Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: fifth interim report - year 6

Chapter 4 Short and Medium-term Outcomes: Perceptions of success, collaboration, use of data and evidence

Chapter 4 highlights

Progress towards intended outcomes

• COVID-19 was the predominant factor identified influencing progress towards intended outcomes. This included operational challenges such as staff recruitment and staff absences; negative impacts on staff wellbeing; pupil absences and impacts on delivery of initiatives, with some paused.
• Factors supporting progress identified included: improved ethos, culture and understanding; data and evidence; prioritisation given to closing the poverty-related attainment gap; empowerment at the school level; effective target setting; collaboration support and challenge provided by local authority central teams/lead officers; Attainment Advisor support; and allocation of PEF over two years.

Engaging families and communities

• Learning around engaging with families and communities in the context of COVID-19 is emerging. This includes: the importance of family learning/family link workers and teams; effective links to wider partnerships; opportunities for online communication; need for meaningful engagement and challenging assumptions of what support families may need.
• Evidence is emerging of impact of specific roles to support engagement with families, as well as a broader range of emerging impacts including: strengthened relationships with families and communities; increased awareness within schools of poverty and its impact on pupils and families; increased supports in place for families affected by poverty; a greater appreciation of the role schools can play; and a greater focus on pupil attendance and engagement.

Collaboration

• There continues to be evidence of increased collaboration as a result of the Attainment Scotland Fund.
• Changes to types of collaborations over the previous year were primarily related to the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
• Collaborations were viewed as key to support and enable sharing of practice, building capacity and improvement.
• Benefits of collaboration continue to be identified, including supporting a focus on improving outcomes for children and young people affected by poverty, through effective collaboration between services and sectors.

Use of data and evidence

• Indicators related to the use of data and evidence within ASF activity point to an increasingly 'data rich' environment, with a wide range of tools utilised across levels of the system and evidence of ongoing developments in the collection, collation and analysis of data, including a wider range of data and evidence being drawn on to support decision-making.
• Data and evidence were being used to drive improvement, from strategic-decision-making through to classroom practitioner; to ensure support is targeted at where it is most needed; and to effectively prioritise interventions.
• COVID-19 has impacted on use of data and evidence. Some data collections (such as ACEL) have been impacted due to the pandemic, and there are requirements to develop new sources of data and evidence in order to respond appropriately to ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19.
• The role of Attainment Advisors working across a range of contexts from local authority through to individual schools, often in close collaboration with local authority leads, was a key feature.

4.1 This chapter considers the extent to which schools and local authorities perceived that there had been progress towards achieving the intended short to medium-term outcomes of their approach, and factors which were seen as supporting or hindering progress towards achieving these outcomes.

4.2 It also specifically explores a number of aspects identified within the Scottish Attainment Challenge logic model as important short and medium-term outcomes associated with the ASF which the evaluation has sought to consider:

• learning and emerging impacts associated with engaging families and communities;
• the extent to which the fund encouraged collaboration; and
• the extent to which data and evidence were used to drive improvements as part of the fund.

Perceptions of progress towards meeting short and medium-term outcomes

4.3 This section explores evidence collected in respect of schools' and local authorities' perceptions of progress, to address the following evaluation question:

'To what extent did schools and local authorities involved with the Fund feel the intended outcomes of their approach had been achieved/there had been progress towards achieving these outcomes?'

4.4 Alongside the main evaluation question, this section seeks to explore the further outcomes schools and LAs were intending to achieve; the factors stakeholders thought contributed to progress towards achieving these outcomes; and the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the outcomes local authorities and schools were intending to achieve or progress.

4.5 Evidence from the Local Authority Survey 2021 has largely informed this section, alongside evidence from Challenge Authority and Schools Programme progress reports.

Factors contributing to progress on intended outcomes

4.6 COVID-19 continues to impact on progress towards the outcomes schools and local authorities were intending to achieve. Local authority responses to the 2021 Survey identified a continuing strong focus on improving mental health and wellbeing and on engaging families and communities as part of their intended outcomes.

4.7 A range of factors were identified by local authority respondents with regard to supporting progress in the previous year. Supporting factors highlighted included:

• Improved ethos, culture and understanding;
• Headteacher empowerment/empowerment at the school level;
• Data and evidence;
• Effective target setting;
• Collaboration;
• High level priority given to closing the poverty-related attainment gap;
• Support and challenge provided by local authority central teams/lead officers;
• Allocation of PEF over two years;
• Attainment Advisor support.

