Publication - Strategy/plan
National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan: 2020
Sets out the vision and priorities for Scottish education and the improvements that need to be made to help deliver those priorities.
Annex A
Detailed evidence and improvement activity
School leadership
| Evidence we will gather | What is the available evidence telling us | Additional improvement activity needed/planned/underway | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local authority information on the quality of school leadership of change including the percentage self-evaluating as good or better for QI 1.3 Leadership of Change. | Local authorities reported that across Scotland the quality of leadership of change was self-evaluated as good or better in 76% of schools across primary, secondary and special provision. | Ongoing actions relating to School Leadership are set out in Annex B. | ES |
| Data on the percentage of school inspections where QI 1.3 Leadership of Change is evaluated as ‘good’ or better. | HM Inspectors looked at the approaches and impact of collaborative leadership at all levels. They evaluated the pace of change to ensure it was having a positive impact for children and young people and the approach taken to ensure that the vision and values were clearly linked to the context of the establishment and its community. Of the 363 schools across primary, secondary and special provision inspected as part of the sample for the NIF between August 2016 and June 2019, 315 schools were evaluated as satisfactory or better (87%), and 211 were evaluated as good, very good or excellent on ‘leadership of change’ (58%). Overall, schools now demonstrate a clearer understanding of the social, economic and cultural context within which they operate. They are increasingly using this understanding well to guide and inform school improvement and change. In most schools, a culture of collegiate working exists where staff feel empowered to recognise the need for change and take responsibility for leading aspects of change. Staff at all levels are becoming more confident in leading and contributing to change in a way that capitalises on their strengths, interests and the improvement priorities for the school. |
Local authorities will evaluate their progress on empowerment and collaboration in 2020, and provide this information to Education Scotland to help with the continuous development of effective leadership development programmes. | SG/ES |
| Data on the number of practitioners undertaking the Into Headship programme. | A growing number of the teaching population have a qualification preparing them for headship roles. Since 2015, the Scottish Government has fully funded the Into Headship programme, Scotland’s national qualification for headship. So far 374 teachers have completed the programme and been awarded the Standard for Headship with the 4th cohort due to complete in Spring 2020. |
SL79 Support for Into Headship will form part of our ongoing commitment to fund professional learning for teachers, including at school leadership level. |
SG/ES |
| Data on the number of headteachers and others in local authority schools who are enquiring and engaging reflectively with the GTCS Standards for Leadership and Management and considering the impact of their professional learning in this area, as part of Professional Update processes. | Professional Update evaluation data from GTCS shows that in 2018/19 school leaders continue to engage consistently with the Standards for Leadership and Management. This demonstrates the commitment of our school leaders to their own professional learning and the continuous pursuit of excellence and equity for all children and young people. School leaders’ skills and knowledge can impact positively not only on their own individual school, but also at a system level. 663 headteachers have engaged with the Excellence in Headship and In Headship programmes supporting detailed reflection and engagement with the GTCS Standards. |
Ongoing actions relating to School Leadership are set out in Annex B. | ES/ GTCS |
| Information on the range and quality of professional learning for leadership being undertaken by those in teacher, middle, school and system leadership roles. | In 2017 the then Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL) commissioned a scoping study on professional learning, providing teachers from across Scotland the opportunity to engage in discussions about their personal experiences of professional learning, in order to influence policy-making in the new organisation from an informed and realistic position. The scoping study identified 7 propositions for effective professional learning and was considered by the Strategic Board for Teacher Education which then agreed 16 key recommendations for professional learning. This review was completed in 2017/18 and Education Scotland does not intend to repeat it in the short to medium term. |
Ongoing actions relating to School Leadership are set out in Annex B. | SG/ES/GTCS |
| Information on the number of ELC staff achieving the benchmark qualification for lead practitioner. | There has been an increase in the number of staff holding or working towards graduate level qualifications. The total number of staff working in funded ELC holding or working towards graduate level (SCQF level 9 or above) qualifications relevant to early years (including teachers) has increased by 216 (13%) from 4,222 FTE in 2018 to 4,781 FTE in 2019. There were 2,535 FTE graduate staff (holding SCQF level 9 qualifications relevant to early years, other than teachers) in 2019, compared with 2,302 in 2018, an increase of 233 (10%). There were also 1,448 FTE staff working towards graduate level qualifications in 2019, compared with 1,098 in 2018, an increase of 350 (32%). |
SL80 We will continue to encourage more people into early learning and childcare, particularly those groups under-represented in the profession (men and minority ethnic communities) as well as in particular geographical areas. SL81 In 2020 we will work with the Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations (CEMVO) to engage those from ethnic minority communities into ELC and support the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) challenge fund to recruit and retain males into ELC. |
SG |
| New evidence to be incorporated into the NIF in future years | |||
| Evidence will be gathered regarding engagement with Evolving Systems Thinking (EST) and Leading Systems Change (LSC) within local authorities and RICs. Evidence will be gathered regarding the contribution of the PLL Directorate to whole system development. |
This tells us that both Evolving Systems Thinking and Leading Systems Change are well respected programmes and have been positively evaluated by past participants. EST has moved to regional delivery for this year which will increase the number of participants engaging. The regional delivery will also ensure system leaders within each RIC are able to network and work collaboratively in a productive environment. |
SL82 In 2020 Education Scotland will extend engagement in approaches to systems leadership via the expansion of the Evolving Systems Thinking Programme, and the Leading System Change Programme, and will contribute to whole system developments through collaboration and networking with other areas such as public health. |
ES |
| Evidence sources agreed in the empowered system evaluation strategy: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/Documents/CreatingAnEmpoweredSystem.pdf This strategy provides sources of evidence which can be used to evaluate the extent to which local authorities and schools are embedding the key principles of the empowerment agenda, and to what extent we are seeing changes in the intended short and medium term outcomes related to school empowerment. |
The thematic inspections on empowerment published by Education Scotland across the 2019/20 session identified progress in empowerment and the support which exists in the system. HM Inspectors of Education found that there is still more to be done to realise our collective ambition for an empowered, collaborative system. | SL83 During 2020 the Headteachers’ Charter and new national guidance on an empowered system will be finalised to support local areas in ensuring that decisions are made as close to the child or young person as possible. SL84 During 2020 we will continue to work with partners to raise awareness of the guidance, helping embed it in daily school/LA practices, and continuing to measure impact/progress so we can work together to address challenges where they arise. |
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| Number of teachers from under-represented groups in Scottish schools. | Currently, Scotland's teaching population is not reflective of Scotland's population. The statistical data illustrates a static position on the number of teachers from minority ethnic backgrounds and has shown very little change in nearly two decades. Scotland's Census 2011 recorded that the percentage of people in Scotland from minority ethnic groups is 4% and this compares to 2% of the teacher workforce reporting as being from a minority ethnic background in the 2019 Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland publication. The Teacher Census 2018 shows the number of teachers from minority ethnic backgrounds in promoted posts is disproportionately low. The evidence from the Glasgow City Council 2018 research suggests that teachers from a minority ethnic background felt that the lack of BME teachers in promoted posts was a reason why some choose not to pursue a career in the profession. |
