A new school for pupils with additional support needs is being officially opened in Renfrewshire.

Erskine Waterfront Campus is run by Crossreach, an organisation that provides social care for the Church of Scotland and it will provide education for up to 36 children with additional support needs, including both residential and day students.

Twenty-one pupils, aged 7 to 15, enrolled at the independent campus in August including 15-year-old Jordan Mackellar who enjoyed being at the school.

He said: "I liked nursery and primary school but when I went to secondary school I found it difficult to focus on the work because there were too many people in the classes.

"There were too many distractions and as the years went on I started going less and less and eventually I stopped attending at all.

"I was getting into a lot of trouble with the police, stealing stuff, causing fights, just doing what I wanted really even though I knew it was wrong.

"But since coming to Erskine Waterfront Campus it has been a lot better and I have been enjoying it a lot more.

"It is a place where you can come and be yourself and you don't have to worry about being judged and what others think.

"You can just come and learn and be happy.

"There are less people in a classroom and it is a lot easier to concentrate and you get more one-on-one time with teachers to help you with things you are struggling with."

Last year 26.6% of all Scottish pupils were identified with Additional Support Needs, an increase of 55.5% since 2012, partly down to increased awareness and better identification.

.The vast majority (95.4%) spend at least some of their time in mainstream classes.

There is a presumption in Scotland to provide support for children with ASN within mainstream schools but unions have expressed concerns at the reduction in specialist teachers and support staff.

The Scottish Government says education authorities have increased funding on ASN.

Local Government Financial Statistics for 2016-17 showed that local authorities spent £5.07bn on education in Scotland, up from £4.95bn in 2015-16 - a 0.3% increase in real terms.

Of that, £610m was on additional support for learning - increased from £584m in 2015-16 a 2.3% increase in real terms.

However the opening of this campus comes as the number of specialist schools has declined from 155 to 135 between 2012 and 2017.

The number of pupils has fallen from 6953 to 6654.

Kyle Fleming, Head of Education at the campus, said, "We have noticed that the number of small independent schools has reduced and the ones that remain have had to work very hard.

"We're very excited about the fact that if we can provide that support in a brand new environment then we'll be able to build some futures for youngsters and they'll find themselves being independent and being resilient and able to cope in their young adult lives."

"This is a first class school with a wonderful nurturing ethos where pupils are provided with a high level of support to bring out the best in them," he added.

Sheila Gordon, Director of Children and Family Services at CrossReach, said: "Over the past five years, CrossReach has undertaken a review of its provision, taking into account the current needs of children and families who are referred to the service.

"This has led to the decision to move away from the larger residential school model to a more modern approach, with children living in small houses within communities and attending school in a similar way that other children would do, giving them the opportunity to achieve the best possible outcomes.

"It also opens up access to children who may need additional support with learning by providing places for day pupils.

"We are very excited to have a new, purpose built school campus at the Waterfront in Erskine which provides a quality modern education environment."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said, "All children and young people should get the support that they need to reach their full learning potential.

"We have listened to the experiences of children and families about getting the support that they need and our new guidance on mainstreaming, based on research and consultation, will be published early next year."