NASUWT welcomes Doran review
Responding to the publication of the Doran Review into education for children in Scotland with Additional Support Needs (ASN), Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the fastest growing teachers’ union in Scotland, said:
“There are some genuine strengths in the systems that have been established in Scotland to support pupils with ASN.
"The Scottish Government has rightly recognised that schools and local authorities cannot work in isolation if the needs of some of the most vulnerable children and young people in society are to be addressed.
“The Government’s response to the Doran Review hopefully signals a commitment to build on this work to ensure that schools and teachers have the fullest support in meeting the needs of all the pupils they teach.
“This good work rests however, on the provision of adequate funding.
"The Government has stated it is to maintain the level of funding for ASN at over £10 million a year. While recognising that the Government is subject to the financial constraints imposed by the austerity agenda of the Westminster Government, it must also take its fair share of responsibility for making sure that services for pupils with ASN are appropriately resourced.
“This is an especially important in relation to the support that pupils with ASN in mainstream schools are able to receive from specialist services, which, in some instances, falls short of reasonable expectations due to inadequate levels of resourcing.
“This issue must be addressed effectively as the Government sets out its plans for the future of ASN provision.”
Jane Peckham, NASUWT Scotland Organiser, said:
“Teachers and school leaders have reported that they find the ASN system in Scotland unnecessarily bureaucratic and workload intensive.
“The Scottish Government’s commitment to investing in greater training and resources to support teachers in working with pupils with ASN will be vital if this issue is to be remedied.
“Cumbersome and unwieldy administrative requirements distract teachers from focusing on their core role of teaching and leading and managing teaching and learning.”
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