Edinburgh school support review 'not about cuts', anxious parents told

A review of services for pupils with additional support needs which has sparked "untold anxiety" among parents is not about making cuts, Edinburgh council's chief executive has insisted.

Concerned parents spoke out today (Thursday) at a meeting of the council's Education, Children and Families committee, where an update on the council's inclusion review was given.

Last week, Edinburgh City Council agreed to pause the review after an outcry from parents and staff who were concerned by reports that the service's budget was to be cut by £4 million and staff cut by a third.

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At the meeting, those speaking out demanded more detail about what the review will actually mean.

One parent said: "While our views were taken at the start of this process, we have not been consulted on the current proposals and this has caused untold anxiety."

He presented councillors with a petition against the cuts that had gathered nearly 8000 signatures and submitted an open letter signed by 51 organisations.

"We are deeply concerned about the effect these proposals will have on the most vulnerable in our city, and on their families and carers" he said.

"Communication has been poor with parents and we don't feel like we're being listened to. Many questions that have been asked by parents have been left unanswered."

The furore included doubt over extending contracts for staff who offer additional support for learning and fears that their expertise would be lost.

Liam, whose 11-year-old adopted son is autistic, ADHD and care experienced, spoke out about how poor his experience of Edinburgh schools has been, with two stage two complaints against them being upheld.

In contrast, he said, the additional support for learning team had offered "exemplary levels of competency".

"As parents, we welcome an opportunity to review and improve inclusion - of course we do. What we are questioning is whether the appropriate time and resource has been given to this piece of complex change management."

He added that there is now "an urgent need to restore and rebuild trust and confidence with ASN parents and children".

Many of the parents who spoke out said they want to work with the council to redesign the inclusion services and they believe their experience and knowledge would be invaluable.

Another parent Lesley McNiven told members: "The consensus of concerns you hear today demands that children be placed at the centre of this review - not a focus on future cost-cutting.

"How can you consciously contemplate cuts when we already know increasing numbers of ASN children are struggling, physically and mentally, to access the education they are legally entitled to?"

Too many children, she said, are currently "failed by under-resourced systems and lack of provision, aside from crowded classrooms in super-sized schools - an environment that only serves to increase their needs".

There were also fears that decentralising the service would weaken the support for families who need support with English, such as the Ukrainian, Syrian and Afghan refugees who have made their homes in the city.

Members also heard from educational experts from Edinburgh University who strongly disagreed that decentralising services would benefit pupils.

Edinburgh Council's chief executive Paul Lawrence told the meeting that no cuts to the inclusion budget are being suggested as part of this review and it will remain at £10.6 million.

He said: "I will say this as clearly as I can - this is not a finance driven exercise, this is an exercise to try to get the service fit for the future, working with parents.

"If there are efficiencies to be taken, it's our job to try and realise those but that is not the driver for the review."

But Dr Lynne Binnie, head of education (Inclusion), told members that the changes would make sure that services "were closer to the children and closer to learning communities".

She said: "I would like to recognise the concern, upset and anxiety experienced by parents as a result of this re-organisational review - that was never the intention."

Some of the confusion and anxiety, she said, was a result of having to follow council policies around informing staff whose jobs may have been affected by change.

"The documents that have been shared externally were never for external scrutiny or communication," she said.

"The main driver is to move resources closer to the child and as close to the classroom as possible."

The proposed review, she said, would reduce central management posts and realign the budget "to build support staff roles", which are "very much valued".

"The proposed restructure would enable all support staff in the restructure to move to permanent jobs and to be regraded," she said.

The full proposals, she added, would see support staff for Deaf pupils increasing, create a specialist team to support care experienced children, and create a new mental health and well-being service.

Councillors from across the chamber said they were keen to make sure that parents voices are heard in any redesign and there must be "meaningful consultation".

SNP councillor Euan Hyslop said it did seem that many of the concerns raised were likely "due to a breakdown in communication" but nevertheless there are still "many questions to be answered".

With the pause having already been agreed by a meeting of the full council, no decision will be made before March 2025 at the earliest.

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