Learning/intellectual disability and autism: transformation plan

Education

"Excellence and equity for all" is the Scottish Government's vision for education in Scotland. This aspiration fits with Scotland's inclusive and forward-thinking approach to education policy, and there is an extensive programme of work happening to make this a reality. Yet for some children with additional support needs this is not their experience.

Some autistic children find home schooling stressful bringing additional pressures on families already struggling to cope. Some have flourished.

What we will do

Action 22 - The Scottish Government and COSLA will work with partners to support the implementation of the action plan on the recommendations of theAdditional Support for Learning Review,improving educational experiences and outcomes for all children and young people who need support with their learning.

Action 23 - We will action the Deputy First Minister's Working Group Implementation Plan following theNot Included, Not Engaged, Not involved Report.This will include building better autism understanding in Initial Teacher Education, working with the General Teaching Council Scotland and Universities to develop training resources and deliver training in autism to all trainee teachers.

Action 24 - We will build better learning/intellectual disability understanding by promoting the Talking about Learning Disability resources^[11] through the General Teaching Council and Association of Directors of Education in Scotland.

Action 25 - The Scottish Government will work to develop meaningful Additional Support for Learning outcome measures which capture indicators of the achievements and progress of autistic children and/or children who have learning/intellectual disabilities beyond solely academic and destination data.

Action 26- The Scottish Government will produce new standalone guidance on the use of physical intervention and seclusion in Scotland's schools. This will provide a clear human rights based policy on physical intervention and seclusion and will be presented as part of the Included, Engaged and Involved suite of guidance. We will also introduce a standard data set and oversee subsequent implementation, including a review one year from publication of the revised guidance to ensure its effectiveness.

Action 27- As part of our joint action plan in response to the Additional Support for Learning implementation review, we will explore how to support more parents to have access to the information, skills, support and advocacy they need to be active and equal participants in their child's education.