International Council of Education Advisers minutes: October 2025

Attendees and apologies

The following Council members were present:

• Professor Carol Campbell
• Professor Graham Donaldson
• Dr Avis Glaze
• Professor Andy Hargreaves
• Dr Pak Tee Ng
• Professor Pasi Sahlberg
• Professor Allison Skerrett
• Dr Amanda Watkins
• Liz White

Apologies

• Professor Chris Chapman
• Professor Edward Melhuish

Also present

• Jenny Gilruth MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
• Neil Rennick, Director General Education and Justice
• Clare Hicks, Director of Education Reform
• Alison Taylor, Interim Director of Learning
• Graeme Logan, Interim Chief Executive, Education Scotland
• Janie McManus, Interim Chief Inspector, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE)
• John Wilson, Independent Professional Advisor
• Clair Henderson, Additional Support for Learning Unit, Scottish Government, (Session 2)
• Stella Smith, Additional Support for Learning Unit, Scottish Government (Session 2)
• Vikki Bruce, Quality, Equity and Workforce Unit, Scottish Government (Sessions 2 and 3)
• Helen Forde, ELC Supporting Quality Improvement, Scottish Government (Session 3)
• Craig Flunkert, Curriculum Unit, Scottish Government (Session 3)
• Catriona Gill, Early Years Unit, Education Scotland (Session 3)
• Allan Fleming, Early Learning and Childcare, Education Scotland (Session 3)
• Morag Steele, HMIE (Session 3)
• Bex Ewart, City of Edinburgh Council (Session 3)
• Kit Wyeth, National Improvement Framework Unit, Scottish Government (Session 4)

ICEA Secretariat

• Judith Tracey, National Improvement Framework Unit, Scottish Government
• Michael Stawpert, National Improvement Framework Unit, Scottish Government
• Michelle Kim, National Improvement Framework Unit, Scottish Government

Items and actions

Purpose

This note provides an overview of the discussion and key points from the twelfth meeting of the International Council of Education Advisers (ICEA). The meeting took place in Edinburgh on 1 and 2 October 2025 and focused on the following areas:

• additional support for learning (ASL)
• play pedagogy at the early level
• future reform priorities 

1 October 2025 – Portobello High School, Edinburgh

Session 1: Meeting with senior officials

The first session was chaired by Clare Hicks, Director of Education Reform, who welcomed attendees to Portobello High School, and to the twelfth formal meeting of the ICEA. The meeting began with Clare thanking the outgoing member of the Council, Professor Alma Harris, for her contribution to the work of the Council over the years. Clare also welcomed Dr Amanda Watkins as a new Council member. 

Pupils from the school gave a presentation on their experience of education, including their thoughts on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, the benefits of the school’s mobile phone policy, and the barriers to education caused by poverty and caring responsibilities. This was followed by a presentation by Clare Hicks, Graeme Logan, and Janie MacManus. This included an overview of the current Scottish education context, and update on the reform of Education Scotland and HMIE, as well as further information on the Scottish Government’s priorities, of attendance, achievement, behaviour and relationships, and curriculum. 

The following points were raised during discussion:

• Council members praised the Scottish system for prioritising attendance, which is not a feature of many education systems’ priorities
• Council members raised concerns about social media’s impact on student engagement generally but reflected positively on Portobello High School’s mobile phone policy

This was followed by a tour of the ASL and curricular provision at the school, including stonemasonry and silversmithing classes, as an example of the wider curriculum offer available in the Scottish system.

Session 2: Review of ASL Provision

This session was chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and introduced the work of the Scottish Government on ASL. The 2020 Morgan review found that while the principles behind Scotland’s inclusive approach to ASL were correct, practical implementation across school faced significant challenges. A more recent series of reports over the past 18 months have found that challenges in delivery of ASL remain. As a result, the Scottish Government has agreed to carry out a review of ASL and the implementation of mainstreaming. The Council was invited to reflect on Scotland’s policy in an international context, including how consistent application of the presumption of mainstreaming can be improved and how to ensure the right balance between specialist provision, and specialist in mainstream provision.

