SNP RUBBER STAMPS EDUCATION CUTS
SNP led West Dunbartonshire Council is to disband the world renowned Early Intervention and Network Support team as part of their 2010 budget plans. In December, Chief Executive David McMillan called in education consultant Mr Michael O’Neill to carry out a review of education services. The review examined the existing education structures and is expected to make recommendations to disband the Early Intervention Service and the Network Support Service in June this year. In addition the consultants report is expected to recommend that specialist education teachers including physical education teachers and music teachers posts will be deleted. The report also recommends that Library and Cultural services are merged and that both Psychological Services and the Quality Improvement Service is reduced. The Labour budget proposals guaranteed that following the strategic review a report was to be presented to the Education & Lifelong Learning Committee for consideration. However, the SNP budget proposals included authority for the Executive Director of Education, Mr Terry Lanagan, to make £500,000 worth of cuts without the need for any further political approval from councillors. Labour Group Leader, Councillor Martin Rooney Said: ‘It is a matter of public record that Labour budget proposals included a Strategic Investment Fund to allow for further enhancements in the Early Intervention Programme and Specialist Primary School Teachers. In addition the motion from Labours Finance Spokesman, Councillor David McBride included a committment that Labours budget proposals would be subject to an equality impact assessment, statutory and formal and trade union consultation.’ Labours Education Spokesman Councillor Patrick McGlinchey added: ‘The Nationalists have rubber stamped £500,000 worth of cuts in education with a blindfold on and it now transpires that the greatest casualty of all will be West Dunbartonshire’s world renowned Early Intervention Programme. There’s an irony in the fact that as local authorities across the UK and Governments around the globe look to duplicate the West Dunbartonshire Early Intervention Programme the short sighted SNP are moving to scrap it without consultation. The Early Intervention Programme is transforming lives; children who previously would have slipped through the net and lived a life of illiteracy now have their sights set on university and I want to see that continue. It’s always been Labour’s aim to harness all of the potential of all of our children all of the time, so we’ll be doing everything we can to stop the SNP wrecking our children’s live chances by abolishing this live changing programme.’
I hate to tell you folks, but you’re Finance Convener took the very same saving. It’s on page 7 of the Labour budget proposals listed as LG09.
You can download the Labour budget here and see for yourself: http://wdccmis.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/CMISWebPublic/Binary.ashx?Document=9635
And let’s not forget, this was on top of another half a million pound grab from the Education where you cut teacher numbers and snatch school milk (page 5 in case anyone’s interested).
That’s some brass neck you have criticising the SNP when you took double the savings from Education!!!
Yes, you do also specifically mention what you try to sell as a ‘review’ of Early Intervention on page 14 of the Labour budget. In this paragraph you point out that this very successful project was intended as a 10 year program.
The truth is that had Labour been in Administration, you would have shut it down in 2007. The ‘piecemeal’ restructuring you seem to criticise in your budget was the SNP choosing a different approach to Labour, instead continuing this service and integrating it into main stream educational services.
I have not personally had sight of the O’Neill report so I do not know exactly what is being proposed. I understand that there will be a range of different suggestions made, not all of which will be accepted, and since Labour had scheduled Early Intervention for the axe in 2007, I imagine officers will have looked at the service as part of the review.
Until all members are properly briefed and we know what is being proposed, I would suggest that you probably have more important things to do than scaremongering.
PS. Before you put up any more articles, might I suggest you read your own budget to save future embarrassment. Is this why Cllr McGlinchey refused to take any questions on Labour’s Education proposals? I thought he was just a little embarrassed or perhaps unwilling to voice his support for Labour’s million pound plus squeeze on schools and teachers, but could it be that he hadn’t actually read his own budget?
Jonathan the Early Intervention Programme and Specialist Teachers were to be dealt with under the Strategic Assessment Part of Labours Budget. At no time did we support the disbandment of this world renowned service. In fact we wanted to review it and set it up for the next ten years. Also all of Labours budget proposals would have been subject to consultation and the strategic assessments would have come back to committee for consideration. The SNP by contrast wrote a blank cheque to the Executive Director to allow him to cut whatever services he wanted to.
Jonathon McColl talks about ‘scare mongering’ and being aware of policy. I wonder if he gave Gil Paterson MSP the same advice?
After all it appears Mr Paterson doesn’t have a clue about SNP education policy in West Dunbartonshire.
He wrongfully claimed the SNP built the new secondary and primary schools in the area. It was of course the previous Labour administration that planned and signed off the new school builds initiative.
I wonder if Jonathon McColl can tell us if Gil Paterson was ‘scare mongering’ or if he was simply unaware of what was going on?
Either way this is worrying coming from a SNP MSP who ran on an election manifesto promise to match Labour’s school programme brick for brick and yet seems unable to grasp the basics about the school builds programme in West Dunbartonshire.
My son Samuel has Aspergers. He was put forward for assessment while at nursery, due to on site assessment by the network support worker, who was in the nursery 2 days a week. Without her input, it would have taken longer to identify Sam@s need for assessment.
We then had to wait in a queue for a further 3 years, when Samuel was 7 and in primary 3. Again, without the expertise of the network support worker this process would have taken longer.
When Sam started primary, he was supported again by an experienced network support teacher 2 days a week. Without that vital support, Sam’s educational experience would have been disastrous for Samuel, his class, his teachers, and the school.
We have, since Sam’s diagnosis, been to 2 National Autistic Society workshops. There were many parents there who shared their child’s experiences in the education system. Instances of suspension and exclusion of children with Aspergers, due to the lack of support; both for teachers and these children, was the norm.
Without the expertise and experience of these specially trained teachers in the schools, children with autistic spectrum disorders will suffer greatly. These teachers have the ability to not only train other professionals, but to accurately and holistically assess and support children with whatever disability they possess. This is vital so that all children get the most out of their education; disabled or not!
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