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Edinburgh Reporter
3 hours ago
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
Edinburgh holiday hubs changes ‘not enough'
Changes to Edinburgh's holiday hub scheme are a 'step in the right direction', but more needs to happen, according to a parent using the service and a city councillor. And they expressed concern over two pupils who were unable to access holiday hub services this summer because service providers could not accommodate their care needs. At the last meeting of the city's Education, Children and Families Committee, councillors approved changes to the services which saw 192 new places added for the summer. In addition, going forward, families will be able to access four weeks at the service, instead of three, bringing provision back to the levels experienced last year. But it will come at a cost for some pupils, with space being prioritised for students with the most advanced levels of need, and then for those from families facing poverty and other stresses. Labour councillor James Dalgleish, who convenes the committee, said he was glad more funding had been made available for the service at the council's budget meeting in February. But he also said that the demand on the service had become 'unsustainable' in recent years, and called for more support for the service going forward. The changes to the scheme have come after consultations between council officers and parents of additional support needs (ASN) pupils. Denise McGee-Dewar, a member of the REPAIR group which advocates for ASN pupils and their families, said the changes were a 'good compromise' between parents and city officials. However, she said families and pupils have faced issues this summer, including two children who had their holiday hub time cancelled due to the council being unable to handle their needs. She said: 'Two families have had the allocations they were given cancelled. It was kind of a miscommunication [for one family] between the council and the provider. '[The parent] is now sitting with nothing for the holidays, you can imagine how devastating that is. 'And then one family went along Monday of this week, it was due to his needs, and nobody had told her that there was no place for him. 'They were both refunded, but it's not about the refund, it's the child's routine getting changed. The plans that [families made] will have to change. It's been really difficult for them.' Cllr Dalgleish said that in 'isolated incidents', due to safety concerns, the council has had to 'make the difficult decision' to amend or revoke the holiday hub offering to a family. The scheme offers respite care to ASN pupils in Edinburgh, given them care, support and a social space over school term holidays. Ms McGee-Dewar also said that parents had faced difficulties in signing up for the holiday hubs service for the next academic year, which starts in August. The changes to the scheme means that space in the holiday hubs is being rationed in part based on the level of needs families have. Families receiving benefits, facing poverty or with a single parent are all given priority. However, in the questionnaire to sign up for holiday hubs for next year, parents were presented with a question asking if they met any of these criteria. The only option was 'yes', and it was mandatory, meaning parents had to check off the question if they wanted to submit the questionnaire. According to Ms McGee-Dewar, council officials said they would fix the form. SNP councillor Euan Hyslop called the changes a 'great next step', but said that more needed to be done for the service, calling on other parties to back more funding for it at the budget meeting next February. He said: 'This is a great next step, but there's no doubt that this is going to lead to a lot of young people losing out. I still don't think that's acceptable. 'I'm angry about this situation. So I'm putting a call out to colleagues to engage in the runup to the budget next year, because we'll always have doors open. 'There are a group of families with very complex additional needs, with life-limiting conditions. Medical conditions that mean this is their only opportunity, really, to play with their friends, their peers. 'It's not nice that we're in the situation where we're having to decide who gets and who doesn't get.' He continued to say that ASN parents he had spoken to were 'broadly' supportive of the council's engagement over the past few months – but said that it came off the back of a year of officers 'almost ignoring parents'. And, he said that some of the children who would be excluded from the holiday hubs based on the newly introduced criteria had been using the service for years. Cllr Dalgleish said: 'If councillors are giving the impression that Holiday Hubs can simply be expanded through a large increase in funds at budget time, then they are not being totally clear with the public. Much more work is needed on this issue, and I am committed to doing that. 'This is fundamentally an issue around locating skilled people who can provide this service, potential cuts to our council budget in the near future will also make our task more difficult. 'I will, alongside many other councillors, be making the case for increasing support for Holiday Hubs, as I know how valuable this service is. 'I want to thank all the parents and carers who have given up their time to share invaluable thoughts and views on holiday hub support which has got us to this positive point.' By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Live
