Chamber and committees

I appreciate that Mr O’Kane was not the Labour Party’s spokesperson on additional support needs when the Audit Scotland report was published, but I am glad that he has welcomed the announcement today of the review and the national event, which was a key ask of the Opposition.

Mr O’Kane is right to flag the Audit Scotland report, which I welcomed when it was published last year. I met Audit Scotland following its publication, and I noted that the interesting part of the report for me concerned the lack of data being held centrally in the Scottish Government about the national spend.

I am able to tell Parliament that, in 2023-24, we spent more than £1 billion on additional support needs. However, Audit Scotland was clear that we need further granularity on how that funding, which is being protected at national level, gets into our classrooms. The data work that I announced in December is hugely important in that regard.

Mr O’Kane spoke about the timescale in relation to the reporting of the short, sharp review. My expectation is that the review, which is being led by Janie McManus, will report before the end of this parliamentary session. I again invite Mr O’Kane to the meeting with Ms McManus. I will take on board his points in relation to debates and parliamentary feedback, but I hope that the fact that the report will be published before the end of this parliamentary session gives him some comfort. In our meeting last year, the Opposition was keen for that to be delivered, and that is the commitment that I give again today.

I join Mr Harvie in congratulating our pupils on their achievements, particularly those pupils with an identified additional support need. The progress and improved attainment that we see are to be welcomed.

Mr Harvie also spoke about solutions. I do not want to prejudge the outcome of the review that is being led by Janie McManus, our professional adviser, but I encourage him and colleagues in his party to engage with Ms McManus on a solution-orientated focus, which I very much expect to see.

We need to be mindful that we have had a number of reviews in the ASN space. A key ask from the Opposition at the round table last year was that we use the learning from those reviews to inform what comes next, so that learning will not be lost.

Mr Harvie makes a key ask in relation to co-ordinated support plans, which his colleague Ross Greer has been pursuing with me for the best part of the past three years. I share his interest in that regard. Although there is a statutory footing associated with those plans, there are other ways in which individual needs can be met in schools. It is important to say that we have seen an increase in the number of individual support plans.

I hope that Mr Harvie takes some comfort from the fact that the consultation on the co-ordinated support plans will launch in February. We will publish the updated results over the summer, which will take on board the points that he has made today.

The data summit was instructive to all attendees’ understandings of the strengths that we have in the system, the type of information that we gather and who gathers that information. It also showed the great differences that we have across the education system in Scotland in relation to how that data is recorded and reported, as well as helping to identify current limitations and gaps.

A review of the categories of need will support us in having a much more comprehensive and consistent approach to national guidance, which will help to support the collection of more accurate data that can guide and support improvement across the system. We know that having a robust data set and additional support needs will help to provide for evidence-based decision making, which will help to support targeted interventions. Ultimately, that will drive improvements at national and local levels.

I did not quite catch the end of Ms McCall’s question on ADHD and autism, but I will catch up with her following this question-and-answer session to make sure that I have given her an answer on that point.

Ms McCall makes a hugely important point about CAMHS and the interaction that we have between health and education. I am mindful that some such matters sit with health ministers, but we need a much more consistent and strategic approach to supporting children and young people in our schools. We have to reflect that, post-pandemic, the cohort of pupils in our schools has fundamentally changed and, as a Government, we need to update and respond to that change. Part of that work is the short, sharp review that the Opposition has asked for, which we are delivering, but it is also about data identification and using that data to better support children and young people.

I will come back to Ms McCall on the final part of her question, but I hope that that gives her reassurance, because I share her concern about having a strategic approach.

It is hugely important that the teaching profession is supported in responding to the increase in recent years of the number of pupils with an identified additional support need. As I mentioned in my statement, the Government has provided additional funding to Education Scotland to help develop, lead and facilitate a national certificate in ASN teacher professional learning.

The funding has also been used to appoint 10 ASN Education Scotland associates, who are focusing on differentiation and adaptive teaching. Those associates will work directly with teachers in our schools, in every local authority area, to help improve knowledge, understanding and practice, with implementation of effective learning and teacher pedagogy for all learners, which is hugely important. Teachers will also be supported more broadly by the work that I announced in relation to the centre for teaching excellence.

As I set out, with regard to data, the review will look at existing categories in the recording of ASN. It will also look at the clear and concise national guidance, which we need to look at adapting, and it will explore the feasibility of having a national staged intervention model.

I agree with Mr Whitfield that all of that work requires consultation and engagement. Janie McManus will be leading that work, and I invite Mr Whitfield to engage with the opportunity to meet her. My expectation is that engagement will be led, for example, through the Scottish Assembly of Parents and Carers, which the Government funds, and, of course, through engagement with children and young people, which was a key part of the Morgan review.

We have a very progressive and inclusive approach to education in Scotland, which is supported by a strong legislative framework. To ensure that that inclusive approach is made a reality in our schools, we must be flexible and adaptable, and we must listen to the education system. Part of today’s update has been about reflecting the need in the education system for the delivery of changed approaches in the future.

