40 AXED AT RIOT SCHOOL; Staff halved at secure unit.

Byline: Chris Musson

A SECURE school where teenagers rioted for six hours is to axe half of its 80 staff.

Workers who survive the cull at St Mary's Kenmure will be even more vulnerable to attack from disturbed youngsters, it was claimed yesterday.

The residential school near Glasgow was blasted for poor management last year after Scotland's worst secure-unit riot.

Now, staff have been told a huge fall in demand for places means bosses need to slash 40 of around 80 posts.

A letter from the school's lawyers to employees said its roll had dropped from 37 at the time of the riot last March, to 18 this month.

Many staff claim the riot and poor management has led to the drop in demand. Riot police were called to the disturbance, which was triggered by a row over football.

Staff locked themselves in a room as a 16-year-old boy - who was later locked up for four years over the riot - led a gang of around 16 on a nine-hour rampage.

One insider said: "Councils have hardly been queuing up to place people here since the riot."

There are now around 100 children in Scotland's seven secure care units.

CAPTION(S):

SLAMMED: St Mark's Kenmure