SL85 In 2020 we will continue to work with the short-term working group on Diversity in the Teaching Profession that has been established by the Strategic Board for Teacher Education, which will look at increasing the number of teachers from under-represented groups at all levels in Scottish schools. |
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| We will identify evidence which demonstrates where gender equality is embedded in Scotland’s education and learning landscape, and also where the gaps are. | Evidence exists in relation to:
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SL86 We are in the process of establishing a Gender Equality Task Force in Education and Learning, as recommended by the First Minister’s National Advisory Committee for Women & Girls. Throughout 2020, the Task Force, chaired by the Deputy First Minister, will consider where gaps exist in the provision of a gender neutral experience of education and learning in Scotland, and publish a set of recommendations which will address those gaps. |
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Teacher professionalism
| Evidence we will gather | What is the available evidence telling us | Additional improvement activity needed/planned/underway | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data on the number of teachers, since 2011, who have gained 60, 120 or 180 credits at SCQF Level 11 (including Chartered Teacher). | This information is no longer being gathered in this form. | Ongoing actions relating to Teacher Professionalism are set out in Annex B. | |
| Data on the number of teachers, since 2011, who have been awarded Professional Recognition by the GTCS and the focus of their work to achieve this. | The evidence demonstrates commitment and appetite for formal recognition of professional learning. In 2018/19, 780 teachers received Professional Recognition. The most common area was Leading Learning, where teachers gained recognition for their leadership in areas such as improving pedagogy and visible learning. This illustrates the teaching profession’s commitment to professional learning and the importance of continuing to recognise and celebrate the effort teachers make to enhance their skills. |
Ongoing actions relating to Teacher Professionalism are set out in Annex B. | SG/ GTCS |
| Percentage of teachers in local authority and independent schools, within the annual cohort, having their professional learning successfully signed off by their line manager through the GTCS Professional Update Process. | The evidence demonstrates a clear commitment to, and appetite for, high quality professional learning. As of 31 October 2019, 95.8% of the 2018/19 Professional Update cohort had their professional learning confirmed by their line manager. Professional Update launched in 2014 and has been rolled out gradually to Scotland’s teaching profession. More than three quarters of active teachers are now engaged in the five yearly cycle of Professional Update. Given the need to evidence that relevant standards are being met, teachers must have a choice of high-quality professional learning that is continually developed to meet changing needs. |
Ongoing actions relating to Teacher Professionalism are set out in Annex B. | GTCS |
| Data on the views of newly qualified teachers, schools and local authorities on how well newly qualified teachers are prepared to teach literacy and numeracy, support children’s health and wellbeing, use technology effectively to enhance learning and teaching and ensure equality. | The level of confidence amongst probationers in terms of key skills is mixed. However, the majority of probationer teachers feel they are confident in their knowledge and ability to teach literacy, numeracy and contribute to health and wellbeing to support pupil outcomes. Confidence in relation to equality appears to be more challenging than other areas. From 2019, the Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education (MQuITE) project and the new ITE self-evaluation framework will be the tools by which the Scottish Government will collect this data. | This data is now being collected as part of TP27 & TP28 in Annex B. | SG |
| Information on initial teacher education programmes coverage of literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing and social justice. | A wide variance in time spent on literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing, equalities and data literacy across universities and programmes. It raises a question as to whether the level of variance is acceptable and whether steps should be taken in terms of course accreditation/ quality assurance. | Ongoing actions relating to Teacher Professionalism are set out in Annex B (see TP28 on the ITE working group). | SG/ES/GTCS |
| Data on the number of teachers in local authority schools who are enquiring and engaging reflectively with the GTCS Professional Standards and considering the impact of their professional learning, as part of Professional Update processes. | All teachers taking part in the GTCS Professional Update evaluation for 2018/19 reported that they are engaging with the GTCS Professional Standards. The Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning was used most by teachers in preparing for their Professional Review and Development, with 90% reporting they found this useful in guiding their professional learning to a large or some extent. | Ongoing actions relating to Teacher Professionalism are set out in Annex B. | SG/ES/GTCS |
| Evaluation of impact of Scottish Government investment in Masters level learning. | The Strategic Board for Teacher Education maintains a strategic overview of professional learning policy, including the Masters programme. In 2018/19, 766 teachers benefited from SCQF Level 11 professional learning through their local teacher education partnership. Partnerships are using Scottish Government grant funds to provide teachers with a wide range of professional learning activities, depending on locally-identified priorities. | Ongoing actions relating to Teacher Professionalism are set out in Annex B. | SG/ SBTE |
| The Scottish Government will report annually on progress in delivering the STEM Strategy and performance against each of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the strategy. | We need to ensure that our education system has the right number of practitioners, delivering excellent STEM learning and teaching. We need to tackle the gender imbalance and other inequalities and inequities that exist across STEM education and training including in relation to deprivation, race, disability and geography. We need to ensure that children and young people are encouraged to develop an interest in and enthusiasm for STEM that is reinforced throughout their education. We need to ensure that children and young people are equipped with the skills that employers need, both now and in the future. |
TP85 The first Annual report was published in February 2019, The second Annual Report is expected to be published in March 2020. A review of the KPIs for the Strategy is currently being undertaken to determine whether any revisions are needed. |
SG |
| Data on the learning experience and level of preparedness of newly registered teachers following completion of the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) or Flexible Route (FR) by: reviewing latest data on indicators of quality and resilience of student and probationer teachers; surveying post-probation teachers entering years 2-5 of their teaching careers to identify gaps in terms of their knowledge, understanding and confidence; and gathering views of those in mentoring/coaching roles on their capacity and support needs. | Knowledge gaps in pedagogical skill areas and more focused support needed to develop mentoring capacity for both student and newly registered teachers. | TP86 In 2020, the Scottish Government will consider how the support and learning for probationer teachers on the TIS and FR can be strengthened to provide greater consistency towards achieving full professional registration with the GTCS and, working with key stakeholders, we will take steps to identify and agree what additional areas of professional learning are needed to improve the support available to post probation teachers. |
SG |
| New evidence to be incorporated into the NIF in future years | |||
| Evidence regarding engagement with, and the impact of, the enhanced Teacher Leadership Programme (TLP) including the number of participants, the reach of the programme and the number and range of the workshops provided. | This tell us that the Teacher Leadership Programme is well established and known across the sector, with good participation rates. Regional delivery is ensuring it stays relevant and accessible, and its reach is extending to support teachers as empowered practitioners. |
In order to further support teacher empowerment, enhancements to the TLP this year include an additional regional contact day, twilight workshops (offered on a regional basis) and participants of the Supporting Teacher Leadership programme attending the final ‘sharing the learning’ summit. TP87 Attendance at the twilight workshops will be monitored and the sessions evaluated to ensure both the content and concept are useful for participants. The evaluation will be completed in time for the next cohort (August 2020). TP88 The additional recall day will take place in January 2020. This will be monitored to establish if it has an impact on drop off rates within the programme. TP89 Supporting Teacher Leadership participants have been invited to the TLP summit to promote the programme as a next step for TLP participants. |
ES |
The evidence we will gather will focus on:
