additional support needs – Page 2 – The NEN

Concerns raised as a third of pupils identified with Additional Support Needs while statutory support falls

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, has raised concerns over an increase in the number of pupils identified with additional support needs (ASN) against a backdrop of declining support.

It has also voiced similar concerns over a declining number of those with ASN receiving Co-ordinated Support Plans (CSPs), the only education plans that are legal documents. This is despite a Scottish Government promise there would be no decline in the numbers of those receiving them.

The figures were released yesterday in the Scottish Government’s Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland 2021, the annual census of pupils and teachers in publicly funded schools.¹

The figures show that the number of pupils with additional support needs (ASN), such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems in 2021 has reached a record high of 232,753. Of this total 58.0 per cent are boys. This represents 33.0 per cent of the pupil population, rising from 118,034 in 2012, and is a near doubling (97.2 per cent) in numbers from that year.²

The SCSC has also raised concerns at the number of those receiving a CSP.

This is a legal document, the only education plans that are legal documents, requiring services such as education, health and social work to work together to give a child or young person the support they need.

It provides some guarantees of entitlement to additional resources and legal redress, placing statutory duties on local authorities to review and ensure the provisions contained within it are being met.

Despite a Scottish Government promise that there would be no reduction in the proportion of pupils receiving them since their introduction in 2004, there has been a significant fall in the number of pupils with CSPs, from 3,448 in 2012 to 1,420 in 2021, amounting to a drop of 58.9 per cent (publicly funded primary, secondary and special schools). This is a reduction from 2.9 per cent to 0.6 per cent of those with ASN.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “While it is promising that this increase tells us that more young people with ASN are being identified, it is against a worrying background of damaging cuts to services.

“Ensuring the adequate provision of educational support for children and young people with ASN is critical, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the damaging impact this will have on them

“We have major concerns over a lack of resources and specialist staff to support these children and young people. This clearly has an impact not only on the individuals concerned but also on their peers and teachers.

“It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, which 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 also concerned that we are experiencing a decline in the use of CSPs, which are designed to support those with the most complex needs. This is despite an increase in the numbers of those requiring such support

“As we recover from COVID-19, the Scottish Government and local authorities, along with the private and third sectors, need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing and support to address the needs of these vulnerable children and young people. It must also work with local authorities to ensure that those who require a CSP get it, making parents and carers aware of their legal rights.”

The EIS has also commented on today’s publication of National Improvement Framework (NIF) data, saying that the data confirms the need for greater investment to support education recovery for Scotland’s young people.

The data released today simply confirms what the EIS has been saying for the past year, which teachers have understood instinctively – that the Covid created disruption to learning has affected all pupils to some degree but has disproportionately impacted on children from the most deprived backgrounds.

It is noticeable, also, that children with additional support needs have been impacted in a similar manner – 42% achieving Literacy levels against a national figure of 76% and in Numeracy 53% against a figure of 83%.

Given that more than 1 in 4 pupils in our mainstream schools have additional needs this is an area of significant concern, which the EIS believes the Scottish Government is failing to tackle with sufficient targeted investment.

Commenting on the data, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “We didn’t need publication of this data to know that children from the poorest backgrounds and those with additional support needs were the ones suffering most from the pandemic.

“Schools have prioritised, quite rightly, the well-being of pupils but as we start to look at education recovery from the pattern of disrupted learning, the Scottish Government needs to up its game in terms of investment in our children’s future.

“Recent OECD research (OECD Education at a Glance 2021), for example, has shown that smaller class sizes where there are patterns of multiple deprivation or additional needs help individual pupil recovery but the Scottish Government continues to resist making any progress in this area.

“The Government’s education recovery plan was far too timid in its ambition given the scale of the impact of Covid on the most disadvantaged young people. The simple fact is that pupil recovery will be delayed and diminished if much greater resource isn’t made available to schools.”

