Concern at reduction in number of ASN teachers

Education: SCSC claims vulnerable young people face being left isolated

A drop in the number of dedicated teachers for Courier Country children with additional support needs could lead to some youngsters becoming isolated, it has been claimed.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition ( SCSC), a banding of organisations dealing with those with learning difficulties and complex needs, said a 13% nationwide reduction in the number of additional support for learning teachers since 2010 was “deeply worrying”.

The Scottish Government has hit back saying the figures only represent the number of teachers in Scotland’s schools who have additional support for learning as their main subject and that children receive support from “a wide range of teaching staff across a range of subjects”.

Those with assisted special needs include young people with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, dyslexia and those with care experience.

The number of the specialist teachers in Fife dropped from 236 to 173, and in Angus from 97 to 79.

In Dundee, there was a reduction from 159 to 138, the same number as Edinburgh, with Perth and Kinross recording the only Courier Country increase, 73 to 90.

Fife Council’s head of education Shelagh McLean said she disputed the report’s findings.

She said: “We don’t recognise these statistics and have concerns about some of the content of this report.

“We provide a high level of staffing resource to our schools, with these staff working alongside classroom teachers to support effectively those children and young people who have additional support needs.”

Councillor Stewart Hunter, Dundee City Council convener of education, said: “There has been no reduction of additional support need teachers in our enhanced support services or in Kingspark School. We have increased the number of teachers in these areas.

“Dundee City Council believes that all classroom teachers have a responsibility to provide support for all pupils including those young people with a wide range of additional support needs.”

A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross Council said: “The number of pupil support teachers in Perth and Kinross reflects the varying additional support needs of children and young people, which are identified within each of our schools across the local authority.”

An SCSC spokesperson said: “Cutting numbers of these specialist staff will only serve to isolate more young people and their families.

“By reducing the number of these teachers we are preventing many of these vulnerable young people chance of achieving a positive school-leaver destination, such as further education or employment, meaning that they are not achieving their full potential.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “These figures quoted highlighted only represent the number of teachers in Scotland’s schools who have additional support for learning as their main subject.

“In 2014, 95% of children and young people with additional support needs are recorded as learning within a mainstream school and receive support from a wide range of teaching staff across a range of subjects.”