A creative proposal to help pupils with additional support needs was approved by Aberdeen City Council today (Tuesday 26 November).
Councillors at the Education and Children’s Services committee instructed the Chief Officer Education and Lifelong Learning, to build on the hard work of schools in delivering learner-centred support for pupils by developing a time limited, cost-neutral, pilot model at Riverbank School for up to 10 pupils.
The model will also seek to allow Pupil Support Assistants to be released for professional learning in support of the programme.
An evaluation of the model’s progress will be reported back to the committee in the spring of 2025.
Convener, Councillor Martin Greig, said: “"Support needs amongst pupils are increasing and their needs are becoming more complex. It is positive that education staff have created new helpful solutions which to meet the learning and care needs of children and young people in the city.
“Further training opportunities will increase capacity for Pupil Support Assistants. The intensive Early Intervention Provision is a welcome innovation that will make a difference for the benefit of school communities. We have to keep on improving educational provision so that all pupils feel included."
Vice-convener, Councillor Jessica Mennie, said: “Undertaking an initial pilot model and evaluating the outcomes will allow us to gauge the impact and inform future planning across all our school settings.”
The Riverbank model is also informed by the 2020 publication of the Scottish Government’s Additional Support for Learning Review and the 2023/24 inquiry by the Education, Children and Young People Committee of the Scottish Parliament into Additional Support for Learning.
The inquiry recommended that, where possible, children and young people with additional support needs should be educated in mainstream schools alongside other pupils, rather than in special schools.