Concerns raised over support to vulnerable children as spending is slashed

Cut in spend of £1,052 per pupil with ASN since 2012
‘Postcode lottery’ of spending between local authorities on ASN
Increase of just under 100,000 in the number of pupils with ASN since 2012
Cut in the number of ASN teachers to an all-time low

An alliance of leading independent and third sector organisations, 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 reveal that spend per pupil with ASN has slumped dramatically, while the number of specialist teachers supporting them has dropped to a new low and the number of pupils with ASN has escalated dramatically.

The figures highlight that average spend per pupil on additional support for learning by local authorities in Scotland (primary, secondary and special education) has fallen from £4,276 in 2012 to £3,224 in 2020 (in cash terms).

This amounts to an overall cut in spending of £1,052 per pupil, representing a 24.6% drop.

Spend per pupil ranges from £1,737 in Edinburgh to £5,849 in the Shetland Islands, pointing to a ‘postcode lottery’ in spend across local authorities (see Notes to Editors for figures per local authority).

This fall is against the backdrop of an 82.9 per cent increase since 2012 in the number of pupils identified with ASN, from 118,011 to 215,897, amounting to 97,886 individuals. Those with ASNcurrently represent just under a third of all pupils (30.9 per cent).

Between 2012 and 2020 the number of full-time equivalent ASN teachers (publicly funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has fallen from 3,389 to 2,836, a decrease of 553 teachers, representing a cut of 16.3 per cent and an all-time low.

Against the background of Covid-19 and its disproportionate impact on those with ASN, the SCSC has called for greater resourcing from both the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that those with ASN in Scotland’s schools receive the care and support they need.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, especially during and as we come out of the current Covid-19 crisis. This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation.

“Such a situation is clearly challenging in an environment of austerity and evidence of cuts in spending per pupil with ASN and in the number of specialist teachers supporting this group.

“It is vital that the Scottish Government and local authorities work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. “

Concerns raised over escalating number of children needing additional support

Increase of over 97,000 in the number of pupils with ASN since 2012
Decline in number of specialist ASN teachers by 376 since 2012
Decline of almost £1000 spend per ASN pupil since 2012/13

The call comes as new figures from the annual Scottish Government pupil census reveal that while the number of specialist teachers supporting those with ASN has dropped the number of those with ASN has escalated dramatically.

Between 2012 ¹ and 2019 ² the number of specialist teachers supporting those with ASN (publically funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has decreased from 3,840 to 3,464, a decline of 376.

This fall is against the background of an overall increase by 82.9 per cent since 2012 in the number of pupils identified with ASN, from 118,034 ³ to 215,897 in 2019 ⁴,representing just under a third of all pupils (30.9 per cent).

Recently revealed figures also indicate that average spend per pupil on additional support for learning by local authority (primary, secondary and special education) has fallen from £4,276 in 2012/13 5 to £3,286 in 2018/19.

Against a background of a per pupil cut in spending and in specialist support, the SCSC has called for greater resourcing from both the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that those with ASN in Scotland’s schools, who disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation, are getting the care and support that they need.

It has also raised concerns about the effectiveness of a presumption of mainstreaming, meaning that all pupils are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply.

The fall in the number of specialist teachers is set against a background of dramatic increases in the reasons pupils being identified with ASN, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems, in Scotland’s schools.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: ““It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, especially during and as we come out of the current Covid-19 crisis.

“This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation. Such a situation is clearly challenging in an environment of austerity and evidence of cuts in spending per pupil with ASN and in the number of specialist teachers supporting this group.

“While we also support the presumption of mainstreaming, which means that all children and young people are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply, it is clearly difficult to see how this is functioning properly for all those with ASN given this fall in specialist support and increase in the number of those identified with conditions such as autism and mental health problems.

“The Scottish Government and local authorities need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.”

Plans in place to support vulnerable pupils

Plans to ensure learning continues for Edinburgh’s vulnerable young people are being put in place across the Capital.

Two dedicated hub schools opened today for identified children with complex additional support needs, including those of key workers.