5 hours ago
- General
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh holiday hub changes a 'step in the right direction' but more help needed
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Changes to Edinburgh's holiday hub scheme are a 'step in the right direction', but more needs to happen, according to a parent using the service and a city councillor. And they expressed concern over two pupils who were unable to access holiday hub services this summer because service providers could not accommodate their care needs. At the last meeting of the city's Education, Children and Families Committee, councillors approved changes to the services which saw 192 new places added for the summer. In addition, going forward, families will be able to access four weeks at the service, instead of three, bringing provision back to the levels experienced last year. But it will come at a cost for some pupils, with space being prioritised for students with the most advanced levels of need, and then for those from families facing poverty and other stresses. Labour councillor James Dalgleish, who convenes the committee, said he was glad more funding had been made available for the service at the council's budget meeting in February. But he also said that the demand on the service had become 'unsustainable' in recent years, and called for more support for the service going forward. The changes to the scheme have come after consultations between council officers and parents of additional support needs (ASN) pupils. Denise McGee-Dewar, a member of the REPAIR group which advocates for ASN pupils and their families, said the changes were a 'good compromise' between parents and city officials. However, she said families and pupils have faced issues this summer, including two children who had their holiday hub time cancelled due to the council being unable to handle their needs. She said: 'Two families have had the allocations they were given cancelled. It was kind of a miscommunication [for one family] between the council and the provider. '[The parent] is now sitting with nothing for the holidays, you can imagine how devastating that is. 'And then one family went along Monday of this week, it was due to his needs, and nobody had told her that there was no place for him. 'They were both refunded, but it's not about the refund, it's the child's routine getting changed. The plans that [families made] will have to change. It's been really difficult for them.' Cllr Dalgleish said that in 'isolated incidents', due to safety concerns, the council has had to 'make the difficult decision' to amend or revoke the holiday hub offering to a family. The scheme offers respite care to ASN pupils in Edinburgh, given them care, support and a social space over school term holidays. Ms McGee-Dewar also said that parents had faced difficulties in signing up for the holiday hubs service for the next academic year, which starts in August. The changes to the scheme means that space in the holiday hubs is being rationed in part based on the level of needs families have. Families receiving benefits, facing poverty or with a single parent are all given priority. However, in the questionnaire to sign up for holiday hubs for next year, parents were presented with a question asking if they met any of these criteria. The only option was 'yes', and it was mandatory, meaning parents had to check off the question if they wanted to submit the questionnaire. According to Ms McGee-Dewar, council officials said they would fix the form. SNP councillor Euan Hyslop called the changes a 'great next step', but said that more needed to be done for the service, calling on other parties to back more funding for it at the budget meeting next February. He said: "This is a great next step, but there's no doubt that this is going to lead to a lot of young people losing out. I still don't think that's acceptable 'I'm angry about this situation. So I'm putting a call out to colleagues to engage in the runup to the budget next year, because we'll always have doors open. 'There are a group of families with very complex additional needs, with life-limiting conditions. Medical conditions that mean this is their only opportunity, really, to play with their friends, their peers. 'It's not nice that we're in the situation where we're having to decide who gets and who doesn't get.' He continued to say that ASN parents he had spoken to were 'broadly' supportive of the council's engagement over the past few months – but said that it came off the back of a year of officers 'almost ignoring parents'. And, he said that some of the children who would be excluded from the holiday hubs based on the newly introduced criteria had been using the service for years. Cllr Dalgleish said: 'If councillors are giving the impression that Holiday Hubs can simply be expanded through a large increase in funds at budget time, then they are not being totally clear with the public. Much more work is needed on this issue, and I am committed to doing that. 'This is fundamentally an issue around locating skilled people who can provide this service, potential cuts to our council budget in the near future will also make our task more difficult. 'I will, alongside many other councillors, be making the case for increasing support for Holiday Hubs, as I know how valuable this service is. 'I want to thank all the parents and carers who have given up their time to share invaluable thoughts and views on holiday hub support which has got us to this positive point.'
Daily Record
18 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Parents furious at council decision to remove school transport from vulnerable Ayrshire kids
A petition was launched by one of the parents after East Ayrshire Council removed school transport for vulnerable children with ASN. A heartbroken father has launched a petition after East Ayrshire Council removed school transport from children with additional support needs (ASN) for the rest of their school lives. The decision affects pupils attending specialist schools such as Willowbank Primary in Kilmarnock, which caters for children with complex physical and learning support needs, as well as their families. Fraser Jardine, 36, started a petition after receiving EAC's refusal letter which was sent out on Monday, June 23. The letter stated that his daughter, Gracie, would no longer receive transportation to and from school for the remainder of her school life. Nine-year-old Gracie has level five cerebral palsy due to a birth injury. She is non-verbal, unable to suck or swallow due to bulbar palsy and has epilepsy with regular seizures. Gracie is entirely dependent on tube feeding and receives 20 individual medication doses per day administered via syringe into jejunostomy. She has increased muscle tone with poor circulation and temperature control, cortical vision impairment, bowel irregularity due to her brain damage and weak lungs requiring daily attention. Gracie also recently had hip surgery in April this year to carefully manage her hip displacement, scoliosis and curvature of the spine which needs to be carefully managed and can cause her pain when exposed to the cold. Fraser, from Knockentiber, said: "In Gracie's situation, due to reports we had, her life expectancy is projected to be in her thirties, if she has the right therapies and physical, medical and environmental conditions in place. Gracie will be ten this year and to help her achieve this life expectancy and beyond she needs the best-case scenario in every situation through life giving her an optimum chance of reaching this goal which we are determined to see her get to. "Gracie is fragile and her health can go downhill very quickly. She is at the forefront of our family in everything we do and she is our motivation and driving force in getting through life and succeeding as a family." Gracie is currently getting a school bus every day with supervision. Fraser and his wife Amanda are deeply concerned and worried about the safety of getting Gracie and their other two children into school starting from August. Fraser says he now faces having to push a wheelchair and carry a suction machine while potentially exposing Gracie to harsh weather conditions every day to drop off her and her siblings. Moreover, Gracie's mum, a permanent makeup artist, will potentially have to change her available client booking for certain times which is a "roadblock for any parent". Fraser said: "Gracie already has very weak lungs and requires multiple daily chest physio, daily PEP mask administration, daily inhaler administration and this is with very little exposure to cold, harsh weather as we are selective as to when we take her out to ultimately protect her health. My main concern is risk of seizures while Gracie is unattended which could have unimaginable consequences." Fraser continued: "I think they are opening a huge can of worms here without proper thought. "It's a sickening blow to who needs help the most. I am shocked, appalled and insulted at the decision and encourage them to see the bigger picture with common sense. "In East Ayrshire Council strategic plan 2022-2027 one of the six strategic themes is to have a focus on 'improving community wellbeing and supporting children and young people' which is absolutely not the case and council have most certainly lost focus and failed miserably here." Fraser's petition to reinstate school transport for vulnerable ASN children already received over 2,000 signatures. Another Willowbank parent Sarah Fox, 34, from Lugton, joined the petition as she was "shocked" to see a refusal letter in her email inbox. Sarah's 11-year-old son Corey has 2two rare genetic conditions that affect his mobility, speech and learning. He uses a wheelchair full-time, is non-verbal and requires constant supervision. Sarah said: "It never occurred to me that the council would actually refuse children transport to school. Especially vulnerable children with additional needs. I felt a lot of things that day, sadness, anger and anxiety to name a few. "I would like to add that this refusal hasn't been applied to children in mainstream schools. Why? Are ASN children less deserving of transport to school? They are the ones that need it the most. "Just shows how much EAC thinks of the ASN community." Corey enjoys his bus journey to and from school every day and has great relationships with his bus guide and driver. When the school goes back in August, Sarah and her husband will struggle with a lack of transport. She explained: "My husband and I start work before the school day starts and finish after it ends. Both of us are unavailable to take him to school and pick him up again. "If I was able to cut my hours, and financially I'm not in a position to do so, I will need to drive 25 minutes each morning to school, since Willowbank is our closest ASN school, and then an extra 25 minutes to get to work from the school. "I would need to drive nearly 2 hours each day. With arthritis in my knee and lipedema in my legs, this is going to be physically challenging for me. Corrie-Beth Jeffrey, 29, from Crookedholm, is also concerned about her son Oliver who is only six-years-old. Corrie-Beth said: "Oliver is non-verbal autistic. Non-verbal meaning he can't speak at all apart from repeating some words back to us, he has difficulty communicating his emotions so he has meltdowns. "Our lives have to revolve around Oliver's routine, things can become very overwhelming for him so if we are out and he starts to become worked up we have to leave. Oliver also doesn't sleep at night. He has a prescription of melatonin but this only puts him to sleep at night and he will still wake up around 3/4am and be full of energy, this can also impact our day because I need to be up with him to make sure he is safe. "I also have an older son at nine-years-old so I am juggling my time between the two of them so my oldest can live as normal as possible life." Oliver had a taxi to and from school for two years now. His mum said it is a part of his routine in the morning which he loves. Corrie-Beth claims she received a letter from the council explaining that her son won't qualify for a taxi anymore as they live within a three-mile walking distance. She said: "The way they worded the refusal surprised me, they told me walking routes from our house to Oliver's school was safe for him to walk either accompanied or unaccompanied. My son can't speak, he has no understanding of road safety and lives in his own little world