12th March 2026
The Additional Support for Learning Review has been published. It takes an overview of existing research and evidence, and looks at the gap between ambition and the provision of support. The Review was led by The Scottish Government's Professional Advisor for Education, Janie McManus. She writes:
'Taken together, these findings show a gap between Scotland’s ambition for inclusion and how additional support is experienced. This gap is visible from the early years onwards.'
The six requirements set out in the Review aim to close this gap and the variation across the country, between schools and education settings:
1. A shared national approach to planning and decision-making
2. A workforce model aligned to the scale and complexity of need
3. Capacity to deliver early and sustained
4. Clear and consistent multi-agency coordination
5. Clear visibility of children and young people’s needs, support, and progress
6. A delivery model aligned to current system demand.
The Review also sets out six recommendations.
Gavin Yates, Executive Director of parents' organisation Connect, said:
'We welcome the robust and clear-sighted findings of the Review. Families are experiencing the systemic failings of additional support for learning provision every day; these families will recognise the gap between ambition and provision set out in the Review. We urgently need progress to be made on closing this gap and we call for immediate action to improve the delivery of additional support where it is falling short. Children and young people are being let down and this has to stop as a national priority.'