Parents 'outraged' as council bars private Speech and Language Therapists from its schools
East Lothian Council took the decision to ban private speech and language therapists from its schools, causing fury among parents
A mother has spoken of parents’ outrage after private speech and language therapists (SLT) were banned from schools by a local authority.
Fiona Carswell’s son Alasdair had accessed an SLT for nine years, seeing a therapist who visited him in his primary as part of his weekly timetable.
However, at the start of the last school year, Mrs Carswell was told East Lothian Council no longer allowed private practitioners in its school.
Mrs Carswell said she was “incredulous” at the news, adding: “We received no letter, no phone call, no email from the education authority.
“Instead, we were told by the therapist herself that a policy had apparently changed and she was no longer allowed into any of the council’s education settings.”
Figures from the professional body for SLTs, the Royal College, show one in four - or 275,000 - children and young people in Scotland need help with speech, language or communication.
Nicola Holmes, Chair of the Association of SLTs in Independent Practice (ASLTIP) said demand for SLTs is outstripping supply across the UK.
She said: “The issue isn’t whether therapy is provided by the NHS or independently.
“It’s about ensuring that children’s access to support is not restricted by organisational boundaries. “Any approach that delays or prevents children from receiving the help they need deserves careful scrutiny.”
Mrs Carswell said her family chose to go private when her son was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder at the age of three and were told there was no NHS capacity for speed therapy.
Now 12, he is about to transition to secondary school.
His mother said: “Until August 2025, his weekly independent SLT sessions were a staple of his visual timetable.
“Like most autistic people, his boundaries and routine are rigid – school is for work, home is not – and emotional overwhelm after the school day is real, so he accessed sessions within school hours, when they were most beneficial.
“The arrangement worked beautifully for many years.
“Staff valued the specialist knowledge, and other children undoubtedly benefitted from the additional professional input.
“Families are now outraged.”
Paul McLennan MSP has been probing the council on behalf of constituents.
He said: “In discussions with senior officials at the council, it has become clear that there was no consultation nor individual equality impact assessments carried out.
“I sought a meeting between the council and parents, which the council did not agree to, but I would urge them to meet parents and myself as soon as possible to discuss a way ahead, and not to disregard the children’s needs anymore.”
An East Lothian Council spokeswoman said its schools have specialist supports available to help “children thrive”.
“Our schools have a responsibility to make all necessary arrangements to meet a child’s needs for the purposes of their education,” she said.
“In the case of speech and language therapy, we have a contract with NHS.”
The spokeswoman said that bringing in private providers “creates ambiguity around responsibilities for the child’s learning.
She added: “The provider is not managed or quality assured by the school and conflicts in practice and priorities can occur.
“We also have to consider the wider school environment – managing confidential information and safeguarding for people we have not commissioned to provide a service.”
The situation comes after the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) Scotland told The Scotsman that embedding a speech and language therapist (SLT) in every school and nursery in Scotland would improve children’s life chances.
The professional body for SLTs is calling for the next Scottish Government to pledge an overhaul of how the service is delivered.
It would see children receive communication support in school but require a major increase in the workforce.
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