Just 2 per cent of teachers surveyed by a union in Scotland say that the pupils they teach who have additional support needs (ASN) always receive the support they are entitled to, with more than a third (35 per cent) saying these pupils rarely or never receive the support they need.
The number of pupils with ASN in Scottish schools is rising and their needs are becoming more complex, but funding, support and the number of places in specialist provision are all dwindling, NASUWT Scotland has found.
While 92 per cent of respondents said the number of pupils they teach with ASN has increased in the last five years and 93 per cent said the needs of pupils with ASN have become more complex, 69 per cent said that the level of support received by pupils they teach with ASN has decreased over the last five years.
In their comments, teachers described the lack of staff to support children with ASN as “a huge concern”. One said they had not had any support in their classroom “for years”; another said they lacked the training to deal with the range of needs in their school and “constantly worry” that something bad will happen to a child in their care.
The teachers talked about being “hit, bitten, kicked and spat at” and said that other children in their classes “suffer and lose out on daily learning opportunities” because of the time dedicated to the children with high needs in their class.
One teacher described the presumption of mainstream as “a cost-saving disaster”.
They added: “Having worked in ASN schools, I know their value in preparing pupils for a positive destination. However, the current “square peg/round hole” model is leaving pupils behind.”
Commenting on the survey findings, Matt Wrack, NASUWT acting general secretary, said the government’s continued failure to get to grips with the crisis in ASN provision would have “a far-reaching and long-lasting impact on young people’s future life chances, the Scottish economy and the recruitment and retention of teachers”.
He added: “The evidence for action and change has never been clearer.”
Mike Corbett, NASUWT national official for Scotland, said teachers were being “set up to fail by a system which is not fit for purpose”.
He called for the Scottish government and councils to work across the system “to develop a plan to rebuild and transform ASN provision”.
A total of 395 teachers from Scotland responded to the online survey, which was conducted during February and March.
However, some questions relating to workload and availability of specialist places were answered by fewer than 20 respondents.
Tes Scotland has not included the data from questions that very few responded to.
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