Special Needs Education

In this Section

There are around 15 independent special schools in membership of SCIS that provide day and residential care and education for children and young people with Additional Support Needs. Most operate 52 weeks of the year. Some schools specialise in specific learning difficulties, such as autistic spectrum, while others cater for those with physical disabilities. The majority provide care and education to children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural challenges who have usually been excluded from mainstream schools. Profiles of the special schools in membership of SCIS can be found on the Find a School page of this website, under Special Needs Schools.

severe and profound learning difficulties met in independent special schools

Most children and young people in independent special schools have the cost of their care and education met by their Local Authority. Each Local Authority will meet the cost only on the recommendation of its Educational Psychologists and Social Workers if it is agreed that the young person's needs cannot be met adequately elsewhere.

mild and moderate learning difficulties met in independent mainstream schools

Children who have relatively mild or moderate learning difficulties can be supported in most mainstream independent schools, although the level of learning support provision varies from school to school. Usually, Support for Learning staff work closely with the school's Guidance team, class teachers and parents to ensure pupils receive the best possible support, determined by their needs. Support can be provided in class, individually or in small groups, as appropriate. The most common learning difficulties are with language and mathematics, including dyslexia, and most schools provide help with reading, spelling, study skills, curriculum support and the use of technology. However, a minority of mainstream schools are meeting the needs of children with visual impairments, speech disorders, physical or motor impairments and autistic spectrum disorder. Parents are advised to contact individual schools for specific information.

qualifications offered in Special schools

All independent, special schools in membership of SCIS offer qualifications awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) including Standard Grade, Intermediate, Access, Higher and Advanced Higher. Some also offer additional, specialist qualifications such as ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network), CACPD (Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People) and BSL (British Sign Language). A list showing the qualifications offered at each special school is included in a PDF, on the right.

Links to a number of useful websites that provide guides for parents and young people have been included, on the right.