A Fife mum still waiting to hear which high school her son will go to in August has blasted the process for placing request appeals.
Twelve-year-old Rhys Hutton, who has additional needs, is about to make the big step from primary to secondary school but has been told there is no place for him at Auchmuty High School, in Glenrothes, with his friends.
As he attends a feeder primary school for Auchmuty, mum Roseanne has appealed but his hearing is not until next week when his P7 classmates will start transition visits without him.
Roseanne said Rhys had been ‘broken’ by his rejection from the secondary school he has expected to go to for years and the continuing uncertainty with less than three weeks to the summer holidays.
She said he had been let down by Fife Council, which determines placing request appeals in June, and caused “unacceptable” stress and anxiety.
And she added: “It’s not just my son – whoever is waiting on an appeal is waiting until the very last minute and not getting to enjoy the transition to high school.”
Although they moved out of the Auchmuty catchment area several years ago, Rhys continued going to Pitteuchar West Primary School which is one of its cluster schools.
Roseanne said she was assured then Rhys would go on to Auchmuty and she only discovered in October that wasn’t a given and she would have to make a placing request.
However, Auchmuty is one of a number of schools in Fife and Tayside (see below for details) operating over capacity making placing requests less likely to be granted.
So Roseanne and Rhys were told at the end of April there was no place for him there and Rhys could instead go to Glenrothes High School.
Rhys suffers from development coordination disorder, also known as dyspraxia, and sensory processing disorder, and is awaiting possible diagnosis of autism.
He wants to go with his peers as that’s where we always thought he would automatically go.”
Mum Roseanne Hutton
Both the uncertainty and sense of rejection, she said, were particularly difficult for him as a result.
She said: “My son has additional needs so he doesn’t understand it the same as another child does, he just sees it as ‘I’ve done something wrong’ or ‘they don’t want me at that school’.”
Rhys has been losing sleep and not eating through worry about how he is going to cope, she said.
“He’s got a place at Glenrothes High School but for my son it’s not as simple as just sending him. He wants to go with his peers as that’s where we always thought he would automatically go.”
Fife Council follows the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) national approach to supporting children and young people.
Roseanne said: “Fife Council say they thrive on Getting it Right for Every Child but they are certainly not getting it right for my son.”
Placing request appeals in June
Shelagh McLean, head of education and children’s services, said the council wants to accommodate every child in their preferred school but it’s not always possible.
She said: “If a child does not live within the catchment area for a particular school there is a placing request system that parents can use to request a place for their child.
“We follow a statutory process that operates to the same timescales for everyone.
“The appeals committees, which respond to appeals where a placing request application has been refused by the education service, meet in June.
“This is when the final local authority decisions, for each school, are made and communicated to parents.
“Please be assured that all schools help and support the transition for new pupils as they begin the next stage of their school journey.”
Schools over capacity in Fife and Tayside
Schools operating over capacity in Fife and Tayside according to the latest school estate statistics published by the Scottish Government showing September 2020 figures are:
- Auchmuty High School, Glenrothes, 104.2%
- Balwearie High School, Kirkcaldy, 101.5%
- Viewforth High School, Kirkcaldy 111.5%
- Monifieth High School, 104.9%
- Harris Academy, Dundee, 100.6%
Schools Catchment Checker: Find out about the schools in your catchment area in Tayside and Fife
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