Includem has always championed the rights of children and young people to be a part of society and to have access to as many opportunities as possible to help them reach their full potential.
This is particularly true for education, which plays a pivotal role in the emotional and social development of children and young people, and can, quite literally, change lives.
The children and young people we support are over-represented in statistics about non-engagement, the poverty-related attainment gap, and youth unemployment, demonstrating the need for their voices and experiences to be amplified to affect change to systems that should work for them.
This year, as part of our Transforming Lives Whole Family Support campaign, we wanted to explore in more detail the challenges that children and young people who require Additional Support for Learning (ASL) are facing in Scotland today and to share their experiences and campaign for change.
The lack of adequate ASL provision in mainstream schools has been widely reported on, and the primary aim of our briefings is to capture the impact this is having on children, young people, and families, includem supports.
“You couldn’t pay me to be a teacher right now.” (includem worker)
Our latest briefing on ASL provision is based on discussions with includem teams from across the country.
Every day, they support children and young people to better understand their needs and emotions, communicate them to the adults in their lives, and make use of the support available to them. At the same time, they support parents and carers to navigate the complex systems that govern assessments, allocations, and provision of support, and help them to advocate for themselves and the child or young person they care for.
The resourcing gaps in Scotland’s education system are undisputed. In recent years, the Scottish Government has repeatedly made commitments to reduce teachers’ maximum class contact time and to recruit more teachers. Neither of these commitments have been met to date. Instead, teachers are expected to support increasingly large classes and complex needs.
“We’re seeing needs in classrooms now that would have required specialist placements five years ago.” (includem worker)
“There should be six support workers; there is only one.” (includem worker)
Children and young people who require specialist support may be placed in mainstream education without adequate support, resulting in a lack of learning and some cases, a reduction in engagement to the point of complete school avoidance.
“What has my kid been doing for four years?” (parent)
The demand being placed on teachers reduces the school’s capacity to engage with children in a trauma-informed way.
“Trauma-informed practice just isn’t there.” (includem)
For parents and carers, navigating the complex systems and trying to support the child or young person in their care places incredible strain on them and often leaves them feeling helpless and frustrated. Without support from organisations like includem, some parents and carers feel unable to challenge education authorities.
“If the education department and schools would listen to parents and their concerns that would make a huge difference.” (grandparent)
Those who suffer the most are the children and young people who internalise feelings of being unwanted or whose needs are too complex to manage.
“The child didn’t eat for two weeks.” (includem worker)
Throughout our engagement, we heard about the need for increased investment in ASL in mainstream education and the expansion of alternative provision for children and young people whose strengths and skills are currently not being nurtured by the education system. The children and young people we work with have experienced trauma, live with undiagnosed neurodiversity or mental health conditions, and are crying out for compassion and support from a system that is desperately in need of diversification.
The full briefing, including our recommendations, can be found here.
In the next couple of weeks, we will be publishing a second briefing, delving into the experiences of children and young people have of part-time timetables and flexible learning. To keep up to date with our policy and public affairs work, follow us on LinkedIn and BlueSky.
