(SCOTLAND) 43% of students now have special needs; change in recording methods/greater awareness
- The end of childhood
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
Dec 9, 2025, BBC News: Pupils needing additional support hits new high of 43%
A record proportion of pupils in Scottish schools - nearly 300,000 in total - are now classed as having an additional support need (ASN).
Latest annual figures reveal that 43% of students are categorised as ASN, up 2.5 percentage points from last year, continuing an upward trend that began in 2009.
Other figures reveal a small decrease in school absences and, for the first time in three years, there has been a rise in teacher numbers.
Education secretary Jenny Gilruth said it was encouraging to see better attendance levels and that both literacy and numeracy were improving.
Teachers' leaders have previously said that schools were being overwhelmed by an "explosion" in children with additional support needs, including dyslexia and ADHD.
Since 2004, when a new law marked a shift towards keeping children in mainstream schools, there has been an eight-fold increase in pupils recorded as requiring extra support.
Why are pupils needing extra support?
The latest annual figures show the total number of children in Scotland with ASN now stands at 299,445.
Officials caution that a change in recording methods over the years and greater awareness of pupils' needs may have amplified the figures.
The most common single reason listed was "social, emotional or behavioural difficulty".
More than 77,400 children fell into this category with boys representing about two thirds of the total.
Various forms of learning difficulty or disability including dyslexia accounted for about 112,000 of the overall figure.
Autistic spectrum disorder affected more than 41,000 pupils while nearly 32,000 children were experiencing "family issues".
Having English as a second language was also a major listing, affecting more than 61,000 children. Some children with ASN will be listed in more than one category.
Nearly a third of pupils regularly miss lessons . . .
The figures show that 28.5% of pupils missed at least the equivalent of 19 full days. This is lower than the 31.4% recorded last year, but still higher than pre-Covid levels.
The statistics also confirm that the school roll is falling sharply at primary level - down by more than 7,000 - which has helped deliver a small increase in teacher-pupil ratios and slightly smaller average class sizes.
On average a primary school class now has 23.1 pupils, down from 23.3.
At secondary level, pupil numbers continue to climb - up by 431. Class size data is not collected as it varies across lessons.
The government published a significant number of statistics on Tuesday morning, including data related to numeracy and literacy. . . .
The education secretary also welcomed the rise in the total number of teachers in primary and secondary, up by 63 to 53,475. . . .
Carole Campbell says the link between additional needs and attendance is complex
Dr Campbell said attendance often became an issue for children with greater support needs, but not in every case.
"ASN in its broadest sense will contribute to the risk of poor attendance – but there are many ASN children who attend school exceptionally well and enjoy the school routine," she said.
Dr Campbell said the Covid pandemic had a significant impact on school attendance because it broke the routines for children and families.
"Some children flourished in the home environment and enjoyed home learning much more," she said.
"I think there was also an impact on people's attitudes towards school, and the odd day off here and there.
"I think all of these things combine in the attendance statistics we see. The good news is that we can continue to work on this and we are having some success."
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