Education rights legislation comes into force

New legislation extending children's rights over their education has come into force.

Provisions in the Education (Scotland) Act 2016 mean that from January 10 youngsters aged between 12 and 15 who require additional support in their education will be able to influence decisions about this.

As part of this, students will be able to ask their school or local council to find out if they need extra help and to have a say in any support plans that are made.

They will also be entitled to have an advocate at meetings, to ensure their views are heard and to be actively involved in resolving disagreements about their support.

Advice service Enquire, which works with those who need additional support for learning, welcomed the changes, with manager Sally Cavers stating: “We are very supportive of the extension of rights for children.

“We know from our work with children and young people how important it is that they feel genuinely involved and listened to by the professionals supporting them, and how much this can influence whether they feel school is a negative or positive experience.'