Additional Support for Learning action plan: final progress report

Conclusion

Angela Morgan commenced her independent review of the implementation of Additional Support for Learning (ASL) legislation in September 2019 and submitted her report and recommendations to Scottish Ministers and COSLA on 19 June 2020. In response, the Scottish Government, COSLA, and ADES collaborated to develop the ASL Action Plan, which set out 76 actions to address the recommendations made, and was published in October 2020.

As outlined in the introduction to this final ASL Progress Report, the context in which education is delivered in Scotland has changed significantly. The Morgan Review was undertaken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its recommendations were published at the onset of that crisis. In delivering the commitments made, the ASL Project Board has recognised the enduring impact of the pandemic across society, including on children and young people. Over time, parliamentary and media scrutiny of ASL has also intensified, particularly in the past two years, adding further complexity to implementation. Many of the challenges faced do no sit not with education alone, but across the broader public sector, where capacity, resourcing and competing system priorities continue to shape the environment in which ASL support is delivered.

Project Board members acknowledge that progress has been made and that significant steps have been taken to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with an additional support need. They also recognise that partnership working between the Scottish Government, COSLA, ADES and key stakeholders has strengthened considerably, especially over the last 18 months. However, despite these improvements, the current approach has not yet achieved the cultural shift or scale of change, experienced by children and families, that was envisaged by Angela Morgan. This is not necessarily a reflection of the actions themselves, but rather of the limited flexibility available to respond to a rapidly evolving landscape and the inability to address the wider, systemic issues that underpin persistent challenges in implementation.

Crucially, achieving the aspirations of the Review requires system‑wide commitment that extends beyond education. Many of the barriers to making progress stem from wider structural, workforce, health, social care and community‑level factors. Securing coordinated buy‑in, prioritisation and appropriate resourcing across the whole public sector has proven difficult and remains a significant limiting factor in achieving sustained improvement. The Public Sector Reform agenda provides an opportunity for us to consider things differently going forward.

Angela Morgan emphasised that delivering her recommendations would require long‑term effort, cross‑system ownership and systemic change. While the ASL Action Plan has delivered positive developments, substantial challenges remain. A more collective and coordinated approach across the whole of the Scottish Government and the wider public sector is essential if progress is to be embedded and transformational change realised in how we support children and young people. The complexity of this work - with multiple interdependencies across services - stands in contrast to the pressing and immediate needs of the children, young people and families who require support now.

Experience to date suggests that a more focused approach, centred on a smaller number of core cross‑system priority actions, will be necessary to secure greater impact. Meaningful, sustainable improvement will depend on shared commitment, aligned priorities, and collective investment across the full system—not education alone.

Looking ahead, work will continue to be developed, implemented and embedded across several key areas:

1. The ASL National Measurement Framework – The production of the NMF within the refreshed NIFIER dashboard represents a significant step toward improving inclusion and equity in Scottish education. By embedding ASN measures within the NIF structure, we are building a robust, transparent system for celebrating achievements, tracking progress, and informing policy of those children and young people with an additional support need in Scotland. The NMF will continue to evolve, and the next steps set out in pages 14-16 will be delivered by Scottish Government policy and analytical officials, in collaboration with Local Authority partners. The next iterations of the NMF will be closely linked to the wider ASL Data Improvement Programme work announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in December 2025.

2. Refreshed Code of Practice – Following a full 12-week consultation process on the draft revised Code of Practice which will close in early 2026, a period of analysis and reporting will take place. The outcomes from this consultation process will be fully considered and explored by Scottish Government policy officials.

3. Workforce training and development – Education Scotland will continue to develop and deliver their Inclusion Wellbeing and Equalities (IWE) Professional Learning Framework. This framework supports anyone working with children and young people in an educational context and it can also support those who work with adult learners, parents, carers, families and in community learning contexts. This professional learning framework:

• Simplifies the professional learning landscape for inclusion, wellbeing and equalities (IWE)
• Supports capacity building and a common understanding, language and skills for all educators
• Provides up to date information which can be adapted to suit the local context
• Support individual educators to plan their own professional learning

This framework provides targeted professional learning which is considered suitable for anyone working with children and young people in an educational context. There are three levels within this framework, essential for all, informed and skilled. The first two levels have already been developed and are in place. The next phase of this work is to develop the material for the third level (skilled), which will offer more depth and detail, aiming to further extend an educator’s understanding and skills and to enhance upper universal and some targeted approaches required for some children and young people. Education Scotland will continue to promote their IWE Professional Learning Framework and support its use across Scotland.

4. Engagement with children and young people, parents and carers – Co--creating and collaborating with children, young people and their families can support a more coherent, inclusive and all-encompassing policy making. In turn, this improves the implementation, impact and experience for everyone. To enable this, children and young people must be listened to and involved in all decision making relating to additional support for learning and we will continue to embed this approach. By utilising Scottish Government funding, four young people’s organisations conducted engagement sessions on ASL in early 2026. The views expressed during these sessions will provide a basis for ongoing engagement with children and young people as we embed their views into our actions in the next Parliamentary Term. The Scottish Assembly of Parents and Carers (SAPC) prepared and published a Call for Action on ASL in May 2025. We will continue to work with the Assembly to listen to, and act on, the views expressed by parents and carers in their Call for Action in the next Parliamentary Term.

5. Communications – Reflections from the ASL Project Board have highlighted the importance of communications and that a clear communications strategy to underpin all the work that we will deliver going forward, is necessary to ensure that the right people, get the right information, at the right time. The communications work that has been delivered since April 2025 to support the ASL Action Plan, has provided a strong foundation, and it is critical that we build on this momentum by expanding the content, strengthening engagement, and embedding ASL information in widely used platforms. These actions will ensure that families, professionals, and learners have access to clear, accurate and practical information, supporting a more inclusive and responsive education system. Project Board members have reflected that we need to ensure that the workforce is fully engaged in any proposals going forward, and that we have a clear mechanism in place to share progress, developments and priorities. To ensure continuity and long-term impact, Children in Scotland’s Enquire Service - the Scottish Advice Service for Additional Support for Learning will continue to lead this work.