- Cut of £1,870 per pupil since 2012/13 on spending for those identified with ASN
- Postcode lottery of spending between local authorities on ASN
- Near doubling in the number of pupils with ASN from 2012
- Cut in the number of ASN teachers by more than 500
An alliance of leading providers of specialist children’s services, the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), has called for greater resourcing to support children and young people with additional support needs (ASN), such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems.
The call comes as new figures contained in a parliamentary answer to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Jenny Gilruth MSP. This reveals that spending supporting those pupils with ASN has slumped by over a third. It comes against a backdrop of the number of pupils with ASN increasing dramatically and the number of specialist teachers supporting them dropping to a new low.
While the SCSC supports a presumption of mainstreamingfor pupils with ASN, meaning that they are educated in a mainstream school unless exceptional circumstances, without adequate resourcing there is an obvious impact on those with ASN, fellow pupils and teachers.
The SCSC is calling on the Scottish Government to increase funding to support the needs of vulnerable children and young people, including greater provision of specialist ASN teachers, educational psychologists and classroom assistants.
The figures highlight that average spending per pupil on additional support for learning by councils in Scotland (primary, secondary and special education) has fallen from £5,381 in the 2012/13 financial year to £3,511 in 2021/22 (in real terms). This amounts to an overall cut in spending of £1,870 per pupil, representing a 34.8 per cent drop.
There is a wide variation in spending on pupils who need additional support, ranging from £2,278 per pupil in the Scottish Borders to £6,887 in the Shetland Islands, highlighting a postcode lottery in spending across local authorities.
This fall is against the backdrop of a 97.2 per cent increase between 2012 and 2021 in the number of pupils identified with ASN, from 118,011 to 232,753, amounting to 114,742 individuals. Those with ASNcurrently represent around a third of all pupils (33.0 per cent).
Between 2012 and 2021 the number of full-time equivalent ASN teachers (publicly funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has fallen from 3,389 to an all-time low of 2,886, a decrease of 503 teachers, representing a cut in numbers of 14.8 per cent.
Against the background of Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, with its disproportionate impact on those with ASN, the SCSC has called for greater resourcing from both the Scottish Government and councils to ensure that those with ASN receive the care and support they need, provided in an equitable manner across Scotland.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, when they need it, especially given the impacts of the Covid-19 and cost-of-living crisis.
“This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap, as we know that those with ASN are disproportionately drawn from poorer neighbourhoods.
“We are in a mental health emergency and have also witnessed dramatic increases in classroom disruption, impacting on pupils and teachers alike. This is in part due to increased levels of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties post-lockdown.
“Given this, it is disappointing to note cuts in spending supporting those with ASN and we would urge the Scottish Government to adequately resource the provision of the likes of specialist teachers, educational psychologists and classroom assistants.
“Councils and the Scottish Government must work together to provide an adequately resourced and equitable system of support across Scotland for those children and young people with ASN, representing some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. “
ASL spending per pupil (£, cash terms)
| 2021-22 | |||
| Aberdeen City | 3,149 | ||
| Aberdeenshire | 2,366 | ||
| Angus | 3,117 | ||
| Argyll and Bute | 3,722 | ||
| City of Edinburgh | 3,278 | ||
| Clackmannanshire | 5,252 | ||
| Dumfries and Galloway | 3,340 | ||
| Dundee City | 2,391 | ||
| East Ayrshire | 4,368 | ||
| East Dunbartonshire | 4,351 | ||
| East Lothian | 3,708 | ||
| East Renfrewshire | 2,964 | ||
| Falkirk | 3,932 | ||
| Fife | 2,848 | ||
| Glasgow City | 4,635 | ||
| Highland | 3,044 | ||
| Inverclyde | 3,905 | ||
| Midlothian | 4,358 | ||
| Moray | 3,342 | ||
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 5,676 | ||
| North Ayrshire | 2,147 | ||
| North Lanarkshire | 5,571 | ||
| Orkney Islands | 4,543 | ||
| Perth and Kinross | 3,105 | ||
| Renfrewshire | 3,629 | ||
| Scottish Borders | 2,278 | ||
| Shetland Islands | 6,887 | ||
| South Ayrshire | 4,881 | ||
| South Lanarkshire | 3,722 | ||
| Stirling | 2,500 | ||
| West Dunbartonshire | 3,479 | ||
| West Lothian | 2,887 | ||
| All Local Authorities | 3,511 |
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