Health and Education Chamber
Additional Support Needs
The Additional Support Needs jurisdiction Tribunal considers three types of applications – references, regarding the provision of educational support under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004; claims, in respect of disability discrimination in school education, under the Equality Act 2010 and freestanding United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) applications, under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation)(Scotland) Act 2024.
The Chamber is headed by a Chamber President, May Dunsmuir.
The skills required of judicial office holders are as follows-
Essential Criteria
Leadership
- The ability to exercise strong leadership and to constructively challenge and support in the role of leader, and as part of a team in a Tribunal setting or similar
Sound Judgement & Intellectual Capacity
- The ability to concentrate on and absorb relevant arguments, summarise factual and legal issues, and apply knowledge to arrive at balanced judgements.
Critical analysis and decision making
- The ability to focus on salient pieces of information and ask probing focused questions and the ability to evaluate evidence objectively and impartially.
Working with others
- Display courtesy and consideration to all tribunal users and staff and sensitivity to people from different social backgrounds.
- Commitment to engaging positively and openly with parties and the public and encouraging participation in proceedings.
- The ability to undertake effective public presentation/ representational work
Written and Oral communications
- The ability to produce a high quality of written work quickly
- The ability to communicate effectively using straightforward language with all types of tribunal users, listening actively and attentively
Legal Knowledge
- Evidence of professional achievement in the law, knowledge of substantive and procedural law and court/tribunal experience.
- A knowledge of and experience in Additional Support Needs law or evidence of the motivation and ability to acquire legal knowledge in this area.
Desirable Criteria
Knowledge of Diversity Issues
- Understanding of the contribution made by the Additional Support Needs Tribunals to the delivery of education policy in Scotland.
- Understanding of the Tribunals’ jurisdiction under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to disability discrimination in schools.
Essential Criteria
Sound Judgement & Intellectual Capacity
- The ability to concentrate on and absorb relevant arguments, summarise factual and legal issues, and apply knowledge to arrive at balanced judgements.
Critical analysis and decision making
- The ability to focus on salient pieces of information and ask probing focused questions and the ability to evaluate evidence objectively and impartially.
Working with others
- Display courtesy and consideration to all tribunal users and staff and sensitivity to people from different social backgrounds.
- Commitment to engaging positively and openly with parties and the public and encouraging participation in proceedings.
- The ability to undertake effective public presentation/ representational work
Written and Oral communications
- The ability to produce a high quality of written work quickly
- The ability to communicate effectively using straightforward language with all types of tribunal users, listening actively and attentively
Experience of children with additional support needs or a disability
- Current knowledge and experience of children or young people with additional support needs;
- Current knowledge and an interest in disability issues;
- An understanding of the way in which the education sector (especially schools) operates;
Desirable Criteria
Knowledge of Diversity Issues
- Understanding of the contribution made by the Additional Support Needs Tribunals to the delivery of education policy in Scotland
- Understanding of the Tribunals’ jurisdiction under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to disability discrimination in schools