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Education Committee's report on ASL Code of Practice, 17/06/05 [S]

The Education Committee has published its report to Parliament on the Additional Support for Learning Code of Practice. The Committee welcomes the code but will continue to monitor its practical implementation and the views of parents.

Main issues and concerns highlighted in the report:

  • The Committee supports the Executive's decision to produce a user friendly version of the code for parents and young people.

  • The Committee notes the suspicion among some parents that assessments are being made on the basis of what resources are available rather than on what should ideally be provided and that one of the intentions of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 was to minimise any confrontation between parents and local authorities.

  • The Committee suggests that the code should be redrafted to affirm the right to speech and language therapy and to allay concerns over the apparent downgrading of the role of health services in determining significant additional support needs. They also recommend that the code provide examples to clarify how significant is defined.

  • With regards to draft guidance on integrated assessment framework, the Committee encourages the Executive to ensure that the draft is available as soon as practicable.

  • Regarding funding responsibility, the Committee recommend that the Executive works closely with COSLA regarding its role in ensuring co-operation between local authorities. They also recommend that the code clarifies responsibility for providing funding and for establishing procedures to avoid conflict between local authorities.

  • The Committee recommends that more information be provided on personal learning plans and individualised educational programmes and how they interact with co-ordinated support plans. Examples of good practice should be made available in the code.


The full report is available on the Education Committee pages of the Scottish Parliament website.

Further Information

  1. Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill (as passed)
  2. 8th Report 2005: Additional Support for Learning Code of Practice


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