Additional Support for Learning Project Board minutes: September 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) (CHAIR)
• Scottish Government (SG)
• Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE)
• Connect
• Education Scotland (ES)
• Education Institute of Scotland (EIS)
• Children in Scotland (CiS)
• SG Supporting Learners’ Team (SG)
• SG Education Workforce Team (SG)
• Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)
• Grant Aided Special Schools (GASS)
• ADES Early Years Network
• HM Inspectors of Education (HMIE)
• Association of Scottish Principal Education Psychologists (ASPEP)
• Audit Scotland (observer)

Apologies:

• Social Work Scotland
• National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT)
• UNISON

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

The Chair welcomed members to the meeting of the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Project Board (PB). Members were thanked for attending the meeting and apologies were noted. The Chair welcomed Steven McPherson, representing HM Inspectors of Education (HMIE) to their first PB meeting. A welcome was extended to Stuart Robb from Scottish Government (SG), who was in attendance to lead on Item Three. Derek Brown, representing the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (SOLACE) was also attending their first PB meeting.

The Chair confirmed that the minutes from the previous PB meeting had been shared, and members were invited to provide comment on these by 3 October 2025. The action from the previous meeting was reviewed and update provided by Scottish Government (SG):

ACTION 1: Supporting Learners to share Data presentation slides with Project Board members.

UPDATE 1: slides were shared following the meeting.

Political ASL Roundtable update/next steps

Update provided by SG. Members were asked to refer to minute of the political ASL Roundtable meeting, held on 4 September 2025, which was shared in advance of this meeting. It was noted that the meeting was constructive, and there was recognition by all political parties that there are continued challenges with regards to ASL implementation, and there is a need for provision improvement to ensure all additional support needs (ASN) children have positive experiences within the education system.

There is a wish to see national engagement with practitioners to see where implementation is going well and how this can be expanded upon within Scotland.

Further actions from the roundtable are in relation to meetings that cross-party spokespeople were interested in engaging in, which will include visiting settings that offer innovative provisions, the Health and Education Chamber for tribunals, and meeting with parent groups. The ASL review is still in its early stage, with talks still ongoing with consideration on time scales and necessary boundaries to the review.

The Chair thanked SG for the update and invited members to provide feedback. Members commented that it was heartening to hear that there was a good consensus between political parties on challenges relating to workforce and children and young people. Members questioned if there would be an opportunity for Board Members to provide input on the scope of the review. SG confirmed that whilst members input could be beneficial, time constraints meant that any input being sought from ASP PB members, would be through correspondence only.  

ASN Workforce

SG led on this item. The first part of this discussion focused on Pupil Support Staff (PSS) accreditation and regulation. This is following on from a commitment made within the Bute House Agreement 2021, which was to work in collaboration with trade unions and other stake holders to create an accredited registration programme for PSS working with children with ASN. It was confirmed that the report is still to be finalised, with plans to move onto its completion following feedback from the Cabinet Secretary.

The original commitment was for ASN support staff only, but due to the different titles, job responsibilities and duties that all support staff undertake in relation to ASL, it was agreed that the report should focus on the whole support staff workforce. Part of the work around the report was first to look at routes for registration for PSS, but it was found that currently there is no suitable registration area for PSS workforce. The same issue with sourcing a suitable organisation to provide qualifications was noted.

Members queried if it was not possible for the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) to be a suitable place for PSS accreditation. SG have confirmed it found that this wasn’t suitable. It was highlighted that this approach has been taken in Fife Council within their Primary schools, but this could not be as easily repeated in other councils across Scotland, due to operational differences. Following this, members asked if Modern Apprenticeships (MA) would be considered a way for PSS accreditation to be achieved. SG responded that this would be contemplated within the next phase of work, following on from when the report is published. Board Members will be provided a copy of the report once it is ready.

Members asked if SG would be updating the working group for PSS with the current progress on the report. SG confirmed that this will be done once the Cabinet Secretary is content with the report.

The discussion then progressed to the analysis of ASN within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. This work was progressed by SG and the Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE). They completed an analysis of their ITE programmes in relation to ASN and have created a report based on this work, but this has not been published yet. The overview of the report has noted that it is challenging to get data on how much time ITE students spend on learning about ASN, particularly due to how ASN is not always a standalone subject but woven into different ITE programmes. It also outlines how ITE programmes equips students with ASN knowledge and experience, and how programmes align with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) standards for provisional registration. There is information regarding different modules and placements that students have the option to do, and stresses that ITE just lays the foundation for teachers and professional development is key.

