In June 2024, His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education announced a national thematic inspection of local authorities in Scotland. The focus of this thematic inspection was how local authorities support schools to improve. This inspection provides a timely opportunity to reflect on strengths, challenges, and opportunities for ensuring high-quality education for all learners. This national thematic inspection enabled HM Inspectors to explore current priorities for improving school performance across all 32 local authorities in Scotland. We learned what is working well and heard about challenges that local authorities encounter and improvements that need to be addressed to ensure effectiveness across Scotland. Through the national thematic, HM Inspectors gathered evidence on the following themes: (1) How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through implementing effective improvement planning and standards and quality reporting; (2) How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through self-evaluation and quality assurance; (3) How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through professional learning; and (4) How local authorities deliver universal support and challenge for all schools, and targeted support for specific schools to improve the quality of education.