Consulting on future specialist education
A consultation on the expansion of Stirling’s secondary specialist provision for young people with additional support needs (ASN) is underway.
Stirling’s councillors approved the move at a recent meeting of the children and young people committee.
A report presented at the committee highlighted the long-term increase in the number of children and young people assessed as having ASN and diagnosed disabilities both locally and nationally.
In Stirling, this has risen from 2,817 in 2013 to 3,528 in 2019. Improved assessment and recording is said to be one factor behind the national trend.
Around 95 per cent of children with ASN in Stirling are educated in mainstream schools, with five per cent requiring smaller class groups with specialist staffing.
Projections suggest the current availability of places is insufficient, with 10 new classes required within the next 10 years.
Three options have been proposed to address the issue including: supporting young people in mainstream schools and using external placements; one additional central school to meet the increase in need for secondary specialist placements; and establishing additional secondary specialist provision within or alongside current school buildings.
The consultation is now live on the council’s Engage Stirling platform for people to view and leave comments, with further events planned to gather views and information.
The council’s interim chief education officer Bryony Monaghan said: “It’s important we plan ahead for the increase in demand in our ASN secondary settings to ensure we can continue to provide this high-quality provision for our children and young people in the years to come.
“The council believes the best route to achieve additional capacity and meet the needs of pupils with ASN is to develop specialist educational settings close to children’s own communities.
“We have developed three different options, which include potential costs, and we will consult with the public on these proposals over the coming months.
“We will provide more details shortly on events to gather views from families, staff and other key stakeholders, and there will be an emphasis on digital technology given the current Covid-19 restrictions.”
An initial spend of £460,000 has been included in the 2021/2022 capital budget to allow design work to be progressed once a preferred option is approved, and for mitigations to take place in existing settings.
Ms Monaghan added: “We will carry out small modifications over the coming year to improve our current settings to ensure there are no capacity issues in the short term, which will also benefit current users of these facilities.”
Earlier this year education officials said of the three options for future ASN provision being outlined, creating or expanding provision at existing assets in both rural and urban communities appeared to be least problematic.
They reported that “business as usual” would see many requiring external placements at special schools funded by Stirling Council, especially at secondary stage, with the needs of young people in mainstream not likely to be fully met under this option, which would also have the highest cost.
Having one central school for all projected ASN provision would be “challenging to deliver in existing sites” and require more transport, with fewer local benefits to young people. A full management team would be needed and a large, “potentially complex” school created. There would also be reduced inclusion opportunities in mainstream schools and a higher cost.
The rural/urban expansion option was seen as a “measured increase” in available provision using existing assets as much as possible. It would allow for a phased approach in rural and city locations, available sites to adapt or build on, and would base children closer to their home communities.
It was also seen as reducing or removing external placements requests/needs, allowing shared management and resource use with existing schools, creating increased inclusion and allowing phased costs.
While the expected costs for the options have not been disclosed for commercial reasons, these are said to be “high” for all three.
To view and comment on the consultation visit the council’s Engage Stirling Platform.