Some members expressed concern that students are still coming into workplace placements with little understanding on how to develop and challenge children with ASN, unless they have personal experience of this. A member felt that ITE is great for ongoing professional development, however it cannot replace the experience of hands-on development that an ASN placement can give them, such as working with more experienced staff members and understanding how to handle situations that arise unexpectedly. Education Scotland (ES) noted that currently, probationers cannot have a special school placement that counts as work towards their placement requirements. SG welcomed this feedback and would consider this when they next meet with SCDE.

It was highlighted by members that due to recent figures showing that 40% of pupils have ASN, it feels that changes to ITE programmes only is not enough for workforce to thrive, but any changes made need to reflect experiences teachers will experience in any classroom, whether this is an ASN classroom or mainstream. SG acknowledged that ITE programmes are not the answer to everything, and this will feed into on the job learning and professional development.

It was noted that the Early Learning Centre (ELC) division are also looking at this issue for the ELC practitioners and are investigating if the initial practitioner qualifications are fit for purpose and include appropriate content around support and care for children with ASN. From this, there is now a mandatory ASN module included within the Higher National Certificate (HNC) course. There is also engagement with reviewing the Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) and MA courses to ensure these have content around caring for children with ASN. It was noted that it would be beneficial to keep each division updated on work due to its similarities.

Members highlighted that ITE doesn’t cover how to support parents and carers, which members felt can be part of the solution and should be investigated further. Members noted that the refreshed mandatory module on the 'Into Headship' programme for aspiring Headteachers does explain duties regarding parental engagement and now has a detailed ASL section covering duties and processes, which those on the programme must achieve 100% to pass the course. 

Members questioned how the ITE programmes linked to the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CfTE). SG explained that the CfTE will focus widely on professional learning, but it may influence how ITE courses are developed.

The discussion moved onto GTCS. SG have been made aware that GTCS are intending to pilot changes to their accreditation and evaluation process for ITE programmes. This will include moving to a more risk-based approach. This is in its early stages and will go to consultation early next year. SG will keep Board Members informed of any updates on this progress.

The Chair thanked SG for providing the update and thanked members for their comments.

Professional Learning

ES presented this item. ES looked over previous reports in relation to ASN and were able to categorise four interconnecting themes: rights and equalities, relationships, wellbeing and care, inclusion. These themes are supported by legislation, policies, duties and effective practices, and make up the core of the Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities (IWE) Professional Learning (PL) framework. This 3-tiered IWE PL framework aims to simplify the PL landscape for inclusion, wellbeing and equalities, support capacity building and a common understanding, language and skills for all educators and provide high quality, up to date opportunities which can be adapted to suit the local context. The aim is that Local Authorities (LA) will be able to incorporate the professional framework into their own PL programmes and support individual educators.

PB members were introduced to the new ASN Teacher PL Programme. Funded by the SG and led by ES, this programme will provide flexible, nationally recognised ASN teacher PL. This two-year pilot programme has been designed specifically for existing ASN teachers who wish to further develop their knowledge, understanding and practice and class teachers who wish to move into a more specialist role, and will be module based. Each LA is being asked to nominate two staff from the education workforce to take part, with the first cohort starting in November 2025, and the second cohort starting in August 2026.

Despite the work that has been completed, ES have identified gaps that they are hoping to focus on in the future. These include:

• improved interconnectivity and collaboration at national and local levels
• continued PL opportunities co-designed with stakeholders
• IWE to be central to Curriculum Reform
• maximising the collaboration with the ASL Network
• improving ITE consistency of access to the relevant free learning available for students

The discussion turned to the relation of this work with the ASL Action Plan, under ‘5.1 Teacher Education and Development’. Regular feedback from senior leaders and classroom teachers is that there is a lack of knowledge of inclusion from students, and the competency in this area is dependent on where the student completes their placement. All students should be given the same foundational level of learning, which is what the IWE PL framework will provide. It is important that this framework is be widely promoted in it’s use, as leading with an inclusive pedagogy will support the majority of learners, without needing to become an “expert” in ASN.

