“It is a constant battle, every day.” These were the words of one of the parents who responded to the Education, Children and Young People’s call for views on additional support for learning services in Scotland.
It has been just over 20 years since the Scottish Parliament passed the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, which aimed to redefine the provision of education for children with an Additional Support Need (ASN) around a presumption that they receive a mainstream education.
We wanted to understand what parents, teachers, support staff, carers, pupils, and organisations made of the support available to children today.
That we received more than 600 responses is indicative that people had much to tell us. This should come as little surprise, with more than a third of all pupils in Scotland having an ASN. But we were extremely concerned to hear about the scale of the negative experiences that Scotland’s ASN community had faced.
The Scottish Government has a policy, Getting It Right for Every Child, which is intended to provide all children, young people, and their families with the right support at the right time in order that every child and young person in Scotland can reach their full potential.
Sadly, this does not appear to be the case for many children with an ASN, with parents and carers telling us that they were “fighting” for the right resources to be put in place for their children.
Our cross-party committee commended the support teachers and support staff gave to pupils with an ASN, but we were worried to hear of the pressures they faced, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and "burnt out".
We also found that there is a gap between the intention of the mainstreaming policy and its implementation. We heard that barriers exist when identifying needs, diagnosis and what support should be given, creating an intolerable situation for everyone involved.
So, what can be done to get it right for children with an ASN?
We want to see updates to the Code of Practice on how support should be provided to pupils with an ASN regardless of whether they have a formal diagnosis.
Many parents and carers shared their frustration around the process for requesting placements in specialist services and our report calls on the Scottish Government to review how the current regime is working in practice.
We shared concerns about the school environment, which we believe must be designed so that every school is an accessible and welcoming environment for everyone.
The report also makes several recommendations for the Scottish Government to work across departments and public bodies to improve the clarity and consistency of the public sector’s support for pupils with an ASN.
The Government has responded positively to our recommendations and has already committed to a review of pupils masking the extent of their neurodivergence at school and the development of a plan to make sure schools are as accessible as possible for pupils with sensory needs.
This afternoon our Committee will lead the Scottish Parliament in a debate on this report. It will be a valuable opportunity to raise this issue again, but it is vital that the Government quickly acts and makes good on its initial responses.
The community of pupils, parents, and teaching staff with experience of ASN should not need to fight for longer and get the services they need and deserve.
Sue Webber MSP is the Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee
Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk
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