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This tells us that the online resource has been refreshed to reflect changes in the sector and the SCEL move into Education Scotland (to become the Professional Learning and Leadership Directorate). The learning activities available on the online resource are good but the scope could grow. Currently sign-ups to the online resource vary by local authority and RIC. |
TP90 Recent development of the endorsement process is expected to result in an increase in the number of programmes being submitted for endorsement and therefore the scope of activities on the online resource will grow. Increased regional working by the PLL team and delivery of the programmes on a regional basis is expected to raise awareness of the online resource in across Scotland. Additional communications may be needed in certain areas to promote the online resource. |
ES |
| Education Scotland will gather evidence on the extended range of learning opportunities available to the sector around health and wellbeing offered by the Professional Learning and Leadership (PLL) team. Education Scotland will also gather evidence of the extent to which health and wellbeing is being embedded in PLL programme content. | This tells us that teacher health and wellbeing is a priority for the sector and is an area of interest for the profession. | TP91 Within the PLL programmes being offered, the Excellence in Headship programme offers a session that directly supports the health and wellbeing of headteachers and their teams (‘Creating a mentally healthy school’ and ‘Coaching: Developing a Community of Practice’). Other programmes will also, where possible, include content relevant to health and wellbeing. TP92 Education Scotland is engaging with teacher unions and employers to increase the support available to teachers including the creation of a teacher innovation fund. |
ES |
| Data on the extension of international knowledge exchanges and engagement including the number of international exchanges, EiH participant engagement with international knowledge exchange and the range of international research being used to influence PLL programme content delivery and headteacher learning | The evidence shows that experienced headteachers are looking for alternative ways to enhance their knowledge and skills, and are interested in collaborative research with other countries. Education Scotland’s participation in the Tri-Nation Small School exchange is having a positive impact on participants. There is increasing interest and expectation in drawing on international research to shape and influence PLL programmes. |
TP93 A collaborative system leadership EiH Learn session consisting of a number of days that will deepen professional knowledge and practice through collaborative professional enquiry and research linked to international research will be introduced as part of the overall EiH programme. |
ES |
| Information on the improved clarity around pathways to Masters for practitioners – evidence will be gathered from practitioners who engage in Masters study around their pathway experience. Evidence will also be gathered from university partners regarding the clarity of the updated guidance document. |
There are a variety of Masters credits linked to university providers.credits which are offered across different areas of specialism and which may, for good reason, not all link to create a clear pathway to Masters. Practitioners need clear guidance around how to access appropriate Masters learning to support their professional development. There is confusion within the system regarding the difference between Masters (Credit awarding) and Masters level learning (which does not lead to Masters). |
TP94 The Masters Framework Working Group chaired by Education Scotland and including university partners has identified planned next steps including developing new guidance to support practitioners in identifying future pathways towards Masters. New Masters guidance will be written by Education Scotland, in collaboration with university partners, to support practitioners and provide clarity around pathways towards Masters qualifications. The guidance will be available in 2020. |
ES |
| Education Scotland will continue to collect evidence through their Annual STEM Practitioner Survey. They will have the 2019 findings in early 2020 and continue to track this on an annual basis over the lifetime of the STEM Strategy. | The most recently published results are from the 2017/18 survey, which was completed by 145 ELC practitioners and reflects practice between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018. While 63% of those working in the primary sector agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I feel confident delivering STEM Learning in my practice”, the proportion of ELC practitioners who responded in this way was much lower (43%). Access to professional learning in STEM was also perceived as more challenging among those working in ELC. While 37% of those working in the primary sector stated that it was ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to access professional learning in STEM, only 22% of those working ELC responded in this way. The three most frequently mentioned barriers to accessing professional learning among those working in ELC were: difficulty finding staff cover; no suitable professional learning available; and difficulty in attending professional learning due to other commitments. Despite these barriers, the average number of hours of STEM CPL reported per ELC practitioner in the 2017/18 academic year (19.3) was more than that reported by those working in the primary sector (13.5). ELC respondents indicated that STEM professional learning could be improved by: being more simplified and based on play-based learning; being delivered face-to-face; and by offering more online professional learning opportunities. |
TP95 We will continue to encourage more people into teaching, particularly those groups under-represented in the profession (men and minority ethnic communities) as well as in particular subjects (STEM) and geographical areas. TP96 Contracted by Scottish Government, University of West of Scotland are developing some of the modules in our online programme of CPL for ELC sector that will be widely accessible and freely available to ELC practitioners in all sectors. One of the modules in this programme is designed to increase staff skills, knowledge and confidence in delivering age appropriate learning in all STEM subjects. This is due to be available to the sector in early 2020. The module will be designed in a way that will allow the University of West of Scotland to collect data around impact of the module in practitioners’ confidence, knowledge and skills |
SG |
| Qualitative and quantitative data on the quality of the learning experience gained by newly registered teachers whilst on the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) and whether additional measures are needed to help teachers in the early phase of their career to access high quality professional learning designed to meet their personal development needs. | The professional learning experienced as a probationer teacher is preparing individuals to work as fully registered teachers but that knowledge gaps in pedagogical skill areas remain and more focused support is needed to develop mentoring capacity for both student and newly registered teachers. | TP97 In 2020, the Scottish Government will consider how the support and learning for probationer teachers on the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) and Flexible Route (FR) can be strengthened to provide greater consistency towards achieving full professional registration with the GTCS and, working with key stakeholders, will take steps to identify and agree what additional areas of professional learning are needed to improve the support available to post-probation teachers |
SG |
Parental engagement
| Evidence we will gather | What is the available evidence telling us | Additional improvement activity needed/planned/underway | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local authority information on work with partners to develop and deliver family learning opportunities. | Almost all local authorities reported that they had put in place interventions or programmes to support family learning/parental engagement. These included a mix of existing interventions and locally-developed opportunities. Just over a quarter of authorities mentioned that they had used PEF funding to support their work around family learning/ parental engagement. The most commonly reported existing interventions included PEEP, Incredible Years, Triple P and Book Bug. Locally-developed opportunities included literacy and numeracy programmes, WW1 commemorative activity and after school/summer holiday programmes. Over half of local authorities reported that they were delivering their family learning/parental engagement work in partnership. These partnerships included other local authority services (in particular Community Learning and Development services) or external partners such as Save the Children, Sure Start or local colleges. Over a third of local authorities reported that they had dedicated staff members at local authority level who were responsible for parental engagement and/or family learning. |
