Latest news with #ScottishInstitute
Edinburgh Live
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 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.
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Gregor Poynton MP sends clear message to Scottish Government to support students and staff affected by the Scottish Institute closure
Gregor Poynton MP outside the Scottish Institute Gregor Poynton MP has written to the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Jenny Gilruth MSP, asking for clarity on the support available for staff and students affected by the closure of the Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and TV. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and TV, which is based in Livingston constituency, closed immediately after falling into liquidation on May 6. Staff are now facing immediate redundancy, and students have been left without a path to complete their qualifications. Gregor Poynton MP has said: 'I visited the Scottish Institute last year and was blown away by the dedication and energy from the staff and students. "The Scottish Government must make clear their plans to support those affected by the immediate closure of this much-loved school.'
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Devastated students at collapsed Scottish performing arts college get lifeline after 'challenging situation'
Final-year students linked to the former Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television have received some welcome news. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Final-year students signed up to a Scottish performing arts college that closed suddenly after going into liquidation have been offered a lifeline. Bath Spa University in England has confirmed it will allow final-year students at the former Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television, which shut with immediate effect earlier this month, to complete their studies with the institution. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Contemporary dancers at The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television The decision comes after the Scottish Institute collapsed last week, leaving students 'in the dark'. The college had auditioned new students for next year's intake as recently as March before its sudden closure was confirmed. Bath Spa University had provided the accreditation for the institute's courses. A Bath Spa University spokesperson said it was 'grateful' for the patience from students and their families while working through a 'very complex and challenging situation'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are pleased to confirm that all final-year students studying for a Bath Spa University degree will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned, subject to their assessments,' the spokesperson said. 'This is great news for all those students who have worked so hard on their final performances and dissertations. For applicants and those students in their first and second years, we are in the final stages of being able to present a range of options on how they may be able to complete their studies. 'We are in regular communication with both our applicants and students, and we are planning a series of meetings over the next week where our team will be on hand to offer advice and guidance to help them determine the best option available to them.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The spokesperson said all impacted students had been offered access to Bath University's 24/7 helpline and support from the student wellbeing team. '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,' the spokesperson said. Before shutting with immediate effect, the Scottish Institute had moved last year from Edinburgh to a new campus in Livingston. In January, the body announced plans to invest in new student housing on the site. However, the college is understood to have not informed students before it closed suddenly last week.
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Devastated students at collapsed Scottish performing arts college get lifeline after 'challenging situation'
Final-year students linked to the former Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television have received some welcome news. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Final-year students signed up to a Scottish performing arts college that closed suddenly after going into liquidation have been offered a lifeline. Bath Spa University in England has confirmed it will allow final-year students at the former Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television, which shut with immediate effect earlier this month, to complete their studies with the institution. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Contemporary dancers at The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television The decision comes after the Scottish Institute collapsed last week, leaving students 'in the dark'. The college had auditioned new students for next year's intake as recently as March before its sudden closure was confirmed. Bath Spa University had provided the accreditation for the institute's courses. A Bath Spa University spokesperson said it was 'grateful' for the patience from students and their families while working through a 'very complex and challenging situation'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are pleased to confirm that all final-year students studying for a Bath Spa University degree will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned, subject to their assessments,' the spokesperson said. 'This is great news for all those students who have worked so hard on their final performances and dissertations. For applicants and those students in their first and second years, we are in the final stages of being able to present a range of options on how they may be able to complete their studies. 'We are in regular communication with both our applicants and students, and we are planning a series of meetings over the next week where our team will be on hand to offer advice and guidance to help them determine the best option available to them.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The spokesperson said all impacted students had been offered access to Bath University's 24/7 helpline and support from the student wellbeing team. '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,' the spokesperson said. Before shutting with immediate effect, the Scottish Institute had moved last year from Edinburgh to a new campus in Livingston. In January, the body announced plans to invest in new student housing on the site. However, the college is understood to have not informed students before it closed suddenly last week.
Scotsman
11-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Firm behind collapsed performing arts college was being shut down by Irish courts 3 months ago
The company, which had bought the Scottish Institute of Theatre and Drama, is being struck off in the Irish courts. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Irish company behind a Scottish theatre school that suddenly fell into liquidation, leaving students stranded, was being wound up by Dublin courts three months ago. Official documents from the Irish companies register show Silver Rock Studios, which bought out the Scottish Institute of Theatre and Drama a year ago, received an "involuntary strike off order" in February. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Institute moved to a new campus in Livingston last year. | Scotsman The Irish firm, headed by Andrew Egan, the sole director of the Scottish Institute, has also made no progress on an ambitious plan to create a film studio in rural Ireland - billed as one of the biggest in Europe. Locals have claimed the site, in the town of Nenagh, County Tipperary, is dormant. The Scottish Institute in Livingston closed its doors on Wednesday without any notice for staff or students. Parents of students enrolled on degree courses warned they had been left in limbo, saying their children were 'devastated'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A document published on the site of the Companies Registration Office (CRO), the Irish equivalent of Companies House, listed Silver Rock Studios among firms that were to be struck off after failing to file an annual return. They were given 28 days to comply. However, no such document from Silver Rock appears to have been filed on the CRO website. Contemporary dancers at The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television The site said: 'The companies mentioned herein have failed to file an annual return as required by section 343 companies act 2014. Notice is hereby given pursuant to section 730(1) of the Companies Act 2014 that at the expiration of 28 days from the date of the notice specified in respect of each company, the name of the company mentioned herein will, unless all outstanding returns are delivered to the registrar, be struck off the register, and the company will be dissolved.' The institute moved last year from Edinburgh to a new campus in Livingston in a renovated former building of a tax office after being taken over by Silver Rock. At the launch of the new campus in April last year, Mr Egan said the institution would undergo a 'pivotal expansion'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'We aspire to nurture a hub that champions creativity, entrepreneurship, and learning to inspire the next generation of talent.' Despite receiving the go ahead from planners in 2021, it is understood that ground has not been broke on the site in Nenagh. Silver Rock's X profile still claims it is due to open this year. The proposals claimed up to 2,000 people would be employed by the 190,000sqft film studios within two years of it opening. Silver Rock's website claims the Irish film studios would be 'equipped with sound stages and the most advanced film and TV technology in existence globally'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Formerly known as the MGA Academy of Performing Arts, the institute was Scotland's only fully-accredited college with the UK's Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre and offered degree level qualifications, some through its partner Bath Spa University in England. As recently as January, it announced plans to invest in new student housing on the site.
