SCOTLAND’S additional support teachers say they’re undervalued, overworked and unable to meet pupils’ needs, according to trade union the EIS.

Teachers have told the union they are worried cuts to staffing numbers could lead to the end of mainstreaming, where children with additional needs because of disability, ill health or family circumstances, are educated in regular classes.

Larry Flanagan from the EIS said: “Members working with pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN) have reported that the current climate is extremely challenging. Cuts to ASN teacher numbers have meant these teachers having very high workloads and feeling unable to meet pupils’ needs as they would wish to.

“There is also an under-valuing of ASN teachers’ skills and experience, and the EIS has heard reports that ASN staff are often being used as supply cover – especially as the national difficulty in securing supply teachers has worsened.”

Flanagan added, “Many ASN teachers report feeling under-valued or not fully supported by senior management, for example when violent incidents have occurred being told that ‘it’s part of the job’ and not fully supported to report and deal with pupils’ aggressive and disruptive behaviour. We are starting to see ASN roles de-professionalised and assumptions made that this is work that any teacher can do.”

According to the latest statistics there are 170,192 pupils in Scotland who have additional support needs, 95 per cent of whom are in mainstream schools. The reasons why pupils need the extra help are varied, from having autism, a physical or motor impairment or a “social, emotional and behavioural difficulty”, to being a young carer or having issues with substance misuse.

Since 2012 there has been a 44 per cent increase in the number of pupils who need the support, yet the number of ASN teachers in primary and secondary schools has fallen by more than 19 per cent in the same period.

The union say that occasionally ASN teachers are put into violent situations where they can find themselves being bitten, spat on, scratched or grabbed.

Flanagan said: “ASN teachers are stressed and struggling due to the cuts, and the inclusive educational environment we all support is being stretched to the limit. Those who are making these cuts should be aware of the damage they are causing. We all want to ‘Get it Right for every Child’ but ASN teachers are questioning how this is possible within austerity budgets.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We want all children and young people to receive the support that they need to achieve their full learning potential.

“The Additional Support for Learning Act places education authorities under duties to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. The decisions about employment of support staff are the responsibility of individual education authorities, in light of their priorities and local circumstances, and their duties under the ASL Act.

“We have a positive picture of children with additional support needs consistently achieving more each year. “Our most recent statistics and report to Parliament on the implementation of the legislation indicates that attainment levels continue to improve.

“Children and young people should learn in the environment which best suits their needs, whether that is in a mainstream or special school setting. What is key is meeting the individual needs of children and young people and ensuring that we get it right for every child.”