SCOTTISH pupils with conditions such as autism and dyslexia are not getting the support they need because councils are failing to identify them, charities have warned.
The accusation comes after new figures show marked discrepancies in the proportion of pupils identified with additional support needs (ASN) in different council areas.
Figures from the 2015 national pupil census show only five per cent of pupils in primary schools in North Lanarkshire were identified with ASN compared with 24 per cent of pupils in Glasgow.
North Ayrshire records 26 per cent of pupils in primary having ASN, while its neighbour South Ayrshire records just nine per cent. In Aberdeen, 15 per cent of secondary pupils have been identified with ASN, but in Aberdeenshire the figure rises to 33 per cent.
The Scottish Children's Services Coalition (SCSC), a group of private and voluntary organisations who deal with ASN pupils, has written to the Scottish Government calling for action.
They believe the discrepancies are due to local authority inconsistencies in identifying and recording those with ASN - and fear many pupils are missing out on crucial help.
The organisation wants to see councils record more reliable information and the issuing of stricter guidance from the Scottish Government.
An SCSC spokesman said: "This worrying inconsistency in gathering information on and identifying those with ASN by local authorities requires clearer and comprehensive guidance from the Scottish Government.
"Ministers must commit to working more closely with local authorities to tackle this and develop a universal method to ensure that better information is recorded so that accurate numbers can be reported. Only then will we truly be able to provide the best support for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people."
Liz Smith, education spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives said the figures represented one of the greatest challenges facing Scottish education.
She said: "It is clearly unfair and very damaging that children with additional support needs in one area are experiencing a massively different level of help to those in others. There are very real concerns local authorities don’t have sufficient resources from the Scottish Government to deal with this issue.”
Iain Gray Scottish Labour's opportunities spokesman, said: "These figures are shocking. It is not acceptable that there should be a postcode lottery for helping children with ASN."
However, a spokesman for local authority umbrella body Cosla, said councils took their responsibilities to children with additional support needs extremely seriously.
He said: "The coalition has a track record of making sweeping judgements about the quality of care based on isolated statistics and this is no different.
"There is no doubt councils are facing twin challenges of rising demand and diminishing resources, but we are not aware of any evidence that the needs of children are not being met."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said attainment of pupils with ASN had improved in recent years.
She added: "As the report points out, each council is autonomous and individual variations must be taken into account when collecting data so comparisons cannot be fairly made across local authorities.
"We are committed to considering these issues, including improving guidance to local authorities on the recording of statistical information."
Under the 2004 Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act a statutory duty is placed on local authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils.
ASN covers pupils with a range of issues including learning disabilities, dyslexia, a visual or hearing impairment, language or speech disorders, autism and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.
The Local Government Finance Statistics 2014 indicate that education authorities spend just over £4.8bn on education in Scotland. Of that £555m is spent on additional support for learning.
This equates to just over 11 per cent of the overall spend on education in Scotland. Although the amount spent has increased on last year the overall percentage spend remains the same. Overall, some 20 per cent of primary school pupils and 24 per cent of secondary pupils have been identified with ASN.
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