As politicians consider their position and priorities in the lead up to the 2026 Scottish parliamentary elections on 7 May, primary school leaders’ body the AHDS is urging them to support five crucial commitments that would make a tangible difference to children, families and school communities across Scotland.

Our March 2026 survey of nearly 1,600 school leaders shows that urgent action on additional support needs (ASN) must be a priority for the next Parliament. Some 87 per cent of respondents told us that the number of pupils requiring additional support has increased significantly in the past three years, while almost 70 per cent reported that per pupil resource to support those learners had fallen. That widening gap has left many current heads unable to recommend the profession to future leaders.

First, parties must prioritise closing the gap between ASN aspiration and delivery. Presumption of mainstreaming and the Getting It Right for Every Child commitment are the right ambitions, but they are failing at the point of implementation. We found that 96 per cent of leaders reported a rise in distressed pupil behaviour over the past three years, and a similar proportion said recent staff or pupil injuries were linked to a lack of adequate resources. Policy without the means to deliver is now putting children and staff at risk.

Investment in ASN support

Second, we need significant and sustained increases to the education budget, with ASN at its heart. Leaders overwhelmingly identify proper support for inclusion and adequate ASN provision as the single most important change that would make their workload manageable. That means substantial investment in additional support staff in schools, greater availability of specialist places for pupils who need them, and strengthened involvement of services such as speech and language therapy, mental health services and social work.

It also means ensuring that the wider education system has the resources it needs to thrive: appropriately staffed local authority teams and sustainable school leadership structures, as well as school buildings and resources that are fit for purpose and renewed as required. Spending decisions on ASN at Westminster will generate budget consequentials for Scotland; these must be clearly directed towards improving ASN support for pupils here, too.

Third, we call for the continuation and enhancement of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF). Tackling the impact of poverty on the life chances of Scotland’s children must be a top priority for any Scottish government, but upstream solutions through economic growth and welfare reform are long-term. In the meantime, PEF is often the only flexible pot available to blunt the immediate impact of poverty and protect vital interventions as core budgets erode. It enables school leaders to target support based on the local needs they see every day, yet has increasingly become part of core spend, guarding against the worst cuts.

Fourth, parties must address school leader workload and wellbeing. More than 70 per cent of leaders told us that ASN paperwork has grown more complex. Leadership teams are already stretched, routinely covering non-contact time and teacher absence. Almost nine in 10 have witnessed an increase in violent incidents at work in the past three years. It is little wonder that interest in headship is at an all-time low. Without decisive action to make leadership sustainable, attractive and properly supported, improvement ambitions will not be realised.

Extra in-service days

Finally, we urge support for the Curriculum Improvement Cycle. A renewed curriculum will stand or fall on implementation in schools. Staff need protected time to examine, understand and embed change, not an expectation that they will absorb it into already overloaded days.

We are calling for at least five additional in-service days for primary education in the first full year of implementation, alongside clear, decluttered documentation.

Scotland’s children, families and communities rely on schools being ambitious, inclusive and properly supported. In this election, school leaders will be watching closely to see which parties are prepared not only to endorse these five asks above but also to fund and deliver them in full.

Helena Macormac is deputy general secretary of Scottish primary school leaders’ body the AHDS