In 2020 the government commissioned Morgan Review found ASL provision was “fragmented and inconsistent”, external, and too reliant on efforts of committed individuals.

An action plan was drawn up and a recent progress report, external found about half the recommendations had been met.

Last summer, 11 bodies including teaching unions, school leaders and parents groups issued a joint statement saying “insufficient” resources were leading to an “intolerable” gap between policy and practice.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said funding on ASL already totalled £1bn and government investment had allowed councils to increase the number of learning support assistants by 725 in the past academic year.

Next year’s budget allocates an extra a £28m to support recruitment and retention of the ASL workforce, amounting to about 3% of councils’ current ASL spending.

“That inclusive approach to Scottish education has broad party support – but I think we have to recognise the challenges that come with that too,” she said.

Gilruth promised to work with councils and Audit Scotland to understand and address the issues raised in the report.

“Part of the challenge here is getting that greater consistency for families and young people in our schools who do have an identifiable additional support need,” she said.