Mainstreaming remains a central pillar of our inclusive approach, and I think that it still has collective cross-party support, but, to my understanding, fundamentally, it is about how that is resourced on the ground and how it is delivered.

The approach that we have in Scotland differs from that in other parts of the UK. For example, in England, the legislation is largely confined to supporting only children with disabilities; in Scotland, we have a rights-based approach that takes a much broader view. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 provides that any child or young person with a support need can have that need considered and met. I go back to the points in my statement: it is about how children and young people and their families experience that, so resourcing and funding are key.

There are a range of different ways in which we help to provide support to parents and carers. That is the point that Martin Whitfield mentioned. It is essential that our families have that support. I spend a lot of my time as cabinet secretary engaging with parents and carers and listening to their views. Improving relationships and communication is a key aim of the ASL action plan and we will continue to prioritise it.

We have increased by £524,000 annual funding to services that provide support and advice to parents and carers. In addition, the parental organisation Connect receives Scottish Government funding of just over £60,000 to host the Scottish assembly of parents and carers, of which more than 350 parents and carers who represent all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities are members. They play a critical role in helping to inform policy and in providing advice and challenge to the Government as we drive forward our reform of Scotland’s education system.

National statistics that were published in December show that there has been another increase in the number of children in Scotland with an identified support need and that the support needs identified are becoming more complex.

At the same time, attainment for pupils with an identified additional support need is improving. The proportion of pupils in primary school with additional support needs who achieve the expected level in literacy increased from 41 per cent in 2016-17 to 54 per cent in 2024-25. Similarly, the proportion of primary pupils with ASN who achieve the expected level in numeracy increased from 52 per cent in 2016-17 to 63 per cent in 2024-25. Literacy and numeracy rates for secondary 3 ASN pupils are now both above 80 per cent.

We should never lose sight of the fact that, in Scotland, we acknowledge and give rights to a much wider group of children than other parts of the United Kingdom do. Every looked-after child is deemed to have a support need. Young carers have rights to have their support needs assessed. Every child at school has the right to support, whether for a short-term or a long-term need, and they should receive that support in a consistent, effective and inclusive way. However, those rights are meaningless if the support is not provided, schools cannot cope, teachers are overwhelmed and other pupils’ learning is routinely disrupted.

Today, I will provide the Parliament with an update on the work that the Government has been leading, including in relation to the “Additional Support for Learning Action Plan” and the previously agreed review of ASN, which was a direct ask of Opposition parties last year.

Funding matters. Local authority spending on ASN reached more than £1 billion in 2023-24 compared with just under £7 million back in 2019-20, when the Morgan review was published. In addition, the pupil equity fund is being used in innovative ways by Scotland’s headteachers to respond to increasing demands related to additional support needs. For example, last year, I visited Fair Isle primary school in Kirkcaldy, where the headteacher was using her pupil equity funding to employ an extra member of staff. That teacher worked with smaller groups of pupils with additional support needs, giving them the tailored input that their learning required. Other examples of PEF inputs include nurture rooms, outdoor learning, music therapy, sensory gardens and extra classroom assistants, to name but a few.

In 2025-26, further funding was provided to bolster the ASN workforce and teacher numbers nationally and locally. I am pleased that that additional funding will continue into 2026-27, subject to the passing of the Scottish Government’s budget. Those investments provide the scaffolding that is necessary to increase capacity in classrooms and help teachers and support staff to deliver what children need.

Last year, when we discussed the parameters of a further review into additional support needs, I was grateful to MSPs from across the chamber for their cross-party engagement. A number of helpful contributions were made in that discussion, including recognition that we should build on the previous reviews and a request for a national event to share best practice, on which I will say more later.

There was also a clear ask from Opposition parties for a short, sharp review that would report before the pre-election period. I can announce today that Janie McManus, our professional adviser for education, will lead that review. The rigorous, evidence-informed review will focus on the national and local system conditions that support ASN delivery, the experiences of delivery in schools and how policy is translating into effective practice. The work is intentionally designed to focus on the existing evidence and to take forward feedback from previous reviews, particularly about the capacity and complexity in the system. The priority is identifying what needs to happen next to strengthen delivery. Given that the ask for the review came from Opposition parties, I have written to party spokespeople this afternoon to invite them to a briefing with Ms McManus, to ensure that her review takes cognisance of their views on where improvement can be strengthened.

In November, we held a national data summit, which highlighted that ASN data collection varies across local authorities. Members know that ASN measurements can encompass a wide range of needs, which can be defined and met in a wide range of ways. That is demonstrated by the 2024 statistics, which showed that the overall ASN rate in local authorities ranged from 27 per cent to 52 per cent. It is, therefore, important that we support consistent reporting to ensure that we have an accurate data set from which to drive improvement.

That is why, in December, I announced a new national programme to improve additional support for learning data. The work will improve the breakdown of data into meaningful categories and strengthen the quality and completeness of school-level recording. It will also include practical support and targeted guidance on categories in order to create a consistent approach across Scotland to the recording of additional support needs. That matters because it will help us to understand the extent of issues and challenges and to identify localised pockets of need.

