Exclusive:Scottish families left 'frustrated and stressed' as 1,200 bids for places in special schools are refused

Scottish families are being left “frustrated and stressed” after having close to 1,200 requests for places in special schools refused by councils in recent years.

An investigation by The Scotsman has found huge concern among parents at the shortage of spaces in special schools for the soaring number of children with complex additional support needs (ASN), as well as a lack of transparency over the way they are allocated.

Data released under freedom of information laws shows a dozen councils have rejected nearly 1,200 placing requests for these schools in the last five years, but the true figure is likely to be higher.

In West Lothian, there are 13 additional support for learning (ASL) schools and units with total capacities of 572.

The local authority revealed it had received 466 placing requests for them in the last five years, with just 102 accepted. It means only 22 per cent of bids were successful between 2019/20 and 2023/24.

North Lanarkshire Council has received 324 requests for its nine ASN schools in five years, with the number rising dramatically from 25 in 2019/20 to 110 last year.

However, just 46 of them were successful, a rate of 14.2 per cent. Only five of the 110 placing requests last year were approved.

Figures released by Glasgow City Council show it runs 20 ASL schools, not including units within mainstream schools.

There were 20 placing requests to these schools in 2021/22, before the number rocketed to 139 in 2022/23, and then up again to 186 last year.

A total of 134 of the requests last year were rejected, with 19 granted and 33 withdrawn.

Over the last three years, Glasgow has accepted 48 out of 345 requests, which is under 14 per cent.

Edinburgh City Council has 10 ASL schools with 759 places. Last year, it recorded 252 requests for places at these schools, with 111 accepted, 107 rejected, and 34 offered alternative provision.

South Lanarkshire Council has received 177 placing requests in four years for its 30 ASN sites, which have about 1,600 spaces.

Just 40 of the 177 were granted, which is below a quarter.

The increasing demand from parents comes after the number of pupils with ASN in Scotland has soared from 36,544 in 2007 to 259,036 last year.

ASN pupils now account for almost 37 per cent of the total roll, rising to 50 per cent in some areas.

The term can be used for a range of needs, including pupils who have English as an additional language, as well as others with learning difficulties, or social and emotional behavioural needs.

At the same time, the number of special ASL schools in Scotland has fallen from 190 in 2006 to 107 last year.

Seven local authority areas have no special schools at all - Angus, East Lothian, Moray, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney Islands, Scottish Borders and Shetland Islands.

School pupils (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

Many families are trying to secure places for their children in ASL schools because they do not believe they are getting adequate help in mainstream primaries and secondaries.

One parent said: “We apply for support only when we know that mainstream settings simply won’t work for our children, but from the start, we are discouraged from applying because there are no available spaces. And when decisions are made, they are by people who have never even met our children.”

Aberdeenshire Council had 10 requests for places in such facilities last year, up from zero in 2020/21. Only one of the requests was granted.

Aberdeen City Council had 23 placing bids for its two ASL schools last year, with 15 rejected.

This year, Renfrewshire Council has received 17 requests for places at its two schools, of which 11 were refused and six were withdrawn.

East Renfrewshire Council, meanwhile, has one ASN school with a roll of 151 pupils.

Last year it had 15 placing requests, up from three in 2019/20. No requests have been approved by the council in the last five years.

Perth and Kinross Council said it rejected three such requests last year, while approving three.

A spokesperson for ASN campaign group Empower:ED Scotland said: “Across our community, parents of children with additional support needs are speaking out about a system that is supposed to protect their children’s right to a fair and supportive education but instead places numerous barriers in their way.

“Despite protections under legislation such as the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), children with complex needs are being overlooked and families are being left frustrated, stressed, and without options.”

It said the application process appears to be “designed to delay and deflect”, with families left “in limbo for months”.

“Parents report that these decisions come from committees that do not keep minutes of their meetings, have no structured appeals process, and allow only for vague ‘look again’ requests without any opportunity to submit new wellbeing reports or evidence,” the group said.

MSPs on Holyrood’s education committee produced a report earlier this year on the “intolerable” gaps in support for ASN pupils, which included a recommendation for local authorities to assess what specialist provision is currently in place and to “address any gaps in provision as a matter of urgency”.

However, in response, the local authority umbrella body Cosla said: “Building or commissioning more specialist provision would incur significant costs and there is significant inflation in building costs at present.”

A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “As is the case nationally, there has been a significant increase in the number of placing requests to schools for pupils with additional support needs.

“Requests come from families living in North Lanarkshire but also from parents and carers outwith the area, which demonstrates the increased demand.

“While we make every effort to try and meet parental wishes, it is not always possible to facilitate every placing request, although there is the right to appeal decisions.

“The future demand for additional support needs’ provision is incorporated into the planning process for our educational estate, which includes additional language and communication units and community hubs, where integrated services are placed at the heart of local communities.”

A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “Placement decisions for specialist provision are made following a robust assessment process involving a wide range of professionals to determine the most appropriate placement which will best meets the needs of identified learners.

“This process is in line with the Presumption of Mainstream and Education (Additional Support for learning ) Act 2004 /2010.

“Each decision is taken within the best interests of the learner and is continually reviewed to ensure learner progression continues.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is determined to improve the educational experiences of children and young people with additional support needs.

“It is for local authorities to determine the most appropriate educational provision, and the latest report figures [2022-23] demonstrate that spending on additional support for learning by local authorities reached a record high of £926 million in 2022-23, helping to address growing demand in this area.”