PROPOSED CUTS TO LEARNING SUPPORT SERVICES IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY SCHOOLS

We are a group of parents who are concerned about the proposed cuts to Learning Support staff within schools across the region. It has been reported a total of 52 full-time equivalent posts are earmarked to be cut.  This means a huge cut in support for the most vulnerable chilldren in our schools.

Pupil figures in 2013 show over 4396 children with Additional Support Needs(ASN) in our schools, 23.2% of the total school population.  The vast majority of these children are supported in mainstream schools, where appropriate support is vital to ensure they can access an education.  Support staff perform a variety of roles from providing medical and care support for disabled children to assisting children with learning difficulties like dyslexia with their work.

An adequate ratio of support staff to assist pupils with ASN also ensures that class teachers remain able to effectively address the needs of the entire class.  Therefore these cuts will affect the needs of all pupils, not only pupils with ASN.

Dumfries & Galloway Council has many statutory duties in the provision of support for pupils with ASN.  However many families already find it difficult to access educational facilities to meet their child's needs:

• Some children may find they are not eligible for support despite having significant needs
• Many children have to travel a distance to a school that can meet their needs
• Many will find that they simply cannot access the specialist provisions that would benefit their child because they are not available in this area.

It is therefore of significant concern that a system which is already struggling in some areas to meet its statutory obligations is going to be cut further.  There has been no information provided to schools or parents about what the impact of these cuts might be on pupils, families, staff and school communities.

We have therefore raised this petition to ask Dumfries & Galloway Council to:-

1. Provide information to schools and parents about the proposed cuts and the relevant Impact Assessments.
2. Enter into meaningful consultation with schools and parents.
3. Reconsider the scale and breadth of the cuts to satisfactorily reflect the needs of children with ASN.

Roy Holden, Dumfries

With the support of concerned parents across Dumfries & Galloway