East Ayrshire council have reviewed the school transport acceptance guidelines for children. Ultimately, the most vulnerable children have been refused transport. There have been dozens of refusals to children who have routinely received transport to get them to and from school safely. Some children have no other method of transport and will potentially have to walk in some cases over six miles away with severe learning difficulties in harsh weather conditions. Most of these children have no road or safety awareness putting their safety at risk. Someone needs to assist the children as they are also not capable of getting public transport themselves. Some children have been refused transport due to being on the motability scheme no matter how far away from school they live. The motability scheme is funded by the Scottish Government and should have no impact on a child’s right to get to school safely and on time.
  
Parents are having to change working hours, potentially give up work and this is essentially a road block for parents wanting to progress in their own careers, simply because their child is disabled. Vulnerable children with severe health issues are going to be exposed to the extreme winter weather undoubtedly leading to a negative impact on their health. Routine is important for these children and this without doubt will have an impact on their mental health and cognitive development. This will have a knock on effect on their wider family. Parents will also have to expose vulnerable children to the weather while dropping off their other children first and putting some children with life limiting conditions at risk of major health issues. The safety of their other children is at risk while having to attend to the disabled child at school drop offs. Children who take seizures will have to be left unattended for periods of time while parents see to their other children which could also have a detrimental impact on the child’s health. The difference is that unlike most mainstream children, ASN children will never be in a position to safely walk or get the public bus Independently. Day to day life is already a struggle for parents of children with ASN and this is a sickening blow to the the children’s livelihood, wellbeing and health. 

The refusal letters mentioned they “carefully” reviewed applications however, this is simply not the case. Individual cases need to be looked at and ALL cases need to be overturned. No thought has been put into the safety and most importantly knock on impact on their physical and mental health. 

Two of the six strategic themes in East Ayrshire Strategic Plan 2022-2027 in which the have failed to honour are:

1. Improving community wellbeing 
2. Supporting children and young people

”Ensure young people are safe and protected”

”Support people who are unable to access mainstream school”

”Ensure that wellbeing remains a central focus”

We are shocked, disgusted and let down by these cut backs and impactful decisions. We NEED this decision to be carefully reviewed and overturned. Even though there is an appeal process we simply can’t have some children left to suffer. We as parents request a meeting with East Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Government off the back of this decision and priorities have to be made on where money is being spent and where cut backs are made. It’s simply not good enough!