but can walk to school by himself apparently. They have no idea how challenging the world can be for our children. I think this is why we are all so ready for a change to happen. "I do not drive yet so I would have no other way of getting him to school apart from a bus and public transport is not something he feels safe in due to it being overcrowded."This decision will impact our lives so much. Most mornings Oliver can become very overwhelmed causing a meltdown, Oliver's meltdowns include hitting into his own head and biting into his hands, he flings himself to the ground and will uncontrollably cry. Corrie-Beth continued: "I am hoping EAC will look at our argument and see how much their decision is going to affect our children's life. The best outcome is that they work out a solution so that our children can be kept safe and protected on their journey to school. "I personally feel transport should be put back in place for the children of Willowbank School and any child living with complex needs." A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council said: "On March 12, 2025, Cabinet agreed an Alternative School Transport policy for academic year 2025/ 26. "This decision was necessitated by the fact that as of September 30, 2024, 601 children and young people were approved for home to school journeys at a total daily cost of £22,800, which equated to a projected overspend of £2,414,133 for alternative school transport for 2024/25. "The new Alternative School Transport policy will protect the sustainability of alternative transportation where there is an essential need. "As agreed by Cabinet, a full audit has been undertaken by the Transport Review Panel and letters issued to parents and carers advising of the outcome of the audit. A second letter has since been issued to parents and carers to clarify the process. "The council asks that if parents and carers believe that there are circumstances that have not been considered and which may affect the decisions taken, they have the right to request a review. "Parents and carers should submit a written request to ASNAdmin@ within 10 days of receipt of their first letter and must include relevant additional information or evidence. "Through this review process, which will continue over the summer, the council will look to identify common issues, particularly those related to schools and centres with later start times, as there may be actions at a school level that can be taken to mitigate any potential impact on working parents and carers. "To conclude, the council can confirm that the review process has not been completed therefore no parent or carer is in receipt of a final decision. Any further family circumstances provided to the council will be fully considered." The petition started by Fraser can be found here.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Record
West Lothian schools to get more support teachers thanks to extra £1m funding
It comes amid a 'spike' in the numbers of pupils needing additional support in schools and to learn at home. An extra £1.3m has been awarded to West Lothian Council to help develop Additional Support Learning across schools from August. It will mean more teachers and support staff as well as more specialised training for teachers to work with children and young people. It comes amid a 'spike' in the numbers of pupils needing additional support in schools and to learn at home. Councillors across the chamber welcomed the extra funding which is part of a £1bn pot given to local authorities by the Scottish Government to boost Additional Support Learning in the new school year. In a report to the Education Policy development and Scrutiny Panel Kristyna Macsween, the council's Additional Support Needs and Inclusion Improvement Manager said: 'The Additional Support For Learning (ASL) Action Plan is already deep rooted in our Education Services and continues to be a high priority across all areas of education.' The additional funding has allowed the recruitment of five teachers as well as more school support staff. Other key improvements include:- Increasing teacher availability to support children and young people debilitated by mental health crisis and unable to attend school. Increasing nurture support and resources within schools with specific supports provided by educational psychology services and additional support needs service. National Autistic society training packages. Improved family engagement through the delivery of Early Bird parent programmes to help parents develop understanding of autism. The council has also recruited a Quality Improvement Officer to focus on developing Additional Support Learning across the schools estate, in primary, secondary and ASN schools. Councillor Pauline Orr said: 'Audit Scotland said there's a wide gap exists in attainment in those deemed to have Additional Support Needs and those who don't. How does the council measure the achievements? Ms Macsween said: 'We measure in a range of different ways across schools. We pay a lot of attention to the fact that some ASN learners progress in a different manner. We're not looking at academic success they are looking at confidence building, looking at what national approaches they can take. 'We are very cognisant of the fact that there is a gap that exists however it's about how that gap is seen,and for me it is about the measure of wider achievement is often much more important to out young people to give them access to future life chance and that's where our focus will always be. We go at their pace.' Answering a question from SNP depute leader Pauline Stafford on the growing number of ASN placements Ms Macsween said there was an increase 'year on year' of need in children and young people. She added: 'The level of need has significantly increased year on year we have seen a spike, with many factors around that. We are looking at the impact of Covid, the lack of socialisation. We have been working closely with NHS partners such as speech and language seeing that there is a deficit there as well. 'We are seeing an increase and we want to make sure we meet that need at all costs. Any decision is never around placement on a monetary decision it is taken on the needs of the pupils.' Councillor Orr thanked the team for their work and added: 'It's very welcome to see us going in such a constructive and positive direction.' Councillor Stafford said: 'It's really good to hear just how wide ranging support is for staff and learners, and also to hear the benefits of presumption of mainstream education. It is also a welcome boost to funding from the Scottish Government. Let's hope that's going to continue.' Chair of the PDSP Councillor Andrew McGuire added: 'I think the funding boost is very much welcome, and we are doing a lot with that money. 'It would be good to provide some permanency to that funding given the issues and the challenges that we face. We should encourage the Scottish Government to make sure that funding becomes permanent.'
