Two additional provisions for secondary aged young people with complex ASN will be situated in Stirling’s rural high schools, Balfron and McLaren High, for Phase 1 of a new expansion, with Phase 2 delivering a further provision to Stirling City.
The expansion, which was backed by more than 70 per cent of responses to a community consultation, was rubber stamped by Councillors at yesterday's meeting of the Children and Young People Committee.
Expanding ASN provision in local communities
Convenor of the Children and Young People Committee, Councillor Susan McGill, said: “We as a Council have recognised the need to expand our existing ASN secondary provision and are striving to do this in a way that allows young people to be educated in their local community.
“This proposal was backed by a large majority of respondents to our consultation as we strive to deliver the best route to achieve additional capacity and meet the needs of pupils.
“These expansion plans will reduce extended travel for young people living in rural areas and allow them to be educated in their local community alongside their friends, as well as increasing opportunities for families to be involved in their child’s learning.”
Increasing trend in ASN diagnosis
The Committee heard that there has been a long-term increasing trend in the number of children and young people assessed as having ASN and diagnosed disabilities both nationally and locally. In Stirling, this has risen from 2,817 in 2013 to 3,716 in 2020/21.
Around 95% of children with ASN in Stirling are educated in mainstream schools, with 5% requiring a more specialist approach to education, which provides smaller class groups and specialist staffing.
An initial spend of £480,000 has been included in the 2021/2022 capital budget to allow design work to be progressed on the expansion, and for mitigations to take place in existing settings.
Modifications will be carried out over the coming year to improve the Council’s current settings to ensure there are no capacity issues in the short term, which will also benefit current users of these facilities.
Ensuring young people are supported
Vice Convenor, Councillor Christine Simpson, said: “It’s important we plan ahead for the increase in demand for ASN support in our secondary schools to ensure we can continue to provide high-quality provision for our children and young people in the years to come.
“This new expansion will help deliver that, providing specialist classes within our high schools that would be small in size, with access to a variety of inclusion opportunities within the mainstream school, ensuring that young people’s learning, personal care and emotional needs are best supported.”