THE head of a West Dunbartonshire primary school has revealed she has quit her job because she felt undermined by managers who snooped on her after she refused to give two staff parking spaces to two parents with blue badges.

Maria Seery, who has led Bonhill Primary for nine years, said she was merely following safety guidance post-Dunblane by ensuring that spaces were for staff only and said she used two discretionary disabled bays for teachers who had mobility issues.

The head who says she is "devastated" by the chain of events says that parents demanding the staff spaces had children who did not have mobility issues but was nevertheless ordered by her line managers to provide them.

Ms Seery says she will not come back, despite petitions calling for her return which she was "very humbled" by and says she is disgusted that the council chiefs are still seeking to carry out an investigation into her. And she says the officer handling the probe is the senior education officer who she is in dispute with over the issue, supported by the council's chief education officer, Laura Mason.

Parents claimed they were stopped from using disabled parking bays on the school grounds, despite holding blue badges and claimed gates had been locked during pick-up and drop-off times to prevent access to the parking bays.

But Ms Seery, 55, says all she was doing is following safety procedures and said: "I have lost my school. As an employee I felt completely devalued and completely unsupported and I feel like it is me that is the criminal in these matters.

"I have had not even had a thanks for all the work that I have done and we are talking about a school that has acquired many awards over the last five years."

She says she has not been allowed to say goodbye to her staff, the children or the parents and that colleagues have been warned not to contact her while the investigation continues.

"I said that if you make me provide this parking I would have to resign because if they give in to a parent on this matter then that parent will feel that they have the council's ear and then they will make my life a misery because any decision I would make would be questioned," she said.

"I felt completely undermined and I felt that my leadership in the management of the school would be compromised and I felt I could not have every managerial decision that I made be questioned and investigated.

"One morning a manager was chauffeur driven round my campus and firing emails asking questions asking why my gates were closed.

"When I knew the manager was being driven round what is a flagship award-winning school, I felt I cannot be disciplined because of this and so I sent off my resignation."

A total of 16 children and one teacher died at the hands of Thomas Hamilton on March 13, 1996, in a horror dubbed the Dunblane Massacre, which remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history.

Ms Seery says her stance is in line with Audit Scotland guidance after the slaughter, which says: "The clear message from headteachers and their staff is that more needs to be done to prevent unauthorised or uncontrolled access to school grounds and buildings. Schools should provide a safe and secure environment for all pupils, staff and other school users."

In a letter to parents in June, chief education officer Laura Mason confirmed that deputy head Satwant Bance would take the role of acting headteacher until Ms Seery's position is advertised.

Ms Seery, who is now to take early retirement, said she was also concerned about the social media backlash over the row, with photographs of staff cars appearing on Facebook.

"I put my resignation at 10.30am and at 2pm my line manager came in and said I wasn't well, which was not the case. She sent me home on special leave.

"I would not normally look to retire now, I would be looking to spend the next five years at my school.

"My track record is far from mediocre. It is outstanding. Shame on West Dunbartonshire Council for discarding one of its hard working employees.

"But no, I am not going back. I am not going back, no. And I am not going back to be investigated. I have done nothing wrong. I have applied council policy.

"There are only 25 bays in the car park and there are over 600 parents in the school and only two demanded to use that bay. One wanted it at 3pm, the other was just 150 yards from the school and didn't require to use it."

Bonhill Primary Parent Council said after her resignation: “We are deeply concerned and saddened by the situation that has arisen concerning the leadership at Bonhill Primary.

“We regret that we were not given the opportunity to be involved by those raising issues regarding their complaints about the school.

“We feel that we may have been able to defuse the situation. As a parent council we are there to support and build positive relationships with the parents and the school.”

A West Dunbartonshire Council spokesman said: “We have provided extensive support to Ms Seery throughout her employment, and are disappointed and regret her decision to resign.

“The council has a duty to investigate the circumstances where any formal complaint is made.”