Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Review of Additional Support for Learning and Implementation of Mainstreaming

Miles Briggs S6M-17524 That the Parliament notes the Audit Scotland report calling for a fundamental review of planning and resourcing of additional support for learning in Scotland; recognises concerns over declining numbers of additional support workers and classroom assistants; highlights the need to understand the rise in pupils with additional support needs to better target resources and training; calls on the Scottish Government and local authorities to deliver a new model of support alongside the NHS Education for Scotland trauma-informed practice training on neurodivergence and autism; expresses concern over changes to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism diagnosis pathways removing children from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) support without suitable alternatives, and calls on the Scottish Ministers to undertake a national review into the implementation of mainstreaming policy and the availability of specialist additional school places across local authorities. Maree Todd S6M-17524.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-17524 in the name of Miles Briggs (Review of Additional Support for Learning and Implementation of Mainstreaming), insert at end “; agrees that all children and young people should receive the help that they need to thrive, and thanks Scotland’s hard-working teachers, support staff and the wider education workforce for all that they do every day to support pupils.” Pam Duncan-Glancy S6M-17524.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-17524 in the name of Miles Briggs (Review of Additional Support for Learning and Implementation of Mainstreaming), insert at end "; notes that the Scottish Parliament's Education, Children and Young People Committee found that the 'overwhelming view' of evidence was that 'the principle of the presumption of mainstreaming is laudable and should be supported' but that the gap between the policy intention and its implementation is 'intolerable' and must be addressed; believes that parents and carers of young people with additional support needs (ASN) should not have to fight for everything that their child needs; regrets that, years on from the Morgan Review, there has not been enough progress; believes that teacher workload and the lack of availability of other support services and staff that young people with ASN need have contributed to a system that is overstretched, and calls on the Scottish Ministers to urgently bring forward a comprehensive strategy to increase the ASN and pastoral care workforce, restore access to vital support services, and create a specific ASN parents forum to feed directly into policy."