SCOTLAND'S top-performing state secondary has been accusing of "selecting" its intake because of its policy towards pupils with special needs.

 

The director of education for Glasgow City Council has made the controversial claim against Jordanhill School, in the west end of Glasgow.

The school has warned prospective pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN) could lose support services.

Jordanhill, which regularly tops exam league tables, is not covered by special needs legislation in the same way as other state schools because it is the only publicly-funded mainstream secondary in Scotland not under council control.

As a result, it is not funded to provide the specialist services required for some pupils with more severe additional support needs.

A letter setting out the position to the headteacher of a nearby council-run primary school dating from October last year states: "It [Jordanhill] does not have the powers of a local authority and is not funded by the Scottish Government to provide the range of services provided by a local authority.

"Consequently, a child is likely to lose access to any support services previously provided by a local authority on admission to Jordanhill School."

The letter sparked an angry reaction from Maureen McKenna, the director of education for Glasgow City Council, who described the approach as "unacceptable" and called for the school to abide by the "spirit" of the 2004 Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act.

Her concerns are highlighted in a series of emails to the Scottish Government obtained by The Herald under Freedom of Information legislation.

One states: "I find this letter particularly poor in terms of a commitment for a state-funded school to be setting out its stall with regard to the support it provides for children's learning.

"Given that they are being allowed to select by advising parents with children with additional support needs that they won't get support in their school, that then places additional burden on the local authority. I am really unhappy that this position is allowed to continue."

Another email from March states: "This impacts directly on local Glasgow schools. Jordanhill is funded in exactly the same way as Glasgow City Council education services.

"The fact the ASL Act does not directly apply is an anomaly - it does not mean that they are not funded to meet the needs of all children whether or not they have additional support needs."

A further email adds: "It is unacceptable for a publicly-funded state school to be stating to parents that they need information on additional support needs before deciding on whether to offer child a place. When will you put a stop to this?"

However, the school denied the suggestions and said the fact it was not covered by the act prevented it from receiving the level of funding required to operate more specialist support.

A statement by from the school read: "As the community, comprehensive school Jordanhill prides itself on its inclusiveness.

"In the ASL Act the Scottish Parliament has determined that the school should be treated like all other Grant Aided schools. The school is not a local authority and has neither the powers nor the resources of a local authority.

"No individual school - local authority controlled, grant aided or independent - has the infrastructure, expertise or resource to meet the needs of every child.

"Under the Equalities Act 2010 the school has a duty to understand and plan for the needs of all children prior to entry. We seek support from everyone engaging with a young person to do this. In 99.9% of cases transfer occurs smoothly.

"On the extremely rare occasion when an issue emerges this has been when there has been a pre-existing and unresolved dialogue as
to the needs of a child.

"In considering how to meet a child's needs the school has on a number of occasions been advised by local authorities that access to their specialist services would cease on transition.

"While the ASL Act empowers local authorities to provide such support, they feel unable to share a limited resource even when it would be paid for.

"We are committed to all our young people having access to positive learning environments and opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills, ambition, confidence and self-esteem to their fullest potential.

"The success of our approaches is evident in the outcomes. Regardless of personal needs or family context (gender, ethnicity, additional support needs or socio-economic background) pupils at Jordanhill School achieve at levels significantly above expectations. The childcentred philosophy of the school is central to this success."

Formerly run by Jordanhill College of Education as a demonstration school, Jordanhill it is now funded directly by a grant from the Scottish Government rather than through the local authority.

The school is non-denominational and non-fee paying, but has one of the most exclusive catchment areas in Scotland with only residents who purchase particular houses allowed entrance.

The affluent nature of its catchment area is reflected by figures showing that 64 per cent of its pupils come from the richest neighbourhoods in Scotland, with just five per cent from the poorest.