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Ullapool High to be one of five protest sites against council school cuts


By Scott Maclennan

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MacPhail Centre, Ullapool High School.
MacPhail Centre, Ullapool High School.

The organiser of a protest against additional support needs cuts in Ullapool has warned that if parents do not take action the results could be “devastating for the pupils” in the coming years.

Dozens of people have expressed an interest in attending the “peaceful” demonstration near Ullapool High School and council service point at 11am to voice their objection to cuts by Highland Council.

It is one of five protests that will be staged by anxious parents, as well as children, in Inverness, Golspie, Wick and Fort William.

The additional supports needs (ASN) service provides care and support to ensure pupils get full access to education and achieve all they can.

Often that means those with autism or dyslexia but it includes high performing students who need more work or those who have suffered bereavement or need English language assistance for a certain period of time.

But cuts have already seen more than 60 PSAs positions “deleted” though most were redeployed on a voluntary basis or else already vacant.

The move sparked outrage among parents and pupils affected as well as those who believe that the changes will impact even those pupils without ASN needs.

Protest organiser and worried parent Nina Hilton
Protest organiser and worried parent Nina Hilton

Nina Hilton, who organised the protest, has two children who both need ASN support and she is concerned about what will happen after the summer and in the near future.

“While we have been lucky in Ullapool this year and not lost any of our pupil support assistant (PSA) allocations it may be a different story as the cuts continue over the next couple of years.

“These cuts are not only detrimental to the staff but devastating for the pupils and not only those with special needs. PSA roles are so vital, they also allow teachers to spend more time with smaller groups of students and get to know them better, and do tasks like cooking and baking that would be too difficult with a large group of 20-plus children.

“Especially important in our bilingual (Gaelic and English) classrooms for children to pick up contextualized language they wouldn't necessarily learn in a classroom environment.”

She warned that the cutbacks will not just affect those with ASN needs but “all pupils” because of the impact handling children who suffer a meltdown in class.

“Highland Council have proposed giving classroom teachers more special needs training but how are they supposed to implement that while looking after all the rest of the class?,” she asked.

“What if one child has an aggressive meltdown? What would happen? They would have to remove every other pupil and the teacher would have to decide on whether to stay with the one pupil who could hurt themselves or the other 20. Or try and find another member of staff who may have to leave their class.

“The whole idea is preposterous and will lead to bad consequences for all Highland pupils.”


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