The following points were made during discussion:

• the expansion of the understanding and definition of ASL makes this a priority for all education systems, and Scotland is ahead of many systems in adopting “additional support” as its framework, rather than a medicalised focus on disability. Scotland is seen as progressive in identifying vulnerable groups and valuing inclusion
• while Scotland is a founding member of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (EASNIE), via their collective membership with England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a challenge to the values of inclusion is being presented by global political trends. The case for inclusion should be strongly made by starting from values, then demonstrating the educational and societal benefits of this approach
• flexibility in funding to allow for preventative, rather than reactive interventions, will have a long term effect of reducing exclusion. Headteachers should be empowered to make decisions that support inclusion
• in Finland, like Scotland, inclusive education as seen as a foundational right for all children and young people. Emphasis is placed upon early intervention and a holistic, whole-child and whole-school approach. As a result, it invests more in early intervention, rather than in trying to resolve problems at a later stage
• there is a gap between policy intention and implementation. Teachers often feel ill-equipped to deal with the significant rise in the number of children and young people with additional support needs in recent years, with 40% of pupils having an identified additional support need in 2024 compared with 30.9% in 2019 when Angela Morgan conducted her review, and 10% in 2010. It is important to think carefully about how we support teachers through this increasingly challenging environment
• the lesson of ASL provision has been that what is essential for some is often beneficial for all e.g. teachers including text on a screen as well as talking during a lesson. We need to build on that, so that it is more widely recognised that ASL provision can be to the benefit of all pupils and all other stakeholders in the system
• leadership mindset is essential to successfully implementing ASL in schools, as well as ongoing pathways for professional development for practitioners, to share practice and develop skills

Session 3: Embedding play pedagogy at the early level

This session was chaired by Clare Hicks and focused on the effective implementation of play pedagogy at the early level of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). This included a presentation by Bex Ewart from the City of Edinburgh Council, who outlined the Council’s approach to embedding play pedagogy in schools. Despite excellent practice in some areas, implementation is inconsistent across Scotland. 

Council members were invited to share their insights on Scotland’s approach to child-centred play pedagogy, how progress in embedding play pedagogy might be accelerated, and on whether a change such as introducing a kindergarten-style stage between Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) and primary school would have a positive impact on closing the poverty related gap in outcomes.

Discussion included:

• play pedagogy requires bravery, responsiveness, and observational skills. Professional learning and leadership support are crucial for embedding play effectively within the curriculum
• in Australia, there has been a post-pandemic move away from play-based pedagogies, and a return to more traditional models of classroom teaching. Members raised the experience of resistance to play pedagogy in Australia and New Zealand, with the emphasis on “learning loss”, as a potential challenge to wider acceptance of this pedagogy
• the most effective messaging to support the incorporation of play pedagogy into teaching, should be around health and wellbeing and the holistic benefits of focusing on the wellbeing of young people. Paediatricians all support play in ELC. Trying to make the case using academic attainment as the primary metric can be counterproductive
• the way play is discussed matters – shouldn’t be seen as separate from learning. A unified narrative is needed to support consistency and understanding across the system
• while a kindergarten stage is widely accepted as beneficial in countries where it is adopted, and the council acknowledges the progress being made in incorporating play-based pedagogies into the curriculum, there should be a focus on developing pedagogy rather than structural stages. The goal should be to achieve a flow between stages of learning, where pedagogy is developmentally progressive, and moves in step with learners. This is in line with the current approach in Scotland
• play without adults or “Free Play” is more effective than directed play. While this is important, it may be difficult to persuade an education system that this is desirable
• there is a need for a robust communication plan and community consensus, including business involvement, to support implementation
• embedding play within excellent professional learning and development is critical to having an effective pedagogy. Leadership and professional learning strategies to engage sceptics and shift mindsets. Encouraging the teacher workforce to adopt a new model should be reinforced by the Government and empowered by LAs and schools, with community buy in
• practical barriers to a kindergarten stage were raised, such as staff ratios and access to outdoor play. The Council cautioned against a focus on structural changes that introduce new transitions, advocating for educational flow rather than segmented stages

On the evening of 1 October the Council members attended a formal dinner at Bute House, hosted by the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. 

