Council / Aith ASN hub plans still on pause after ‘significant concerns’ raised
Lessons learned investigation set to be concluded this month
CONTROVERSIAL plans for a £1.3 million “enhanced provision” hub for additional supports needs (ASN) pupils in the West Mainland remain on pause.
Shetland Islands Council (SIC) said a lessons learned investigation is set to be completed this month after the backlash to the plans at Aith Junior High School.
Parents reacted furiously to the proposals, which would have seen a quiet area, time out and sensory rooms mixed into the middle of the school, next to secondary pupils.
Among the criticisms of the plans were a lack of consultation between council and parents and some ASN children being moved into windowless cupboards “barely 1.5 metres wide”.
There were also concerns that changing facilities for ASN pupils were to be located at the end of a social area for secondary school pupils.
In papers that are to be presented to councillors on Monday, the SIC said that “significant concerns” had been raised with them by parents.
They added that the project remains on pause, which had played a part in the projected year-end education budget decreasing by £1.459 million.
“An external expert in the field of support for learning has carried out a lessons learned investigation into the circumstances surrounding Aith Junior High School,” the SIC said.
“We expect to hear the outcome of this investigation in November 2025.”
Parent Emily Jamieson told Shetland News in June she was “disgusted, but not surprised” by the council’s plans.
“When we heard news that the councillors had voted for ASN provision equal to Lerwick, and that they were going to spend £1.3m on it, we just thought incredible – that sounds great,” she said at the time.
“But we were also very dubious given the council’s past record on this.
“When we saw the plans we were disgusted, but not surprised. Nobody expected them to repurpose the cupboards, they’re literally storage cupboards.
“We couldn’t believe they were trying to fit this into the footprint of the existing school, which is already bursting at the seams.”
She said the SIC had been “disconnected” from discussions, and claimed it had ignored all of Aith Junior High School parent council’s requests for a meeting.
A week later, council education chief Samantha Flaws apologised “unreservedly” for the council’s lack of communication and put the plans on hold.
The council also provided a lengthy FAQ document addressing the concerns of parents, which it said would provide to all who have raised complaints.
It had confirmed that no enhanced provision works will be undertaken in Aith Junior High School “while there remains so many unresolved questions and concerns”.
The SIC added that 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 earlier this year.
“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.”
Green councillor Alex Armitage said that no schoolbairn “should be accommodated in a converted cupboard”, and called for education leaders 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.”
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