The Minister was welcomed by Alan Somerville, CEO of the charity Scottish Autism which runs the school, and introduced to Education Director Jim Taylor, Head Teacher Jasmine Miller and Head of Care, Cathie Reekie during a tour of the premises. Mr Matheson also met with pupils and parents of the school where he emphasised the Scottish Government’s commitment to its autism strategy, developed with input from Scottish Autism and launched at the end of last year. To support the strategy, the Government announced £13.4m in funding over the next four years to improve care levels and enhance understanding of the condition.

New Struan School is an independent, national centre of educational excellence for pupils with autism which has been at the forefront of specialist education delivery for over 25 years, operating on its current site in Alloa since 2005. The school offers day and residential education for children and young people from across Scotland with capacity for 42 pupils and linked residential facilities for 28. The quality of tailored education and support it offers for children of school age is designed to give them the best possible start in lifewith individually tailored approaches for each pupil. 

Speaking during his visit to New Struan School, Michael Matheson MSP said: “I am delighted to visit New Struan School and to see first-hand the great work they are doing for people with autism and their families. The school is rightly regarded as a national centre of excellence.

“I’m also delighted to be able to announce today that we are increasing the funding for the Autism Development Fund to £1.5m. I decided to increase the level of funding because the original £1m did not meet demand from the large number of local and national organisations who submitted bids. The funding boost means that more projects will receive money.

“The fund will help us realise our vision - that individuals on the autism spectrum are respected, accepted and valued by their communities and have confidence in services to treat them fairly so that they are able to have meaningful and satisfying lives.”

Alan Somerville, Scottish Autism CEO, said: “As a charity which is focused on enhancing the lives of people with autism, we are really pleased to welcome the minister. New Struan School is fully focused on giving the very best start to young people living with the condition so they can better engage with the wider world and get the most out of life.

“We were delighted to work with the Scottish Government in preparing the strategy for autism and we continue to offer our full support as this is being rolled out. It is vital that we build on the great work being done here at New Struan School and throughout the many other centres we operate across Scotland to ensure we build a better understanding of autism and can provide the best care and support for those who live with the condition.” 

Photography by Tina Norris