Proposal to relocate the Secondary Wellbeing Service Consultation Report

SECTION ONE: BACKGROUND

A review of the provision for Secondary Wellbeing Service in the current location was performed by the Council’s Assets Department. It was agreed that alternative accommodation would be sourced for the service. A report was submitted to the Council on 22 June 2023 requesting permission to perform a Statutory Consultation with the relevant stakeholders of the service regarding a proposed move from Donaldson Street, Kirkintilloch to Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch.

This review was carried out in line with The Children and Young People’s Act (Scotland) 2014. The Act lays out detailed requirements in line with Getting It Right for Every Child. This details how services should be restructured, ensuring that children and families are central to decisions and that professionals provide coordinated support where needed. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended 2009) places a statutory requirement to ensure that barriers to learning are addressed in order that every child can reach their full potential.

The aim of this review was to more effectively meet the needs of learners experiencing significant barriers to wellbeing.

Following the review, the Council instructed officers to consult with stakeholders on the proposal to relocate the Secondary Wellbeing Support Service (SWSS) from its current location at Donaldson Street, Kirkintilloch to an enhanced nurturing location based in Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch. (Appendix 1: Committee Report and Proposal) at bottom of page.

The proposed site (Southbank Road) previously housed the Registration Offices & Job Evaluation Service for the Council. With the Registration Service moving to the local, centralised Hubs and the Job Evaluation Service working within another office, the site is currently vacant, and is a more suitable location for the SWSS.

It was proposed that:

The proposed site undergoes refurbishment/refit to better suit the needs of current and future SWSS users
Consultation with all stakeholders as per timeline
Commencement of a programme of self-evaluation and professional learning by school employees
Communication with all current and future stakeholders: brochure and web, and
Renaming of the service will also be carried out through a separate consultation.

Details of the proposal are included in the Committee Report (Appendix 1) at bottom of page.

You will find further information on:

Section 2 Consultation Process
Section 3 Consultees
Section 4 Responses to the Consultation
Section 5 Education Scotland Report
Section 6 Summary of Issues Raised
Section 7 Inaccuracies and Omissions
Section 8 Findings and Review of Consultation
Appendix 1 Committee Paper and Proposal
Appendix 2 Consultation Information Boards
Appendix 3 Note of Public Meeting

SECTION TWO: CONSULTATION PROCESS

This is a proposal to relocate provision for secondary pupils within the Secondary Wellbeing Support Service at Donaldson Street, Kirkintilloch. Due to the proposed relocation, a statutory consultation is required under Schedule 1, para 3(a) of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. A process for consultation to meet the requirements of the Act was established as below.

A proposal document was developed that included information on:

The rationale
The current provision
The proposal for new location of the service
Educational benefits and
Timeline for consultation

The consultation information was emailed to all identified stakeholders. The pack included a letter from the Chief Education Officer explaining the process for response, link to the Council’s Consultation webpage for this consultation, link to the Committee Report (including proposal), and a link to the online survey form for submitting their responses. Hard copy (paper) versions of all documents were also available on request and located at all Community Hubs across the Council area.

Stakeholders were invited to indicate their agreement or disagreement to the proposal and to make comments by using the online survey form, by email or by telephone.

Both the Manager and employees in the SWSS were notified of the consultation proposal.

The consultation period commenced on Wednesday 16 August 2023 and concluded on Thursday 26 September 2023. This provided 30 school days for consultation. Consultation packs were emailed to all consultees on Wednesday 16 August 2023, as well as notifications being issued via social media and all information available on the Council's website, including the link to the consultation questionnaire.

A public meeting drop-in session was held on Tuesday 12 September 2023 in Southbank House, Kirkintilloch between 15:30 and 19:00, and all stakeholders were invited to attend.

Information boards (See Appendix 2: Consultation Information Boards at bottom of page) were prepared for the public drop-in session which included:

The current location
The proposed location
An area map showing the proximity of both locations
Consultation timeline

Employees from the School Planning and Improvement Team were present, including the Chief Education Officer and the Quality Improvement Officer for Additional Support Needs, to discuss the proposal and answer any questions from the attendees.

