Pupils with additional support needs (ASN) are facing unacceptable regional variations in diagnosis and support, members of the NASUWT teaching union in Scotland have said.
Inconsistency in the numbers of ASN specialist staff and in approaches mean that children with ASN are not receiving the care and help they deserve, the union warned.
NASUWT members at the union’s annual Scotland conference, which was held online this year, also highlighted the increasing strain this is placing on teachers.
NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach said it was “unacceptable that many pupils with additional needs are having their life chances undermined and blighted by the failure to put in place adequate and joined-up systems which support children and their families from referral to diagnosis to the provision of a school place which meets their individual needs”.
He added: “Teachers are doing all they can to make sure these pupils receive the highest-quality education, but they are struggling to meet the increasingly complex needs of pupils in the absence of specialist support and additional staffing.”
The union reiterated its concerns about the approach in Scottish policy that enshrines the right of all pupils with ASN to learn in mainstream settings, which it says is failing pupils in practice because it is underfunded.
Dr Roach said: “It is plain that the funding and systems in place for ASN children are not keeping up with the demand and range of need. Major reform is needed to alleviate the pressure on schools and to ensure every child with ASN has their learning, emotional and social needs met, as recommended by the Morgan review.”
Mike Corbett, NASUWT Scotland national official, said: “Figures released last year by the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition showed that children with ASN are receiving £1,000 less per pupil than in 2012. The number of pupils with ASN increased by 89 per cent during that period and funding has simply failed to keep pace.”
Mr Corbett added: “The failure to provide an adequately resourced and equitable system of support for pupils with ASN is a national scandal which is playing out in our classrooms every day.”
Calls for action to tackle Islamophobia in schools
The NASUWT Scotland conference at the weekend also called for more action to tackle Islamophobia in Scottish schools, in response to a 2021 cross-party parliamentary report.
The report found that 18 per cent of Scottish Muslims said they had experienced discrimination in school and that three-quarters of those who responded said Islamophobia had an impact on the educational outcomes of Muslims.
Dr Roach said: “Including an understanding of Islamophobia in the school curriculum, accompanied by training for all school staff, would help to counter ignorance, intolerance and hatred and help ensure that all young people, whatever their faith or ethnic background, feel safe, welcomed and valued in our schools.
“Education is a building block for the future and is critical in fostering positive attitudes among the younger generation in which Muslims feel accepted as part of Scottish society and where Islamophobia has no place.”
A Scottish government spokesman said: “We are committed to tackling hate crime and prejudice, including Islamophobia, in all its forms.
“We are clear that it is not acceptable and will not be tolerated - not least in our schools.
“We expect that all schools develop, implement and regularly update their anti-bullying policies.
“This is supported by respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service, which works with local authorities, communities and other organisations, and underpinned by the Scottish government’s national approach to anti-bullying, Respect for All.”
