Exclusive:SNP ministers 'putting classroom staff at risk' by failing to fund ASN
GMB Scotland said funding from the Scottish Government was not ‘close to being enough’
Ministers are putting classroom staff at risk by failing to fund additional needs provision in Scotland’s schools properly, union leaders have warned.
GMB Scotland said pupil support assistants (PSAs) are being hurt every day by children struggling to regulate their behaviour.
It comes amid calls for an investigation into the massive increase in pupils with additional support needs (ASN). The number of youngsters recorded as receiving additional support for learning (ASL) has soared from fewer than 33,000 in 2004 to more than 284,000, representing more than 40 per cent of the school population in Scotland.
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in the public sector, said the £29 million extra promised by the Scottish Government for ASL provision this year is inadequate amid surging demand for classroom support.
He said: “The extra money this year amounts to £102 for every ASL pupil and that is not enough, or close to being enough. The inclusion of more ASL pupils in mainstream classes demands more resource and more support offered by more classroom assistants.
“Anything less will fail the pupils, teachers and, crucially, the support staff most directly involved in supporting pupils with additional needs.
“These are children who may struggle to control their behaviour and our members in classroom support are often closest when that control is lost.”
There were 4,475 violent or threatening incidents across all Edinburgh Council schools in 2024, up 7 per cent from 3,802 the year before.
Across Scotland, the figures obtained by GMB under Freedom of Information revealed a 20 per cent rise in incidents, with some local authorities recording twice as many incidents than 2023.
Mr Greenaway said making Scotland’s schools safe again must be a priority issue in the upcoming Holyrood election.
He said: “Even with partial and inconsistent figures from some councils, the crisis is clear but the scale of it remains far, far greater than these statistics suggest.
“Our members do not believe the authorities are even measuring the scale of this emergency never mind addressing it.
“Making our schools safe again must be front and centre in every election manifesto. The voice of our members must be heard and heeded.”
READ MORE: Number of pupils in Scotland with additional needs likely to rise, says SNP education chief
He added: “Our members are being hurt and abused on a scale that would be absolutely unacceptable in any workplace. Any workplace, apparently, but our classrooms.
“Many support staff no long get ready for work but ready for trouble. Their hair is tied up to stop it being pulled and they are wearing long-sleeved, protective vests beneath their clothes to protect them from scratches and bites.
“That is the daily reality for many of our members whose fears have been ignored for years while the authorities wring their hands but do little more.”
Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservative education spokesman, said: “The enormous rise in pupils with additional support needs has put schools under intolerable strain, and it is unacceptable that it should also now be putting classroom staff at risk.
“In addition to the physical risks they face, teachers and support staff have been subject to added pressure and workloads without being given adequate training and support.
“The Scottish Conservatives will go into the election arguing for the hiring of an additional 1,000 classroom assistants. And we have already secured a review of the delivery of how mainstreaming is implemented. SNP ministers now need to stop dithering and undertake a comprehensive review of the current approach to ASN.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.