SECTION THREE: CONSULTEES

The Consultees were identified according to the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, Schedule 2, para 3.

All consultees were emailed a copy of the covering letter, which included links to the Council’s website for the consultation, the Council Report (including proposal), and the online survey form for submitting responses. The covering letter also outlined alternative methods of submitting a response (i.e., in writing, by email, by telephone or by attending the drop-in session).

The consultees included:

Parents of pupils at the SWSS
The parents/carers registered as the primary contact for each pupil currently attending the SWSS.
Parents of any children expected by the education authority to attend the school involved within the next school session
The parents/carers registered as the primary contact for each pupil expected to attend the SWSS within the next school session.
Pupils currently attending the SWSS
All current pupils of the SWSS. Teachers were available to assist the pupils in understanding the proposal, as well as utilising the technology to submit responses, where required.
Employees at the SWSS
All teaching employees currently engaged with the SWSS.
Staff briefing meetings were held at the start of the consultation process to reduce uncertainty and encourage staff responses.
Trades Unions
The Convenors of the Trades Unions representing the employees within the SWSS
Church Representatives
Youth Representative
Assessors (3-off; two directly as one was also emailed under another category of consultee)
East Dunbartonshire Council’s Elected Members, and
Representatives from Education Scotland (for information).

SECTION FOUR: RESPONSES TO THE CONSULTATION

All consultee representations received were logged and recorded using a database tool developed by East Dunbartonshire Council’s Corporate Communications Team. This database was used to record all relevant correspondence received by either the School Planning & Improvement team (Including the Education.consultation email address), or through direct correspondence to officers such as the Chief Education Officer.

A total of 88 consultation emails were issued and 18 statutory responses were received, representing a 20.45% return.

One additional representation was received via the Education.consultation email address, however this was a duplicate as the consultee also completed the online survey form. This was therefore excluded from the results and subsequent analysis.

Analysis Of Responses Received

This analysis shows that all 18 statutory respondents agreed with the proposal. Figure 1, below, provides a breakdown of the stakeholder type and the responses received.

Statutory Consultee Respondents - Member of staff of the SWSS 4, Pupil that attends the SWSS 7, Parent/Carer of pupil that may attend the SWSS 2, Other 1

Figure 1: Stakeholder Response distribution (SWSS = Secondary Wellbeing Support Service)

One respondent identified as ‘other’ but did not disclose their relationship with the SWSS.

Four comments were made from the respondents and are shown below.

Consultation Responses: Comments

The new building on Southbank Road looks far more fit for purpose by giving a more suitable environment for pupils needing more space, more flexibility of space, access to outside space and better access by car for drop off and pick up.
I want a garden and I want the garden to be a football pitch and I want it with astroturf please and thank you.
Although the new unit is not perfect it is a much improved area for our young people. I think it will help to develop better health and wellbeing and will ensure our young people can better develop their education.
Bob Marley.

Public Meetings

A public drop-in meeting was held in Southbank House, Kirkintilloch on Tuesday 12 September 2023 between 15:30 and 19:00. It was attended by the Chief Education Officer, Quality Improvement Officer for Additional Support Needs, SWSS Manager, School Planning & Improvement Manager, and members of the School Planning & Improvement Team.

Several sets of presentation boards were distributed around the room providing information on the current provision of the SWSS, the proposed provision and the general locale of both sites. See Appendix 3: Note of Public Meeting at bottom of page.

SECTION FIVE: EDUCATION SCOTLAND REPORT

Report by Education Scotland addressing educational aspects of the proposal by East Dunbartonshire Council to relocate provision for the Secondary Wellbeing Service from Donaldson Street, Kirkintilloch to Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch.