A programme of activities, planned in conjunction with the pupils’ own class teachers, will be delivered by staff from special schools and supported by teams from the Additional Support for Learning service (ASL). Both schools will continue to be open over the Easter holidays.

Other children and young people with additional support needs are being supported by their schools through a combination of video conferencing, online learning activities and learning packs which have been sent home by their schools.

Class teams are in regular contact with these pupils to support their wellbeing and ensure their learning continues with 250 iPads being allocated to allow face to face contact for vulnerable children.

Our schools are teaming up with psychological services and other partners to provide further family support, advice and remote learning for vulnerable pupils. The ASL service has shared a list of recommended resources and contact details with schools, early years settings and families to support children with complex needs.

The ASL teams have also put in place bespoke one to one support for our children, young people and families with the highest need with a large focus being on the outdoors. To achieve this they will be using the hubs they have set up at Urban Nature and our own Seaview Centre.

Th council is currently working with partners to ensure that provision is available for children with complex additional support needs whose parents are key workers, and our children with the most complex needs, over the Easter holidays.

Information about this will be shared directly with parents next week.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Our special schools and the Additional Support for Learning service have been working extremely hard to make sure parents and carers for children with additional support needs have been supplied with online and digital resources along with home learning materials.

This is clearly a very worrying time for everyone in the city but even more so for those families with children who have additional support needs. The team have pulled out all the stops to ensure learning can continue for these young people and support for keyworker families continues.

Depute Leader Cammy Day said ‘Opening the two schools means that those young people with the most complex needs will continue to receive learning and their parents and carers are being supported.

This is very much a team effort and I would like to thank all partners for their support for our vulnerable learners during this challenging time.

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Additional support for learning: £15 million to recruit frontline staff

Approximately 1,000 extra pupil support assistants will be recruited this year to work with children with additional support needs.

This week the First Minister announced £15 million for councils to expand on the 13,636 pupil support assistants already working in Scotland’s classrooms – but the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition say greater investment yet is still required.

Visiting West End Campus in Dundee, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Every child should have the support they need to reach their full learning potential.

Through listening to the experiences of children and young people with additional support needs, their families and those who support them, we recognise we need to do more to enhance their experience at school.

“Working in partnership with local authorities we will invest an extra £15 million in the coming year to increase frontline staff to support learners with additional support needs.

“This will make an significant impact in our classrooms and will help to ensure our young people and their families get the right help at the right time.”

COSLA Spokesperson Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “Additional resource for Local Government is always welcomed and this funding will make a positive difference to children and young people in classrooms across Scotland, helping those with additional support needs to reach their full potential on their school journey.

“Core Local Government services like education are vital to all of Scotland’s communities and COSLA will work hard in the coming months to ensure that Councils across Scotland continue to have the resources they need to support every child, young person, citizen and community.”

Responding to the Scottish Government announcement, a spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition commented: “This increase in investment to expand the number of pupil support assistants working in Scotland’s schools is to be greatly welcomed.

“However, what is also vital is boost in the number of ASN teachers, who have seen their numbers slashed over the last few years, as well as specialist support staff.

“Between 2012 and 2018 the number of specialist teachers supporting those with ASN has decreased from 3,840 to 3,437, a decline of 403, representing a new low.

“There has also been a fall in the number of specialist support staff in key categories such as behaviour support staff, where the number has dropped by 58 from 2012 (from 180 to 122) and by 43 in the number of educational psychologists (from 411 to 368).

“This fall is against the background of an overall increase by 68.7 per cent since 2012 in the number of pupils identified with ASN, from 118,034 to 199,065 in 2018, representing just over a quarter of all pupils (28.7 per cent).

“Figures reveal that per pupil spend on those with ASN has slumped from £4,276 in 2012/13 to £3,387 in 2017/18. This amounts to a cut of £889 per pupil, representing a 26.1 per cent drop in real terms (20.8 per cent in cash terms).

“It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, which is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap. Any increase in support, which this Scottish Government announcement does, is to be welcomed, but this is clearly challenging in an environment of austerity and evidence of cuts in sspending per pupil with ASN.”

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