PE70 Education Scotland will continue to hold the Family Learning National Network meetings which brings together practitioners, academics, researchers and policymakers who share good practice and expertise. PE71 The results from an Education Scotland-led Family Learning survey will be available and synthesised in 2020. These survey findings will help to identify professional learning delivered by local authorities, third sector and national organisations. This will be used to signpost practitioners to helpful advice, inform discussions in Regional Improvement Collaboratives and support practitioners to develop and/or deliver family learning programmes. PE72 Education Scotland will work with local authority partners, colleges, third sector and other partners to develop case studies which will highlight examples of interesting practice and evaluation strategies. PE73 The Education Scotland Family Learning Framework will be refreshed to update case studies, research and policy and strategy. This will support practitioners with up-to-date information. PE74 Education Scotland will continue to work with Regional Improvement Collaboratives, local authorities, practitioners, Scottish Prison Service, Colleges and Universities, Early Learning and Childcare settings and schools during 2020/21 to help them further develop approaches to family learning. PE75 Education Scotland will conduct a thematic inspection review of family learning in 2020. |
ES |
| From parents’ pre-inspection questionnaires, the percentage of parents who are satisfied with their engagement and involvement with the school as indicated across a range of measures/questions. | Before a school inspection takes place, HM Inspectors issue questionnaires to parents/carers. These give an indication of parents’/carers’ satisfaction with various aspects of the school to inform the inspection. The results from these questionnaires for the academic year 2018/19 are provided below. These questionnaire data relate to the 122 establishments inspected as part of the sample for the National Improvement Framework between August 2018 and June 2019. These results are not representative of all parents/carers across Scotland. i) 7,744 parents/carers of pupils in primary, secondary, all-through and special schools completed the questionnaire. Satisfaction with their engagement and involvement with the school ii) 74% agreed[2] that the school gave them advice on how to support their child’s learning at home. iii) 57% agreed that the school organised activities where they and their child could learn together. iv) 61% agreed that the school took their views into account when making changes. v) 88% agreed that they felt comfortable approaching the school with questions, suggestions and/or a problem. vi) 77% agreed that they were kept informed about the work of the Parent Council and/or parent association. vii) 75% agreed that they felt encouraged to be involved in the work of the Parent Council and/or parent association. viii) 83% agreed that they would recommend the school to other parents. ix) 86% agreed that they were satisfied with the school. |
Parental satisfaction rates with the school as a whole (items viii and ix) will be influenced by a wide variety of factors. Relevant improvement activity relating to parental satisfaction is therefore captured across all six of the NIF drivers. Improvement activity to address satisfaction measures ii) to vii) will be taken forward via the School Empowerment reforms (where empowerment of parents and carers is a key aspect) and via the joint Scottish Government / COSLA “Learning Together Action Plan” on parental engagement 2018 – 2021. Key actions relevant to the satisfaction measures are as follows: ii) Advice on supporting children’s learning at home and iii) schools organising activities where parents and their child could learn together. PE76 Education Scotland will continue to promote and support its Review of Learning at Home and its Family Learning Framework alongside its work to support family learning. PE77 The Scottish Government will promote its Read, Write, Count / Parent Club campaign throughout 2020, complementing the work that schools do to encourage learning at home. iv) taking parents’ views into account v) ensuring that schools are approachable vi) keeping parents informed about the work of the Parent Council vii) encouraging parents to be involved in the work of the Parent Council PE78 Scottish Government will consult on draft statutory guidance on parental involvement and engagement in early 2020. This will address various aspects of parental involvement, including Parent Councils. PE79 Scottish Government will work with partners to develop accompanying advice and support materials during the course of 2020. These will be provided alongside the final statutory guidance. PE80 Scottish Government will continue to share practice and expertise via the national parental engagement network throughout 2020. Education Scotland will share learning via Regional Improvement Collaboratives. PE81 Scottish Government and Education Scotland will promote the Parental and Carer Empowerment Guidance as well as a new National Parent Forum Nutshell on Parental Empowerment as part of the broader school empowerment reforms. |
SG/ES |
| From parents’ pre-inspection questionnaires, the percentage of parents who are satisfied with their child’s progress with learning, and the quality of reporting about their child’s progress as indicated across a range of measures/questions. | Satisfaction with their child’s progress with learning and the quality of reporting about their progress 81% agreed that their child found their learning activities hard enough. 88% agreed that their child was making good progress at school. 77% agreed that they received helpful, regular feedback about how their child was doing e.g. informal feedback, reports, learning profiles. 75% agreed that the information they received about how their child is doing reached them at the right time. 76% agreed that they understood how their child’s progress was assessed. 84% agreed that their child received the help they need to do well. |
Improvement activity relating to reporting to parents will be taken forward via a number of the actions set out in the “Learning Together” Action Plan, published in August 2018, in particular the action plan’s goal on communication with parents (see PE36-42 in Annex B). PE82 Education Scotland will continue to promote its Reporting to Parents and Carers Guidance for schools and ELC settings document. |
SG/ES |
| From the Scottish Household Survey, parental satisfaction rates. | The Scottish Household Survey asks adults (not only parents) how satisfied they are with a number of local services, including schools. The 2018 survey reports that: 71% of adults were very or fairly satisfied with the quality of local schools in 2018. While the number of adults very or fairly satisfied with local schools has fallen from 85% to 71% since 2011, this is mainly due to a corresponding increase from 11% to 22% in the number of people who were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied – there has not been a large increase in the number of people expressing dissatisfaction with local schools. 86% of adults who have used schools, i.e. those who have children in school, were very or fairly satisfied with the quality of local schools in 2018. Satisfaction of service users is also more stable over time than that of all adults. |
Parental satisfaction rates with the school as a whole will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including perceptions about the quality of learning and teaching, access to subject choices, value and ethos of the school and perceptions about the curriculum offer. Relevant improvement activity relating to parental satisfaction is therefore captured across all six of the NIF drivers. Action on parental satisfaction relating to the quality of parental involvement and engagement will be taken forward via the action set out in the “Learning Together” Action Plan, published in August 2018 and detailed above (see PE36-42 in Annex B). |
SG |
| Following a successful pilot of the 2018/19 Parental Involvement and Engagement (PIE) Census, we intend asking all local authorities and grant-aided schools to undertake a Parental Involvement and Engagement Census in the 2020/21 academic year, and every two years thereafter. | The key learning points from the initial PIE census data from 2018/19 were as follows:
These include: family learning approaches, home-school link teams, parenting programmes, coaching models, workshops, drop-in sessions, Family Connect programme, Family nurture, PEEP, Bookbug, homework clubs, Read, Write, Count, outdoor learning programmes, parental learning hubs, family rooms, health and wellbeing approaches and holiday programmes. In addition, Pupil Equity Funding continues to be used to work with particular groups of parents on ways to support children’s learning at home. |
A number of improvement activities relating to matters covered within the PIE Census will be taken forward under the joint Scottish Government and COSLA “Learning Together” plan on parental engagement as well as the School Empowerment reforms, where empowerment of parents and carers is a key aspect. The main actions pertinent to this theme are: PE83 Scottish Government will work in early 2020 to consult on revised statutory guidance relating to the 2006 Scottish Schools Parental involvement Act. PE84 Scottish Government will promote the new guidance on parental and carer empowerment as part of the broader school empowerment reforms. PE85 There will be improvement activity throughout 2020 by Regional Improvement Collaborative, local authorities, practitioners, early learning and childcare settings, schools, relevant partners and stakeholder groups during 2020/21 to help to further develop approaches to parental involvement, parental engagement, learning at home and family learning. PE86 Education Scotland will work with local authority partners to develop further case studies on examples of Home-school link worker/service. PE87 Education Scotland will continue to refresh the content of the ParentZone Scotland website throughout 2020. PE88 Scottish Government and Education Scotland will support regular Learning Together National Network meetings to bring together practitioners, academics, researchers and policymakers who have been identified as ‘champions’ with a view to sharing good practice and expertise, making new connections and reviewing evidence of what is working well. In 2020 there will be renewed focus on learning and sharing of practice relating to secondary schools. |
