- Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004
Infobox UK Legislation
short_title=Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004
parliament=Scottish Parliament
long_title=An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision for additional support in connection with the school education of children and young persons having additional support needs; and for connected purposes.
statute_book_chapter=2004 asp 4
introduced_by=Peter Peacock Scottish Executive ,28 October 2003 [ cite web | year=2004 | title=Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 - Passage of the Bill: Summary | publisher=Scottish Parliament | url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/11-educationAdditional/11-EducationAdditionalSupportforLearningScotlandBillsummary.pdf | accessdate=2008-03-22 ]
territorial_extent=Scotland
royal_assent=7 May 2004
commencement=Various dates from 7 May 2004 [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2005/20050154.htm] , [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2005/20050263.htm] , [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2005/20050564.htm] ]
repeal_date=—
amendments=—
related_legislation=—
repealing_legislation=—
status=Current
original_text=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2004/asp_20040004_en_1.htm
activeTextDocId=1533504
legislation_history=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/11-educationAdditional/index.htm
|The Additional Support for Learning Act is a Scottish law enacted in2004 . It seeks to redefine the area of providingspecial education tochildren with additional needs by establishing a framework for the policies ofinclusion and generally practicing the "presumption ofmainstreaming " in Scottisheducation . The act is an attempt to broaden the narrow definition of Special Educational Needs (SEN) which has typically been used to define children with special needs.pecial Educational Needs (SEN)
Under the SEN model, certain children were classified as having special needs, and a formal "Record of Needs" (RoN) was opened and maintained. The opening of an RoN placed a legal obligation on the local authority to meet the needs of the child or young person as defined in the record. Additional support,
staffing , resources and places atspecial school s were largely dependent on the needs and targets set out in the student's RoN. [ [http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/adps/survey/02/record_of_needs/ Achievement of Deaf Pupils on Scotland: Record of Needs] ]Principles
The new act defines a system of Additional Support Needs (ASN). The act states that, at some point in their education, all children may require some form of additional support. The act says: "A child may require additional support for a variety of reasons. These may include those who are being
bullied , are particularlygifted , have experienced abereavement , or are not attending school regularly, as well as those who have behavioural orlearning difficulties ,mental health problems, or specificdisabilities such asdeafness orblindness ."Implementation
The act places a
duty on education authorities to establish procedures for identifying and meeting the additional support needs of children and young people. The identified needs must be kept under review and it will be the responsibility of all agencies to help education authorities meet their duties. The act defines such agencies as "including the local authority’ssocial work services, any health board, any other local authority or other agency specified by Scottish Ministers, such asCareers Scotland orfurther education colleges."The new structure is intended to make accessing support easier for
parents andcarers . Where parents believe that their child has additional support needs they are able to requestassessments which they believe are necessary; education authorities also have this ability. In situations where there is disagreement, education authorities will be under a duty to providemediation services and they will be required to have arrangements in place for resolvingdisputes .The act is intended to provide support for children with long or short term barriers to learning, including children with severe and complex needs. Where more than one support service is involved in the provision of support for a child, a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) will be drawn up by the relevant agencies, (e.g. school and
grief counsellor ). [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2004/20040004.htm Text of the Act] ]ources
* [http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/inclusiveeducation/additionalsupportforlearning/theact.asp]
* [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2004/20040004.htm Text of the Act]References
External links
* [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/05/11112347/23484 Scottish Executive: Transitional arrangements consultation paper on the Act]
* [http://www.cafamily.org.uk/eduscot.html Contact a Family Factsheet: Additional Support for Learning Act] ----
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