Education Scotland Logo

Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

Report by Education Scotland addressing educational aspects of the proposal by East Dunbartonshire Council to relocate the Secondary Wellbeing Support Service from Donaldson Street to Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch.
October 2023

Introduction

This report from Education Scotland has been prepared by His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education (HM Inspectors) in accordance with the terms of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”). The purpose of the report is to provide an independent and impartial consideration of East Dunbartonshire Council’s proposal to relocate the Secondary Wellbeing Support Service from Donaldson Street to Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch. Section 2 of the report sets out brief details of the consultation process. Section 3 of the report sets out HM Inspectors’ consideration of the educational aspects of the proposal, including significant views expressed by consultees. Section 4 summarises HM Inspectors’ overall view of the proposal. Upon receipt of this report, the Act requires the council to consider it and then prepare its final consultation report. The council’s final consultation report should include this report and must contain an explanation of how, in finalising the proposal, it has reviewed the initial proposal, including a summary of points raised during the consultation process and the council’s response to them. The council has to publish its final consultation report three weeks before it takes its final decision.
HM Inspectors considered:

the likely effects of the proposal for children and young people of the school; any other users; children likely to become pupils within two years of the date of publication of the proposal paper; and other children and young people in the council area;
any other likely effects of the proposal;
how the council intends to minimise or avoid any adverse effects that may arise from the proposal; and
the educational benefits the council believes will result from implementation of the proposal, and the council’s reasons for coming to these beliefs.

In preparing this report, HM Inspectors undertook the following activities:

attendance at the public meeting held on 12 September 2023 in connection with the council’s proposals;
consideration of all relevant documentation provided by the council in relation to the proposal, specifically the educational benefits statement and related consultation documents, written and oral submissions from parents and others; and
visits to the site of Donaldson Street and Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch, including discussion with relevant consultees.

Consultation process

East Dunbartonshire Council undertook the consultation on its proposal(s) with reference to the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.
The consultation ran from August until September 2023. A public meeting was held on 12 September 2023 although very few members of the public attended. The council received 18 responses to the consultation from staff, pupils and parents. All were supportive of the proposal.

Educational aspects of proposal

The council sets out the educational benefits of the proposal in terms of the potential improvements to young peoples’ learning. The council believes that a larger school space both indoor and outdoor is required for young people. They feel this will better meet the learning and wellbeing needs of all young people accessing the service. They note that the current location is no longer suitable for the cohort of young people attending. It does not provide appropriate classroom sizes or a place for young people to engage in dining, social and leisure activities. It does not have access to any safe outdoor spaces. The proposed new location is set over a single level. This should be an improvement to the current building, which is split over two levels. The new location has the potential to significantly improve accessibility of classroom spaces, common areas and the outdoors. However, the overall internal space available in the proposed new location is not significantly larger than the current location. The council will need to manage carefully how the use of the building is developed to ensure young people have access to the best learning experience.
A single storey floor plan was shared widely as part of the consultation. However, there is a lack of detail regarding the planned use of classroom spaces. For example, there is no identifiable dining space outlined in the proposal and the council need to ensure that this is clear as plans for the new building progress. In relation to young peoples’ entitlement to a broad general education, the council needs to set out how expressive arts, science, physical education, technologies and life skills will be delivered. The council believe that the improved facilities will increase attendance and enhance opportunities for learning, life and work. This may in turn lead to an increase in the number of young people attending The council’s proposal regarding the delivery of aspects of the curriculum such as physical education is not as clear as it could be. Additional information for stakeholders would help increase their understanding.
Almost all stakeholders are positive about the proposal. Parents, young people and staff all recognise the benefits of moving to the new location. Partners working with the service also recognise that the current arrangements are not ideal for curriculum delivery. A few stakeholders who spoke with HM Inspectors expressed concerns that the current location is unable to accommodate confidential discussions with young people due to lack of space. Staff have worked hard to ensure this is rectified by relocating young people within the existing building. However, this can lead to unnecessary disruption to learning and the new building should help to address the lack of suitable space.
As the council progresses its plans, it will be important to involve key stakeholders in the design of the available spaces in the new building. In doing so, there is potential to improve current working practices and enhance spaces where young people can access specialised support. If the proposal is accepted, the council should utilise the expertise of the school staff, parents and young people when designing internal and external learning spaces. In addition, the council should inform stakeholders how roads and carparks around the school will redeveloped to ensure safety.

Summary

HM Inspectors agree that the proposed relocation of the Secondary Wellbeing Support Service has potential educational benefits. The new building will provide a much-needed improved learning environment for young people and staff. However, more detailed plans around the functioning of the new building should now be shared with stakeholders prior to a final decision being taken. Involving parents, staff and young people should also help to create a stronger sense of ownership. Additionally, it is important that space for visiting specialists and partners is identified.

