Additional Support for Learning review action plan: second progress report

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

Scottish education has an inclusive ethos. Whilst important discussions about the future of Scottish education are ongoing, we continue to maintain this ethos, so that all children and young people are supported to reach their full learning potential.

Scotland should be proud of our approach to supporting children and young people in their learning. It has inclusion at its heart and promotes values of acceptance, equality, equity and kindness. It reflects the values of the National Performance Framework – that children can grow up loved, safe and respected to realise their full potential.

Our 'needs led' and rights based educational system is designed to be an inclusive one for all children and young people in schools and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings. Children's rights and entitlements are fundamental in our approach to inclusive education and are supported by our national policy and legislative framework. These include the Additional Support for Learning framework, Curriculum for Excellence, our Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach, and the Professional Standards for Scotland's Teachers.

Angela Morgan's 2020 review of implementation of additional support for learning confirmed that our policy and legislation was right. However, it highlighted that improvements are necessary to ensure that support is being delivered effectively across Scotland.

The Scottish Government and COSLA remain strongly committed to addressing the recommendations from the review. We are pleased to report, in this second update on our progress, that 24 out of the 76 actions have been delivered, with many others well underway. Whilst this is a significant achievement, we know there is still a lot more to do.

We are determined that the delivery of these actions, taken together, improve the day-to-day support and services offered to children and young people and their families throughout Scotland.

Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP: Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Cllr Tony Buchanan: Children and Young People Spokesperson