Implementation of The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004: report to Parliament 2013

Scottish learning context

Since the first report to Parliament in 2011 there have been significant developments which affect learning in Scotland. These include

Education Scotland

Education Scotland was established on 1 July 2011 by the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning as a new public body, charged with supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education and thereby securing the delivery of better learning experiences and outcomes for Scottish learners of all ages.

Education Scotland's vision is that Scottish learners will progress in one of the most effective education systems in the world, renowned for the ability of national and local partners to work flexibly together to achieve high-quality and equitable outcomes for all. In order to realise this vision Education Scotland aim to provide the best blend of national support and challenge to inspire and secure continuous improvement in the opportunities that all Scottish learners can access.

Getting it Right for Every Child

As children and young people progress on their journey through life, some may have temporary difficulties, some may live with challenges and some may experience more complex issues.

Sometimes they - and their families - are going to need help and support. No matter where they live or whatever their needs, children, young people and their families should always know where they can find help, what support might be available and whether that help is right for them.

The Getting it right for every child approach ensures that anyone providing that support puts the child or young person - and their family - at the centre.

Getting it right for every child is important for everyone who works with children and young people - as well as many people who work with adults who look after children. Practitioners need to work together to support families, and where appropriate, take early action at the first signs of any difficulty - rather than only getting involved when a situation has already reached crisis point.

This means working across organisational boundaries and putting children and their families at the heart of decision making - and giving all our children and young people the best possible start in life.

"A Guide to Getting it Right for Every Child" was published in June 2012 and remains essential reading for anyone involved or working with children and young people, including practitioners working in adult services with parents and carers.

Curriculum for Excellence

Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is the 3-18 curriculum in Scotland which offers a broad and deep general education from early years (aged 3) through to the end of S3 (typically age 15). It includes a senior phase of education (typically 15-18) which provides opportunities to develop skills for learning, life and work and obtain qualifications. It promotes the ability to learn and to reflect on their own learning, skills for life that will help young people go onto further study, to secure work and to navigate successfully through life. Ultimately, the aim is to make our education system fit for the modern world and improve young people's achievements, attainment and life chances; through enabling all young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2012

The Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2012 indicated that the majority of staff find pupils generally well behaved and this has been consistent over the last three surveys (2006, 2009, 2012). Low-level disruptive behaviours are still common and have a bigger day-to-day impact on the learning environment than serious disruptive behaviour/violence. Schools use a wide range of strategies to encourage positive behaviour, with a continued move away from punitive methods ( e.g. punishment exercises, detention) to more positive approaches ( e.g. restorative practices). Schools continue to be supported in promotion of positive behaviour and relationships by Education Scotland's Rights, Support and Wellbeing Team.

Teaching Scotland's Future

Education Scotland is working with partners to lead and support aspects of the implementation of 'Teaching Scotland's Future'. This report has been highlighted by the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning as one of the main pillars supporting the future of Scottish education. It was published in January 2011, following a national review of teacher education, led by Graham Donaldson.

Action is required by schools, local authorities and national bodies to implement the recommendations and improve teacher education in Scotland. A National Partnership Group and sub-groups, were established to take forward aspects of this ambitious, challenging agenda. The recommendations include the observation that "teachers should be confident in their ability to address underachievement, including the potential effects of social disadvantage; to teach the essential skills of literacy and numeracy; to address additional support needs (particularly dyslexia and autistic spectrum disorders); to assess effectively in the context of the deep learning required by Curriculum for Excellence; and to know how to manage challenging behaviour." Advice will be given by a sub-group regarding how these areas are to be addressed through initial teacher education and career long professional learning.

More recently

As would be expected, there have been further changes in the year since the last report.

The Scottish Government took steps following the 2011 Scottish Parliament General Election to set out fundamental reforms to children's services, highlighting the importance of early years, prevention and person-centred services which focus on improving outcomes for children.

The Government's aim is to see public services which:

• recognise the rights of the child as being of paramount importance to achieving the vision of improving life chances for all children and young people.
• focus on children and young people's needs and wellbeing, making sure that the child is placed at the centre of service design, planning and delivery and is involved in decisions.
• shift away from the approach of intervening only once a crisis has happened, to prevention and early intervention where appropriate.
• provide the right support to parents to enable them to effectively fulfil what is the most challenging role in society and involving them in decisions that affect them and their families.
• empower practitioners to take decisions and act to improve outcomes.

To build on that progress and to ensure that children's rights are fully embedded in the planning and delivery of public services, the Children and Young People Bill was introduced to Parliament on 17 April 2013 and received Royal Assent on 27 March 2014.

The Act will further the Scottish Government's ambition for Scotland to be the best place to grow up in by putting children and young people at the heart of planning and services and ensuring their rights are respected across the public sector. The Act has multiple purposes; to ensure that children's rights properly influence the design and delivery of policies and services, to improve the way services work to support children, young people and families, to strengthen the role of early years support in children's and families' lives, to ensure better permanence planning for looked after children, and strengthen existing legislation that affects children and young people by creating a new right to appeal a local authority decision to place a child in secure accommodation, and by making procedural changes in the areas of children's hearings support arrangements and school closures.

In February 2012 the Bill on self-directed support was introduced into the Scottish Parliament. The Bill was passed by Parliament in November 2012 and received Royal Assent soon after, making official the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act. The Act requires council's to offer people four choices on how they can get their social care. The choices are: direct payment, the person directs the available support, the local authority arranges the support, a mix of the above. For children and young people with additional support needs self-directed support may have an important influence on the way their social care is delivered, this is particularly the case as a young person is considering leaving school and they are taking decisions about their future, and the services they may need.

In April 2013 the Scottish Government published its Equality Outcomes in line with its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. This includes Equality Outcomes for Education which Within the longer term outcome that all children and young people will be able to make the most of the education opportunities available to them to reach their full potential, there will be progress by 2017 in the experience of those with protected characteristics who are currently disadvantaged or underperforming. The main focus areas are; Race - Gypsy/Traveller pupils have low rates of attainment and positive destination, Gender: boys educational outcomes are generally lower than that of girls, Disability: pupils with disabilities have 3 times lower qualifications higher levels of exclusion; there is a poorer rate of positive destination for pupils with additional support needs overall.