The Scottish government will carry out a review into non-core and discretionary support for students with disabilities at colleges and universities, its education secretary has pledged.
Speaking in the Scottish parliament on Thursday, John Swinney said universities and colleges had a legal obligation under the Equalities Act 2010 to make “reasonable adjustments” and make sure students with disabilities were not disadvantaged, including those with learning difficulties.
However, he added that as part of the government’s work to take forward the recommendations of the recent review of student support funding, the government would carry out “a review of non-core and discretionary support, including support for learners with disabilities”.
Student support review
The government told Tes that internal review would take account of the investment the Scottish government already provides and consider support for protected characteristic groups and part-time students.
A consultation is planned for later this year to support this work, allowing the Scottish government to hear from students directly, Tes understands.
Following a review of student support in Scotland by Jayne-Anne Ghadia, then-FE minister Shirley-Anne Somerville announced a range of measures to reform the system in June. She also said the government would “look at support for part-time and disabled students and for carers”.
Scotland’s most vulnerable learners
A spokesperson for Colleges Scotland said: “Further education level students include some of Scotland’s most vulnerable learners, therefore it is critical that student support is easily accessible, delivered at an appropriate level and empowers learners.
“Colleges Scotland is committed to working in partnership with the Scottish government, Scottish Funding Council, colleges, students and other key stakeholders to ensure that the impact of student support is maximised for the benefit of learners, to enable them to focus on their education and training unhindered by financial concerns.
‘Clear, coherent and fair’
“Our aim is to ensure that student support is clear, coherent and fair, and we are fully supportive of measures to ensure that all students can succeed at college, regardless of their personal circumstances or background.”
And a spokesperson for Universities Scotland added: “Financial support for students is part of the whole package of action needed to make higher education accessible to a diverse mix of students, including those with protected characteristics as well as socio-economic disadvantage.
“We support a return to some of the issues that the student support review didn’t have time to get into in sufficient detail, including most specifically the support package available to students with disabilities. Government has asked us to be part of that wider consideration and we’ll be very pleased to play a full part.”