HM Inspectors
October 2023

SECTION SIX: SUMMARY OF ISSUES RAISED

A number of issues were raised by Education Scotland in the course of its report. These are discussed below, and potential actions that could be considered if the proposal was to proceed are identified:

Issue raised	Summary of issue	Discussion of issue	Potential action
1	Lack of detail regarding planned use of classroom space	Each classroom is multi-purpose allowing the service to use each space flexibly as required	Clear signage to identify class space
2	Increase in number of young people using service.	The move of facility is not in relation to expansion of service or increase in young people using the service. However, there is additional space compared to current location.	Support the delivery for the correct number of young people.
3	Additional information for stakeholders would help increase their understanding	Information was shared through the service with regards to the benefits of the new location.	Continue to share information with key stakeholders
4	Involve key stakeholders in the design of available space in new building	This has been carried out and there is additional private space within the building to allow for meetings with stakeholders and also young people on a one-to-one basis which will also include specialist support.	Continue to share information with key stakeholders

In the course of the consultation, no issues were raised.

Issue raised	Summary of issue	Discussion of issue	Potential action
0

SECTION SEVEN: INACCURACIES AND OMISSIONS

When the consultation papers were emailed to all consultees, two ‘not delivered’ messages were received in the Education.Consultation Inbox.

This was investigated and both recipients had errors in their email addresses. The email addresses were updated, and the documentation re-issued to the consultees affected.

The Education.Consultation mailbox was regularly monitored for incoming communications. There were no inaccuracies or omissions reported within this mailbox.

There were no phone calls received, and therefore no verbal inaccuracies or omissions recorded.

SECTION EIGHT: FINDINGS AND REVIEW OF CONSULTATION

Following the statutory consultation process, there are several findings that can be identified:

The level of response from statutory consultees was not high; 88 consultation packs were distributed, and 18 responses received, a response rate of 20.45%.
Whilst the response rate was quite low, there was unanimous support for the proposal with all respondents agreeing.

There are clear education benefits to the proposal. The report from Education Scotland indicated their agreement that “the proposed relocation of the SWSS has potential educational benefits. The new building will provide a much-needed improved learning environment for young people and staff.”

Education Scotland also stated that there should be more detailed plans with regard to the functioning of the new building, and that this should be shared with stakeholders prior to a final decision being taken. Detailed information has been shared with all stakeholders. The refurbishment/refit of the new building allows for flexible classroom spaces, the planning of which is continually being shared with the SWSS team and young people. There is additional private space within the building to allow for meetings with stakeholders and also young people on a one-to-one basis which will also include specialist support.

A small number of minor areas for improvement were identified by Education Scotland, and these are outlined in Section 6, above. Ensuring clear signage in the new building, and continuing communications with staff, young people and stakeholders, would mitigate the issues identified.

There were no negative issues highlighted by consultees and Education Scotland, in relation to the proposed new location, that would need to be addressed in the implementation of this proposal.

APPENDIX 1: COMMITTEE PAPER AND PROPOSAL

Education Statutory Consultation on the relocation of the provision for Secondary Wellbeing Support Service (SWSS) to Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch.