We also need better support for the teaching profession. In many schools across the country, the ASN cohort in classrooms is more than 50 per cent. The necessary differentiation required in lessons, which has always been a feature of our learning environments, has increased as identification rates have improved and our approach to inclusion has, rightly, broadened.

A key priority, which was identified by teachers, for the new centre for teaching excellence is additional support for learning. I can announce today that, this spring, a dedicated research hub on pedagogy for inclusion will open, with a specific focus on additional support needs. The hub will provide accessible resources and professional learning aligned to the priorities that teachers have identified. Teachers will be able to access the latest research and evidence through briefs from the centre, and they will receive structured support to apply insights to their practice, share findings and learn from colleagues across peer networks. I am pleased that a number of teachers have already been seconded to each hub. Those teachers will act as a point of contact for schools and colleagues, and they will support participation in networks and events.

That work builds on the national support from Education Scotland, which we have funded to deliver a national ASN teacher professional learning programme over the past 18 months. That initiative includes deploying ASN associates to support adaptive teaching in classrooms.

Furthermore, starting this month, the General Teaching Council for Scotland will consult on planned changes to initial teacher education accreditation. Alongside that, the GTCS is working with the Scottish Council of Deans of Education to deliver a national evaluation of ITE programmes in Scotland. That work has the potential to evaluate the impact of ITE, including by providing a more robust assessment of ASN content in ITE, which was a key ask of the Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee.

Notwithstanding the focused review, it is important that we learn from previous action on additional support needs. The ASL action plan, which arose from the Morgan review of 2020, is now entering its final phase. The plan has resulted in a number of deliverables. First, we have refreshed the code of practice for supporting children’s learning in order to provide clearer guidance on the implementation of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. The draft document will be published for consultation next month, giving stakeholders a final opportunity to engage and contribute their views. The code seeks to address practicalities and common areas of ambiguity that teachers and families have raised. It explains how the law should work in practice, including in relation to identification, planning, co-ordinated support plans and dispute resolution, and it is central to consistent delivery.

Secondly, the first iteration of the ASL national measurement framework was launched last month. The framework will enable reporting on measures that better reflect the achievements and experiences of children and young people with additional support needs. By embedding ASL data in that platform, we will ensure an equal focus on making progress in reducing the poverty-related and ASN-related attainment gaps.

Thirdly, work has been developed and led by Enquire, Scotland’s national advice service for ASL, to improve communication. A dedicated web page has been launched on the Enquire website, which now serves as a central hub for all ASL resources. It hosts a suite of downloadable materials, including general information cards for parents, carers and professionals, as well as a series of frequently asked questions that address common issues about ASL rights and processes.

I can confirm that a final update on the ASL action plan and progress report will be published before the end of this session of Parliament. The update will capture and demonstrate the real progress that has been made across a wide range of commitments. We all recognise the growing demand for additional support in recent years, so the report will reflect areas in which on-going work must remain a priority and that will be important to acknowledge as part of our focused ASN review.

There was a clear ask from Willie Rennie—who, I note, is not in the chamber—for the Government to hold a national ASN debate. I am pleased to share with the Parliament that that event is scheduled for 12 March. We will also create a digital space, including an interactive platform, where materials can be uploaded and accessed by participants at the event and the wider system. That will ensure that the event is not a one-off experience but, rather, a catalyst for continuous improvement, supporting teachers and councils to share updates and build on the good practice that we know is working best.

Our values remain true. As a Government and, indeed, as a Parliament, we are committed to inclusion, equity and ambition for every child. Since 2020, we have made progress. Investment is at record levels, professional learning for teachers has been strengthened, data collation is improving, and understanding and culture are changing for the better. Given that we are taking stock and carrying out a short, sharp review now, the next Government of Scotland will be in a strong position to shape the next phase of ASL policy. That will ensure that we continue to build an education system in which support is timely, consistent and effective, in which staff have the tools and confidence to meet diverse needs and in which children and young people with additional support needs thrive—every day, in every classroom, in every community.

I thank Mr Rennie for his question and for beaming in from Cupar. In relation to his points on the ASN event, I have to give him credit. At the round table with the Opposition, it was Mr Rennie’s key ask that we have a national event to share good practice and to use that good practice to elevate the fantastic work that headteachers and teachers are doing to support children with additional support needs, which work I am sure we have all witnessed in our own communities and constituencies. I previously gave examples from my own experience.

Much of that work is being funded through the pupil equity fund, but much of it is being funded through the extra funding that the Government put in place in last year’s budget, which will be continued in this year’s budget—subject to its being passed—to support more staff in our schools, because we know that that is what makes a difference.

It is not for me to prejudge the outcome of the EIS’s ballot, so I will await the results. The Government has set out a clear aspiration for how we might deliver reduced class contact for teachers. I set that out in November. It is now for us to hear the results from the EIS ballot. I am sure that I will speak to the union in due course.