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Scotland additional support for learning glossary

Plain-English explanations of common terms used in Scotland’s additional support for learning system.

Scotland terminology · 22 terms · Last reviewed 12 September 2026

Scotland only.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland use different legal frameworks and terminology. A CSP is not simply another name for an England EHCP.

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Additional Support Needs (ASN): A child or young person has additional support needs when, for whatever reason, they need additional support to benefit from school education.
Additional support: Extra or different help provided so a child or young person with additional support needs can benefit from school education.
Appropriate agency: A body other than the education authority, such as certain health or other public services, that may have duties or functions relevant to supporting the child or young person.
Assessment: A process used to understand a child or young person’s needs. Depending on the question, it may include educational, psychological, medical or other assessment.

Capacity: For some rights under additional support for learning law, a child aged 12 or over must have the capacity to exercise that right. Capacity is considered in relation to the particular decision or right.
Child’s Plan: A non-statutory personalised plan that may be used where a child needs coordinated support beyond universal provision. It is different from a statutory CSP.
Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP): A statutory plan for a child or young person who meets specific legal criteria involving complex or multiple factors, needs likely to last more than a year, and significant support from education plus at least one appropriate agency.
Complex or multiple factors: Part of the CSP test. The child’s additional support needs must arise from complex or multiple factors and meet the other statutory criteria before a CSP is required.

Dispute resolution / independent adjudication: A formal route where an independent adjudicator reviews a qualifying disagreement and makes recommendations. It is generally used for specified matters outside the Tribunal’s remit.

Education authority: The local authority carrying education responsibilities. Many legal duties in Scotland’s additional support for learning framework fall on the education authority.
Eligible child: A child aged 12 or over who has capacity and meets the wellbeing requirements for exercising specified rights under the 2004 Act. Not every right available to parents or young people is available independently to an eligible child.
Enquire: The Scottish advice service for additional support for learning, funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Children in Scotland.

First-tier Tribunal for Scotland: The Tribunal’s Health and Education Chamber includes the Additional Support Needs jurisdiction, which hears specified cases under additional support for learning law.

Independent mediation: A voluntary and confidential way to resolve qualifying disagreements with an education authority. Authorities must make independent mediation available free of charge to parents and young people.

Lead Professional: A professional who may coordinate multi-agency planning and communication where a child requires support from more than one service.
Looked-after child: A child or young person looked after by a local authority. Scottish additional support for learning law treats looked-after children and young people as having additional support needs.

Placing request: A formal request for a child or young person to attend a specified school. Additional support needs can affect which schools may be requested and which appeal route applies.

Significant additional support: Part of the CSP criteria. The statutory test requires significant additional support from the education authority and at least one appropriate agency, alongside the other CSP conditions.
Staged intervention: An approach used by education authorities to identify, plan, deliver and review support in stages. Local models currently vary; a national model is being developed for rollout from 2028.
Supporter: A person who can accompany and support a parent, child or young person in relevant meetings or proceedings.

Transition planning: Planning for changes such as starting nursery or school, moving school, moving to secondary school or leaving school for post-school education, training, work or services.

Young person: For the 2004 Act, a young person generally means someone over school age who has not yet reached 18 and is still receiving school education, subject to the Act’s definitions.