SG/ES |
Assessment of children’s progress
| Evidence we will gather | What is the available evidence telling us | Additional improvement activity needed/planned/underway | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data from health visitor reviews (27-30 month). | In the 2017/18 review, 37% of children from the most deprived areas were known to have no concerns across all 8 developmental domains, compared to only 56% for children from the least deprived areas. In 2017/18, 90% of all eligible children received a 27-30 month review. In 2017/18, concerns were most commonly recorded about children’s speech, language and communication (11% of children), and their emotional and behavioural development (5% of children). |
Ongoing actions relating to Assessment of children’s progress are set out in Annex B. | SG |
| Data from a range of surveys on health and wellbeing showing changes over time. | Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR) 2016 is the latest in a series of research projects, and builds on research carried out in 2012, 2009 and 2006. The overall aim of the research is to provide a clear and robust picture of relationships and behaviour in publically funded mainstream schools; current policy and practice in promoting positive relationships and behaviour; and behaviour management approaches that are used in schools. Evidence in relation to the Health and Wellbeing of school-aged children is also currently available from the Health Behaviours in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study, which is conducted every 4 years. Results from the 2018 survey will be available in early 2020. The Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) also provides health and wellbeing evidence. This survey was last conducted in Spring 2019 and initial results were published in November 2019. | AC71 The latest BISSR project is currently out to tender. It is anticipated that it will report towards the end of 2020 / early 2021. Work is continuing on introducing a new Health and Wellbeing Census which will provide information on a wide range of topics/themes aimed primarily to provide evidence for use by local authorities/CPPs and schools to drive forward local improvements and service planning, as well as to help monitor and inform national policies. |
SG/ES |
| Data on the percentage of school inspections where QI 3.1: Ensuring wellbeing, quality and inclusion is graded as good or better. | HM Inspectors evaluated the impact of the approach to wellbeing, equality and inclusion which underpins children and young people’s ability to achieve success. There is a focus on how positive learners and staff feel and how well they are listened to and how effectively legislative duties are understood and met. Of the 363 schools across primary, secondary and special provision inspected as part of the sample for the NIF between August 2016 and June 2019, 329 schools were evaluated as satisfactory or better (91%), and 243 were evaluated as good, very good or excellent on ‘ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion’ (67%). Supporting and improving children and young people’s wellbeing is a high priority in most schools. Children and young people are becoming more confident in taking responsibility for their own wellbeing and learning. This is less effective in special schools. An increasing focus is given to developing children and young people’s emotional and mental wellbeing and resilience. |
Ongoing actions relating to Assessment of children’s progress are set out in Annex B. | ES/SG/RICs |
| Data from all 32 local authorities on children and young people’s achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels in literacy and numeracy at P1, P4, P7 and S3. | The Achievement of CfE Levels 2018/19 data collection confirms that: At primary stages, the percentage of pupils achieving the expected CfE level is highest in P1 and is slightly lower in P4 and P7:
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While national standardised assessment data will never replace teachers’ professional judgement, they can contribute towards the range of assessment information being considered by teachers when making judgements on the achievement of curriculum for excellence levels. We will implement the actions set out in the National Standardised Assessment Improvement Activity Plan 2019: AC72 Improve communications and engagement on national standardised assessment in Scotland and clarify key messages. AC73 Work with key partners to develop a practical framework and Code of Practice on the purpose and use of national standardised assessment data. AC74 Work with key partners to improve and enhance national standardised assessment guidance and support materials. AC75 Enhance, expand and raise awareness of national standardised assessment professional learning opportunities AC76 Review and reflect on user feedback to enhance the SNSA for future years AC77 Continue to work with partners to enhance the Gaelic medium standardised assessments. AC78 Revisit the 2014 review of the SSLN to assess the comparative burden and costs of conducting the SSLN and the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels data collection. AC79 Work with key partners to assess and enhance the value of the national standardised assessments. |
SG/ES |
| Data on the senior phase qualifications and awards obtained by school leavers. | In 2019 we have seen an increase in entries and pass rates across National 5, with the total number of passes up 3.4% and the pass rate increasing by 0.7 percentage points. There has been a fall in Higher pass rates which are down 2.0 percentage points. However, this was still a strong set of results, with three-quarters of candidates attaining a pass at Higher grades A-C. Over 54,000 skills based awards and achievements were certificated by August 2019 (up from 24,849 in 2012). Since 2009/10 there has been a greater rate of increase in the proportion of young people attaining 1 or more qualifications[3] at SCQF levels 4, 5 and 6 in the most deprived SIMD areas than in the least deprived. There has been a year on year increase in the number of school leavers attaining vocational qualifications at SCQF 5 and above. From 7.3% in 2013/14 to 9% in 2014/15, 10.7% in 2015/16, 12.8% in 2016/17 and 14.8% in 2017/18. |
AC80 The government has commissioned an independent review of our Senior Phase. The purpose of the review will be to explore further how Curriculum for Excellence is being implemented for young people in S4-S6 across the country, and to identify any improvements that might be made. We are mindful of the need for stability in the system after several years of change – the national qualifications themselves are not the focus of the review. |
SG |
| Data on school leaver destinations, including participation in learning, training and work. Supplemented by evidence gathered by Education Scotland through its activities and collaboration with National DYW Leads Network and engagement with regional employer groups undertaken by Scottish Government. |
The participation measure (PM) data tells us the learning, training and employment status of 16-19 year olds. This is used to understand what activities individuals progress on to when they have completed a course of learning, training or a period of employment. The data is telling us that the learning and training system works well for the majority of 16-19 year olds, however, particular groups still do not successfully progress through learning and training and in to work. Local authorities, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and colleges using the data that underpins the PM to identify individuals who need help to sustain or access learning, training or employability support. Scottish Government will consider the findings of this analysis and identify whether there are policy implications. Collecting data on the number of schools and education establishments implementing the Career Education Standard 3-18 will will tell us whether the implementation of the Work Placements Standard is resulting in schools offering a range of work placement opportunities. The evidence from School-employer partnerships tells us that there is evidence of an increasing amount of meaningful, productive education-employer partnership activities. |
Ongoing actions relating to Assessment of Children’s Progress are set out in Annex B. | |
| Through Education Scotland’s external review of careers information, advice and guidance services, percentages of these services graded as ‘good’ or better for the quality element 1.1: How effective are service providers at achieving and maintaining high levels of service delivery? | Between August 2018 and June 2019, Education Scotland carried out six Career Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG) reviews of Skills Development Scotland (SDS) delivery of services to young people and adults. Almost all of the reviews were graded ‘good’ or better for the high level principle How effective are service providers at achieving and maintaining high levels of service delivery? The quality of the delivery of career information advice and guidance services by SDS careers staff is very good overall. Strong partnership working between school leaders and careers staff is shaping and influencing the planning of careers strategies in schools. Schools are increasing the connection between the skills required in their local areas and the curriculum. Young people have more awareness of the various different pathways available to them, including the Apprenticeship Family. |
