ASN provision v 2
Renfrewshire Council · 9 June 2026
Back to Renfrewshire Council Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff — 9 June 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
Agenda Item .......... Renfrewshire Joint Negotiating Committee for Teachers To: Renfrewshire Joint Negotiating Committee for Teachers On: June 9th 2026 Report by Joint Secretary (Teachers’ Side) ASN Provision 1. Background The management paper tabled at the last JNC on 31st March – Inclusion Progress Update which was put to the Education and Children's Services Policy Board on 31st March and gave an update on the many and varied ways that Renfrewshire Council complies with its obligations to learners in Renfrewshire. This is a short response to that paper from the Teachers’ side perspective to the paper, not to negate the work around inclusion, which highlights many positives but to highlight a few of the challenges relating to ASN from the Teachers’ Side. Although the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, along with later legislation, established a presumption of mainstream education for children and young people with ASN, concerns about the resourcing and funding of ASN provision remain central for teachers from all of the teaching unions. ASN is also one of the major threads of the EIS’ Stand up for Equality Education campaign. Renfrewshire teachers are unquestionably committed to getting it right for every child, in every establishment but regularly say their ambitions for pupils are being thwarted by a lack of adequate resource. And, whilst there has even been suggestion of an overspend on ASN - on paper- the lived reality of managing the increasing needs of ASN pupils is a constant struggle and it is recognised that the current budget allocated to ASN does not adequately meet the real need. The impact of the shortfall is being felt by pupils and staff alike and is one of the main reasons underpinning teacher stress and workload complaints. The Scottish government states that inclusion does not mean one-size-fits-all; the law stipulates that placements and provision must be tailored to best meet the child's individual specific needs. In response to national surveys however teachers highlight significant concerns about the practical delivery of inclusion dictated largely by constrained budgets: concerns persist around insufficient staffing, resources and suitable spaces within school buildings that fully meet the needs of children and young people with ASN effectively. This deficit often increases the likelihood of regular violent and aggressive incidents which are linked to dysregulated behaviour and reduced support. Sometimes support staff absences (which are rarely, if ever, backfilled) cause consequential timetable changes and leave the ASN pupil disadvantaged due to the loss of their entitlement to support; there is too a lack of sufficient fixed, timetabled ASNA support for many pupils with ASN, because a child does not automatically receive additional ASNA or classroom assistance when it is down to schools to prioritise and allocate this capped and limited resource. This, alongside uncertainty among
Page 2
teaching staff about entitlement to support is leaving many teachers with a sense that they are failing in their ambition and duty to meet the ever-growing demands of ASN pupils. This is leading to burnout, low morale and job dissatisfaction. This paper asks the Management side to report back to the JNC with an analysis and breakdown of ASN provisions within its establishments across Renfrewshire alongside the respective funding allocation, focussing on support staff numbers, staffing models, and access to specialist input including sensory services and language support. Further consideration also needs to be given around the impact of short and sometimes long-term absence of ASNA support and classroom assistants for continuity of provision to better meet the needs of Renfrewshire’s ASN pupils and to improve working conditions for Renfrewshire teachers and school staff. There is no systemic backfill of support staff which leaves teachers to fill the gap. ASN provision is a right and entitlement and is fundamental to supporting learning of children and young people with additional support needs and while Renfrewshire schools face the same challenges as other local authorities in Scotland it is important that there is a shared a clear understanding of the detail of all of the ASN provision that is offered across Renfrewshire schools. 2. Recommendations •The teaching unions are seeking an overall increase in the funding allocated to schools to adequately meet the increased demand for ASN. •The Teachers’ Side is also calling for a disaggregated analysis of ASN funding of provision across Renfrewshire schools in the support allocation, staffing models and access to specialist input. •That further consideration should be given to measures available to mitigate the impact of absence of ASN support staff on continuity of provision and any detriment this may have for all pupils- with and without - ASN as well as on teacher workload.