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Edinburgh Live

'Our children have been let down - but we will do everything we can to help them'

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Parents have rallied together after the shock liquidation of a West Lothian arts institute left hundreds of students without a spot in university. The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television announced on May 7 that the university would close "effective immediately" after entering liquidation. The news came out of the blue for students and parents, who were not notified of the Institute's financial struggles prior to the day it shut its doors. Edinburgh Live has since reported on students who are scrambling to audition for a handful of remaining university spots as the autumn semester looms. Neil Gordon decided to mobilise parents after his 16-year-old daughter Caileigh lost her spot at the Institute for September intake. Caileigh, an aspiring actress, was devastated to learn her "dream school" entered insolvency without warning. Neil held a meeting on May 13 in South Queensferry for parents and students impacted by the Institute's liquidation. Over 100 parents and students attended in person and online to voice their grievances. Some travelled from the West side of Glasgow while others - from Wales, England, and as far north as Inverness - tuned in virtually. Neil told Edinburgh Live: "I'm waking up to over 100 messages [from parents] every morning. I took the responsibility because someone needed to take the bull by the horns." The determined dad formed six WhatsApp chats for parents from each year group at the Institute and has become a de facto group leader. He said: "I'm exhausted but not going to give up. My ultimate goal is for all students on the chat group to get a concrete [university] place or have a concrete decision on what they're doing. I don't want them to give up on their dream." Neil said parents are frustrated with a "distinct lack of communication" from organisations like the Scottish Government and Bath Spa University, which is responsible for awarding degrees to students at the Scottish Institute. (Image: Supplied) Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. He added: "Basically, every student and parent are fending for themselves and it's kind of appalling. It's been so silent it's been deafening. You'd expect an announcement from the Scottish Government announcing the university had closed, but [there has been] nothing." The Scottish Government told Edinburgh Live the matter was "very concerning" and they are working closely with Bath Spa. Parents aired their frustrations in the group's WhatsApp channels, which were shared with Edinburgh Live. Some worry their children who completed one or two years of studies at the Institute will have to start from "square one" if their degrees are not validated. One parent said: "The kids are in a position of vulnerability and uncertainty, through no fault of their own, and my patience is wearing thin. Our kids' degrees are being devalued as they grapple to secure places on courses which fail to acknowledge their endeavours to date. They're basically going back to square one, with their wings being clipped and emotional stress unparallelled to that of their competitors." Many students are in the frantic process of auditioning for new spots at other arts institutes, with another parent sharing: "I believe at this late stage of the process, places are so limited that these [other universities] are in a position to cherry pick who they want on their course." Bath Spa University has been conducting meetings with impacted students, but parents expressed disappointment with the state of affairs. One parent shared: "We just came off our meeting with Bath Spa. Not very useful with them unable to answer most of our questions - [such as] 'will my daughter have to redo the second year? Will she have to audition again? . . . Will we get our fees back if the second year has to be redone?" Meanwhile, Neil said he is "not hopeful" that all impacted students will secure a viable plan. He shared: "I can only manage this until end of June. There is only so much I can do. I'm not hopeful. We're not getting communication we need. We need definitive answers from Bath Spa." Neil has since launched a petition to allow the facilities at the Scottish Institute to continue being used by students with disrupted studies. It reads: "The abrupt liquidation has left many young and aspiring talents with shattered dreams. We urge universities to help us preserve our educational ambitions by utilizing the now liquidated facilities at the Scottish Institute." You can find the petition here. A spokesperson from Bath Spa University said: "We are grateful for all the support and patience from our applicants, students and their families as we have worked through what is a very complex and challenging situation. "The welfare and wellbeing of our students is paramount, and we are committed to supporting them through this process. "We need to make sure that the options and provisions we offer are appropriate and viable, and arranging these options inevitably takes time. "We are in regular communication with our students. Many students have taken up the opportunity to meet with the team from Bath Spa University in our online 121 'Next Steps' meetings. "Our next communication will be sent to students in the coming days to answer questions, provide additional information and will include details of progression opportunities. "We know that this situation is challenging for us all, and we are doing everything we can to make decisions and move quickly to ensure minimum disruption to our students." A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "This is a very concerning matter and hugely distressing for students and their families. "We are working closely with Bath Spa University, which validated the degrees delivered by the Scottish Institute, the court-appointed liquidators, and the Scottish Qualifications Authority to determine if students will be able to graduate, as well as on contingencies for those part-way through their course and those due to start a degree after the summer about seeking alternative study options with other institutions.