News / Aith ASN plans put on pause until after summer holidays as education director apologises
The SIC said ASN pupils ‘are not going to be educated in cupboards’
EDUCATION chief Samantha Flaws has apologised “unreservedly” for the council’s lack of communication on its additional support needs (ASN) plans at Aith Junior High School.
The council had come in for heavy criticism last week from parents of ASN pupils, who said they had not been consulted on the £1.3 million enhanced provision project.
And there was fierce pushback from families about a proposal to turn a windowless cupboard into a sensory room for ASN pupils, as well as plans to introduce a secondary school social place between the main ASN base and any changing facilities.
However Flaws said a “constructive and productive meeting” was held on Tuesday between the Aith parent council and senior council officers.
The council has also provided a lengthy FAQ document addressing the concerns of parents, which it says it will provide to all who have raised complaints.
It confirmed that no enhanced provision works will be undertaken in Aith Junior High School “while there remains so many unresolved questions and concerns”.
In the FAQ, the SIC has said children with additional support needs “are not going to be educated in cupboards”.
“The proposed plan shows one current cupboard space that will be repurposed into a sensory room,” it said.
“Sensory rooms benefit from not having a window as this allows for better control of lighting, which is crucial for creating a calming and focused environment.
“Windows can also be a source of distraction and can interfere with the effectiveness of visual sensory equipment.”
The council has also addressed concerns about a room with confirmed “high levels” of radon being used as part of the enhanced provision hub.
The room is currently closed off to all staff and pupils at Aith Junior High School, with the council telling Shetland News earlier this week that a specialist team from the mainland would be examining the room in the summer holidays.
In its FAQ, the council said Aith was “not the only school awaiting similar works”.
It said estate operations “have been working with the school to continue to monitor the levels through use of an app.”
“The school were instructed not to use the room and signage was erected stating this.
“Estate operations have been in communication with the school to explain what measures should be in place to help reduce the radon in the room.”
Referring to the suggestion that an extension should be built at the school, the FAQ said: “Enhanced provision was never intended to include extensions to schools that would effectively form a special unit.
“It is about making enhancements to the existing provision by improving the current facilities within the existing footprint of the building for all children and young people.”
The council also acknowledged that consultation with parents, pupils and wider Aith Junior High School staff on the development of the ASN plan “has not yet been undertaken”.
In her statement, Flaws said she would like to “apologise unreservedly” for the “lack of clear information” provided to parents and carers, and for the “upset and distress this may have caused”.
“I hope that the discussions and the FAQs mark the beginning of a process that allows us to move forward together,” the children’s services director said.
“Parents who have formally raised complaints with elected members will receive a copy of the FAQs along with a covering letter addressing their specific concerns.
“Council officers will continue to work with parent council representatives to further develop the proposals, and the school management team will engage with staff to ensure they have regular opportunities to contribute.
“Once a potential way forward is agreed, we will plan a wider consultation – placing children, young people, and their families across the Westside at the heart of that process.
“I want to reassure everyone that we are listening.”
Emily Jamieson told Shetland News last week she felt that her son, Hunter, was being pushed out of the school so that he could be cared for at home.
She said she was “disgusted, but not surprised” when she saw the council’s proposal.
Hunter and fellow parents Lella Catlin and Cheryl Manson called for the SIC to scrap the current plans and to go back to the drawing board.
Green councillor Alex Armitage joined those voices earlier this week, saying that “no schoolbairn should be accommodated in a converted cupboard”.
Armitage said he does not believe the plans will fit into the existing Aith school, and said education leaders need to go back to the drawing board.
“Aith is already a busy school and is likely to get busier in the next decade,” he said.
“I have studied the initial plans and have come to the conclusion that the future needs of the school cannot be met within the current footprint.
“I am concerned about the proposed Support for Learning provision. Whilst most of this provision is planned for by repurposing existing offices and classrooms, some of the space is completely unsuitable.
The Green councillor said Support for Learning was “over budget already” in Shetland, and that the council should be investing in better school infrastructure to meet children’s needs.
He added that would result in “significant savings in staff costs from reduced absence and burnout.”
“Ultimately this is an issue of democracy,” Armitage said.
“The Wastside community is hugely invested in the Aith Junior High School and I would love to see school improvements being co-designed with teachers, students and parents.
“It’s fantastic that education leaders are now engaging with the school community and I’m looking forward to seeing the community’s voices being recognised in a new design.”
The SIC’s FAQ document confirmed there will be a “lessons learned investigation” which will include conversations with those who have been most affected by the issues raised.
Regarding the next steps, the FAQ said: “It has been agreed that a meeting will be held with representatives from the parent council, assets, commissioning and procurement and the learning estates team to enable representatives from the parent council to input their views on the further development of a proposed plan.
“The school’s management team will liaise with staff to ensure that they are given the opportunity to input on the further development of a proposed plan.
“Officers from the council, including the school’s management team, will meet again with representatives from the parent council following the summer holidays.
“If a proposed plan can be agreed, a wider consultation exercise will be undertaken after the summer holidays. The nature of this consultation will be agreed at the meeting.”
The council’s FAQ document can be viewed here.
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