National Improvement Framework 2026: improvement plan
The 2026 improvement plan provides the full details of the actions that will be taken to deliver the seven outcomes set out in the 2026 National Improvement Framework, the evidence to support them, and how we will measure progress.
Outcome 2
Young people experiencing the benefit of schools and early years settings working in excellent partnerships with wider children’s services and other partners, families, and communities, in line with the GIRFEC approach.
What the evidence is telling us
Evidence from Public Health Scotland[1] shows that a number of cohorts of young children have been negatively affected by the Covid pandemic, with a disproportionate impact on children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Since 2020, evidence has shown that there has been an increase in speech, language and communication (SLC) developmental concerns recorded at the 13-15 months, 27-30 month and 4-5 year child health reviews. There is evidence to suggest that the presence of known risk factors for preventable SLC needs can have a lesser impact when supportive factors, such as positive adult-child interactions and responsiveness, are in place.
Findings from HM Inspectors through school inspections tell us that, most schools have reported positive changes in parental perceptions, with high levels of parental satisfaction with their child’s school experience. In the best examples, parents feel there are caring and respectful relationships between staff and pupils and there is a welcoming ethos. This contributes to children and young people’s wellbeing and sense of belonging. In fewer than half of schools, however, parental involvement in strategic decision-making and self-evaluation remains limited. Although consultation takes place, parental views do not always have a clear influence on school priorities. These schools should strengthen approaches to ensure parental contributions meaningfully shape strategic decisions and improvement planning.
Community involvement and partnership working are key strengths in the majority of schools. Effective collaboration with parents, local organisations and national bodies enhances the breadth and relevance of opportunities available to children and young people. These partnerships provide access to sporting, cultural and creative activities, vocational learning and accredited programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Dynamic Youth Award. Children and young people benefit from opportunities to contribute meaningfully to their communities through charity fundraising, environmental projects, intergenerational work and cultural events, helping them to develop as responsible citizens and effective contributors. Where practice is strongest, partnership working contributes well to schools’ strategic planning for improvement.
The data on uptake rates of funded ELC for eligible two-year-olds, reported in the ELC Census, has shown significant variation between local authorities. This highlights the need for continued, sustained improvement at a local level. This has been highlighted as a key priority in our continued focus on tackling child poverty. Data shows concerns around speech, language and communication (SLC) development at key child health review stages. These concerns are more pronounced in disadvantaged cohorts, highlighting the importance of early identification and responsive adult‑child interactions.
What we will do to deliver
The Scottish Government will continue to utilise established relationships with parents and carers and children and young people on education policy priorities as part of an overarching approach to engaging with those who are impacted by changes to policies, ensuring their voices are listened to and views considered as part of policy development and the ongoing reform of school education.
An improvement dashboard has been co-designed in partnership with local authorities, as part of the Outcomes and Measurement Framework (OMF) for Funded ELC. This is now available to all 32 local authorities. The Scottish Government and the Improvement Service (IS) are now considering next steps to develop the project further, to provide richer insights into the delivery of funded ELC in Scotland. As part of this, the Scottish Government will work with the IS and local authorities to explore future support for strategic workforce planning.
We know that it is important for all children to experience high-quality play opportunities supported by adults who are skilled in the use of child-centred play pedagogy. We will continue to work with local authorities to support the use of Realising the Ambition: Being Me, our internationally recognised national practice guidance for early years, across the early level Curriculum for Excellence. We will use outputs from the HMIE 2025-26 inspection programme and stakeholder feedback to improve evidence on the implementation of play pedagogy and to identify areas for further improvement.
Scottish Government published the Early Years Speech, Language and Communication Action Plan on 2 December, supporting practitioners to embed our “Chatting Together” messages in all ELC settings and early intervention approaches in partnership with families and communities. This Action Plan will strengthen collaboration between health visitors, ELC practitioners and local authorities to ensure SLC needs are identified early and addressed consistently across Scotland.
Scottish Government will continue to work with local authorities and partners to maximise uptake of funded ELC to all eligible children, particularly those facing the most disadvantage.
How we will measure progress
Work on eligible two-year-olds currently reports through the Tackling Child Poverty Programme.
Progress on Speech Language and Communication will be monitored through child health review data on SLC concerns, inspection evidence, and practitioner feedback on the implementation of the SLC Action Plan.