Mum slams North Lanarkshire Council over 'unacceptable' ASN system

A mum from North Lanarkshire has branded the council’s assessment system for children with additional support needs as “unacceptable”.

Jill O’Hara wants to see her daughter Ruby attend a specialist additional support needs (ASN) high school due to her complex learning difficulties.

However, the local authority’s review system has assessed her as suitable for mainstream high school.

Ruby, 11, has autism and has been assessed by an educational psychologist has having a developmental delay.

Her mum says mainstream high school would leave her “isolated and vulnerable” as she would have to spend her day in a base with all other ASN pupils and two ASN teachers.

Jill told STV News: “There is so little staff, and so many kids can’t access a full timetable, so they don’t get to access school as it’s supposed to be.

Jill O'Hara wants her daughter to be placed in an ASN school — Jill O’Hara wants her daughter to be placed in an ASN school STV News

“I worry she could just walk out the doors at any time. What’s to stop that from happening? It’s a busy road outside, she could get knocked down by a car, she could try and walk home – she’s got no sense of direction. She would just get completely lost.”

She added: “Ruby’s school day looks like she’s going to be sat in a room with children from S1 all the way to S6, which I feel at her age and being in a vulnerable position is quite inappropriate and unacceptable.”

Under the North Lanarkshire Council assessment system, a child is scored out of ten for a series of criteria to determine if they should be placed in an ASN school.

However, the current pathway section (whether a child is currently in a mainstream or ASN school) is marked out of 40. As Ruby is in a mainstream primary school, she scored zero in this category.

Overall, she scored 26 points but would need 60 points to be deemed eligible for an ASN placement.

Jill wants her to be placed in the same ASN school as her older brother and says there are still places available.

However, due to the scoring system, the council maintains that she will attend a mainstream high school.

“I actually got upset in the meeting,” said Jill. “Because the way the scoring system is designed, any child with additional support needs in the mainstream just cannot get enough points to move into an ASN provision.”

Across Scotland, there is a so-called “presumption of mainstream schooling” for pupils with ASN to be educated alongside their peers with the right support.

However, the latest annual teacher census figures show that the number of additional support needs teachers fell to a record low of 2,837 in 2024 – down from 3,077 in 2014.

At the same time, the number of pupils with additional support needs has soared to a record high of 40.5% – that’s over double the amount ten years ago, increasing by 102.4% over the last decade.

The figures mean there are now an average of 100 pupils with ASN for every ASN teacher.

Concerns about a lack of ASN resources have been highlighted by the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition.

Lynn Black, CEO of Love It Care, is a member of the coalition.

She told STV News: “We support young people with additional support needs in the community. And what we’re seeing is that families are quite simply at their wit’s end with no one to turn to.

Lynn Black, Scottish Children’s Services Coalition STV News

“They’re often trying to maintain an education placement that can’t be managed by the young person so that young person ends up not being educated.”

She added: “The coalition believes that mainstreaming in theory is a good process, however in order for mainstreaming to work for young people there needs to be a level of support within the classroom setting. Because of cuts to the number of additional support needs workers within the classroom, that support is not there.”

The Scottish Government has acknowledged the rising challenges associated with the provision of ASNs.

It said it is delivering a package of £28m to employ more specialist staff and teachers to support ASN in schools and £1m to help recruit and train more ASN teachers.

A spokesperson said: “Legislation covering Additional Support for Learning (ASL) in Scotland places duties on local authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the needs of pupils for whom they are responsible.

“All children and young people should receive support to reach their full potential and should not face barriers to their learning.

“All teachers undertake Additional Support Needs (ASN) training during Initial Teacher Education, which is a requirement to meet the Professional Standards for registration with the General Teaching Council of Scotland.

“In addition, teachers have access to an Inclusion Wellbeing and Equalities Professional Learning Framework via Education Scotland.”

A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “In Scotland, there is a general approach that children and young people with additional support needs should, where possible, go to a local mainstream school alongside their peers.

“Each year, schools in North Lanarkshire can take part in the Transition Pathway Review (TPR). This process allows professionals to carefully assess the needs of children and young people at key transition stages. It helps decide if they should stay in their current school or if other support options should be considered.

“The review takes into account reports from the child’s current school, as well as the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach. The child’s and family’s views are also an important part of the process.

“The review is thorough, with a panel of experts—including Head Teachers, Educational Psychologists, and Speech and Language Therapists—carefully discussing each case. Parents’ and children’s views are always considered, and every effort is made to find the best possible support.

“After the review, parents are encouraged to keep working with their child’s current school. The Head Teacher will arrange a Team Around the Child meeting with different professionals to ensure the right support is in place and to plan for a smooth transition if needed. Schools have access to a range of staff, resources, and strategies to help children stay in mainstream education.

“Parents still have the right to request a placement at a different school if they choose to do so at the right time.”