Additional Support for Learning review action plan: second progress report

Introduction

This progress report provides an update on work undertaken since the previous update. It sets out the progress we have made since November 2021, confirms the delivery of 24 out of 76 recommendations, and summarises the actions we will continue to take over the course of this Parliament to deliver the recommendations from Angela Morgan's review of additional support for learning.

This report should be read alongside the updated action plan, which provides fuller detail around work that has been completed, work that is underway, and the work we intend to do over the next 18 months.

In order to update the action plan, during 2022, we have engaged widely with stakeholders to take stock of current provision and agree priorities. These are reflected in our updated action plan which is intended to help ensure that meaningful change is realised.

Recognising that there are a significant number of actions within the action plan, and in order to simplify their presentation, actions are grouped into four themes. All of the actions which were within the original action plan remain. These four themes are directly linked to delivery of recommendations within the original ASL Review as shown below:

1. Children and Young People's Engagement, Participation & Rights contains the themes of:

• children and young people participation
• vision & visibility
• maintaining focus, but overcoming fragmentation
• understanding rights

2. Parent and Carer Engagement, Participation & Rights contains the themes of:

• maintaining focus, but overcoming fragmentation
• relationships between schools and parents and carers

3. Teacher and Practitioner Professionalism contains the themes of:

• vision and visibility
• workforce development and support

4. Leadership & Improvement contains the themes of:

• vision and visibility
• maintaining focus and overcoming fragmentation
• resources
• relationships and behaviour

The Additional Support for Learning Project Board, jointly Chaired by the Scottish Government and COSLA, was established in June 2022 and has a key role to ensure that we deliver our action plan. The Project Board will produce a work plan in response to this report outlining how to ensure we deliver meaningful change through this work. More detail on this can be found in the "Delivering Improvement" section.

It is important to acknowledge that these are challenging times for public finances, which makes it even more important that we continue to work collaboratively with all those who play a role in supporting our children and young people. The Additional Support for Learning Project Board will continue to support and facilitate the development and sharing of resources which support the progression and achievement of all the actions. It is also a challenging time for our communities due to the rising cost of living. We must remain vigilant to the fact more children and young people may experience circumstances which give rise to additional support needs.

Delivery of the measures set out in our joint action plan, will require continuous review to ensure that we achieve the broad and deep change necessary to achieve our ambitions that all children and young people are valued, respected, included and supported to achieve and succeed.