylor has decided to shut down the fee-paying primary.
They were summoned to a meeting yesterday afternoon to be given the shock news by accountancy firm KPMG.
There were angry and emotional scenes as they were informed that wages due tomorrow would not be paid.
Millionaire Mrs Taylor, 65, who lives close to the school in Queen’s Road, Aber- deen, did not attend the meeting.
She and an employee are facing prosecution over the way the school’s nursery was run and there is an ongoing police inquiry.
Scottish Government education chiefs closed down the primary on Friday after it was deemed no longer safe for children to attend.
The nursery has also now shut, with a raft of child-protection concerns raised by the Care Inspectorate. About 300 children have been forced to move school as a result.
Ainslie Gill, 31, of Westhill, who worked at the nursery and also sent her young son there, said: “I feel incredibly angry. This whole drama, from the school closing down to now, it has just been the most unpleasant thing.
“We are talking about staff who had families, people have bills to pay, people have responsibilities to meet. I just feel this part of the process should have been handled in a fairer, professional way.”
Ms Gill said it felt as if she had “landed on her feet” after getting the job at Hamilton School just over a year ago, particularly as the job allowed her heavily discounted nursery fees.
She said: “Now everything has been taken away from me.
“I was told on the Friday there would be no nursery place and today I learn I have lost my job.
“I was a hard-working member of staff. I did not bad-mouth the school when all this was going on and I just wanted to do my job and look after the children.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if we were getting redundancy but to hear we won’t get our wages is disgusting.”
Another member of staff, who worked at the primary school, added: “I feel mad, sad and disgusted that it has come to this so quickly.
“We were told that if we expect to be paid on Friday, none of us will get anything. A lot of people were crying at the meeting and some people didn’t understand what was going on. People need to know how their rent will be paid.” Many staff are furious that Mrs Taylor, who set up the school about 40 years ago, did not attend the meeting.
Her husband Terry and son Mark, who are also directors, left the room after liquidators were introduced, it has been claimed.
The primary school employee said: “Mrs Taylor should have been at the meeting. It wouldn’t have comforted us but they should have stood there as a family and faced the staff.”
The worker claimed Hamilton staff were now worried where they would go next to find employment.
Another nursery employee said she had offered a spare room to two of her former colleagues who are now unable to pay their rent.
She added: “People need to be aware what has happened to staff.
“My heart goes out to the parents and the children, and we loved the children, but when the brass tacks are down, it is the staff who suffer.
“I think it is shocking what has happened and it should not have been allowed to happen like this.
“All the staff I worked with, I can say hand on heart, they loved the children and they have ended up being treated like this and left with a blackened image.”
A total of 78 workers, including cooks, housekeepers, support staff and teachers, will be made redund-ant, with six employees remaining to assist the provisional liquidators, who will start assessing the company’s debts and assets.
It was not clear last night if parents would be refunded fees already paid to the school. They start at about £1,000 a month.
Workers will now have to apply to the liquidators for any outstanding wages and holiday or sick pay.
It is understood that many will not qualify for any statutory redundancy, which can be claimed only after two years of service.
Latest financial reports from the school, for the period ending June 2012, show it had a turnover of £3.2million, with a retained profit of £778,478.
It also owed £1.2million to creditors, including a £315,000 overdraft.
KPMG said the three directors of the Hamilton School decided that the company was “no longer viable” following the school closure and requested the “immediate appointment” of joint provisional liquidators.
Blair Nimmo, head of restructuring for KPMG in Scotland, said: “The recent events will be very distressing for many pupils, parents, teaching and all other staff past and present.
“We will do whatever we can as quickly as possible to assist pupils, parents and staff during this difficult time.
“I am pleased to note that the directors have indicated a strong desire to assist as much as required to help minimise disruption for all parties involved.”
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