The number of additional support needs teachers in Aberdeen has plummeted by almost 25% since the start of the Covid pandemic to its lowest levels on record with the crisis worsening across Scotland.
New figures released by the Scottish Government show schools in the city now have 36 fewer support staff than in 2020, and 75 less than in 2010 when records began.
Across Scotland, the number of additional support needs teachers has dropped by almost 20%, from 3,524 in 2010 to just 2,837 in 2024.
In Aberdeenshire, between 2023 and 2024, additional support needs teachers dropped by 25 in only a year.
Across Moray, the number also shrunk for the same year, plummeting from 101 to just 87.
The rapid decline has been replicated across Scotland over the last decade and beyond.
It comes after it was revealed the number of pupils in Scotland identified with additional support needs reached a record high last year.
The Scottish Government’s annual census of pupils and teachers in publicly-funded schools revealed two in five children require additional support needs (ASN), such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems – representing just over 40% of the Scottish pupil population.
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr said: “The plummeting number of additional support needs teachers in the North East and across Scotland is deeply worrying.
“These figures lay bare the intolerable pressures that exhausted teachers are facing as they battle to contend with high workloads and a lack of resources.
“Every child should have access to educational opportunities, regardless of their circumstances.
“There is no doubt our teachers and staff always give their best for their pupils but children with additional support needs are suffering due to the SNP’s underfunding of our councils.
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“The Scottish Government owes it to children and their families to make sure their education is the very best it can be.
“But the demoralising impact of the Scottish Government’s mismanagement of our education system means that not only is attracting new teachers difficult but retaining current staff is just as hard.
“Under the Scottish Conservatives, we would focus on helping grow the support staff workforce, ensuring initial teacher training fully prepares all new recruits to identify and support children with additional support needs.”