Ongoing actions relating to Assessment of children’s progress are set out in Annex B. | ES |
| Local authority self-evaluation data on the effectiveness of moderation of teachers’ professional judgement of Curriculum for Excellence levels in literacy and numeracy. | Evidence from the majority of local authorities suggests that teachers are becoming increasingly more confident about making judgements of a CfE level. Learning from the Quality Assurance and Moderation Support Officer (QAMSO) programme is crucial to the success of moderation and this has been built upon to involve and support others through moderation activities and opportunities for professional dialogue around standards and expectations. Education Scotland’s National Moderation hub is beginning to be used to improve the consistency of evaluations further. Standardised assessments are being used to provide additional assessment information to support teachers’ professional judgements. Overall, moderation continues to be a focus across all authorities. However, there is a growing confidence that the processes being developed are leading to greater consistency of teachers’ judgements of CfE levels in literacy and numeracy, particularly in primary schools. There remains the need for continuing support. |
AC81 Education Scotland will review the plan for regional and national moderation with the assessment co-ordinators and consult with assessment co-ordinators on the best way to embed moderation. AC82 Education Scotland will work with stakeholders to review the collection of NIF qualitative and quantitative data, and create guidance to support the collection of data. |
ES and RICs |
| School inspection data on the effectiveness of moderation of teachers’ professional judgement of Curriculum for Excellence levels in literacy and numeracy. | Staff across primary and secondary schools engage in a range of moderation approaches within and beyond schools. These activities include the use of the National Benchmarks and are supporting staff in creating a shared understanding of national standards. In the primary sector staff make more effective use of Benchmarks within literacy and numeracy than across the other areas of the curriculum. Further work is required to continue to improve the reliability and validity of teachers’ judgements of children’s and young people’s progress and achievement across all learning. | Ongoing actions relating to Assessment of children’s progress are set out in Annex B. | ES |
| Scottish Funding Council (SFC) National Measure 2(a) – number of senior phase age pupils studying vocational qualifications delivered by colleges. | There has been an increase in the number of senior phase pupils studying vocational qualifications, at SCQF 5 and above, delivered by colleges. 5,216 senior phase pupils were enrolled in college courses in 2017/18, compared with 4,510 in 2016/17, 3,014 in 2015/16, 2,393 in 14/15 and 2,101 in 2013/14. | Ongoing actions relating to Assessment of children’s progress are set out in Annex B | SG/ SFC |
| Evidence of the number of employers engaged with education (ranging from single engagements through to strategic partnerships) to support young people of all ages to understand career opportunities, and develop skills for work (including career advice, work inspiration, work experience etc). |
The Scottish Government now has a network of 21 employer-led regional groups supporting the delivery of school-employer partnerships across the country and we have seen innovative approaches to school-employer partnerships, and the creation of a broader curriculum offer within schools. | Ongoing actions relating to Assessment of Children’s Progress are set out in Annex B. | SG |
| Work is ongoing to introduce a new Health and Wellbeing Census, covering children based in publicly funded schools from late primary through to secondary schools. The census will cover a wide range of topics and themes in relation to the Health and Wellbeing of children and young people. The census will provide local authorities/CPPs with local information in order for them to focus on where improvement is needed, and to monitor progress over time. | The NIF Interactive Evidence Report provides information across a broad range of measures in relation to the health and wellbeing of children and young people. However, current evidence is largely gathered from national and international sample surveys which whilst they provide an overview picture for Scotland, they provide little information showing what is happening at a local level, or by deprivation areas across Scotland. | See AC67 in Annex B | SG |
| The SNSA National Report produced by the assessment contractor ACER UK. | The first National Report covers the assessments undertaken during the 2017/18 school session. It provides national level data on the achievement of children and young people in the literacy and numeracy assessments. This data is broken down by a range of pupil characteristics and by Curriculum for Excellence organisers. | Ongoing actions relating to Assessment of children’s progress are set out in Annex B. | ES |
| We will work with partners to identify senior phase qualifications and awards that relate to Learning for Sustainability (LfS) and the associated level of enrolment and attainment. | This information will help us to track the number of learners who are engaging with Learning for Sustainability and therefore gaining a broad range of knowledge, skills and values associated with real world challenges and opportunities. Ensuring learners are accessing a broad range of skills and knowledge is central to learners gaining the four capacities at the heart of Curriculum for Excellence. | Key actions from the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan will be taken forward in 2020: AC83 The Scottish Government will engage with the Scottish Qualifications Authorities in their work to ensure that LfS-related content is considered when SQA national qualifications are being periodically reviewed AC84 The Scottish Government will engage with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership in their work to i) identify LfS-focused qualifications and awards in that are already recognised on the SCQF framework, and ii) identify any further awards that could be recognised. This will ensure that the criteria are developed by which credit rating bodies can define whether their qualifications or awards are “LfS-relevant”. |
SG |
| New Evidence to be incorporated into the NIF in future years | |||
| Reports from the “Everyday Heroes” project: https://everydayheroes.sps.ed.ac.uk/reports/ Young Women Lead Committee Report on Sexual Harassment in Schools: http://www.ywcascotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/YWL-Report-FINAL.pdf |
These reports published in 2018 highlighted the experiences of young people in schools in relation to gender based violence and sexual harassment. | AC85 Developing resources and support for schools to address gender based violence and sexual harassment. |
SG |
| Food and drink in schools consultation analysis report: https://www.gov.scot/publications/report-responses-consultation-nutritional-requirements-food-drink-schools/ |
A Technical Working Group was formed in 2017 to review the current regulations. The group’s recommendations were accepted by the Deputy First Minister and a public consultation ran on the recommendations until Aug 2018. Following the consultation, the Deputy First Minister announced the amendments to the school food regulations in June 2019. | AC86 Developing updated guidance on Healthy Eating in Schools – to mirror the updated regulations on food and drink in schools. |
SG |
| Mental Health Foundation Survey report into teachers’ mental health: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/news/70-scotlands-teachers-lack-training-address-mental-health-problems-schools |
Teaching Unions and the third sector all have highlighted in campaigns the importance of providing mental health first aid training for teachers. | AC87 Developing a new mental health first aid training resource for all school staff. |
SG |
School improvement
| Evidence we will gather | What is the available evidence telling us | Additional improvement activity needed/planned/underway | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data on the percentage of school inspections where QI 2.3: learning, teaching and assessment is graded as good or better. | Of the 363 schools across primary, secondary and special provision inspected as part of the sample for the NIF between August 2016 and June 2019, 334 were evaluated as satisfactory or better (92%), and 196 of them were evaluated as good, very good or excellent on ‘learning, teaching and assessment’ (54%). The culture and ethos across most school communities continues to be a strength, with very positive relationships between learners and staff. Staff provide a wide range of motivating learning environments which support children and young people to engage well and to apply and reinforce their learning. Achieving consistently high quality learning and teaching across all sectors remains an identified priority for improvement. Most schools are focusing on improving the consistency of the quality of learning and teaching across classes in order to improve outcomes for children and young people. Staff across primary and secondary schools engage in a range of moderation approaches within and beyond schools. These activities include the use of the National Benchmarks and are supporting staff in creating a shared understanding of national standards especially in relation to literacy and numeracy. In the primary sector staff make more effective use of Benchmarks within literacy and numeracy than across the other areas of the curriculum. Further work is required to continue to improve the reliability and validity of teachers’ judgements of children’s and young people’s progress and achievement across all learning. |