2 October 2025 

Session 4: Independent Professional Advisor John Wilson (St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh) 

This session was chaired by John Wilson, newly appointed Independent Professional Advisor on school reform, who is undertaking a review of future reform priorities. John delivered a presentation, outlining his experience, the remit of his role, and the three areas he has been asked to focus on as part of his review – improvement, funding and governance. Council members were invited to comment upon the review, and provide insights into possible areas of reform.

Discussion included:

• there is growing interest in personalised curriculum offers in Scotland, with collaboration across schools to broaden learners’ options. Justifying personalised learning remains a challenge, especially when it doesn't align with traditional qualifications such as Highers
• social and global trends are changing the world in which our education system operates. Rapid digital transformation is outpacing schools’ ability to adapt. The biggest challenge is responding effectively to a turbulent environment. There is a need for clear leadership and accountability in the system
• structural problems within the system create many challenges, for example, inconsistent application of national guidance across local authorities These issues, combined with the substantial demographic, and geographic, differences within and between local authorities, have led to variation in educational outcomes across Scotland 
• different approaches to local authority accountability were discussed. As local authorities are not inspected in the same way as schools, there is a perception they are not held to the same metrics as schools
• questions were raised about where school leaders can turn if local authority support is lacking
• members said there was a need for clear communication about the roles and responsibilities of the newly reformed educational bodies and how these will interact and overlap to ensure coherence for system improvement
• members provided examples from Singapore and South Australia which highlight systemic approaches and respect for teachers. Finland’s model shows that teacher status, not pay, drives quality in teaching and learning. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is developing new PISA metrics for 2030, which are more in line with CfE, and Scotland should continue to lead rather than follow
• members suggested that there should be a national approach to teacher-led collaboration across local authorities, with an emphasis on engaging unions, universities, businesses, parents/carers, and students. There need to be strategic goals that align national priorities with classroom realities
• concerns were raised about the loss of focus on educational leadership with the integration of the Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL) into Education Scotland. Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES) is seen as improving in its role as a professional development body. There needed to be more focus on teachers and clarity on who leads educational improvement
• there is a need for a clear, inspiring educational narrative. Respect for teachers and their professional development is seen as key to system improvement

Session 5: Feedback and conclusions (Scottish Parliament, Committee room 5, Edinburgh)

The final session was chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. Council members were invited to present their conclusions based on the information they had gathered, and the discussions that were held, over the course of the two-day meeting 

The Council set out a number of areas for the Scottish Government to consider: 

• to continue to build an inclusive education system, Scotland needs to focus on effective implementation of the policies currently in place. In an uncertain world, young people need to have strengths across all four capacities of CfE. The teaching profession needs to be valued and supported to prepare young people for an uncertain future, with an emphasis on human capacity required for the craft of teaching
• the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CfTE) is a welcome development, and it should be action-oriented and cater to all schools. Moving forward in its programme, CfTE may refer to the examples of Singapore’s National Institute of Education and Australia’s Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership
• promote one-on-one coaching as a key driver of teacher improvement, and find ways to connect teachers to share experience and learning
• the Curriculum Improvement Cycle should have inclusion and values at the centre.
• there should be support for play-based pedagogy and early childhood education – the best education systems build forward from early childhood, rather than backwards from exams and assessment. However, smooth transition between the stages of education is more important than the creation of formal structures such as a kindergarten
• Scotland has a strong education system, and is ahead of much of the rest of the world in its inclusive approaches to education – even if this is not always recognised at home. To enhance the existing system, Scotland should seek to strengthen collaboration across all levels of the education system, and encourage the leadership capacity of school leaders through peer support to lead to improvement
• clarity in the roles of the new national education bodies – Education Scotland, HMIE, Qualifications Scotland, and the CfTE – and clear demonstration in how they will work together in collaboration to support learners and schools is an important first step
• the emphasis of any future reforms should be on improving what the Scottish system already has, rather than further restructuring

Any other business

No other business was raised. The Cabinet Secretary thanked the Council for their time and contributions across the two days.