The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, is calling for greater resourcing as the number of pupils identified with additional support needs (ASN) in Scotland reaches a record high of just under 300,000.
The figures were released today (Tuesday 9th December) in the Scottish Government’s annual census of pupils and teachers in publicly funded schools. Concerns have also been raised about a decline in the number of special schools and higher exclusion rates for those with ASN.
The figures show that the number of pupils with ASN, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems in 2025 has reached a record high of 299,445.* This represents 43.0% of the pupil population. It amounts to a more than doubling (95.5%) in numbers over the past decade, from 153,143 pupils in 2015 (22.5% of the pupil population).
Amounting to more than two out of five of the pupil population, this growing demand is set against a backdrop of an ongoing lack of support for those with ASN, including inadequate numbers of teachers, specialist ASN teachers and support staff.
The current situation is unsustainable, and the SCSC is calling for increased resourcing from the Scottish Government and councils to address this growing demand, which is driving surging levels of classroom disruption and violence.
This includes increases in the numbers of teachers/specialist teachers, pupil support assistants, mental health professionals and educational psychologists. Better training is vital for those working in the sector and more dedicated facilities to address an increased level of need.
The SCSC is also urging councils and the Scottish Government to fundamentally rethink how additional support for learning is planned and provided as a core part of Scotland’s school education. This includes reviewing how mainstream and special education are provided to meet current and future additional support needs and demands.
The rise in the number of those with ASN comes amid a slump in the number of special schools, which caters to the needs with complex or specific needs, and have fallen from 114 in 2020 to 107 this year.**
Additionally, statistics published on school exclusion rates indicate that per 1,000 pupils, the exclusion rate for pupils with an ASN was 28.9 in 2024/25, almost five times the rate for pupils without an ASN (5.8), a gap of 23.1.
A spokesperson for the SCSC said:
“While more children and young people are being identified as having ASN, now at a record high, this is against the increasingly challenging backdrop of insufficient numbers of teachers, including specialist teachers, support staff, and the resources needed to support them.
“The current situation is unsustainable and is not only letting down thousands of children and young people, but also their fellow pupils, teachers and support staff. Increased resourcing to enable all pupils to reach their full potential is critical, especially post-COVID-19, when the number of pupils with ASN significantly increased and has since been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.
“A decline in the number of special schools is also worrying, putting increased pressure on the mainstream sector, with many of those with ASN more suited to a special school environment.
“With those with ASN drawn disproportionately from poorer neighbourhoods and exhibiting higher exclusion rates, if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap, these children and young people must get the care and support they need when they need it.”
*Scottish Government, Pupil census supplementary statistics 2025, table 1.5 ** Table 1.1
ENDS
Notes to Editors
About the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) is an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, as well as support to their families or carers.
It seeks to improve the lives of these children and young people, and its vision is to make Scotland the best place in the world for them to grow up in.
The SCSC aims to achieve this through campaigning to improve support for these vulnerable individuals. This seeks to ensure that a wide range of high-quality, well-resourced and easily accessible services is provided. Tailored to individual needs, this will help them to achieve their full potential.
Members of the SCSC are:
Further information about the SCSC can be found here.
