PROGRESS on an urgent action plan created following criticisms of the council’s handling of allegations of assaults on vulnerable pupils is “continuing at a strong pace”.

Ten recommendations for improvements at Scottish Borders Council (SBC) were listed in a damning independent inquiry report, produced by Andrew Webster QC, published in February.

Teacher Linda McCall was convicted of assaulting five vulnerable children in her care between August 2016 and October 2017.

A second update on the council’s progress on implementing Mr Webster’s recommendations was given at a meeting on Thursday (October 27), following on from an initial briefing in June.

At the gathering, councillors agreed to approve a number of actions – including having the council’s disciplinary procedure moderated by the Improvement Service – from its plan as being complete.

Selkirkshire representative Leagh Douglas, of the Conservatives, told the meeting: “I’m very happy that this report brings forward a significant number of actions for sign-off, meaning that progress does continue at a strong pace.

“Many of the other actions detailed in the plan are also making strong progress and I’m confident that they will be ready for council approval soon.”

In his report, Mr Webster was highly critical of the failure to report the concerns raised to the Child Protection Unit for more than a year, describing it as a “reprehensible period of time”.

The then-leader, Mark Rowley, issued a ‘wholehearted apology’ back in February to the victims and their families on behalf of the council.

A further update report on the action plan progress will be brought to council in November, according to SBC.

Despite complaints from parents, McCall was initially cleared of any wrongdoing through an internal investigation conducted by the local authority.

But the families persisted and McCall was found guilty at a Selkirk Sheriff Court trial of assaulting five pupils aged between five and seven years old while employed by the local authority.

She was ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Sheriff Roderick Flinn took into account that McCall had now retired after a 38-year teaching career and that she was a first offender by imposing an alternative to custody.