Research summary/Blog
This year MSc students at University of Edinburgh have been working on dissertation topics that put children’s human rights at the center of their studies. With the support of Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) and partners in the Observatory for Children’s Human Rights in Scotland, as well as NGO’s, practitioners, children and families, excellent work has been undertaken that will support our shared efforts regarding implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Scotland.
About the Research
Scotland has a strong legal and policy commitment to inclusive early childhood education. In principle, all young children should be able to attend their local nursery and take part fully in learning, play and daily activities. This includes those with additional support needs (ASN). This commitment is rooted in Scotland’s Additional Support for Learning (ASL) legislation and strengthened by the 2024 incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Despite this strong policy framework, evidence continues to suggest that many families experience barriers when trying to access the support their children need. This study set out to explore:
- How well Scotland’s inclusive early childhood education (ECE) policies are reflected in everyday practice in nurseries and early learning and childcare (ELC) settings.
- What institutional and practical obstacles most affect inclusion for young children with ASN.
- How a children’s rights-based approach could help close the gap between Scotland’s inclusive ambitions and children’s lived experience.
The research combined document analysis (reviewing national laws, guidance, reviews and reports) with open-ended questionnaires completed by 14 early years professionals and 2 parents of young children with ASN. Although parent participation was lower than hoped, their insights, together with those of practitioners, help highlight both strengths and gaps in current provision.
Learning from the Literature
The wider literature consistently shows that inclusion in the early years is most effective when it reflects these five characteristics:
- Support is well-resourced and available early.
- Staff receive ongoing professional learning in inclusive pedagogy.
- Families are meaningfully involved in decisions.
- Systems are coordinated, with limited bureaucracy.
- Children’s rights, especially participation, non-discrimination and accessibility, are embedded in everyday practice, not only in policy documents.
In Scotland, legislation such as the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act, the national practice model GIRFEC and the UNCRC (Incorporation) Act 2024 creates a very strong foundation. However, national reviews highlight the same recurring challenges: insufficient staffing, variable training, inconsistent local implementation, and complex systems that families struggle to navigate. These reviews include Audit Scotland reports and the Independent Review of ASL (Morgan, 2020).
The literature also emphasises an implementation gap: the difference between what policies promise and what children and families actually experience.
Learning from Participants
Participants in this study cared deeply about inclusion and children’s rights. Professionals described their settings as striving to welcome all children and to build a sense of belonging. Parents highlighted examples of excellent practice where staff “went above and beyond” to meet their child’s needs. However, both groups reported barriers that make consistent, high-quality inclusion difficult to achieve. These can be summarised as follows:
- Resource Pressures
The most frequently raised issue was lack of staffing and funding. Nurseries often do not have enough adults available to provide one-to-one support, specialist input or time for careful planning. Professionals described wanting to offer more but feeling “restricted by the logistics of reality.”
2. Training Gaps
Most practitioners were committed to inclusion but said that not all staff had sufficient confidence, training or experience to support children with diverse needs. Participants asked for more consistent and practical training, available across the country.
3. Bureaucracy and Delays
Families and practitioners both described delays in getting assessments, equipment or specialist support. Multi-agency meetings, while positive in principle, were often difficult to arrange due to staffing pressures. Long waiting times meant some children went without support during key developmental periods.
4. Variable Local Practice
The quality and speed of support differed across local authorities and individual nurseries. Some settings demonstrated excellent inclusive practice; others struggled due to limited resources or less supportive cultures.
5. Importance of Relationships and Ethos
Where inclusion worked well, strong relationships were central. Practitioners highlighted five key factors in this regard:
- Positive and respectful communication with families.
- Ensuring children are listened to.
- Flexible, child-led approaches.
- The use of visual supports, Makaton, and tailored activities.
- Finally, collaborative “team around the child” planning.
Learning from participants has shown that rights-based inclusion is possible even under pressure, when supportive ethos, skilled staff and family partnership align.
Key findings and considerations
In summary the research has highlighted the following.
1. Scotland’s policies are progressive, but implementation is inconsistent.
Families and professionals experience a clear gap between policy ambition and everyday reality. Children’s rights to participation, equality and accessible education are not always fully realised.
2. Staffing and funding remain the most significant barriers.
A rights-based approach requires ring-fenced, transparent funding, improved staff-child ratios and more specialist support.
3. Workforce development needs urgent attention.
Participants recommended a national, tiered training framework so that all early year’s staff receive consistent learning on inclusive practice, children’s rights and communication strategies.
4. Systems must become easier for families to navigate.
Streamlined referral processes, better multi-agency coordination and clearer communication with parents would reduce delays and strengthen trust.
5. Children’s voices need stronger, more consistent recognition.
Applying rights-based frameworks, such as the Lundy model of child participation, could help ensure that even the youngest children are heard and that their views meaningfully influence planning.
6. Further research is needed on parental experiences and children’s participation.
Future studies should engage more parents, including seldom-heard groups, and explore creative methods for hearing the voices of infants and toddlers.
My thanks to NGOs Contact and Barnardo’s (Scotland) and to parents and practitioners who supported the study.
Yidi Wang
Ends
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