Children with additional needs not getting proper support: watchdog

“Public services need to improve how they’re joining up...

Watchdogs have called for action to tackle the “gap between ambition and reality” for children with additional support needs.

Around a third of pupils in Scotland’s schools have some form of additional needs, with about 233,000 youngsters affected.

But the Accounts Commission – which scrutinises local councils – claimed these children and young people are not always receiving the help they need.

Commission member Stephen Moore said it could be “distressing and frustrating” to hear how families have to “fight” to get the support their children need to help with their education.

In a blog post published on the Accounts Commission website, he said that while all youngsters should “get the support they need, empowering them to reach their full potential and live the life they choose”, this was not “consistently being delivered in practice”.

Mr Moore said: “Schools, councils and other public bodies are required to work together to provide the right type of support for all children and their families. But this isn’t always happening as it should.”

An independent review in 2020 “found that not all pupils in Scotland are always getting the additional support they need, when they need it”, Mr Moore added, saying there were “numerous aspects of additional support” that therefore “need to be improved”.

With both the Scottish Government and councils seeking to make changes following the independent review, he said “public services need to improve how they’re joining up, across professions, to plan and provide the right support to meet individuals’ needs”.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “All children and young people should receive the support they need to reach their full potential. Local authorities are responsible for identifying and meeting the additional support needs of their pupils.

“We continue to work with partners to deliver the Additional Support for Learning action plan. An updated action plan will be published in the autumn.”