Cut to Dundee classroom roles sparks concerns over support for pupils
Concerns have been raised about a lack of support for Dundee school pupils after several classroom positions were cut.
At least seven temporary support roles have been lost in the city due to reductions in funding.
The Courier understands three secondary schools – Morgan, Harris and St Paul's Academies – are affected.
The staff mainly help teachers in supporting pupils with their health and wellbeing, including those with additional support needs.
The move comes after a cut in the amount of money Dundee City Council has received in recent years from the Scottish Government's Attainment Challenge fund – a move that was condemned at the time by city councillors.
Kevin Keenan, leader of the opposition Labour group on the council, said: 'We have now seen around £4.2 million taken from the education department's budget over the last three years at around £1.4m per year.
'I am now advised that seven or more health and wellbeing workers will have their posts deleted.
'This causes me great concern over things like increasing attacks on teachers and disruption for pupils.
'I don't understand why we, as a council/education authority, would be looking to pay off these workers, given certain factors.'
Mr Keenan says it is particularly concerning given the rise in the number of children with suspected neurodivergent conditions, along with changes to the way NHS Tayside deals with referrals for conditions like autism and ADHD.
He has also highlighted a report from the teaching union NASUWT, highlighting the impact of a lack of funding is having on those with additional support needs in the classroom.
Mr Keenan added: 'Without support, there will be an increase in disruption in the classroom.
'We have a changing and challenging landscape where a large number of external factors are likely to deliver less than we would hope for the children in this city.'
He wants Audrey May, executive director of the children and families service at the council, to report back to the council's education committee within four months 'giving a true reflection about the effect the cuts are starting to have and will have in future on our schools and staff'.
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: 'Following a reallocation of Attainment Challenge Fund monies, funding is no longer available for several temporary posts in Dundee.
'We can confirm that no compulsory redundancies have resulted from this change.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
a day ago
- The National
Is there a Hamilton by-election exit poll and what time is the result?
Polls are open from 7am to 10pm, with counting to go on into the night. The National is on the ground at the count and is keeping you up to date on all the latest behind-the-scenes chat on our live blog. We'll also have livestreams with our political reporters on what to expect, and our charts and graphs will show all the key numbers as the result comes in. The campaign in this by-election has been, for the most part, dominated by the rise in support for Reform UK – and a row over one of the party's online adverts. The ad alleged that Anas Sarwar (below) would 'prioritise' the Pakistani community – but it was quickly branded racist by Labour, who together with rivals in the SNP demanded it should be taken down. SNP leader and Scottish First Minister John Swinney meanwhile urged voters in the constituency to back his party in a bid to 'stop Nigel Farage'. His plea comes after an opinion poll in Scotland last month indicated Reform could come second in next year's Holyrood elections, ahead of both Labour and the Tories. READ MORE: The John Curtice verdict as Hamilton by-election looms Will there by a Hamilton by-election exit poll? There will not be an exit poll as this is not standard practice in a by-election. At General Elections however, there is usually an exit poll carried out and published at 10pm, predicting what the results could look like. The research is done by asking voters who they backed immediately after they leave the polling station. In recent years, UK exit polls have been fairly accurate in providing an overall picture of the result. READ MORE: See the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election odds What time will the Hamilton by-election result come in? As the votes have to be physically counted, it is impossible to say exactly when the result will come in. It is unlikely that it will be announced before 1am ... so if you're staying up like we are, you might be in for a long night. Don't worry if you need to get your beauty sleep, because our live blog will have all the details you need recorded in digestible chunks for when you wake up on Friday. We also have a handy article showing the results of the vote in graphs and charts at a glance.
