Politicians urged to ‘start delivering’ for pupils with additional support needs

Campaigners have challenged Scotland’s politicians to “stop talking and start delivering” for schoolchildren with special needs – as figures showed the number of pupils with mental health difficulties has increased by a “staggering” 526% over a decade.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition complained that while the number of specialist additional supports needs (ASN) teachers had dropped, the number of youngsters in the classroom requiring extra help had almost doubled.

The number of pupils in this group has risen from 153,143 to 299,445 between 2015 and 2025 it said with more than two fifths (43%) of all pupils now having some requirement for additional help.

The SCSC said its analysis of Scottish Government figures showed that in 2025 there were 14,638 school pupils with some form of mental health problem, up from 2,338 in 2015.

Over the same period the number of youngsters with autism has gone from 11,722 to 41,285 – an increase of 252%.

There has also been a 144% increase over the 10 years in pupils with a social, emotional or behavioural difficulty – with this rising from 31,684 to 77,405.

Meanwhile, the number of pupils classed as being young carers has gone up 523%, from 1,653 to 10,302, with the figures also showing a 296% rise in children with communication support needs, from 4,894 to 19,374.

It comes at the same time as the number of specialist ASN teachers in Scotland has fallen from 3,038 in 2015 to 2,864 in 2025 – with the number of educational psychologists having “barely shifted” from 370 to 396.

The SCSC, which brings together providers of specialist care and education for vulnerable children and young people, has now warned support “simply isn’t keeping pace” with the rising demand.

A spokesperson said: “Scotland’s politicians must stop talking and start delivering. The scale of this increase in need is staggering — but the support simply isn’t keeping pace.

“Too many children with ASN are being left without the help they are entitled to. That is failing them, their classmates, their teachers and support staff.”

The organisation stressed that mainstreaming – where youngsters with ASH are taught in mainstream schools – would not be successful “without the resources to back it up”.

And the spokesperson said: “Right now, that support just isn’t there, and we are seeing the consequences in rising classroom disruption and unmet need.

“The next Scottish Government must act decisively, providing adequate support for children and young people with ASN, who disproportionately come from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.”

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Miles Briggs said: “SNP ministers have dismally failed to address the huge surge in the number of pupils with additional special needs.

“In fact, they have presided over a fall in specialist ASN teachers which has created intolerable pressures in Scotland’s classrooms.

“Teachers cannot give pupils the support they require without sufficient assistance themselves. That’s why the Scottish Conservatives have long called for an urgent review of the implementation of mainstreaming, as well as pledging at this election to recruit 1,000 additional classroom assistants.

“It’s imperative that young people and teachers alike are supported in the classroom.”

Scottish Labour education spokesperson Paul O’Kane said: “Far too often, children with additional support needs are being left to fall through the cracks, with successive SNP ministers failing to address the rise in the number of those identified with ASN.

“That is why a Scottish Labour government will take action to ensure that all young people with ASN have an education and health system that is set up to help, not exclude them.

“To address this, we will provide increased staff capacity in ASN classrooms, with 300 of our new pupil support assistants based in specialist ASN units or schools.

“And we have committed to introducing a new national pathway so that neurodivergent people can get the right support instead of being stuck on inappropriate mental health waiting lists.”

Mr O’Kane added a Labour government would “also provide better support for children and young people on CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) waiting lists”.

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie said the figures show the “staggering rise in demand for child mental health services”.

Mr Rennie said: “Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see early help from the NHS for those who are neurodivergent, more specialists in the classroom, the sharing of best practice amongst teachers and classroom assistants, and support beyond the classroom.

“We also need a curriculum that meets the needs of everyone.

“There is little point in identifying those with additional support needs if we don’t provide the essential support to allow them to get a good education. That must change.”

Clare Haughey, SNP candidate for Rutherglen and Cambuslang, said while a “larger number of people than ever before require mental health support”, the SNP had ensured a “record number of staff employed to do just that with our mental health budget set to exceed £1.5 billion this year”.

Ms Haughey said that CAMHS waiting times targets had been met for more than a year, saying SNP ministers were also “ensuring funding for counselling services throughout schools across Scotland”.

She continued: “We have also committed to investing over £57 million in additional support for learning in the Scottish budget because we are clear that all children and young people should receive the support that they need to reach their full potential.

“Of course, there is work to be done, but John Swinney has a plan for our NHS – including our young people’s mental health – and our plan is working.”