Ongoing actions relating to School Improvement are set out in Annex B. | ES |
| Data on the percentage of school inspections where QI 3.2: raising attainment and achievement is graded good or better. | HM Inspectors evaluated the school’s success in achieving the best possible outcomes for all children and young people. This focused on attainment across all areas of the curriculum and the ability to demonstrate improvements in children and young people’s achievements in relation to skills and attributes. Of the 363 schools across primary, secondary and special provision inspected as part of the sample for the NIF between August 2016 and June 2019, 326 schools were evaluated as satisfactory or better (90%) and 192 were evaluated as good, very good or excellent on ‘raising attainment and achievement’ (53%). Schools continue to improve the reliability of their data on attainment of CfE levels in literacy and numeracy during the broad general education in both primary and secondary. Teacher judgements are supported well by an increased understanding of National Benchmarks, information from SNSA and use of a suitable range of assessments in the classroom. School staff have increased confidence in reporting progress and achievement of CfE levels in literacy and numeracy. Most schools do not yet have reliable data on children’s and young people’s progress and achievement of CfE levels across other curriculum areas across the BGE. Overall, schools have gained confidence and knowledge in identifying the poverty related attainment gap in their local context. Staff in almost all schools continue to increase their confidence in the use and analysis of data to plan for improvements. In the majority of primary schools staff use data about progress in literacy and numeracy well to plan next steps in learning for children. This includes planning for children who require additional support and children living in areas of deprivation. Almost all schools have planned interventions in place using Attainment Scotland Funding. Emerging evidence indicates that these targeted interventions are leading to improved outcomes for children and young people with barriers to their learning. This includes improved attainment in literacy and numeracy and progress in health and wellbeing. |
Ongoing actions relating to School Improvement are set out in Annex B. | ES |
| Level of attendance and number of exclusions per school. | 93% was the total attendance rate recorded for 2018/19. This is very similar to previous years. The attendance rate was higher for primary schools (94.5%) than secondary schools (90.7%) and special schools (90.1%). Children and young people living in the 20% most deprived areas had an attendance rate that was 4.9 percentage points lower than the pupils living in the 20% least deprived areas. The exclusion rate for all pupils in 2018/19 was 21.6 per 1,000 pupils. This has been falling year on year since 2006/07. Rates of exclusions per 1,000 pupils for pupils living in the 20% most deprived areas were 35.4 per 1,000 pupils compared with 8.2 per 1,000 pupils living in the 20% least deprived areas. |
We issued revised guidance, Included, Engaged and Involved Part One – Promoting and Managing School Attendance in June 2019. The guidance draws together advice on good practice and establishes requirements regarding classifying and recording attendance and absence. It also provides guidance to schools and local authorities on how to promote engagement and motivation, including among those who may be at risk of poor attendance. | SG/ES |
| The percentage of schools which self-evaluate as good or better for Q.I. 2.3 – learning, teaching and assessment and Q.I. 3.2 – raising attainment and achievement; and for progress with the priorities set out in the NIF. | Local authorities reported that across Scotland the quality of learning, teaching and assessment was self-evaluated by schools as good or better in 72.3% of all schools across primary, secondary and special provision. Local authorities reported that across Scotland the quality of raising attainment and achievement was self-evaluated by schools as good or better in 69.9% of all schools. All local authorities commented on the processes undertaken to evaluate the quality of their schools across the above two quality indicators. The most commonly used processes included:
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Ongoing actions relating to School Improvement are set out in Annex B. | ES |
| The number of primary schools and secondary schools which are using technology to support effective learning and teaching across the curriculum, as indicated through the Digital Schools Award Scotland (DSAS) Framework. | To date, 974 primary schools have registered with 172 having achieved the award. The secondary framework was launched in 2017 and so far, 201 secondary schools have registered with 29 having achieved the award. | Ongoing actions relating to School Improvement are set out in Annex B. | SG |
| Local authority information on their capacity and impact on improvement in learning, teaching and assessment, and raising attainment and achievement; and their progress with the priorities set out in the NIF as good or better. | Self-evaluation evidence from almost all authorities suggests that there is a strong capacity to continue to make progress with the NIF priorities. The majority of local authorities indicated improvements in literacy and numeracy attainment. Just over half of local authorities focused on general improvements in literacy and numeracy attainment without specifying at which levels. A third of local authorities commented specifically on improvements in literacy and numeracy at Broad General Education (BGE) level. The same number commented specifically on improvements in literacy and numeracy in the Senior Phase. A small number of local authorities indicated how local or regional frameworks and/or strategic groups had helped to improve their literacy and numeracy attainment. A small number of local authorities commented on the effectiveness of professional learning in increasing staff understanding, confidence and knowledge in relation to literacy and numeracy teaching. A small number of local authorities highlighted the use of tracking and monitoring tools to help record progress in literacy and numeracy. |
Ongoing actions relating to School Improvement are set out in Annex B. | ES |
| Number of registrations for funded early learning and childcare (ELC). | Based on the 2019 Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, there was near universal uptake for 3 & 4 year olds in funded ELC, with an estimated 98% registered in 2019, down slightly from 99% in 2018. An estimated 11% of all 2 year olds were registered for funded ELC in 2019, up from 10% in 2018. Around a quarter of 2 year olds are now eligible for funded ELC through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and through subsequent secondary legislation which commenced in August 2015. Research, to look at the barriers to uptake for 2 year olds was published in early 2017, and suggested that the main barrier to uptake was awareness of the entitlement. |
Ongoing actions relating to School Improvement are set out in Annex B. | SG |
| Data on the proportion of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings achieving good, very good and excellent Care Inspectorate evaluations. | The most recent published data that’s available shows that in 2018, 91% of funded ELC providers achieved good or better on all Care Inspectorate Quality themes. From August 2020, all ELC providers will be required to meet a national standard if they are to deliver the funded hours. This includes a requirement that they have current Care Inspectorate evaluations of ‘good’ or better on quality of: care and support; environment; staffing; and leadership and management. We have a programme of national improvement support in place to help settings to meet this standard. |
Ongoing actions relating to School Improvement are set out in Annex B. | |
| New evidence to be incorporated into the NIF in future years | |||
| Annual RIC progress reports and improvement plans, supporting evidence for RIC Grant Funding, and regular (quarterly) liaison with RIC Leads and Education Scotland Senior Regional Advisers. The RIC review will also provide focussed evidence and analysis on RIC development and impact. | All six Regional Collaboratives have clear leadership and governance arrangements and, over the 2019/19 school year, have put in place additional staffing and infrastructure to take forward their regional improvement plans. Each RIC has strong aims towards closing the poverty related attainment gap and is evidencing an incensing focus on engaging with teachers and other professionals to support and strengthen educational leadership, professional development, teacher agency and pedagogical practice. Further evidence on the developing reach and impact of this work within classrooms will be captured in the forthcoming RIC Review (SI64). | SI63 Working in partnership with local government, Regional Improvement Collaboratives and Education Scotland, ensure that our education empowerment reforms strengthen and support collaborative working across the system. This includes extending the reach, accessibility and impact of collaborative working across school, local, regional and national levels. These reforms are vital to strengthening Scotland’s Curriculum through teachers and headteachers being empowered and supported to collaborate and share innovation and best practise in implementing the curriculum for their learners. |
