During General Question Time in the Scottish Parliament Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser asked the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Michael Russell MSP, what plans the Scottish Government have for understanding the reasons behind a rise in school children with additional support needs.
Information revealed in a PQ asked earlier by Murdo Fraser had shown a massive increase in the number of children with additional support needs, in 2002 there were 28,732 children with ASN but by 2012 that number had reached 118,034.
Attached below is a transcript of the chamber exchange:
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to understand and deal with the increase in the number of schoolchildren with additional support needs. (S4O-02126)
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell): The reason for the increase in the number of pupils with additional support needs in Scotland is well understood. Prior to 2010, only pupils who had co-ordinated support plans or individual education programmes or who were attending a special school were recorded and reported as having additional support needs. In 2010, that was extended to include anyone receiving additional support, regardless of whether that was under a formal plan. That accounts for the large increase in the number of pupils who are recorded and reported as having additional support needs since 2010.
The children and young people who were not previously recorded and reported as having additional support needs already received support. The difference is that their information was not collected as part of the annual census and it was therefore not reported.
Murdo Fraser: I note what the cabinet secretary says, but he will be aware from the statistics that even before 2010 there was a substantial year-on-year rise in the number of pupils with additional support needs. Although some of that can be put down to better recognition and diagnosis, does the cabinet secretary agree that we need some proper scientific and medical research on whether underlying societal, medical or environmental factors are driving the increases? That could include, for example, looking at the increasing number of youngsters who are identified as being on the autistic spectrum.
Michael Russell: I am glad that Murdo Fraser accepts the reason that I gave for the change in statistics. It is very important to separate out the reason for the change in those statistics and statistical reporting from the issue to which he refers, which is worthy of further discussion.
It is obvious that in some areas there was—and may still be—an increasing trend. The problem with the reporting of the issue is that the two things became conflated. If we can separate those out, I will be very willing to ensure that we take the issue further. I would be happy to make sure that Murdo Fraser, who has taken a long-term interest in the matter, meets the appropriate minister—in the first instance, Dr Alasdair Allan—so that we can begin to discuss how we might take it forward. I would be happy for that to be a wider discussion.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“This is an alarming jump that requires a full and thorough investigation and I welcome Michael Russell’s commitment to examining the cause of these increases.
“Before the figures were amalgamated there was a 2000 child increase year on year, something else is at play with these statistics.
“Teachers require greater support and better resources for dealing with children with additional support needs.
“I fully support an independent review of this issue and look forward to seeing what progress is made on identifying the root cause behind these increases and I will continue to work with Scottish Government on this issue.”