Half a billion pounds of funding for Holyrood generated by spending for additional support needs kids in England has been used to plug holes in the Scottish budget.

A document published by the Scottish Government has confirmed that Barnett consequentials resulting from the UK government’s investment in the Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) were not passed on to Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s Autumn Budget Revision revealed that it received an additional £533 million of Barnett consequentials this year from the UK government’s investment in SEND.

However, the same document confirms none of this funding went directly to ASN provision in Scotland, despite huge pressure on these services. The funding was instead deployed to other departments including Health and Social Care, Economy, Justice and Transport to fill budget gaps and alleviate cost pressures.

Commenting, Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Katherine Sangster said “We need an education system that unlocks the potential of every child, but too many kids are being let down by the status quo.

“ASN provision in Scotland’s schools is under huge pressure, yet it appears a massive opportunity to boost that support has been used to plug holes elsewhere in their budget instead.

“Money spent in this area in England generates additional funding for the Scottish Government, but not a penny of it was spent on ASN. There has been a huge increase in children identified with additional support needs but the government has failed to increase resources match this rise – despite the extra half billion.”

“Scottish education used to be the best in the world, and it can be again, but that won’t happen without a plan to deal with soaring demand in this area.”