Pupils with additional support needs (ASN) are “being failed” in Scotland, the president of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) will say next week.
There is a “crisis that exists within ASN provision”, fears Stuart Hunter, “caused by a system not built to meet [pupils’] needs”.
Mr Hunter will share these views in a wide-ranging speech to the annual SSTA congress on Friday 9 May, the transcript of which the union has shared with Tes Scotland.
“There has been an explosion in the number of young people identified with ASN,” Mr Hunter will say. “Yet instead of increased support, we are seeing ASN specialists being cut to save money. ASN staff are overwhelmed and the system is breaking.
“More and more ASN pupils are placed in mainstream classes, with limited or - worse - no support.”
Struggle of ‘already demanding curriculum’
He will add: “Teachers are now expected to deliver ASN support on top of an already demanding curriculum, preparing multiple sets of differentiated materials. As a result, ASN learners are being failed by a system not built to meet their needs.”
Also at the conference, which takes place from 9-10 May, the SSTA ASN committee will present a motion calling on local authorities’ body Cosla to “ensure that the bulk of the £28 million provided to local authorities for ASN is specifically ring-fenced for recruitment and training for new teachers and teachers already working within this specialised field”.
Mr Hunter, whose two-year term as president comes to an end with the conference next week, will also address the performance of each of the main national education bodies in Scotland.
He will describe the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) - which is due to turn into Qualifications Scotland this autumn - as “one of the largest contributors to extreme toxic workload”.
And add: “Updates tend to arrive well into the delivery of courses, requiring more time to go back and amend what has already been taught. As these are often high-stakes exams and are significantly important to the learners, all other work is put to the side.”
He will tell the SQA that “your repeated failure to listen to teachers’ concerns is significantly contributing to stress levels [and] damaging both the mental and physical health of teachers delivering your product”.
Mr Hunter will also argue that if the inspection process is intended to be supportive of schools and teachers, “then dual presentation needs to be challenged as it is a significant driver of workload and stress”.
‘Unacceptable consequences’ of pay deal
On pay, Mr Hunter is angry that, after a deal was accepted by unions in March 2023, there were “unacceptable consequences for many teachers, as delayed back pay was processed in the new tax year, penalising staff financially”.
On this matter, “some local authorities showed compassion” but “others simply shrugged, refusing to take responsibility”.
Mr Hunter will also point to “widespread exploitation of probationer teachers to plug permanent vacancies” and say it is “nothing short of abuse of the probationary system”.
He will say: “Every year, many of these early career teachers buckle under unsustainable workloads and lack of support. They either leave the profession entirely or face slim chances of securing permanent contracts - only to see the next wave of probationers pushed into the same exploitative loop.”
He will also address the saga of the still undelivered Scottish government promise of an extra 90 minutes of weekly non-contact time for teachers, but directs his ire at local authorities - on this policy, “the horror from Cosla is palpable”.
And Mr Hunter will criticise the “laughably inconsistent” approach to terms and conditions across Scotland’s 32 local authorities, resulting in “inequity” around issues such as maternity and miscarriage leave and the pay and caseloads of guidance teachers.
A motion to next week’s conference highlights concerns over “a lack of consistency of approach across local authorities in the provisions for family leave”. It will demand more consistency, including “two weeks’ paid leave for both parents affected by a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy”.
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