Additional Support For Learning review action plan: final update

Theme 1: Vision and Visibility

Completed Actions

ASL Review Recommendation 1.1

Vision Statement

Actions 1.1.1

A national overarching Vision Statement for success for children and young people who have additional support needs must be developed by the end of 2020 with the full involvement of children and young people.

Status of Action

Complete

ASL Review Recommendation

Actions 1.1.2

This vision statement must be developed alongside a positive public communication plan which highlights the range of conditions and issues identified in the additional support for learning legislation and will be one of the ways in which the profile of additional support for learning is raised to ensure equity for all children and young people.

Status of Action

Complete

The ASL Project Board issued a letter to Local Authority Directors of Education and Chief Executives, highlighting information which highlighted a range of information developed by the Young Ambassadors for Inclusion - including information on the Young Ambassadors vision statement; support for the development of local Inclusion Ambassador style projects; their views on language and communication and where to find the latest information about the work of the Young Ambassadors for Inclusion.

See action 1.1.3 progress update

ASL Review Recommendation

Actions 1.1.3

The achievements and successes of children and young people with additional support needs must be celebrated publicly, in equivalence to attainment and exam results.

Status of Action

Complete

The Scottish Government commissioned Enquire to produce a communications strategy to improve the key information different audiences need to meet the need of young people. This work will also build on the Inclusion Ambassadors vision of ‘success is different for everyone’, showcasing different kinds of success for pupils with additional support needs, sharing good practice for learning and spaces to facilitate knowledge exchange.

ASL Review Recommendation

Actions 1.1.4

The language used to describe children and young people with additional support needs and the services which support them must be changed. It should move away from describing children and young people as their condition and not be solely focussed on deficits.

Status of Action

Complete

Refreshing the Statutory Code of Practice was one of the three identified priority areas for delivery by the ASL Project Board in the third Progress Report (November 2024), to better support those working with children and young people with additional support needs.

A full 12-week consultation process on the draft revised Code of Practice commenced in early 2026, to fulfil Ministers duty under section 27(3). The consultation was published on the Scottish Government consultation webpages and stayed open for 12 weeks, in line with best practice. Once the consultation closes, a period of analysis and reporting will take place to consider the outcomes of the consultation process and the next steps that are required.

Improvements made by the Code of Practice Working Group are detailed in the accompanying Progress Report, as well as improvements made in response to the Education, Children and Young People Committee.

ASL Review Recommendation 1.2

Measurement

Actions 1.2.1

A national measurement framework for additional support for learning must be developed to ensure that there is no reduction in aspiration and ambition for all children and young people to achieve to the maximum of their learning potential, a national measurement framework for additional support for learning must be developed. The National Improvement Framework must be revised to ensure parity for additional support for learning.

Status of Action

Complete

The first iteration of the National Measurement Framework (NMF) has been published within the 2025 refresh of the National Improvement Framework Interactive Evidence Report (NIFIER) on the 9 December, with updates to follow on a quarterly basis.

The NMF has been developed in partnership with ADES, SG analytical services and Project Board members – and was introduced to Local Authorities at the 2025 ASL Data Summit.

This first iteration of the ASL NMF will be Scotland-level data only and ASN data will be limited to a comparison of data for those with an additional support need recorded compared to those with no additional support need recorded.

It is acknowledged that there are gaps in the existing evidence base that have not been fully addressed. Future iterations of the ASL NMF will include re-assessing the availability and quality of data and finetuning measures in response to user need and wider data work in the ASN space. This will include considering other relevant disaggregation’s such as by local authority, nature of support or reason for support.

With respect to the ASL NMF measures, it is being proposed that measures are presented both in a dedicated ASL NMF tab and mainstreamed throughout the NIFIER where relevant. This is in line with the aim of achieving parity of esteem in achievement across the board, and between making progress with reducing the poverty-related attainment gap and the additional support need (ASN)-related attainment gap. Several improvements have been made to the NIFIER, within which the NMF will be embedded, to improve the accessibility.

Feedback is welcome on the content, layout and accessibility of the dashboard and suggestions for improvement will be reviewed .

ASL Review Recommendation

Actions 1.2.2

This framework must be rooted in improvement methodology and assist in reinforcing a culture of improvement rather than compliance. The main objective of measurement and recording will be to support local improvement rather than comparisons between authorities.

Status of Action

Complete

See action 1.2.1 progress update

ASL Review Recommendation

Actions 1.2.3

The test measures must recognise that qualifications are not relevant learning objectives for all children and young people and those children and young people are not failures because of that. The Milestones to Support Learners with Complex Additional Support Needs, introduced in 2018, along with the Curriculum review are

Status of Action

Complete

See action 1.2.1 progress update

ASL Review Recommendation

Actions 1.2.4

The measures must value and ensure visibility of the diverse range of achievements, including in vocational learning, that are possible for all children and young people with additional support needs and reflect what they and their families feel are important for their (future) quality of life.

Status of Action

Complete

See action 1.2.1 progress update

ASL Review Recommendation

Actions 1.2.5

The investment in Pupil Support Assistants must be measured for impact and improvement on children and young people experiences and achievement. Local authority and school managers must plan a strategy to review the deployment of Pupil Support Assistants which takes account of recommendations from current national research Education Endowment Fund (2018).

Status of Action

Complete

The draft of the Vision and Values for pupil support staff have been developed, shared with members of the Pupil Support Staff Working Group who provided valuable feedback as well as included in Pupil support staff framework and currently awaiting the ratification from the workforce themselves.

The Scottish Government commissioned Education Scotland to lead the Pupil Support Staff Engagement Programme, which addresses aspects of workforce development and deployment. The evaluation report from this engagement programme, published on 05 September 2023, includes a proposal for a standardised national Pupil Support Staff induction program.

While the initial engagement program has concluded with the publication of the evaluation report, further proposals are being undertaken by the Pupil Support Staff Working Group.

ASL Review Recommendation

Actions 1.2.6

A plan must be developed and implemented to test how the National Performance Framework can be expanded to include achievement measures which go beyond the current narrow parameters of attainment and qualifications (based on the National Performance Framework values).

Status of Action

Complete