Edinburgh Reporter
a day ago
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
£1.3m boost to supported learning in West Lothian schools
An extra £1.3m has been awarded to West Lothian Council to help develop Additional Support Learning across schools from August. It will mean more teachers and support staff as well as more specialised training for teachers to work with children and young people. It comes amid a 'spike' in the numbers of pupils needing additional support in schools and to learn at home. Councillors across the chamber welcomed the extra funding which is part of a £1bn pot given to local authorities by the Scottish Government to boost Additional Support Learning in the new school year. In a report to the Education Policy development and Scrutiny Panel Kristyna Macsween, the council's Additional Support Needs and Inclusion Improvement Manager said: 'The Additional Support For Learning (ASL) Action Plan is already deep rooted in our Education Services and continues to be a high priority across all areas of education.' The additional funding has allowed the recruitment of five teachers as well as more school support staff. Other key improvements include: – Increasing teacher availability to support children and young people debilitated by mental health crisis and unable to attend school. Increasing nurture support and resources within schools with specific supports provided by educational psychology services and additional support needs service. National Autistic society training packages. Improved family engagement through the delivery of Early Bird parent programmes to help parents develop understanding of autism. The council has also recruited a Quality Improvement Officer to focus on developing Additional Support Learning across the schools estate, in primary, secondary and ASN schools. Councillor Pauline Orr said: 'Audit Scotland said there's a wide gap exists in attainment in those deemed to have Additional Support Needs and those who don't. How does the council measure the achievements? Ms Macsween said: 'We measure in a range of different ways across schools. We pay a lot of attention to the fact that some ASN learners progress in a different manner. We're not looking at academic success they are looking at confidence building, looking at what national approaches they can take. 'We are very cognisant of the fact that there is a gap that exists however it's about how that gap is seen , and for me it is about the measure of wider achievement is often much more important to out young people to give them access to future life chance and that's where our focus will always be. We go at their pace.' Answering a question from SNP depute leader Pauline Stafford on the growing number of ASN placements Ms Macsween said there was an increase 'year on year' of need in children and young people. She added: 'The level of need has significantly increased year on year we have seen a spike, with many factors around that. We are looking at the impact of Covid, the lack of socialisation. We have been working closely with NHS partners such as speech and language seeing that there is a deficit there as well. 'We are seeing an increase, and we want to make sure we meet that need at all costs. Any decision is never around placement on a monetary decision it is taken on the needs of the pupils.' Councillor Orr thanked the team for their work and added: 'It's very welcome to see us going in such a constructive and positive direction.' Councillor Stafford said: 'It's really good to hear just how wide-ranging support is for staff and learners, and also to hear the benefits of presumption of mainstream education. It is also a welcome boost to funding from the Scottish Government. Let's hope that's going to continue.' Chair of the PDSP Councillor Andrew McGuire added: 'I think the funding boost is very much welcome, and we are doing a lot with that money. 'It would be good to provide some permanency to that funding given the issues and the challenges that we face. We should encourage the Scottish Government to make sure that funding becomes permanent.' By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
