Twenty Argyll and Bute Council Support Assistants received certificates for the Professional Development Award (PDA) in Education Support Assistance in a ceremony held in the Loch Fyne Hotel, Inveraray, on 11 June.

Roslyn Redpath, Principal Educational Psychologist, presented the certificates on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council and congratulated the candidates on their hard work and commitment.

The assistants all contribute to the care and welfare of pupils across Argyll and Bute and have recently finished nearly two years of accredited training including practical work in schools, closed book assessments and personal study. 

The Professional Development Award course is designed to support Classroom Assistants and Additional Support Needs Assistants in developing their role in schools and in gaining a wider range of knowledge and skills in relation to pupils with additional support needs. This year’s group consisted of candidates from Oban, Campbeltown, Mull, Islay, Helensburgh and Cowal.

The successful students are : Emma Denovan (Dervaig Primary School), Alison MacFarlane (Hermitage Primary School), Lynn Brown (Colgrain Primary School), Emma Wright (Cardross Primary School), Charlotte Stewart (Dunoon Grammar School), Beata Povey (St Columba’s Primary School), Debbie Coulter (Dunoon Primary School), Lisa Laidlaw (Dunoon Grammar School), Fiona MacTaggart (Port Charlotte Primary School), Laura Young (Port Ellen Primary School), Maggie May Murray (Keills Primary School), Kelly Walker (Rhunahaorine Primary School), Claire Haddow (Dervaig Primary School), Alexis Bliss (Hermitage Academy), Claudine Sargeant (Parklands School), Vicki Shepherd (Parklands School), Sheila Jarvis (Hermitage Academy), Joanne Dainty (Dunoon Grammar School), Sharon Fletcher (Kilcreggan Primary School), and Leanne Mcguinness (Dunoon Grammar School) two units awarded.