Demo in Glasgow's George Square calls for change in schools

ASN Reform Scotland members gathered in George Square on Wednesday morning to demand education bosses rally the Scottish Government to rethink current policies they say are setting their children up for failure.

Campaigners believe that youngsters and their teachers are being let down by a lack of resource and investment, which often sees children put into mainstream education despite being assessed as qualifying for an additional support needs spot.

The peaceful demo heard claims that vulnerable children are being left to enter a ‘broken education system’ that is unsuitable for their specific needs – as well as calls for extra funding to be made available to create more ASN places across the city.

Heather Reid was one of the parents who spoke out at the rally.

Heather Reid has spoken out. (Image: Colin Mearns)

The 37-year-old, whose four-year-old daughter Ella-Rose is non-verbal and struggles with developmental delays, told how parents are now ‘worried sick’ that their kids will fall through the cracks because the education system is not being tailored to support their specific needs.

Heather, who is also mum to 22-month-old Ava-May, bravely shared her journey with the crowd.

She said: “No parents should have to fight for their child to receive a proper education, yet it is something that is happening at schools right across the country as we speak.

“Families are being let down because there’s now an expectation that children should attend mainstream schools despite suffering from complex conditions such as autism, ADHD and crippling anxiety.

"There are simply not enough places, which is an absolute disgrace in this day and age. Our children are being set up to fail in later life because they are leaving school without the help they need, not to mention the emotional toll this takes on them.

“We’ve been among the lucky ones; we’ve had great support with Ella-Rose at a specialist nursery which is able to cater for her needs. However, we are now reaching the crossroads of her starting school and the inevitable fight to ensure that she continues to be given the provision and assistance she requires.”

The peaceful protest in George Square (Image: Colin Mearns)

Heather says that will consider the drastic step of home schooling her daughter if the right educational support isn’t put in place.

She continued: “It weighs heavily on my mind and if the right help isn’t introduced for her future development, then I’ll have no other option to look at educating her myself. Even moving to another part of city won’t help because the places everywhere are limited, and parents must fight tooth and nail to get them. It’s heartbreaking knowing that kids and their parents are being let down by an out of touch education system that urgently needs investment and change to make it work equally for all.”

Fellow mum Kirsty Solman, 41, was also at the protest accompanied by her husband Scott and son Kyle, 12, who suffers from autism, ADHD and struggles with his mental health.

Kirsty with her husband Scott and Kyle. (Image: Colin Mearns)

She believes urgent reform is required and told how her son has been pushed into trying to take his own life on four different occasions.

The mum-of -one from Drumchapel told the Glasgow Times: “It’s about time the Scottish Government started taking this seriously. We’ve had to fight to get Kyle placed into a specialist unit at his secondary school, which is awful given what he’s gone through.

“There’s just not enough of these places to go around, so it means that someone is always going to miss out. It’s heartbreaking think that a child’s mental health is being pushed to the brink because of a lack of funding.

“Teachers are also crying out for additional help to be put in place, yet nothing is being done. We’re at the protest because Kyle is advocating for others like himself and trying to give them a voice.”

The peaceful protest in George Square (Image: Colin Mearns)

Kirsty told how Kyle suffered a ‘crippling’ mental health breakdown on his first day at high school which left him needing medical assistance.

She adds: “Kyle missed the last three months of primary seven because his mental health was so bad. One his first day at secondary, he woke up earland was so excited to get started, but by lunchtime we got a call saying we had to get to the school.

"He was cowering in a classroom corner saying that people were out to get him. He suffers from invasive thoughts and it’s a daily struggle for him to cope with his emotions. He didn’t even recognise us, and we had to get medical assistance.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said:“We know that the number of pupils identified with additional support needs has increased substantially since 2010. This has been driven by a change to how ASN statistics were gathered in 2010 and, of course, in more children being diagnosed. 

“While it is for local councils to determine the most appropriate educational provision, the Scottish Government is committed to improving the experiences and outcomes for young people with additional support needs, which we have outlined in our Programme for Government 2023-24. Ministers will work with teachers to provide additional professional learning opportunities while seeking to build on the Additional Support for Learning Action Plan.

“Spending on additional support for learning reached a record high of £830m in 2021-22. We have also invested an additional £75m since 2019-20 (£15m per year) and provide over £11m of funding to directly support pupils with complex additional support needs and services to children and families each year.

“The Education Secretary met with members of ASN Reform Scotland earlier this year to hear their concerns."

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