Niamh, a four-year-old girl from Glasgow, faces significant challenges as she remains at home with her mother, Samantha, instead of starting primary school. Niamh has autism and is non-verbal. Her healthcare professionals counsel her against her attending a regular public school because a regular public school cannot accommodate her needs. Shockingly, despite all this, Glasgow City Council was against her opening a specialist school and denied her an application.
Niamh should have started her primary education two weeks ago. But Samantha hasn’t pied to change her mind about that — she thinks the adjustment into mainstream schooling would be too daunting an undertaking for her daughter.
“She would not cope at all. 100%, she wouldn’t cope.” – Samantha
The early years and schools council had also proposed that Niamh should be able to delay her school start and stay in nursery for an extra 12 months. This latter option has not given the family the comfort they expected. The local authority initially maintained that specialist support for Niamh was not needed, but has now conceded this point. They’ve now told the family that currently, there are no openings in those schools.
In November of last year, Samantha sent letters to the council from Niamh’s paediatrician and other healthcare professionals, articulating the need for specialized education. The combined responses from the council have failed to assuage their original fears.
Council noted the need to relieve the pressure families feel as they go through the often stressful process of trying to find suitable educational placements. A spokeswoman stated, “We know that the ASN tribunal appeals can cause anxiety for parents and their children as the legal process progresses.”
That’s the reality reflected in the plight of families like Felicity’s all over Scotland. Like Niamh, hundreds of children with additional support needs are unable to get the special education they need. Today, over 284,000 children in Scotland enjoy the benefits of additional support for learning (ASL). That’s approximately 4 in 10 of all the school youngsters.
As pressure continues to grow, many specialists note that the need for special education has increased dramatically. Andrew Fyffe, an advocate for children with additional support needs, noted, “The numbers have definitely increased. Local authorities are under significant pressure to accommodate children with ASN.”
Fyffe further highlighted that autism is a key area of unmet needs across the education landscape. “What we are seeing is that autism especially is the greatest unmet need in the education system at the moment,” he stated. Furthermore, he pointed out that there has been a marked increase in families reporting a diagnosis of autism or autistic traits.
The Scottish Government is careful to recognize these challenges. They have committed to invest an additional £29 million this year to develop the ASN workforce. This funding is part of a record expenditure exceeding £1 billion allocated by local authorities toward ASN in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Niamh’s case underscores the urgent need for accessible and appropriate educational resources for all children, particularly those with autism and additional support needs. As the government and local authorities grapple with rising demand, families like Niamh’s continue to face uncertainty about their children’s futures.