ES |
| The RIC review will consider a range of written evidence (including those outlined at SI64) and will also include interviews with key stakeholders to address a series of focused research questions. The review is due out for tender in December 2019, with a view to reporting its findings in June 2020. | The RIC Review is due to gather and analyse evidence in early 2020 and report its findings in June 2020. | SI64 Alongside COSLA we are currently in the process of commissioning external research into the establishment, reach and impact of Regional Improvement Collaboratives. This follows an interim review of RICs published in February 2019 and is scheduled to report by June 2020. Findings will be used to take steps to further embed regional collaboration and the support available to schools. |
SG |
| Information on the amount of diverse pathways on offer in secondary from broadening learner pathways. | This will tell us whether there is evidence of an increasing amount of diverse pathways on offer in secondary school that take account of the aspirations and needs of all learners. | SI65 Education Scotland will collate this information from inspection reports, the data gathering exercise (section 12 undertaken in collaboration with DYW), NIF reports, Foundation Apprenticeship data, Senior Phase review, secondary HT survey and work in relation to the Curriculum Refresh Narrative. |
ES |
| The evidence we will gather is from National Thematic Inspection Report. | This evidence highlights effective use of assessment within the Broad General Education. | SI66 HM Inspectors of Education will publish a thematic inspection report focusing on highly effective practice in using assessment within the BGE to improve learning and teaching. The report will be published in January 2020. |
ES |
| Evidence of children and young people’s perspectives on the education system, including school improvement, will be gathered via a variety of means, including via the activity of the Scottish Learner Panel. | The Scottish Learner Panel met throughout 2018/19 and delivered its final report in September 2019. The report contained a range of “thinking points” intended to prompt policy makers, local authorities and system leaders to take forward reforms and to consider learners’ perspectives as part of their improvement activity. The main thinking point recommendations were: Health and wellbeing
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Improvement activity in relation to the Scottish Learner Panel’s 2019 “thinking points” will be implemented across a range of policy and improvement themes as below: Health and Wellbeing SI67 Scottish Government will work with partners to implement the 16 recommendations from the Review of Personal and Social Education (published Jan 2019) during the course of 2019. This will include the establishment of a senior phase Personal and Social Education Mentoring Programme to coach and enable pupils to design and deliver aspects of health and wellbeing / personal and social education whilst working towards an award. Curriculum SI68 During 2020 the Scottish Government, Education Scotland and partners will continue to implement the Developing the Young Workforce reforms. This will include promotion of the new standards for careers education and work placements. SI69 A review will be undertaken of Foundation Apprenticeships, with an evaluation of the Developing the Young Workforce programme as a whole reporting after the conclusion of the programme in 2021. SI70 Education Scotland will take forward a Communication and Engagement plan for the Refreshed Narrative on Scotland’s Curriculum. They will work with partners across the education system to ensure that teachers can engage with its principles as part of their curriculum development activity. SI71 In early 2020 there will be a review of the Senior Phase of Scotland’s Curriculum. It is anticipated that this will take account of the link between the Broad General Education (ie the experience in S1 – S3) and the Senior Phase as well as subject choice themes. SI72 During 2020, the Scottish Government will involve children and young people in the development of a learner focused guide to Scotland’s Curriculum to accompany the Refreshed Narrative for practitioners. This work will incorporate the key thinking points from the Learner Panel report on subject choices, assessment and personalised guidance. SI73 During 2020, Education Scotland will ensure that regional improvement advisers are aware of the key benefits of outdoor learning and its importance within the curriculum. SI74 The Young STEM Leader programme will continue to be supported in 2020, which includes a Youth Steering Group to represent the voice of young people. Learner participation and voice SI75 During 2020, learner voice and participation will continue to form a key aspect within the School Empowerment reforms. Scottish Government and Education Scotland will raise awareness of new guidance on Learner Empowerment and will work with learners to develop further support materials on learner empowerment during the course of 2020. SI76 During 2020, the Scottish Government will continue to support the Scottish Learner Panel, ensuring that pupils can contribute to policy development. SI77 By the end of 2020, Education Scotland will roll out the Young Leaders of Learning Programme (previously piloted in north-east Scotland) across Scotland. This will help to support more children to be involved in self-evaluation activities and reciprocal visits to other schools as part of school improvement activities in their own school. SI78 During 2020, Education Scotland will continue to develop professional learning opportunities to support the Education Scotland Learner Participation 3-18 resource. SI79 Education Scotland will refresh the Education Scotland “Recognising and Realising children’s Rights” resource and professional learning resource by the end of 2020. |
SG/ES |
Performance Information
| Evidence we will gather | What is the available evidence telling us | Additional improvement activity needed/planned/underway | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data from each of the key drivers. | Refer to NIF Interactive Evidence Report | Ongoing actions relating to Performance Information are set out in Annex B. | SG |
| Progress towards achieving the priorities set within the Framework, drawing on all the evidence gathered. | Refer to NIF Interactive Evidence Report | PI17 In 2019-2020 we will continue to administer the Challenge Authority, Schools Programme, Care Experienced Children and Young People and Pupil Equity funds as well as the National Programmes, supporting Schools, Local Authorities and Third Sector organisations to close the poverty related attainment gap with up to £182m from the Attainment Scotland Fund. PI18 For the remainder of this parliament the Scottish Government and Education Scotland will continue to work in partnership with local authorities, schools and other key stakeholders to facilitate, broker and support action to maximise progress in reducing the poverty related attainment gap. A five point maximising progress plan has been jointly developed by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland to facilitate this:
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SG SG/ES |
| Information on initial teacher education programmes coverage of data literacy. | Covered as part of the content analysis of ITE published in May 2017. This shows a wide variance in time spent on data literacy across all programmes. It raises a question as to whether the level of variance is acceptable and whether steps should be taken in terms of course accreditation/quality assurance. An evaluation framework for the accreditation of ITE programmes has now been published by the GTCS . This defines the content that should be covered for professional acceptability of an ITE programme leading to a teaching qualification; and confirms that student teachers must be supported to develop competence in both data and digital literacy. |
This information is now being collected via TP 27 & 28 in Annex B | SG |
| Data on the views of newly qualified teachers, schools and local authorities on how effectively newly qualified teachers use data to enhance learning and teaching. | Covered as part of the content analysis of ITE published in May 2017. This shows a wide variance in time spent on data literacy across all programmes. It raises a question as to whether the level of variance is acceptable and whether steps should be taken in terms of course accreditation/quality assurance. The findings suggests the level of confidence amongst probationers in terms of data literacy is mixed. |
This has been superseded by the new data collection exercise described in TP97. | SG |
| Evidence drawn from specific research projects being taken forward under the Scottish Government’s Research Strategy for Scottish Education. | Three Research Strategy reports were published in 2019, including:
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PI19 Research and development work will continue around the three aims of the Research Strategy. |
SG |
Contact
Email: Judith.Tracey@gov.scot
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