By Rachel Smart

Copyright inverness-courier

Parents and guardians of pupils at Drummond School are still battling for better conditions for their children.

For over a year, they have been fighting for more staff at the specialist school and a full time on-site nurse.

Although Highland Council announced in August that additional staff would be made available, it seems as though they are being redeployed from other schools without having the specialist training needed to work with the children at Drummond.

The local authority also said a paediatric nurse would start in November, but that position is needed now, according to parents.

Having logged a complaint with the Highland Council with parts being unanswered, the parent council has now sent a complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

Earlier this week, the Drummond School Parent Council held its AGM, where they said they fight is not over.

Lindsay Fulton, chairperson of the parent council said: “On September 10, two ambulances and an ambulance car attended Drummond. If a qualified nurse had been on site, it is highly likely that this level of emergency response would not have been required. Yet, there is still no nurse.

“Through an FOI request, it has now been revealed that Highland Council did not carry out a specific risk assessment before removing the safety-critical role of the school nurse.

“This is staggering – a decision with such serious consequences made without a fundamental safeguard.

“Absences among staff continue to mount due to the severe stress and shortages of PSAs and teachers.

“Those who remain are exhausted and overstretched. These failures are not isolated: they are the direct result of Highland Council’s flawed decision-making while they spend millions reconstructing their management structure and more.

“Let us be clear – Highland Council is dismantling Drummond School, piece by piece.

“From the beginning, we as a Parent Council have repeatedly stated that Drummond is not safe.

“Previous management was effectively thrown under the bus, leaving a void of experience and stability.

“Our new leadership team are doing their best, but they are being asked to steady a sinking ship without the support of those who know the school inside out.

“We now hear of PSAs from other schools – redeployed without the necessary training – expressing deep concern that they could inadvertently harm children due to not having the experience and training.

“Their fear is real, and it highlights the recklessness of these decisions.

“Let us be absolutely clear – we do not blame the staff for absences or the overwhelming strain they are under.

“They are working in intolerable, unsafe conditions. The blame lies squarely with Highland Council.

“By stripping away vital support, by failing to provide a safe environment, and by ignoring repeated warnings, Highland Council is stealing these children’s most precious years.

“Their care needs and educational needs are not being met. Their safety is being compromised. Their very lives are being put at risk.

“This is unacceptable. It must stop. They need to act now before it’s too late.”

UNISON says its members at Drummond School in Inverness routinely face chronic understaffing, unsafe working conditions, and are often asked to perform duties beyond their job descriptions and pay grades.

Highland councillors have also echoed the call from the parent council.

Cllr Isabelle MacKenzie said: “Action is overdue. The deterioration in conditions at Drummond is putting staff under enormous strain and placing children at risk of not receiving the support and education they deserve.

“These are children with real needs; this cannot be allowed to drift any longer. Change must begin now, with urgency and transparency.

“I remain committed to standing with the Drummond School community and will continue pressing for actual steps from Highland Council to address this unacceptable situation.”

Cllr Dr Michael Gregson added: “National Staffing Ratios are not good enough for Drummond’

“Drummond School’s situation should have been resolved. Children and Young People diagnosed with Additional Support Needs – and particularly where these are Severe and Complex Needs – should be staffed adequately – and National Staffing Ratios are simply not adequate.

“The Parent Council’s requests for the 116 pupils are reasonable.

“This conflict has not come out of nowhere. It is the result of the Council failing to adequately manage the school.

“Parents and families have lost confidence in the authority. I myself have been aware for some time of the Parent Council’s concerns, and as a former teacher I can empathise with overworked and poorly-supported staff.

“The nature of the work at Drummond is such that we can but admire the dedication and hard work of staff.

“It is no wonder Unions – the GMB and UNISON – are concerned about wellbeing and morale. The UNISON statement that staff are at ‘critical levels of stress and exhaustion’ should ring alarm bells within Highland Council’s Education Service.

“I support the Drummond School Parent Council’s request, on behalf of the Children and Families, for the issue to be added to the Special Council meeting agenda, and for the Care Inspectorate to come to Drummond to conduct what would be the first Inspection since 2015.”

A Highland Council spokesperson said: “The recruitment process to fill vacant PSA posts is on-going.

“Recruitment to [nurse] post is ongoing.

“Specialist nurses from NHS Highland will continue to be responsible for the delivery of staff health protocol training.

“The NHS Highland Raigmore paediatric nursing service includes epilepsy, diabetic and endocrine nurses – all who know the children, have written up the health plans with the family and trained the family in health and medical care.

“The paediatric nursing service goes into Drummond School frequently to train staff and we have secured funding for an additional specialist nurse to be based in the school and ensure all staff have the most up to date training and skills to meet the needs of the children and young people.

“In addition to this we have daily attendance in the school by the occupational and physiotherapists to see individual children.”

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