The Scottish Parliament Education, Children and Young People Committee has reported its alarm at the gap between the ambitions and implementation of a policy that aspires for children and young people with additional support needs (ASN) to be taught in mainstream education.
Commenting on the report, Helen Forrest, Chief Executive of Children’s Health Scotland said: “Every child has the right to an education as detailed in Article 28 of the UNCRC, so it’s shameful that the needs and rights of children and young people with additional support needs are clearly not being met in relation to this right. According to the latest Scottish Government figures 259,036 children have additional support needs in schools, equating to 37% of all pupils, and we are failing miserably at supporting their needs. What’s also evident is that things need to change right now to support our children with additional support needs in mainstream education, so they leave with a positive experience of school education and hope for their future.”
The Scottish Parliament Education, Children and Young People Committee unanimously agreed that the policy behind mainstreaming is the best route forward but found a significant gap between the ambitions and implementation of the policy. It described the situation as “intolerable” and makes several recommendations including reviewing placing requests, undertaking research on the prevalence and impact of masking, and urgently addressing gaps in specialist provision.
Speaking to the North Edinburgh News, as the report was published, Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, said: “The situation faced by children and young people with additional support needs is intolerable. During our inquiry, we were extremely concerned to hear about negative experiences of additional support for learning provision, the educating of children and young people in mainstream schools and the detrimental impact this has had on some pupils, their parents and carers, and teachers and support staff. Things must change. The Scottish Government and local authorities have been repeatedly warned about the consequences of failing to improve support for children with additional support needs. With a rising number of children reporting with additional support needs, a third of pupils in some areas, the Government and local authorities must not ignore the concerns and recommendations made in this report.”
To read the report CLICK HERE.
