Additional Support Needs Achievements Celebrated

Achievements of children and young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN) will be celebrated at the next meeting on the children and families services committee.

Over the last 9 years, Dundee data indicates that there has generally been a steady rise in the number and percentage of children and young people with ASN, as well as the complexity of these needs.  

According to the latest census there were almost 6500 children and young people in Dundee with identified ASN, which represents approximately 30% of the total nursery/school population.

A report outlines how the Children and Families Service meets these children and  young people’s needs through a range of universal, targeted and specialist provisions, pathways and support.

Children and young people who attend specialist provisions have gained a wide range of awards over the last year, which show the significant achievements they have made in overcoming barriers to learning with the support of their teachers, support staff and families.

The report on the attainment and achievements of young people with ASN highlights the importance of recognising, understanding, appreciating, and celebrating progress for all children and young people.

It states: “While there must be no reduction in aspiration or ambition for children and young people to achieve to the best of their abilities, not least in formal qualifications, valuing and making visible their achievements beyond the current national performance measures is both fair and essential. In doing so it increases the likelihood of all of our children and young people making a longer-term contribution to the vision and outcomes for Dundee.”

 Specialist provisions and/ or specialist supports detailed in the report include:

Anxiety in Motion (AIM) provision for young people who are unable to attend school because of significant mental health difficulties have achieved a wide range of qualifications across Highers and National 3-5 awards.

Pupil Access to College and Employability (PACE), and Raising Interpersonal Skills for Employment (RISE) For the young people who attend our collaborative programmes at Dundee and Angus College (Pupil Access to College and Employability (PACE) and Raising Interpersonal Skills for Employment (RISE)) their achievements reflect the progress they have made in pathways to employment.

English as an Additional Language There has been a steady rise in the number of children and young people with English as an Additional Language (EAL) over the last 5 years: rising from 536 in 2019 to 1080 in the latest census. Their access to all aspects of school life requires a recognition of strength in their first language.

Kingspark School Progression for pupils in the Broad General Education (BGE) at Kingspark School is planned, tracked and monitored in relation to the long-term goals to fulfil their potential in communication and independent living skills.  A total of 12 pupils gained awards at National 2, 3, 4 or 5 in the last academic session.   These awards reflect the significance of young people’s life skills for adult life. The school improvement plan has prioritised Social Enterprise and Assisted Technology as the fundamental means by which young people’s potential can be realised in order for them to participate in their local community.

Rockwell Learning Centre Of the current Rockwell cohort of 48 secondary-age pupils: 90% are Care Experienced; 44% are actively open to social work; 31% are accommodated away from their home; and 6% were recently in Secure Care out with Dundee. The focus for achievement at Rockwell Learning Centre is to build-upon BGE attainment with National Qualifications in S4 so that the level at which young people attained in S3 can be increased.

Deaf Education  Deaf pupils across the city are tracked and monitored alongside their mainstream peers by class teachers. Results are shared with Accessibility and Inclusion Service (AIS) staff and support is tailored appropriately to each chid/young person’s needs, with reference to the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP) criteria for involvement.

This year the Deaf Education team has started to use the Deafness, Cognition and Language (DCAL) assessments prepared for British Sign Language users, which allows tracking and monitoring of both receptive and productive skills in this area of learning.                                                                          

 Children and families convener Councillor Stewart Hunter said: “This is the first really detailed report of its type that has been supplied to the committee about our work with children and young people with additional support needs

“It shows the breadth and depth of the work ongoing across the city, and the dedicated work that our staff are putting in.

“The results are really impressive, giving as much chance to these pupils to gain skills for life during their time in education.

“I am proud of the efforts represented in this report and the message it sends out about the inclusive nature of your children and families service.”

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