All educational institutions in the Perth & Kinross area offer additional support to people with disabilities. Each school and college has a designated Support for Learning department which assists people in reaching their full potential. Various types of support can be given to students from getting support with reading, a scribe in class with them or someone to escort them between classes. Mainstream schools try to ensure that pupils with disabilities are as independent as possible and are integrated as far as possible into the general school routine.
There are a few specialist schools in the area which give extra support to people with a variety of disabilities, which mainstream schools cannot offer. Fairview School provides education to children aged 2 - 18 with additional and complex needs that cannot be fully supported in mainstream education. The New School, Butterstone is a specialist education and care provision which supports children who require more social and emotional support rather than physical support. To become a prospective pupil at either of these schools, your suitability to them needs to be assessed by the school itself and Perth & Kinross Council.
After leaving school, colleges and universities will also aim to give you the best support possible while studying higher/further education. Each college and university is required to produce a 'disability statement' which includes the range of support that they offer to people with additional support needs.
Colleges offer support on all their courses, but they also offer a number of specialist courses to students with additional/complex needs. These can be for students who are not fully ready to study in mainstream courses. These specialist courses usually involve core and life skills along with classes on vocational subjects. A few of the specialist courses offered at Perth College are:
- Stepping In
- New Skills
- Moving On
- Stepping Out
Universities do not offer specialist courses for their students, as if a students ability is lower than that of their peers then they will attend college instead of University. They do, however, provide support to students with disabilities throughout their chosen course. Each University has at least one Disability Co-ordinator who arranges visits to the University and advises students on the support which they may require.
Anyone who has a disability should contact the college or university of their choice to discuss support requirements before applying to ensure that their needs can be met.
Check out the websites for Fairview School, Perth & Kinross schools, The New School and Perth College for more details.
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