Concern over ‘major disparities’ between local authorities
Thousands of Scottish children and young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN), such as those with learning difficulties, learning disabilities, autism and care experience, may not be getting the support they are entitled to according to a coalition of leading independent and third sector children’s services providers.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), a coalition of organisations dealing with those with learning difficulties and complex needs, as well as those with care experience, has raised concerns after the publication Scottish Government census data.
This indicates major disparities across local authority areas when it comes to identifying pupils with ASN, raising concerns that many children and young people may not be getting the full support they are entitled to on the back of these widely varying figures.
It has called for urgent action to ensure that better quality and more reliable information in identifying and recording those with ASN is gathered by local authorities, urging the Scottish Government to provide stricter guidance on this matter. This will ensure that those with ASN are getting the support they require.
Scottish Government statistics on Scottish schools indicates that while for Scotland as a whole 20.4% of primary school pupils and 24% of secondary school pupils are identified with ASN, there are major disparities in those pupils with ASN across local authorities.
For example, 8% of those in secondary schools in North Lanarkshire have ASN compared with 36% in Glasgow. North Ayrshire records figures of 27% for secondary school pupils with ASN, compared with South Ayrshire recording 13%. Edinburgh has recorded 6347 (22%) primary school and 4250 (23%) secondary school pupils with additional support needs. Both figures are close to the Scottish average.
These disparities are due to local authority inconsistencies in gathering information on and identifying and recording those with ASN. These inconsistencies, the coalition believes, is leading to varied support for those with ASN as identifications vary across local authorities and many children and young people may simply not be being identified and getting the support they are entitled to. As an example, the categorisation of “looked after children” differs from authority to authority.
Under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 a statutory duty is placed on local authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, difficult to do when there is inconsistent recording across the local authorities.
Without a consistent and aligned method of recording such critical statistics it is difficult to ascertain if the numbers of categories of those with ASN is increasing, decreasing or staying the same. This clearly has an impact on the resourcing committed to dealing with this vulnerable group and ensuring that it is targeted in the most effective manner.
The SCSC is writing to the Scottish Government to ascertain what measures are being put in place by the Scottish Government to ensure that there is greater guidance in delivering a consistent approach by local authorities in identifying and recording those with ASN.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “As a coalition we find it worrying at these major disparities which indicate, for example, that more than four times as many children and young people in Glasgow have ASN compared with North Lanarkshire.
“This inconsistency in gathering information on and identifying those with ASN by local authorities requires clearer and comprehensive guidance from the Scottish Government.
“The Scottish Government must commit to working more closely with local authorities to tackle this and develop a universal method to ensure that better information is recorded so that accurate numbers can be reported. Only then will we truly be able to provide the best support for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people.”
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