A child or young person is said to have additional support needs (ASN) if they need more - or different support - to what is generally provided in educational establishments to children or young people of the same age.
Many circumstances may mean that a child or young person needs additional support for learning. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 lists 4 inter-related factors which may individually or jointly impact on a child or young person's ability to learn:
It does not just apply to children or young people who have long-term learning difficulties or disabilities. Children and young people may need additional support to make the most of their education for many reasons. Some of these reasons may mean that a child or young person will need additional support all the way through their education; others may only need additional support for a short period of time.
Additional support needs are identified through a process called Staged Intervention. If you think your child has additional support needs, ask your child’s head teacher about the Staged Intervention process and for more information on what support may be available. The process may involve an assessment by an Educational Psychologist, class teacher, support for learning teachers, or other agencies for example health professionals such as Speech and Language Therapist.
Please refer to our useful links page for additional information.
Educational Support Officer, Education & Schools
Kilncraigs, Greenside Street, Alloa, FK10 1EB
Tel: 01259 450000
Email: education@clacks.gov.uk