Dear Editor
Recent statistics indicating that 12,402 pupils have missed at least half of the school year—enough to fill almost 400 classrooms—should concern us all.
While we support mainstream education wherever appropriate, it can only succeed if schools have the staff and specialist support to make inclusion for those with additional support needs (ASN) meaningful.
More than two out of five (43 per cent) of Scotland’s pupils are now identified as having an additional support need, with numbers more than doubling over the past decade. Yet the number of specialist ASN teachers has fallen. Additionally, as the number of those with ASN experiencing greater complexity of need increases, special school provision may be required, yet the number of such schools has declined.
The link between unmet additional support needs and poor attendance is clear. Too many families are waiting for support while schools struggle with shortages of specialist teachers, classroom assistants, educational psychologists and mental health professionals.
Identifying children with ASN is only the first step. They must receive the timely support needed to attend school, achieve their potential and avoid poorer educational and mental health outcomes.
Scotland urgently needs greater investment to deliver genuinely inclusive education. Without it, we risk failing not only children with ASN and their families, but every pupil and teacher in Scotland’s classrooms.
Yours faithfully
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:
Patrick Gannon, Falkland House School
Lynn Black, LOVE Care
Kenny Graham, Spark of Genius
