Founder of BLP and Chair of the Board of Trustees Andrew Margerison has been Highly Commended for his contribution to equality and diversity in education by the Saroj Lal Award for a Pioneering Spirit in Equality and Diversity which is supported by The Herald as part of the newspaper’s wider commitment to enhancing Scottish education.

Andy says “When I reflect on 40 years in education, the motivation threaded throughout has been a desire to drive effective change seeking to improve equality and inclusion for young people with disabilities and additional support needs.” He has been involved with developing the support and provision for autistic children and young people and their families in Dumfries & Galloway since 2013.

“At the heart of the issue regarding post-school transitions for young people with disabilities is the lack of choice. Dumfries & Galloway is a large area with poor connectivity, travel infrastructure and further education options. You can only have very effective transitions if there is a range of options to choose from.

“This is something that I recognised in 2014 when I was Principal Teacher in school and we had a group of young people, most of whom were autistic, who were academically able, but the characteristics of their disability were the main barrier to moving on. Their challenges were varied – limited independence, inability to travel on public transport and they struggled to deal with new, unpredictable or busy places. I knew they had the potential to achieve going forward, but there was nowhere for them to move on to. So, with a colleague from the Third Sector, in 2016 we founded a charity called Better Lives Partnership (BLP). I was determined that my students would have somewhere to move on to after school. The purpose of BLP is to provide a stepping-stone for young people into the next phase of their lives, whether it is work, further education or volunteering. The basis of the programme is an accredited programme of learning linked to providing opportunities to develop skills for life, such as independent travel, alongside opportunities to develop work-related skills through work experience or volunteering.”