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Route map: Education

This route map was last updated in December 2025 with all information that is known about work underway and still required. It is not yet fully populated and work continues to identify what still needs to happen. Route maps are shared planning tools to support delivery of the promise and as progress is made and the rest of the route becomes clearer, this route map will continue to be updated. 

Where is Scotland now?

Current work includes promoting trauma-informed, relational approaches in schools and improving understanding of the needs of care experienced children and young people, including those on the edges of care. There is growing alignment across education partners around wellbeing, strong relationships and children’s rights as foundations for learning. Next steps focus on improving consistency in delivering entitlements, strengthening workforce confidence and capability, and ensuring flexible responses to children’s circumstances. Further work will strengthen collaboration with wider children’s services, reduce barriers to engagement and attainment, and ensure education plays its full role in keeping the promise.

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Education

Where does Scotland need to be by 2030?

All of the promise's calls to action have been grouped into delivery-focused outcomes that make clear what Scotland must deliver to keep the promise. The route map then identifies who must take responsibility for action by when for each outcome. This means the outcomes are fully aligned to what children, young people, and care experienced adults said must happen and the actions required are in a format that supports delivery, accountability, and monitoring. 

The outcomes in Education are: 

  • Schools and local authorities uphold all legal entitlements for care experienced learners, ensuring equality of access and opportunity. All care experienced learners can access inclusive, flexible education with support tailored to their needs and experiences.
  • Schools are trauma-informed, relational environments that prioritise nurture, wellbeing, emotional regulation and learning and  eliminate seclusion, exclusion and restraint for care experienced learners.
  • Teachers and school staff are confident, supported and relationally equipped to help care experienced children thrive and feel they belong.
  • Care experienced young people have consistent mentoring and financial support through school, college and university, ensuring positive, sustained destinations.
Where does Scotland need to be by 2030?

The route map to get there

Schools and local authorities are supported through guidance, practical support and professional learning to meet their duties with regard to implementing additional support for learning, corporate parenting, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Schools use appropriate assessment, planning and supporting processes to meet learners needs. At universal level this means the curriculum is accessible and engaging and if more targeted support is required it is available. Schools are supported though national and local guidance, local staged support processes, and third sector partners to realise this aim. This destination aligns with the work of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, Additional Support for Learning Project Board/ASL Review, the Scottish Advisory Group for Relationships and Behaviour in Schools, and the support from the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

Supported by the work of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, Additional Support for Learning Project Board/ ASL Review, and the Scottish Advisory Group for Relationships and Behaviour in Schools, local authorities, colleges, universities and national partners come together to agree the purpose, structure and responsibilities for developing new guidance to support delivery of the destination statement.

Agreement across organisations on how national improvement priorities will be implemented through coordinated actions linked to the Programme for Government, Curriculum Improvement Cycle, Additional Support for Learning Action Plan/ ASL Review, Relationships and Behaviour Joint Action Plan and the Muir report. New guidance to be developed to support local authorities, colleges or universities to deliver.

Explorative work will be undertaken to understand the potential of the Digital Learner Profile and how promotion across settings could support care experienced Learner ownership of academic and wider achievement records.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

Scottish Government, COSLA, Education Scotland, Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)

Other route maps this links to:

Rights and restraint

Workforce support

Rules, processes and culture

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

National improvement priorities are realised through the actions and recommendations outlined in the programme for government, the Curriculum Improvement Cycle work, the Additional Support for Learning Action Plan/ ASL Review, the Relationships and Behaviour Joint Action Plan and the Muir report.

The team around the family, including other services, will work together to support learners when in crisis in school; to sustain relationships and educational engagement. This will include working across sectors to generate timely supportive plans appropriate to the needs of the young person at the given time of crisis.

A review of Included, Engaged and Involved Part (1) (attendance) and Part (2) (exclusions) has commenced. The principles of the refreshed national guidance supports this commitment to maximise attendance and minimise exclusion for all learners with particular consideration for those with care experience. The new guidance also incorporates information with regard to practice around part-time timetables.

This is achieved through through delivery of the curriculum through all four contexts of learning and parental engagement and involvement activities and family learning. This would be evident in local and school policies and communications. This is further realised through annual school information sessions, school handbook content and parent evening information sharing.

Publication of new national guidance including 'Schools - fostering a positive, inclusive and safe environment' and Risk Assessment Guidance

The Virtual Schools Headteacher model and network, supported by CELCIS, is working to provide an additional layer of support for the education of care experienced learners through one person or a team.

Ongoing work on national guidance from Scottish Government and supported by professional learning developed by Education Scotland and partners. 

Subject to Parliamentary process following the passage of the Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government will, in consultation with stakeholders, review and refresh, the national guidance - 'Physical intervention in schools - a relationships and rights based approach'

Review of national and local policies to ensure visibility of care experience. Further support for and promotion of parental engagement and involvement and family learning. 

The Scottish Government will publish updated guidance on use of part-time timetables as part of its reviews on Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: promoting and managing attendance, and Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: preventing and managing exclusion.

Implementation of new national guidance in local authorities, as part of a clear overarching framework that is aligned with GIRFEC.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

Scottish Government, Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES), Additional Support for Learning Project Board, Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS), Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC), Schools, CELCIS

Other route maps this links to:

Rights and restraint

Workforce support

Rules, processes and culture

Recruitment and retention

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

Schools and local authorities explicitly recognise and reinforce the personal and professional values expected from everyone who works with children and young people. This may mean ensuring adherence to professional standards (The General Teaching Council for Scotland, Scottish Social Services Council, or Community Learning and Development Standards Council) for those in regulated posts or the Family Learning principles, Common Core values, and the qualities and attributes described for 'One Good Adult' for those in unregulated roles- all of which include expectations of positive actions that support authentic relationship building and show care for the needs and feelings of others.

The Keeping the Promise Award programme is supporting a wide range of settings to explore how they can do this in their own context. The implementation of The Keeping the Promise Award equips all staff to adopt an encouraging and empathetic approach that promotes engagement and learning, even during challenging periods for young people.

Local authorities and schools will plan and provide access to professional learning and development opportunities to ensure the workforce have the skill, knowledge and capacity to demonstrate rights and relationships based practice and decision making. 

Ongoing support of local authorities to continue the roll out and embed of the Keep the Promise Award in establishments.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

Scottish Government, Education Scotland, Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)

Other route maps this links to:

Workforce support

Recruitment and retention

Rules, processes and culture

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

Mentoring support (from both well established and known services to more bespoke and privately sourced) is currently being delivered in many educational settings to meet a range of learners needs such as confidence building, wellbeing or learning support, or for improving attendance and engagement.

Education and partner organisations agree a common approach to mapping existing mentoring models, implementation methods and impact evaluation to identify best practice.

Local authorities will have an overview of mentoring supports, models of implementation and evaluation of impact to help determine what support would be most appropriate for different children and young people in different contexts.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

Scottish Government, Education Scotland, Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES), Schools

Other route maps this links to:

Workforce support

Rules, processes and culture

Listening

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

What matters to children, families, and care experienced adults

I have every support I need to be able to stay in school and I am not excluded. 

I am getting the support I need to overcome anything that makes it difficult for me to participate, learn and thrive in my education. 

I am never physically restrained unless there is no other way to keep me safe. 

Find out more about what matters here

Foundations