East Ayrshire Additional Support Needs programme extended

The council's Additional Support Needs (ASN) holiday programme runs when schools are off and offers families the chance to access the provision.

Aberlour was contracted by the council to provide an ASN summer programme on a pilot basis last year.

Arts and Crafts fun at the Active Schools Park School summer activities. (Image: East Ayrshire Council)

After the success of the year, it was announced that the pilot project would be extended.

Now, the council has announced the ASN holiday support programme has been secured for four years and will be extended to include Easter and October school holidays.

Aberlour will enter into a four-year negotiated contract with the council and will continue to build on the significant development work they have carried out in partnership with education staff and parent representatives to ensure the holiday support programme meets the needs of the children and their families.

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Delighted by this extension, councillor Elaine Cowan, Spokesperson for Education, and Children and Young People said: “Ensuring the development of and the stability of the ASN holiday support programme over the next four years, is absolutely the right decision by Cabinet and fits the criteria of the East Ayrshire Early Intervention Fund by making life fairer for some of our most vulnerable children and young people.

“Aberlour, with our staff and parent representatives, have worked very hard to develop the summer holiday programme and the feedback from parents and carers is overwhelmingly positive.

"This development work will continue because there is always more that can be done.

"Taking the decision at this point in the year also means that we have more time to recruit staff, which has been a barrier to delivery in the past, and can extend the programme to include the Easter and October holidays.”