The Courier
2 days ago
- The Courier
Cut to Dundee classroom roles sparks concerns over support for pupils
Concerns have been raised about a lack of support for Dundee school pupils after several classroom positions were cut. At least seven temporary support roles have been lost in the city due to reductions in funding. The Courier understands three secondary schools – Morgan, Harris and St Paul's Academies – are affected. The staff mainly help teachers in supporting pupils with their health and wellbeing, including those with additional support needs. The move comes after a cut in the amount of money Dundee City Council has received in recent years from the Scottish Government's Attainment Challenge fund – a move that was condemned at the time by city councillors. Kevin Keenan, leader of the opposition Labour group on the council, said: 'We have now seen around £4.2 million taken from the education department's budget over the last three years at around £1.4m per year. 'I am now advised that seven or more health and wellbeing workers will have their posts deleted. 'This causes me great concern over things like increasing attacks on teachers and disruption for pupils. 'I don't understand why we, as a council/education authority, would be looking to pay off these workers, given certain factors.' Mr Keenan says it is particularly concerning given the rise in the number of children with suspected neurodivergent conditions, along with changes to the way NHS Tayside deals with referrals for conditions like autism and ADHD. He has also highlighted a report from the teaching union NASUWT, highlighting the impact of a lack of funding is having on those with additional support needs in the classroom. Mr Keenan added: 'Without support, there will be an increase in disruption in the classroom. 'We have a changing and challenging landscape where a large number of external factors are likely to deliver less than we would hope for the children in this city.' He wants Audrey May, executive director of the children and families service at the council, to report back to the council's education committee within four months 'giving a true reflection about the effect the cuts are starting to have and will have in future on our schools and staff'. A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: 'Following a reallocation of Attainment Challenge Fund monies, funding is no longer available for several temporary posts in Dundee. 'We can confirm that no compulsory redundancies have resulted from this change.'
STV News
2 days ago
- STV News
'We don't want them': Trump announces travel ban on 12 countries
Donald Trump has announced a travel ban on 12 countries from entering the United States on Wednesday, a key policy resurrected from his first term as president. Taking effect just after midnight on Monday, the ban will see citizens from 12 countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya and Haiti banned from entering the US, with tightened restrictions on seven more countries. In a video posted on social media, Trump said: 'We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm. 'We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States.' He linked to new ban to Sunday's terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying the move 'underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted' including temporary visitors and those who overstay their visas. "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others." –President Trump — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2025 The suspect in the Boulder attack is from Egypt, a country not included on Trump's travel list. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says he overstayed a tourist visa. The affected countries are: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, The Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen There is also expected to be tighter restrictions on people entering from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Delaying the ban until after the weekend is seen as a cushion to avoid chaos that airports which unfolded during the president's first travel ban in 2017. The ban contains some exemptions, such as athletes travelling for major sporting events, Afghan nationals holding Special Immigrant Visas, as well as 'minorities facing persecution in Iran.' Trump blamed 'deficient' screening and a refusal by the countries to take back its own citizens as reasons why the ban has been reintroduced, relying heavily on data from the DHS which reports on overstayed tourists, business and student visas. Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas are exempt from the ban but the inclusion of the country on the list has angered supporters who have worked to re-settle Afghans. Around 14,000 Afghan refugees arrived in the 12 months through to September 2024 with Trump suspending refugee resettlement in his first day in office. Shawn Van Diver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac, said: 'To include Afghanistan, a nation whose people stood alongside American service members for 20 years, is a moral disgrace. 'It spits in the face of our allies, our veterans, and every value we claim to uphold.' There was chaos in 2017 as visitors coming to study, work or see family were detained at US airports. / Credit: AP Iran's government, which Trump has called a 'state sponsor of terrorism,' has not reacted to the ban so far, which bans visitors but not those already holding visas in the US. Haiti, which avoided the travel ban during Trump's first term, was also included for high overstay rates and large numbers who came to the US illegally. Haitians continue to flee poverty, hunger and political instability, while police and a UN-backed mission fight a surge in gang violence. Other nations on the list such as Libya, Sudan and Yemen, all face ongoing civil strife. The Sudanese civil war has been ongoing since 2023, while Yemen's government has been battling Houthi rebels for over a decade. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
