The number of pupils in Scotland with mental health problems has increased by 580 per cent over the past decade, according to analysis of official Scottish government data.
The total number requiring additional support for a mental health problem in Scotland went from 1,870 in 2014 to 12,707 in 2024.
The analysis also reveals that the number of pupils with “communication support needs” rose by 303 per cent between 2014 and 2024, from 4,184 to 16,868; autistic spectrum disorder pupils increased by 240 per cent, from 10,805 to 36,773; and those needing support for “interrupted learning” increased by 485 per cent, from 2,342 to 13,707.
Meanwhile, the number of dyslexic pupils has gone from 15,877 to 35,245 - up 122 per cent.
More pupils with ASN
Tes Scotland previously revealed that the number of pupils requiring support for interrupted learning had soared since the pandemic.
However, the rising number of pupils requiring support is set against the background of a falling number of specialist teachers, according to the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), which campaigns on behalf of vulnerable children and has analysed the data.
The number of specialist additional support needs (ASN) teachers working in Scotland has decreased from 3,077 to 2,837, according to official figures, a decline of 240 that represents a new low.
Between 2014 and 2024, the overall number of pupils with ASN more than doubled, from 140,501 to 284,448. This currently represents 40.5 per cent of all pupils.
The SCSC has repeated its call for more resources from local authorities and the Scottish government to support those with ASN.
It said it struggles to see how the presumption that children with ASN should be educated in mainstream schools can work, given the “fall in specialist support and increase in the number of those identified with conditions such as mental health problems and autism”.
The SCSC also said the increase in the number of pupils with ASN - combined with falling levels of support - is “a key cause” of the rise in classroom violence and disruption.
Behaviour has got worse in schools
A longitudinal survey found “a general worsening of pupil behaviour” in Scottish schools between 2016 and 2023. Physical aggression and violence were more commonly experienced by primary staff, with the levels reported by heads, teachers and support staff all rising.
An SCSC spokesperson said: “The Scottish government and local authorities need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.”
An Audit Scotland report in February called on the government and local authorities to “fundamentally rethink” additional support for learning (ASL) in schools, and identified an “urgent need for improvement”.
It highlighted a 768 per cent increase in the number of pupils receiving ASL since the Additional Support for Learning Act was introduced in 2004, with 2024 seeing the biggest annual growth in ASL since 2011. The report criticised the government and councils for failing to plan effectively for “the potential impact of this inclusive approach”.
In response to the Audit Scotland report, the government committed to considering the report’s recommendations, but also said that its 2025-26 budget included an additional £29 million for ASN and that the previous year had seen “record investment” of over £1 billion.
Responding to the SCSC analysis a Scottish government spokesperson also said it was continuing to invest £16 million annually in counselling services in secondary schools and, since 2020, had provided local authorities with over £65 million to fund more than 300 community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children, young people and their families .
The spokesperson added: “Councils report that almost 83,000 people used them between July 2023 and March 2024.
“However, there is clearly still work to do to ensure every child gets the support they need and this will continue to be a joint endeavour with local authorities.”
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