1,000 signatures reached
To: Scottish Governement
Special Educational need provision in Scotland
This petition is to request the Scottish Government undertake an urgent review into Special Educational need provision in Scotland. Current guidance for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Social, Emotional or Behavioural difficulties is a class size of no more than 6 with 1 member of staff for every 2.5 children. Local authority policy is 10 children per class with 1 member of staff for every 3.3 children and the reality is at times 1 member of staff for every 5 children. This results in children with social, sensory, behavioural issues etc being expected to cope without adequate support to ensure their safety in what can be a very distressing environment. It is also placing a burden of responsibility on teachers to educate children in an unsafe environment without the time or resources to be able to do their job.
These children are some of the most vulnerable in our society and after being badly damaged by years of cuts they are in desperate need of the resources to ensure they receive the education they deserve, limiting their life chances and curbing their potential and effectively failing to provide children with a special educational need with an adequate education.
I would request that,
1. John Swinney and the Scottish Parliament undertake an urgent review of all Scottish Council policies relating to class sizes and staffing levels in DAS units, departments for additional support and special schools to ensure that these children are given the same opportunities and life chances as every other child.
2. Make money available to these schools too ensure that the guidance for staffing levels and class sizes is adhered too by all local authorities
3. No children with a special educational need are put in to an unsafe environment because of a lack of resources. The presumption of mainstream should be abandoned and parents allowed to choose the education that’s right for their child
4. No teacher is set up to fail by being expected to teach in an unsafe, unsuitable environment without the adequate time or resources to do their job effectively.
These children are some of the most vulnerable in our society and after being badly damaged by years of cuts they are in desperate need of the resources to ensure they receive the education they deserve, limiting their life chances and curbing their potential and effectively failing to provide children with a special educational need with an adequate education.
I would request that,
1. John Swinney and the Scottish Parliament undertake an urgent review of all Scottish Council policies relating to class sizes and staffing levels in DAS units, departments for additional support and special schools to ensure that these children are given the same opportunities and life chances as every other child.
2. Make money available to these schools too ensure that the guidance for staffing levels and class sizes is adhered too by all local authorities
3. No children with a special educational need are put in to an unsafe environment because of a lack of resources. The presumption of mainstream should be abandoned and parents allowed to choose the education that’s right for their child
4. No teacher is set up to fail by being expected to teach in an unsafe, unsuitable environment without the adequate time or resources to do their job effectively.
Why is this important?
The life chances and potential of special needs children should not be adversely impacted by budget cuts, it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure these children are provided with an education fit for their needs and to make sure these policies are written putting the children's needs before the financial concerns of local authorities.
