Additional Support for Learning action plan: final progress report

Joint foreword from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson

In 2020, the Scottish Government and COSLA received Angela Morgan’s report from her review of the implementation of additional support for learning (ASL) in Scotland. In response, we produced an action plan setting out 76 actions to address the recommendations made in the report, detailing how they would be delivered in collaboration with the ADES, Education Scotland and key partners across education, health and social care.

Since then, the partnership working between the Scottish Government, COSLA and stakeholders from the ASL Project Board and beyond has strengthened considerably. This collaboration has created a strong foundation of knowledge and expertise, enabling us to shape the next phase of ASL and ensure that future developments move swiftly from insight to implementation, helping us to address the remaining challenges in the system.

This fourth and final Progress Report outlines how this strengthened partnership has enabled us to deliver 72 of the 76 actions in the ASL Action Plan, and sets out firm plans in place to continue the remaining four. Recent progress includes the launch of the first iteration of the National Measurement Framework which provides a consistent approach to measuring and reporting ASN outcomes with future iterations addressing local authority-level analysis, and embedding measures across NIFIER to ensure parity of esteem between ASN-related achievement and mainstream attainment; the public consultation on a refreshed Supporting Learners’ Code of Practice; and the development of a communications strategy to increase awareness and understanding of ASL among children and young people, parents and carers, and the education workforce.

Angela Morgan highlighted that a long-term commitment would be needed to fully deliver her recommendations and demonstrate the positive change we all seek. The Action Plan has given us a strong foundation to build on to continue to make progress and ensure meaningful improvements for Scotland’s young people. As we enter a new phase of ASL delivery, we will focus on embedding the changes and improvements made to date and focusing on key deliverables on the ground.

We would like to thank the members of the ASL Project Board, and the ASL Network, for their unwavering support, commitment and action in driving improvement in ASL delivery. The Scottish Government and COSLA remain committed to working together with partners and specialists across the sector to improve support, and experiences for children and young people with additional support needs and their families.

Jenny Gilruth MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Cllr Tony Buchanan
Children and Young People Spokesperson