Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether the £57.044 million allocated in 2026-27 to the Level 4 budget line of Equalities, Inclusion and Additional Support for Learning, under the Level 3 budget heading of Improvement, Attainment and Wellbeing in the Education and Skills portfolio, includes provision for increasing the supply of (a) qualified teachers of children and young people with visual impairment (QTVIs) and (b) qualified teachers of deaf children and young people (QTODs), and, if so, what the allocations are for each.
Education authorities have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 to identify, provide for and review the additional needs of their pupils. The recruitment and deployment of specialist teaching staff is the responsibility of education authorities, who also have duties to employ qualified teachers for deaf and visually impaired pupils.
The Scottish Government is committed to investing in Additional Support for Learning (ASL), including provision for pupils with sensory impairments. Building on the record investment by local authorities in ASL of almost £1.1bn in 2024-25, the Scottish Government invested a further £28m to support the ASL workforce and teacher numbers nationally and locally in 2025-26. The 2026-27 budget maintains this additional investment.