The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) is an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people. It has raised concerns over massive increases in conditions contributing to additional support needs (ASN). Noting that support is at breaking point, it has urged the public to put the political parties on the spot as to how they are going to address Scotland’s ASN crisis in the run up to the Scottish Parliamentary election next year.
Between 2015 and 2025
The number of pupils with:
- Mental health problems have risen by 526 %.
- Communication support needs have risen by 296%.
- Autistic spectrum disorder has risen by 252%.
- Interrupted learning has risen by 497%.
The figures, based on an analysis of the latest annual Scottish Government pupil census,1 indicate that between 2015 and 2025 the number of pupils identified with a mental health problem, for which additional support is required, has increased by 526%, those with communication support needs has risen by 296%, those with dyslexia by 129 per cent, autistic spectrum disorder has increased by 252%, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties by 144%, those with a physical health problems by 142%, interrupted learning by 497 per cent and those who are looked after by 42% (see table at end of the press release for full details).
This is against the background of a near doubling (95.5%) between 2015 and 2025 in the overall number of pupils identified with ASN, from 153,143 to 299,445 – representing 43.0% of all pupils.
Causes, the level of need and sparse resources
The increase is in part due to better identification and diagnosis of these conditions, as well as the impacts of Covid-19, social media and the cost-of-living crisis.
While the level of need has increased dramatically, the level of support has not matched this, with cuts in the numbers of specialist ASN teachers and support staff.
The SCSC has repeated its call for greater resourcing by councils and the Scottish Government to support those with ASN, who disproportionately come from lower-income families and areas of deprivation.
Concerns about mainstreaming
The coalition also raised concerns about the effectiveness of mainstreaming without the necessary classroom support; that all pupils be educated in a mainstream educational environment unless specific exceptional circumstances apply.
This lack of support for those with ASN, is also seen as a key cause of increased classroom violence and disruption, with a resultant impact on fellow pupils and staff.
A spokesperson for the SCSC said:
“Given an escalating number of children and young people with ASN, it is vital that those requiring it get the care and support that they need. This is clearly difficult in an environment of austerity and budget cuts, highlighted by reductions in, for example, the number of ASN teachers.
“While we also support the presumption of mainstreaming, that all children and young people be educated in a mainstream educational environment unless specific exceptional circumstances apply, it is clearly difficult to see how this is functioning properly for all those with ASN given a fall in specialist support and dramatic increases in the number of those identified with conditions such as mental health problems and autism.
“The current system of provision is at breaking point, and we are witnessing increasing levels of classroom disruption, a key cause of this being the increase in the number of those with ASN, who are not receiving the support they are entitled to.
“The Scottish Government and councils need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.
“We would urge the public to put the political parties on the spot as we approach the Scottish Parliament election next year and understand how they are going to address Scotland’s ASN crisis.”
Reason for pupils needing support
Reasons for support for pupils with ASN. Pupils may have more than one reason for additional support.
| Reason for support | 2025 | 2015 | % change on 2015 |
| Total | Total | ||
| Number of those with ASN | 299,445 | 153,143 | 95.5 |
| Dyslexia | 39,036 | 17,034 | +129 |
| Other specific learning difficulty (e.g. numeric) | 30,720 | 17,552 | +75 |
| Other moderate learning difficulty | 30,484 | 23,228 | +31 |
| Visual impairment | 5,739 | 3,839 | +49.5 |
| Hearing impairment | 4,376 | 2,736 | +60 |
| Deafblind | 64 | 47 | +36 |
| Physical or motor impairment | 8,618 | 7,528 | +14.5 |
| Language or speech disorder | 20,758 | 14,704 | +41 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 41,285 | 11,722 | +252 |
| Social, emotional and behavioural difficulty | 77,405 | 31,684 | +144 |
| Physical health problem | 21,961 | 9,059 | +142 |
| Mental health problem | 14,638 | 2,338 | +526 |
| Interrupted learning | 15,931 | 2,669 | +497 |
| English as an additional language | 61,107 | 21,997 | +178 |
| Looked after | 10,673 | 7,530 | +42 |
| More able pupil | 3,075 | 3,123 | -1.5 |
| Communication Support Needs | 19,374 | 4,894 | +296 |
| Young Carer | 10,302 | 1,653 | +623 |
| Bereavement | 7,261 | 1,304 | +523 |
| Substance Misuse | 762 | 221 | +245 |
| Family Issues | 31,885 | 9,700 | +229 |
| Risk of Exclusion | 2,610 | 925 | +182 |
| Learning disability | 12,241 | 15,324 | -20 |
| Other | 25,406 | 14,156 | +79.5 |
Source: Scottish Government, Pupil Census supplementary statistics 2025.
This article is based on a press release. For further information, please contact Alex Orr, Policy Adviser to the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, on 0131 603 8996.
More on health:
