A vision for a fully inclusive Scotland

In light of the recent Additional Support for Learning report published by Audit Scotland, Celine Sinclair, Chief Executive of The Yard, discusses the importance of providing inclusive education where children with disabilities and their families have an equal chance to flourish.

At just five years old, Rio was struggling in primary one and her mum, Cheryl, was regularly called to school to collect her. Every morning, she had a sore tummy and, when she got to school, she was lashing out, throwing chairs and hurting others. The school and Cheryl didn’t know what to do and put her on a part-time timetable.

Fortunately, Rio’s school was already working in partnership with The Yard and through support within the school and attending The Yard at weekends, Rio’s focus and behaviour have improved immensely. She’s now finishing primary two back at school full time and is learning.

Audit Scotland’s recent damning report into the state of education for Scotland’s children with additional support for learning needs didn’t come as a shock to us at The Yard. Day in, day out, we work with children who are really struggling in mainstream schools but are flourishing at The Yard.

The Yard’s vision is a fully inclusive Scotland where disabled children and their families have equal opportunity to thrive. The presumption to mainstream, which means that 97% of all pupils attend mainstream schools and parents have the choice to send their child to their local school, is key to that.

But inclusion isn’t just giving a child with a disability the right to attend a mainstream school, it’s also providing them with a full education that meets their needs, supporting their social skills and enabling them to develop alongside their peers. It’s about setting them up for a successful adulthood, teaching them the skills to thrive throughout their life.

That’s what we do so well at The Yard. At The Yard everybody and nobody is different. Rio didn’t need a diagnosis to benefit from The Yard, we’re there for any child at the point of need. The impact of coming to The Yard is immense, improving social skills, confidence, fine and gross motor skills, creative and critical thinking.

That’s why The Yard runs a school’s service. We work in partnership with both special needs and mainstream schools to offer weekly sessions outside of the classroom at The Yard in Edinburgh, Dundee, and soon Glasgow. Schools tell us that children are more confident, have better self-esteem, are less isolated, learn new skills, make new friends, are happier and are more independent. The teachers or learning support assistants who attend with the pupils also say they are less stressed.

Sadly, we know that for growing numbers of children, school has become too much. That’s one of the reason’s we’re playing a leading role in the Edinburgh Disability and Neurodiversity (EDAN) Hub, which launched last year in partnership with the NHS, council and a range of other charities. Families can bring a child who’s not attending school along to the EDAN Hub and get advice and information on how to support them, while the child gets to play with our play team and crucially gets to build friendships with other children who are not in school. It’s early days for this project, but the plan is it will enable children to re-engage in their education.

The Yard is growing to meet ever increasing need – membership of The Yard has grown over 60% since the start of 2022.  We are currently renovating the Yard Dundee and our new Yard Glasgow centre. Both will be reopening later this year with the ability to support schools and pupils in their local area.

But our centres can reach only a fraction of the 40% of pupils who are receiving Additional Support for Learning. That’s why we’re also developing a digital training programme, so we can reach out to schools, out-of-school care providers, and sports and leisure providers to help everyone deliver inclusive services to all children.

The old adage “it takes a village to raise a child” has never been more true. The Yard, and other third sector organisations are an essential part of the solution to the challenges facing inclusive education. We are willing and able to work alongside the Scottish Government, local authorities, schools and others to turn this issue around. Together, we know we can create a fully inclusive Scotland where disabled children, young people and their whole families enjoy equal opportunities to thrive.

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