Fife College is working with a student with additional needs following a complaint to the Scottish Ombudsman.
The student’s mother complained on behalf of her daughter, known as Miss A, who was a student.
Miss A has a complex communication disability which affects her written and oral language skills.
But her IQ and potential to learn is the same as other students.
The college supported her with a number of adaptations to help her complete her studies, but after progressing to a higher level of study, her academic performance dropped.
Her mother believed the level of support provided by Fife College was no longer adequate and sought more adaptations.
While the college considered this request, they declined to introduce all the support Miss A’s mother felt necessary.
However, the ombudsman felt the college had taken Miss A’s condition seriously and introduced a schedule of adaptations at the start of her studies based on independent medical advice.
Regular review meetings were held with her when she confirmed she was happy with the support.
Following her mother’s complaint there was evidence the college looked into further adaptations and some were implemented.
But the ombudsman found there was a lack of clear evidence of discussions reportedly held with third parties which influenced decisions not to provide some of the support requested.
“While we were generally satisfied the college had acted reasonably, we felt they could have been more transparent and could have included Miss A more in discussions about her support package,” the ruling said.
While the complaint was not upheld, the ombudsman recommended the college offer an urgent review of the student’s needs.
A college spokesperson said it was committed to ensuring all students are given the support and help they need to complete their studies and staff worked hard to achieve this.
“We were therefore pleased with the outcome of this ombudsman’s report which found that the college had ‘acted reasonably’ and supported the student by introducing a schedule of adaptations and held regular review meetings with the student at which the student confirmed they were happy with the support that was in place.
“We have noted the recommendations made by the ombudsman and since then have had a meeting with the student and various correspondence has taken place.
“During this correspondence we have outlined evidence of our initial actions to support the student and these have also been forwarded to the ombudsman.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the student to support their learning requirements and to ensure they continue on to have a successful learning journey with us.”