Background
1. East Dunbartonshire Council Education Service aims to deliver excellence, equity and inclusion, ensuring that all young people have the same opportunities to succeed in educational outcomes, wider achievements, positive leaver destinations and life chances.
2. The Secondary Wellbeing Support Service (SWSS) is a non-denominational, co-educational resource, established in 2015. The Service provides a wide range of supported and personalised learning in a safe, nurturing environment. Through a wellbeing-centred approach, the Service provides young people with the space, strategies and opportunities they need to continue to access learning and fulfil their personal and academic potential.
3. The SWSS provides support to young people in S1 to S6, who have become disengaged with Education, and do not attend their mainstream school (Emotional Based School Absence, EBSA). The young people attending the service do so for a variety of reasons, including learning and wellbeing barriers that may impact on their mental health and ability to fully engage in education.
4. The SWSS works with parents/carers, and a variety of partners, to re-engage the young people in education to enable them to re-engage with their mainstream school. However, if a young person is experiencing significant learning and wellbeing barriers and is unable to attend their mainstream school, the SWSS can continue their education through the relevant qualifications and onto positive destinations.
5. The SWSS currently occupies a two-storey building in Donaldson Street, Kirkintilloch. A review of the existing provision was carried out. As a result of the review, the Education and Assets Service are of the view that the current premises and location is no longer suitable for the SWSS.
6. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 details clear requirements in line with Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). This informs how services should be restructured, ensuring that children and families are central to decisions and that professionals provide co-ordinated support where needed.
7. The focus on developing all aspects of wellbeing while also ensuring best value requires a strategic review of the current provision. This will ensure that services are designed around children and families and that the Council is therefore better able to deliver on the Single Outcome Agreement.
8. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act (2004) places a statutory requirement on the education authority to identify and address additional support needs that could be barriers to learning for children and young people. The Act recognises that there are a wide variety of reasons a child may require additional support to reach their full potential.

Reason for the Consultation

The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 requires the education authority to conduct a statutory consultation under a number of circumstances, one of which is that there is a proposal to relocate a school or part of a school.
This consultation is in relation to the proposal to relocate the SWSS a distance of 0.3 miles from its current location in Donaldson Street, Kirkintilloch, to an enhanced nurturing location based in Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch. This proposal will affect the small number of pupils who currently attend the SWSS, as well as any future pupils who may access the Service to support their learning and wellbeing needs.

Current Provision

Within East Dunbartonshire, the needs of children and young people are assessed within a structure of Staged Intervention:

Stage 1 Learners have their needs met in class.
Stage 2 Learners have their needs met with additional resource.
Stage 3 Learners require support from professionals out with a mainstream setting.

Children and young people with significant social and emotional barriers to wellbeing and learning (Stage 3) require specialist support to ensure their needs are met. Occasionally the Team around the Child will request that such support takes place out with the mainstream provision. Young people may require this support on both a part and full-time basis, as well as for short and long-term periods.

Currently, the SWSS provides both part-time and full-time placements, either on a short or long-term basis
However, the recent review found that the lack of internal space, outdoor space, dining and space to mix with peers renders the current SWSS location unsuitable to meet the needs of young people. In addition, the building requires significant adaptation to ensure the Service continues to deliver in a safe and nurturing environment.
Often, young people attending this service experience a range of wellbeing barriers, including attachment. Their needs can best be met by providing them with a high-quality nurturing environment. Highly trained staff, an appropriate environment and a well-planned transition to the mainstream setting are all crucial elements in the success of nurturing principles and approaches.
The current facilities within the SWSS restrict the capacity of staff to offer a fully nurturing placement. These restrictions are principally due to the physical limitations of the environment.
The current building also restricts some users with physical disabilities from accessing the Service. The building is located over two storeys with one staircase. There is no lift, which impacts on the building being accessible.
The Service is currently used by 29 young people, ranging from S1 to S6.

Proposals for the development of an Enhanced Nurture Base
1. To meet the needs of learners experiencing significant barriers to learning more effectively, it is proposed that the SWSS is relocated to an enhanced nurturing location based in Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch, 0.3 miles from its current location.
2. The proposed site previously housed the Registration Offices & Job Evaluation Service for the Council. With the Registration Service moving to the local, centralised Hubs and the Job Evaluation Service working within another office, the site is currently vacant, and is a more suitable location for the SWSS.
3. The building at Southbank Road provides accommodation on one level, as well as an outdoor space, whilst remaining secure and away from the main flow of traffic. The building provides accessibility for all, in compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
4. It is a more modern building, compared with the current location, and allows for better facilities, including a dedicated teaching kitchen, enhanced internet connectivity, dedicated employee areas, storage facilities, as well as access to facilities management from the nearby Early Learning Centre.
5. The Service will also benefit from an increase in the number of classroom space (by one classroom) to provide five classrooms in total.
6. Ventilation will be improved in the new building, as will heating and access to natural light by means of an increased number of good-sized windows.
7. The site benefits from dedicated car parking spaces for both employees and visitors, which are lacking in the current location. A bicycle shed will also be located within the new site, which will provide secure bicycle storage for employees and pupils who cycle to the provision. This is not available in the current building. This will support the SWSS to reduce its overall carbon footprint.
8. The new building will reduce the reliance on water filtration systems and water fountains.
9. In brief, the proposal will incorporate the following key elements:

Refurbishment/refit of site to better suit the needs of current and future SWSS users;
Consultation with all stakeholders as per timeline (section 5);
Commencement of a programme of self-evaluation and professional learning by school staff;
Communication with all current and future stakeholders: brochure and web; and
Renaming of the service will also be carried out through a separate consultation.

Educational Benefits

General Benefits

The overall aim of the SWSS is to re-engage the young people with education, to allow them to re-enter mainstream schooling or progress to positive destinations. The environment in which this happens is crucially important.

By providing a new, enhanced nurturing environment, the educational benefits to the young people cannot be under-estimated.

Some young people who are supported with enhanced nurture require intensive, full-time placements. The facilities within the proposed site would enable pupils accessing the SWSS to have full-time placements to fulfil their entitlement to a broad, general education within a highly supportive secure environment. The move to the new building will also expand access to the curriculum, and offer an increase in subjects, as well as continuing to enable the young people to undertake Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) examinations if they do not re-engage with their mainstream school.

The learning environment would be designed to fulfil nurture requirements. There would be a functioning kitchen, a dining area, work area and free space area in each room. An assessment will be undertaken to establish whether the existing toilets require to be remodelled to suit user needs. Access to the building is currently secure, however any adaptations required to secure internal spaces will be made. These core elements being in place would enhance the likelihood of successful interventions for the young people following nurture work.

The new location will provide additional properly partitioned accommodation which will allow the Service to offer a wider curriculum. There will be increased opportunities for personal development of the young people through the provision of a teaching kitchen, improved digital technologies, outdoor space, and a building fit for purpose.

A more modern building will provide a boost to the young people’s confidence, which in turn, leads to improved self-esteem, better attendance at school and wider achievements.

The new location will enhance provision and support improved attendance, engagement, attainment, achievement, positive destinations and life chances. This in turn will increase the likelihood of young people re-engaging with their mainstream school. The new environment will enhance opportunities to develop skills for life, learning and work.

1. Classroom / Office Space

All classrooms in the new building will be properly partitioned, providing better classroom space for the young people. There will be sufficient ventilation provided as well as increased sources of natural lighting.

Dedicated office and social spaces will provide the employees with a safe secure space of their own. This will help with the mental health of the employees, as well as their ability to better prepare lessons for the young people.

1. There will be specific storage areas for all equipment and resources, including a dedicated locked SQA cupboard within the Team Leader’s office.
2. Alongside intensive nurture work, young people will be able to access the core aspects of the curriculum with much greater ease. Young people with certain additional needs for support are known to progress well with their learning in an environment with a lower adult/child ratio. The curriculum can be personalised with appropriate levels of support and challenge. The curriculum can be made much more coherent and relevant and more motivating for learners.
3. There will be one additional classroom compared with the current setting.
  This will allow additional curriculum areas to be taught on site, further expanding the young people’s learning experiences.
4. A dedicated teaching kitchen will provide opportunities far beyond what is available at the current location.
5. Outdoor space
  Outdoor space is lacking in the current building.
  By providing a secure outdoor space, the young people can access outdoor learning and wellbeing.
  The young people will not only be able to see science in action but will also learn key life skills through the gardening opportunities that will open up with the outdoor space.
6. Digital Technologies
  Access to digital technology will be superior within the new building, including access to internet and on-line learning platforms.
  Having better digital access allows the Service to link with mainstream schools, and for the young people to join their mainstream classes virtually.
7. Relationships and Partnership Working
  One of the key foundations in supporting these young people is the relationships established within the SWSS and schools, with the families and with other agencies.
  Moving the Service to the new location will only strengthen these relationships and partnerships. Parents and carers will be able to see enhanced provision for their children to help them re-engage with education. There will be increased opportunities for the parents and carers to interact with the Service: parking facilities, dedicated meeting room, etc.
  The Service will be closer to New College Lanarkshire, Kirkintilloch Campus, with which there are links for positive destinations, as well as the Early Years Centre with whom facilities management services can be shared.
  For other Education support services, the move is not detrimental as the new location is less than 0.3 miles from the current location, under 5 minutes’ walk.
8. The proposed new site at Southbank Road in located centrally within Kirkintilloch, not far from the current location (0.3 miles). This will ensure continuity of existing educational links with mainstream schools, partners, parents and carers and equality of opportunity for all within an inclusive educational experience.
9. It is often commented that children who learn to adjust and adapt to the behaviours of others become more accommodating and accepting in their own approaches. Key Curriculum for Excellence Health and Wellbeing outcomes would be much more readily developed, namely:

I understand that my feelings and reactions can change depending upon what is happening within and around me. This helps me to understand my own behaviour and the way others behave and
I know that friendship, caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love are important in building positive relationships. As I develop and value relationships, I care and show respect for myself and others.

In providing this service to children with significant barriers to learning who are currently being supported within their mainstream schools, the pressure on resources within those schools to offer the enhanced support needed will be lessened. This will therefore rebalance the support available to all.
The morale and ethos of pupils and staff will be enhanced by virtue of the enhanced offering within the Southbank Road site.
Monitoring
The SWSS is, to all intents and purposes, a school, and as such follows the school term time calendar. In addition, it is governed by the Council Policies and Procedures as is the case for a mainstream school.

To ensure that educational benefits are maximised for all, a full programme of professional learning and quality assurance by centre staff would be undertaken. Regular meetings to assess the impact of transition on outcomes for learners, staff, parents/carers and partners would take place.
Conclusion and Recommendation
If implemented, this relocation will provide much needed appropriate support within an enhanced nurturing location. It would reduce pressures on other resources which are currently implementing nurturing approaches by offering an enhanced dedicated building. By educating young people with significant barriers to learning within the proposed SWSS at Southbank Road, it is anticipated that young people in other resources would therefore also enjoy improved outcomes as and when the young people re-engage in mainstream education.

It is recommended that all interested parties review the proposal within this paper and support the proposed move of the Secondary Wellbeing Support Service from Donaldson Street to Southbank Road.

In assessing the corporate risk attached to this proposal, it is anticipated that a public consultation event and written communication to the wider parent forum should address concerns.

Indicative Timeline

Date	Action
June 2023	Launch of Consultation Period
August/September 2023	Public Meeting to be held
September 2023	Close of Consultation Period
September/October 2023	Education Scotland reports on educational aspects of proposal
September/October 2023	Council publishes consultation report
December 2023	Council decides whether to proceed with proposal
February 2024	Proposed date of implementation

APPENDIX 2: CONSULTATION INFORMATION BOARDS

Established in 2015, the Secondary Wellbeing Support Service provides a wide range of supported and personalised learning in a safe, nurturing environment.

It provides support to young people from S1-S6 and currently has 26 pupils.

The service is currently delivered from a two=storey building in Donaldson Street, Kirkintilloch but lacks internal space, outdoor space and the location is unsuitable to meet the needs of young people.

The proposed new premises on Southbank Road would provide accommodation on one level, an increase to five classrooms, as well as an outdoor space, a dedicated teaching kitchen, enhanced internet connectivity dedicated employee areas and storage facilities.

APPENDIX 3: NOTE OF PUBLIC MEETING

The public meeting took the form of an open ‘drop-in’ session on the afternoon of Tuesday 12 September 2023, between 15:30 and 19:00, at Southbank House, Kirkintilloch.

The information available to the public at the meeting included:

Committee paper and proposal documents
Information Boards containing details of the current and proposed sites, as well as the timeline for the consultation.

Employees from the Education Service were present at the meeting, and Simon Ross from Education Scotland also attended.

A total of four stakeholders attended the meeting:

Two members of the public (parents/carers of potential pupils to the SWSS), and
Two Elected Members.

The stakeholders discussed general information in relation to the proposed move, and there was general agreement with the proposal.

There were no issues recorded.