The Chair thanked ES for the update and invited members to consider this item. Members praised the work that has been completed to date, and discussed that PL courses are highly popular, however it is difficult for teaching staff to get time away from the classroom to attend training due to workload pressures and classes unable to be covered. It was agreed that this is not an easily solved problem, however it is important to ensure that courses are being offered both virtual and in person to extend opportunities for attendance that work around busy diaries as best as possible. In terms of the new ASN Teacher PL Programme, this is a large commitment and should be taken on by those with a real interest in developing their knowledge and skills with ASN.

Members brought up the issues with one member of staff being sent onto courses, with the expectation that they will come back and ‘teach’ the course to staff at their setting. There was agreement between members that this could be off-putting to staff attending courses and is a known issue.

ACTION: share slides and ASL Action Plan PL update 30.09.25 document to PB members.

Code of Practice update

The update was provided by SG. Members were reminded of the ongoing work to update the Code of Practice (CoP) framework, which was a commitment made in the ASL Action Plan. The aim of the refresh is to ensure that the document has better accessibility and clarity for users. There has been a significant amount of engagement with stakeholders and with the CoP working group to complete this work.

At present, a draft has now been produced and shared to SG Legal Department for review, and a submission is being created for the Cabinet Secretary of Education and Skills for her consideration. There is no confirmed date yet for when the CoP refresh will go out for consultation, due to the nature of the clearance and publication process. However, SG hope that this will be before the end of the year. SG will be in touch with Board Members when the consultation is live and would appreciate this being distributed between members’ networks for review.

ACTION: SG to share a link to the consultation with the ASL PB and ASL Network when it goes live.

The Chair thanked SG for this update, and there were no further comments.

ASL Action Plan Progress Report timeline

SG lead on this item. There is currently not a draft plan available to be shared to Board Members, however members were invited to discuss the current idea for the report outline. There have been three previous reports on the work that has been undertaken in the last five years, and each report has been laid out differently. It was proposed this final report should avoid any repetition of these previous reports and could focus on the three identified priorities of the previous progress report, which were communications, CoP and the National Measurement Framework.

The Chair thanked SG for the update and asked members to discuss. Members asked if there is a way the impact of delivered actions can be measured and reported on in this report. It was agreed that the way the actions are set out without clear measures can make this difficult to do, however, members were asked to include any data or information on stakeholder engagement in their updates to ensure that impact on actions can be reflected this way.  A member mentioned it could be of benefit to the report to reach out to LAs to gather information on impact and to ensure they have been able to contribute to the report.

ACTION:  SG to provide a reminder / seek measurable information on the up-dates sought for actions which are still to be completed.

Any other business

AOB - Enquire provided an update to PB members on the launch of their first round of communications resources and have encouraged members to share these within their own networks, particularly over the next two weeks. Enquire have themed their communication around untangling complex information around ASL.

Members were given a tour of the new webpage and a walkthrough of the resources available there, which included a frequently asked questions resource for ASL rights and communications cards for parents, carers and professionals. There is an area for background information that can be shared on social media, which is editable to allow users to link to their own resources too. There is also going to be a children and young people section, which will have videos and blog posts that will be more engaging for a younger audience.

The Chair thanked Enquire for providing this update, and members praised how accessible and engaging the resources and website looked. There was a query if this resource could be put onto an app for easy access. Enquire agreed that this could investigated in the future.

AOB - SG provided an update on the ASN Data summit. It was confirmed that the date of the summit will be held on 12 November 2025, the agenda is in draft and is currently waiting to be finalised. If the agenda is cleared, the summit will have a focus on building the understanding of the nationally available ASL data, as well as how it is being recorded, and look at the current limitations and gaps in this data. Due to limited capacity, the attendees are being prioritised to those with experience of ASN and data recording, and those in a position who can have influence on changes required to data recording. Currently, the invite list will consist of two members of staff from each LA, ES, HMIE, SEEMiS and Audit Scotland. The data summit is recognised as being the starting point for work on ASN data, and so as work progresses SG will be engaging with PB members and organisations when required.

The Chair thanked SG for the update, and members did not have further comments.

Date of next meeting

The next PB meeting will be held in person on 25 November 2025, with a focus on the Progress Report and the ASL review. Members were notified this meeting would be extended from 2 hours to 3 hours.