'The struggles ASN kids face are unbelievable': Moray mum's fight for education reform
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A LOSSIEMOUTH mum has joined a group of "amazing mums" she found on TikTok in a battle to revamp education for children with additional support needs (ASN).
Chelsea Findlay, whose son Arran (3) has an autism diagnosis and other ASN, said the campaign has started a "fire in the bellies" of the mums involved, who want more ASN schools and teachers to help ease the "unbelievable" struggles of children with ASN in mainstream education.
The group, ASN Reform Scotland, is holding a protest at the Scottish Parliament on June 21, from 11am to 3pm, and has launched a petition.
Arran currently attends the charity-operated Ladybird Development Group in Lossiemouth, Moray's only ASN nursery.
However, from August, he will have to attend mainstream nursery and Chelsea said she has been kept in the dark about what support he will receive, which she said is "really, really scary".
"It's a very worrying time and very uncertain time," she said.
"We are currently waiting to hear how many funded hours he will get from the Council for one-to-one help.
"Arran is just about to enter the education system and, from what I've heard, the struggles ASN kids face are unbelievable.
"That is potentially Arran's future. We don't know how he will cope.
"And it's really, really scary."
Arran has already missed nearly a full year of pre-nursery education, as his ASN meant a private two to three group did not work for him.
Currently non-verbal, he frequently "stims" (engages in repetitive, self-soothing movements common in autistic children), tends to focus intensely on specific topics like animals and numbers, and can experience meltdowns.
Chelsea, who along with husband Martin also has a daughter named Eva (9), said life as a parent of a child with ASN can be "isolating" as common ways to meet other parents are difficult to access.
"It can be very isolating having a child with ASN because you can't go to the bog standard two to three groups, toddler groups – or much else really," she said.
However, after finding ASN Reform Scotland founder Stephanie Vavron's TikTok account, Chelsea became part of a passionate community united by their shared experience of looking after a child with ASN.
And coming together, she said, gave them all "something to fight for".
"Stephanie is an amazing person who brought us all together," Chelsea said.
"And she's just lovely.
"We all met on TikTok and have become so close. They're amazing.
"We were just a group of mums, around 15 of us, but now there's a fire in our bellies to fight for all ASN children across Scotland.
"It has given us all something to fight for.
"We had that fight in us anyway, but coming together has really brought it to the forefront."
Moray has no dedicated ASN school and services are based in selected primary and secondary schools.
And with only 19 dedicated ASN schools in Scotland, campaign mums believe significant reform is needed.
"Arran has to move to a mainstream nursery because, in Moray, there is nothing else," Chelsea said.
"We have absolutely nothing here in Moray, Council-wise, for pre-school kids.
"In the local area there is a massive need for a SEN school, or even just provision in more schools.
"I understand an SEN school in Moray is a big ask, but even more ASN provisions locally would make a big difference.
"The massive problem at the heart of it all is that we have no SEN schools and not enough teachers.
"Teachers and teaching assistants are under immense pressure as it is and, no disrespect, but they just can't cope.
"They're under enough pressure as is, they've got 30, 40 kids to look after."
The key step in improving ASN services, Chelsea said, is the Government spending more cash on them.
She said: "It just seems to be cut backs, cut backs, cut backs – all the time.
"There's just not the funding or the staff in Moray and the Government needs to look at that.
"We'll probably not see this change while Arran is still in school, but if it starts the ball rolling for future generations I'll be delighted."
Schools pupils with ASN are "not getting the education they are entitled to", Chelsea said, and education is falling behind attitudes in wider society.
She said: "There's more awareness and acceptance of additional needs nowadays.
"But we need acceptance and inclusion within the education system, because that's where there are failings.
"Our children are not getting the education they are entitled to."
Despite Arran facing a potentially daunting challenge come August, when he joins mainstream nursery, Chelsea was keen to emphasise the "unbelievable" work done by the Ladybird Development Group.
She said: "The Ladybird Development Group deserves so much recognition.
"They have stayed open for decades, through fundraising and donations alone.
"The work they have done for so many children across Moray is unbelievable.
"If we didn't have Ladybird, I don't know where we would be."
