Programme for Government response: Additional Support for Learning

With the Scottish Government looking to ensure that every child with additional support needs has access to appropriate support – echoing the principles in the Inclusion Ambassadors vision statement – the Programme for Government leads us to look to the future more broadly. Systemic change, says Maisie Wilson, is required to provide children and young people with the support they need. This must involve having robust infrastructure in place, as well as a workforce that has capacity and skills to provide such support. 

Much of this mirrors our manifesto calls, as well as our recent briefing From vision to delivery – Reforming Scotland’s additional support for learning system: 

Support planning, pathways and staged intervention 

Through our services, we are aware that the current staged intervention model can create complexity and opacity, with processes and steps varying between local authorities, and the views of children often ignored. 

A ‘Route map’ to establish a shared national model for staged intervention has been published, aiming to provide a consistent approach to record and respond to children and young people’s support needs – helping them to receive the right support at the right time. 

Whilst a national approach could help to deliver greater consistency, transparency and efficiency in support planning, it would not necessarily equate to improved and felt support. A national approach must set out the gold standard, rather than standards gradually eroding if nothing substantially changes. This opportunity to implement real, evidenced and needed systemic change must look at where resources and capacity are limited, and draw inspiration from the many good examples there are across local authorities in Scotland.  

The Route map focuses on co-design, including engagement with the Inclusion Ambassadors. In what has evolved into an often overly complicated and variable system, there is an opportunity to meaningfully engage with children and young people and actively listen to their views, voices and experiences on how this affects them, how it can be improved, and replicate where it works well. We look forward to the Government’s engagement, both with Children in Scotland, and the Inclusion Ambassadors. 

Workforce capacity 

The Government proposes creating a more stable teaching workforce, addressing teacher recruitment challenges and bringing forward a strategy to strengthen career opportunities for pupil support assistants. 

The My Rights, My Say Young Advisors identified a need for increased training for teachers regarding additional support needs. From listening to service teams and those previously working in the sector, not only does there need to be more training available, but additional capacity is also required for education staff to be able to attend any trainings. This should be done in a supportive way for already overburdened education staff, as well as those being recruited into the sector. 

Progress, success and achievement for learners 

Previous work with Changing our World explored how attainment can feel like the main focus in school, and that young people are not being adequately prepared for opportunities and careers after education. 

Alternative methods of recognising the achievements of all learners beyond attainment – one which considers their individual goals, hopes and dreams – is needed to fully realise inclusive education.  

Success is different for everyone. During the Government’s refresh of the curriculum, heed should be taken from the Inclusion Ambassadors’ Success Looks Different Awards, where different forms of achievement are recognised alongside qualifications and attainment.  

Mixed experience of multi-agency coordination 

Our services have seen an increase in both demand for and complexity of support needed – including an increase in calls related to families experiencing homelessness or in temporary accommodation – which reflect recent findings showing that there has been an increase in children living in temporary accommodation.  

Renewed claims to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap are stressed by the Scottish Government. Here, the intersectionality of barriers facing children, young people and their families must be recognised, and demonstrates why there is a need to develop a national approach to Whole Family Support. 

Concluding thoughts 

At a time when systems are stretched, we will continue to further our work in this area by listening to our members and promoting collaboration. Actions towards enacting reform need to be taken with the voices of children and young people at the centre of these discussions through meaningful engagement. Meanwhile, the third sector must be recognised as an equal partner in making ambitions a reality during this time of educational and public sector reform to ensure that every child has access to the support they need in a system that works for them.