Fife family ‘abandoned’ as they can’t send daughter to only complex needs college

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A Fife family claims they have been ‘abandoned’ by the government after they were unable to send their daughter to Scotland’s only complex needs college.

Dawn and Barry Neilson were left looking elsewhere after feeling a daily 120-mile round trip from their home in Burntisland would be too much for their 18-year-old daughter Morgan, who has cerebral palsy, to travel to Corseford College in Renfrewshire

The Capability Scotland run centre for young people with complex needs = and there is nothing else like it anywhere else in Scotland. Despite the best efforts of the Neilson family, they felt they were left with few options and no support once Morgan finished high school. Barry said: “We just feel abandoned by the Government. The minute they don’t legally have to provide, they just abandon all the kids. It’s really quite sad that in 2024 there is nothing out there for these young adults. Everybody is trying to be inclusive, but they’re only doing that to tick a box. If they wanted to make a difference, having colleges for young adults with special needs is something they could actually do.

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He added: ”These children deserve to have the opportunity to go to college, to have somewhere to feel safe and continue their learning. We provide free education for all our children unless they’re living with additional supports needs. I find that mind blowing and almost inhumane. It’s not right that the kid next door can go to college, and my daughter can’t.”

Jaymi, Morgan, Dawn and Barry Neilson (Pic: Submitted)Jaymi, Morgan, Dawn and Barry Neilson (Pic: Submitted)
Jaymi, Morgan, Dawn and Barry Neilson (Pic: Submitted)

Instead, Morgan attends Capability Scotland’s Upper Springland campus in Perth, a 60-mile round trip - but it is not a specialist college for her educational development needs.

The family said this is the reality for young adults with complex needs across Scotland who are unable to access the facilities at Corseford.

The the issue could extend to the 38 students currently enrolled as Corseford is in its final 12 months of a pilot scheme with the Scottish Government in which it is working to validate the case for a rollout of satellite centres across the country.

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Without continued funding and reassurance from Holyrood that Corseford College will continue to be funded and satellite centres will be set up around the country, Scotland risks having no dedicated further education provision for school leavers with complex needs.

Student Fraser McAlpine at the college's launch (Pic: Connor Mollison)Student Fraser McAlpine at the college's launch (Pic: Connor Mollison)
Student Fraser McAlpine at the college's launch (Pic: Connor Mollison)

This will leave families like the Neilsons to encounter the same obstacles once their child leaves school - in stark contrast to England and Wales’s 120 plus further education facilities for students with complex needs.

Dawn said: “There is obviously a divide between here and England. When we searched for special needs colleges there were loads down south, you can pick and choose depending on the support your child needs. In Scotland, there’s only one.

“Morgan was doing really well at high school, it had taken years to come up with a platform that worked for her. Her reading and numeracy skills were improving. Now she isn’t getting that, and we’re at the point where don’t know what Morgan is capable of anymore”

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Brian Logan, chief executive of Capability Scotland, called on the Scottish Government to commit to robust and equitable funding in its budget after the UK Government pledged £1 billion to English special needs education.

He said: “The impact of our college on students and families is immense, and sustained government funding would provide the security needed to expand our provision, and support every young person with complex needs in Scotland.

“We welcome the UK Government’s investment in facilities across England, and hope a similar desire to help young people with complex needs can be realised in Scotland.”

Opening in 2022, Corseford College provides not just exemplary education but vital physical therapies, life skills, and comprehensive care.

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Capability Scotland is committed to engaging with government officials and exploring private funding avenues to ensure long-term sustainability, but stresses that only significant government investment will provide the comprehensive support required.

Founded in 1946, Capability Scotland has long championed the rights and opportunities of disabled individuals, providing essential services to over 800 people across Scotland, including day and residential care, housing support, and tailored educational experiences.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is vital that young people with disabilities and those with long-term medical conditions or additional support needs are supported as they leave school towards further study.

“Over the past three years, more than £1m has been provided to Capability Scotland to support the Corseford pilot for young people with complex additional support needs, delivering bespoke learning, physical therapies and life-skills development.

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“An independent evaluation of the pilot will allow us to explore a sustainable approach to specialist provision going forward.”

> About the college: The facility for young people aged 18 to 25, mainly school leavers, was opened by the charity Capability Scotland in Renfrewshire in 2022.

It came on the back of two years of working with the Scottish Government and officials within the Scottish Government, to make the case for the further education college.

The college currently has 36 students across three year groups, and they come from around eight local authority areas. Many of them have a combination of needs, with several using wheelchairs, some having learning disabilities, communications challenges, while there are students who have autism, some with challenging behaviour, and a significant number are non-verbal.

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A total of 39 teaching and care and support staff are employed at the college, which is now located at a converted rubber and tyre factory in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire.

The Scottish Government agreed initially to a two-year pilot programme, and then extended it by a further year.

Mr Logan said there has been “significant demand” for places at the college.

“We’ve had applications from Fife, which unfortunately we’ve had to turn down because the travel distance for those individuals is just too great,” he said. “We continue to receive applications for future years. Without any marketing whatsoever, we’ve had 17 applications in for a cohort for 2025/26.”

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The college receives a combination of funding, with young people funded by local authorities through care and support packages, and payments made to the college effectively covering care and support element.

Then there is a grant from the Scottish Government to pay for the education side, which has been in region of £346,000 per year, although the amount has been frozen, meaning Capability Scotland has had to use its own reserves to plug the gap.

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