Government warned as spending on ASN pupils falls by a third
The Scottish Government is facing fresh demands to provide greater support to a “lost generation” of youngsters with additional support needs (ASN) after new figures showed real terms spending per pupil has fallen by a third in a decade.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth insisted the amount of money invested in additional support for learning reached the “highest level on record” in 2022/23, at £926million.
However, the number of pupils with a sn has almost doubled in the last 10 years, from 131,593 in 2013, or 19.5 percent of pupils, to 259,036 pupils last year, or 36.7 per cent of the entire school roll in Scotland.
It has meant that real terms spending per pupil has fallen from £5,698 in 2012/13, to £3,764 last year, a drop of almost 34 per cent. There are a range of local differences as well, however, with North Lanarkshire spending as much as £7,087 per pupil, compared to £2,369 in the Scottish Borders.
The figures have been revealed by Ms Gilruth in response to a parliamentary question from Conservative ms p miles briggs.
They were highlighted by the the Scottish Children’ s Services Coalition(sc sc ), which is an alliance of charities, schools and care providers.
A spokesperson for the SCSC said: “It is devastating 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.
“We are facing a lost generation of children with ASN, and it is vital that they get the care and support they need, when they need it, especially given the impact soft he covid-19 and cost of-living crisis .”
He added: “The Scottish Government and local authorities must work together to provide adequately resourced support across Scotland for those children and young people with ASN, representing some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.”
The SCSC previously highlighted how between 2013 and 2023 the number of ASN teachers dropped from 3,290 to 2,898, a decrease of 392.
However, statistics also show the number of pupil support assistants has been rising in recent years from 13,803 in 2018, to 17,330 last year.
As part of an ongoing inquiry by Holyrood’s education committee, local authorities have warned of the “increasingly challenging” balancing act they face trying to support a soaring number of ASN pupils, including a rise in those with more complex needs, amid an “extreme” squeeze on spending.
Edinburgh city council said 43 per cent of primary pupils and 50 per cent of secondary pupils in the area are now recorded as having an ASN.
It previously said the additionalneeds predominantly fall into three categories, the first being pupils who have English as an additional language, the second those with moderate learning difficulties, and the third being social and emotional behaviour al needs.
Rising numbers across Scotland have been put down to better identification and recording, as well as worsening poverty and poor mental health, including in the wake of the cost of-living crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.