Issue - meetings

(i)       to note the findings of the review as outlined in the report;

(ii)       to instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to continue providing support to head teachers and staff in schools to make best use of the space available to them for supporting pupils with additional support needs, to reflect existing and emerging policies and guidance in this area;

(iii)      to instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to ensure that the Council’s specification of spaces for additional support needs in future new school buildings and school refurbishment projects continues to be regularly reviewed and updated, to reflect ongoing feedback received locally, and any relevant national and local guidance on the design of spaces for additional support needs;

(iv)      to note current provision of spaces offered across the whole school estate and instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to (a) identify any opportunities for sharing good practice in order to develop support for ASN for the benefit of pupils and school communities and (b) to bring back a report as soon as possible based on the adequacy or otherwise of spaces for Additional Support Needs within each School within the city, in order to truly understand the actual requirements for each school; and

(v)      to note that the Executive Director had undertaken that officers would provide an interim service update on the above in September.

With reference to article 12 of its meeting of 17 September 2024, the Committee had before it a report which presented the findings of a recent review of the use of space in Aberdeen’s schools for supporting pupils with additional support needs.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the findings of the review as outlined in this report;

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to continue providing support to head teachers and staff in schools to make best use of the space available to them for supporting pupils with additional support needs, to reflect existing and emerging policies and guidance in this area; and

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to ensure that the Council’s specification of spaces for additional support needs in future new school buildings and school refurbishment projects continues to be regularly reviewed and updated, to reflect ongoing feedback received locally, and any relevant national and local guidance on the design of spaces for additional support needs.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to approve the recommendations;

(ii)       to note the current provision of spaces offered across the whole school estate and instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to (a) identify any opportunities for sharing good practice in order to develop support for ASN for the benefit of pupils and school communities and (b) to bring back a report as soon as possible based on the adequacy or otherwise of spaces for Additional Support Needs within each School within the city, in order to truly understand the actual requirements for each school; and

(iii)      to note that the Executive Director had undertaken that officers would provide an interim service update on the above in September.