Councils are being urged to hire more specialist teachers as the number of visually impaired young people soars and fears grow of a sight-related attainment gap in schools.

It comes ahead of next month’s local authority elections and follows concern over falling investment in education for those with additional support needs (ASN).

The latest Scottish Government census figures show there were 4,930 pupils recorded as having a vision impairment in 2021. This is up from 2,593 in 2011. However, in their council election manifesto, senior figures at Sight Scotland, which runs the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh, warn there has been a reduction in teachers able to provide assistance such as braille tuition.

Craig Spalding, the charity’s chief executive, said: “It’s vital that specialist teaching, including more qualified teachers of children and young people with vision impairment, is made available to all blind and partially sighted children and young people in Scotland.”

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Worries about levels of funding for pupils with additional needs have been increasing for years.

Figures referenced by the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition in a submission to MSPs towards the end of 2021 confirm the number of full-time equivalent ASN teachers in publicly funded schools fell 15.6 per cent from 3,389 to 2,860 between 2012 and 2020. Spend per pupil in this area slumped by nearly a quarter.

The decreases came despite a 92.2 per cent jump in learners identified as having additional needs, with the figure standing at 226,838.

Sight Scotland said enhanced provision for visually impaired pupils would be crucial. Its manifesto states: “Scottish Government figures show a decrease in the number of blind and partially sighted pupils who progress to further education or employment.

"We are calling for an increase in the number of Qualified Teachers of Children and Young People with Visual Impairment across all local authorities and for guaranteed hours with a QTVI.”

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Among those receiving dedicated support is Samantha Gough, 18, from Lasswade in Midlothian, who has been sight impaired from birth due to a condition that means her brain’s visual pathways do not work. For the last year, Ms Gough has had a flexible placement at the Royal Blind School, with her education split between there and her mainstream school.

She said: “As my sight has deteriorated over time, I’ve had to relearn how to live. Having this flexible placement with the Royal Blind School and their specialist teaching and support has been very beneficial. I’ve been here for a year, and it’s been life-changing.”

A spokesman for COSLA, the council representative body, said it “welcomed the publication of Angela Morgan’s report on additional support for learning and continues to work closely with partners to implement the recommendations”.

He added: “This includes developing the support available to school staff and families so that they have the skills and knowledge to support all of our learners. Key to this is ensuring councils and schools have the right funding and resources.”