Resources

This document brings together key themes and discussion from across My Rights, My Say Young Advisors meetings, and represents individual views, experiences, and priorities of the Young Advisors.

In 2023, the Inclusion Ambassadors presented a host of new schools and nurseries with Success Looks Different Awards. First launched in 2022, the awards recognise how schools and nurseries support, celebrate, and include pupils with additional support needs. This document is intended to highlight recurring themes, share observations and celebrate good practice from the winning schools and nurseries and the other applications. We hope this will in turn stimulate conversations within schools and other learning environments about inclusive practice.

In 2022, the Inclusion Ambassadors presented three schools with the first ever Success Looks Different Awards in recognition of how they support, celebrate and include pupils with additional support needs. This document brings together case studies from our winning schools as well as examples from other entries we received. It is intended to demonstrate good practice, highlight recurring themes, share observations and celebrate good practice. We hope this will in turn stimulate discussion and conversation within schools and other learning environments about inclusive practice.

This report shares the work of the Inclusion Ambassadors over the last year. It covers what they have said about the impact of coronavirus on their education and their views on other key issues affecting their lives. It highlights what is working well and, importantly, what needs to change to make sure additional support for learning provision is as good as it can be.

Children in Scotland welcomed the opportunity to inform the development of the fourth edition of the Code of Practice on the Scottish Government’s designated Additional Support for Learning Code of Practice Working Group. However, we were disappointed at the lack of engagement with this working group and believe this has been a missed opportunity to meaningfully consult with the professional community prior to its draft publication.

Members of the Youth Voice Network for Scotland designed this lesson plan at an in-person meeting of the group. It is designed to help S5 and S6 pupils understand who they are voting for when they go to the polling station, by allowing pupils to review a series of policies and decide which they support and which they do not.

As GIRFEC approaches its 20-year anniversary, Children in Scotland’s Supporting the Third Sector Project reflects on how the third sector engages with GIRFEC, and on its experiences of GIRFEC implementation.

A poster developed by the MRMS Young Advisors which captures the characteristics of a good advocate for the rights of learners who require additional support for their education

A poster developed by the My Rights, My Say Young Advisors which encourages young people to access their rights to be heard in decisions about their and support at school

This five-year strategy reflects a lot of conversations and sessions within the Board, with Changing our World (our children and young people’s advisory group), our staff team, our members, and the wider network.

As GIRFEC approaches its 20-year anniversary, Children in Scotland’s Supporting the Third Sector Project reflects on how the third sector engages with GIRFEC, and on its experiences of GIRFEC implementation.

This learning resource was created by the Youth Voice Network for Scotland, a group of young people who share their views and ideas about ways to get more young people engaged in democracy and voting in the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. It encourages young people to think creatively about some of the ways that they can have their voice heard in decisions made about Scotland – and some of the things that get in the way of having their voices heard but can be overcome.