Shaping policies that impact neurodivergent people

Audit Scotland’s briefing on Scottish schools’ Additional Support for Learning (ASL) arrangements articulates well what we know educators have been saying for some while: that a long-term, strategic approach to provision is badly needed.

We believe that many positive policies initiated by the Scottish Government will not reach their potential due to a lack of robust data, under-investment, and misunderstandings around the wishes of learners and educators.

Though many of the remedies to the challenges learners and educators face are systemic, financial resources remain insufficient – especially in light of the acknowledged sharp rise in the number of pupils with Additional Support Needs. Restoration of per pupil spend on ASL to the 2013 levels is a good start. Spending has fallen by 33.9% during this period, with research (not only Audit Scotland’s) showing a gap between the requirements of inclusive education policy and real-world practices in Scottish schools.

The briefing speaks to the role that data plays in bettering our understanding of needs. We agree; however, we know that for neurodivergent people and families, the lack of good quality data extends beyond education to health and employment. Quarterly collection, collation, analysis, and publication of disaggregated data pertaining to autism and ADHD diagnosis, including data on waiting times for assessment, would be a very positive step for both health and education.

It is clear that many of the recommendations made by the audit team would realise a more sustainable ASL landscape for Scotland. In addition, we believe that school-age education in Scotland overall would be improved by a concerted effort to understand better both the social and communication needs of neurodivergent pupils and the poorer outcomes that we know they often experience. Actions to this end include:

• Active promotion of experiential learning and skills-based alternatives to the ‘traditional’ classroom, including establishing pupils’ right to outdoor, residential education provision. This renewed focus on the importance of transferrable skills should be accompanied by investments in training and facilities to ensure equitable access.
• Progress the findings of the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment. This should include the move away from formal end-of-year examinations, especially at Secondary 4 / National-level, proposed. There should be a strong emphasis on a pupil’s own learning preference, continuous evaluation and diverse skills assessment in our education system.
• Delivery of meaningful representation of neurodivergent people (and others with Additional Support Needs) in the governance of bodies established through the Education (Scotland) Bill.
• Production of statutory guidance for schools around the use of restrictive practices, including physical restraint, with a view to their eventual elimination. It is essential that this is practiced as a last resort only.
• Issue guidance to schools on use of part-time timetables. Flexibility is key here; we know that, though many neurodivergent people benefit from being able to take time out of the classroom, others are having these imposed unnecessarily.