How are the SNP supporting children with additional support needs in school?

We want all children and young people to get the most out of the learning opportunities available to them, which means ensuring every young person is given an equal chance to fulfil their potential.

The Scottish Government introduced legislation to provide a legal framework for the provision of additional support for learning. The legislation has been amended by the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act (2009) to extend a range of rights to children aged 12-15. You can read more about the Act here.

The amendments to the Act mean children and young people in Scotland will have more rights than their peers across Europe when it comes to accessing the support they need. Children can now, ask for their additional support needs to be identified and planned for, receive advice and information about their additional support needs, be part of discussions about the support that they will receive and access dispute resolution procedures to resolve concerns.

These rights, previously only available to parents, carers and over 16s, will be balanced by safeguards and supported by a new service which will help children access advice to enable them to become fully involved in decisions about their education.