An Edinburgh mother says her children have been failed by the education system after she was forced to homeschool them due to a lack of additional support teachers.
In the last ten years, the number of children registered as homeschooled in Scotland has increased by almost 300%, while the number of specialist teachers has fallen over the same period.
With a new government set to take office at Holyrood, families are calling for greater funding and support.
‘I feel like they’ve been failed’
Storytime with mum has become one of the main sources of learning for Skyla.
She has been receiving home education since the start of the year, alongside her little brother Cealan, with both children having additional support needs.
Mum Claire Black told STV News: “The problem arose when Cealan was excluded, which we’re in the process of appealing at the moment. My older daughter she was more dysregulated, but then we found out that was due to some bullying as well.
“So it wasn’t really a decision I made; it was more that the kids refused to go back to the school.”
STV NewsWhile Claire’s 17-year-old daughter, Jessica, is no longer in education, Claire feels she’s also been let down.
“I feel like they’ve been failed. I feel my oldest daughter would probably still be in education or training if she had had that support from the beginning.
“The younger two don’t feel safe going into school. There isn’t enough training or support – especially at their school – they just don’t have the funding.”
Claire has been trying to get her children back into education, but says finding the right setting has been difficult.
Demand spirals for ASN learning
STV NewsFalkland House School in Fife supports children with autism and other neurodivergent needs.
Classes are capped at six pupils to create a calmer learning environment – but demand is increasing.
Head of service Paddy Gannon said: “Demand is huge, we receive referrals every day.
“We have, a growing understanding in society of neurodivergence and childhood development and different learning styles, but we don’t have provisions that match these needs.
“So thousands of young people are failed by huge mainstream environments that don’t meet their needs.”
STV NewsFigures show the scale of the challenge.
A Freedom of Information request by STV News showed that in the last decade, home education registrations have risen by almost 300%.
Between 2015 and 2025, the number of ASN teachers (publicly funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has fallen from 3,038 to 2,864, a decrease of 174 teachers.
Each ASN teacher is now supporting the equivalent of 105 pupils – up from 50 in 2015.
EIS assistant general secretary Anne Keenan said: “In the last two decades, what we have seen is a sevenfold increase in the number of children and young people with additional support needs, but we haven’t seen that increasing need met with resources to combat that.
“Instead, what we’ve seen as a dwindling number of teachers.”
STV NewsKerry McGhee from the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition added: “It’s putting significant pressures on mainstream teachers to provide that additional support and intervention in the classroom.
“It’s also putting additional pressure on families as well as the young people within that classroom environment.
“As a nation, we should want our children to flourish and thrive and that’s going to have a significant impact on outcomes for our young people.”
After months of applying to around 30 schools, Claire has now secured places for Skyla and Cealan. Despite her concerns, she hopes it will provide some stability.
“It’s vitally important they’re in some sort of educational setting – I’m not a teacher. I can do my best, but I’m not the best person for that.
“All children deserve an education and the right support.”
STV NewsBut she remains worried about the long-term impact.
“I fear for the future, that they’ll not have the level of education needed to go into the workplace or follow what they want to do. We’re not going to be here forever.
“It worries me that the government and education system are very good at talking the good talk, but putting that into practice is a whole different story.
“It’s about actually understanding what families are going through. Come and walk in my shoes a day, a week, a month, see what we have to deal with on a daily basis and see if you could do that.”
STV NewsA spokesperson for Edinburgh Council said: “Supporting children with additional support needs is a priority and we have extensive measures in place to support an inclusive education for all children and young people.
“We want our schools to be as inclusive as possible and aim to keep exclusions to a minimum, in line with national guidance.”
A Scottish Government Spokesperson said: “All children and young people have the right to get the support they need to reach their full learning potential, and it is the responsibility of all teachers to support pupils with additional support needs, not just those teachers whose role is specifically related to additional support for learning.
“As previously stated, educational psychologists, family liaison workers and additional support needs staff have been supported though additional investment from the Scottish Government, which includes the £29m in 2025-26 specifically to support the additional support needs workforce. This investment is in addition to a record spend of over £1 billion by local authorities on ASN in 2023-24.
“The Scottish Government is also providing £186.5m to local authorities to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels and maximise the number of teaching posts available.
“We have also invested almost £1.75bn in the Scottish Attainment Challenge since its inception in 2015. A recent report shows that clear progress is being made to help improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty as a result.”
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