'Data for improvement and our tracker system are empowering our staff to understand gaps, data, challenges etc. and allowing early intervention to take place.'

4.8 Factors viewed as hindering progress over the previous year have also been identified. COVID-19 was clearly the predominant factor which impacted in a number of ways, with respondents to the Local Authority Survey 2021 highlighting challenges associated with remote learning and disproportionate impact on children and young people affected by poverty versus their more affluent peers. The impact of COVID-19 on already vulnerable young people and on children, young people and their families whose circumstances had changed as a result the pandemic also presenting challenges. There was also an ongoing impact on the delivery of initiatives, for example initiatives which were unable to be delivered in the context of the ongoing pandemic. This included health and wellbeing initiatives which were at times unable to go ahead. Pupil absences were also a key factor of concern. In addition to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, it was widely recognised that it is not just schools who have a key role to play in closing the poverty-related attainment gap and that the poverty-related attainment gap is impacted by wider societal issues.

4.9 There were also operational challenges in schools as a result of COVID-19, and staffing issues including recruitment challenges, staff absences and negative impacts of the pandemic on staff wellbeing. Other challenges highlighted included potentially negative impact on some Career-Long Professional Learning (CLPL) as a result of a need to deliver online, the potential for some 'missed opportunities' for schools to work collaboratively around PEF and for increased support to schools in receipt of small amounts of PEF to maximise its effectiveness.

'Continued disruption to learning, staffing levels due to absences etc. are and will continue to have a negative impact for some time.'

4.10 There were also perceptions of factors related to target setting, information gathering and reporting as potentially hindering progress. One local authority respondent suggested there was a 'need to better define what success and impact looks like across Scotland', and another pointed to the 'need for consistent approach to tracking and monitoring progress of individuals and cohorts'.

4.11 A further aspect highlighted as potentially hindering progress related to the need for improved sharing of impactful approaches:

'We need to develop further sharing approaches which are impactful and could be up-scaled at system level.'

Engagement with families and communities

4.12 The section below explores one key outcome area which has emerged strongly, namely engagement with families and communities. Chapter 3 considered evidence of the ongoing development of approaches to engaging with families and communities. This section considers two further aspects of the evaluation related to families and communities, namely:

• What has been learned about engaging with families and communities through the ASF?
• Are there emerging impacts of engagement with families and communities as a result of the ASF? (e.g. improved understanding of families' circumstances and additional support needs; improved understanding of local context)

4.13 Reflections on learning about engaging with families and communities were sought in the Local Authority Survey 2021 and Headteacher Survey 2021. Headteachers were asked their views of the main learning points arising from their engagement with families and communities over the previous year. Most commonly cited was the value of proactive communication and approaches to maintain engagement with families. Headteachers' responses also suggested their experiences of family engagement had highlighted the important role of the home learning environment and parents' capacity to support pupils' learning. The importance of digital skills and connectivity - including support to families to ensure they can make effective use of digital resources - and the increased role that schools have played providing support to pupils and families, have highlighted the importance of building positive relationships built on trust. This was a factor which was suggested to have led to more families turning to schools for support.

4.14 Themes from local authority responses suggest there has been key learning around engaging with families and communities in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These include:

• The important role of family learning and family link workers and associated teams;
• The importance of effective links with wider partners both in public and third sector;

• The importance of continuing to learn from current experiences in terms of engagement with families and communities was recognised. For example, one local authority (in receipt of Schools Programme funding) highlighted that it had established a working group to look at how better to support family engagement across the local authority using learning which had emerged from current practice;
• The options provided through digital solutions to communicate and consult with parents, with some respondents pointing to evidence suggesting that some families found online communication (including parent/carer evenings) more beneficial with the potential for increasing 'reach';
• The need for meaningful engagement with families, and for challenging assumptions around what families may need in terms of support:

'What we learned during this time was not to assume what that support was, how it was to be delivered and when it was required. A big lesson was to ensure we engaged in a meaningful way with communities and families to hear their voice in this and to give all community members the opportunity not only to say and shape what the support was but also to contribute to the provision of that support - much more about 'working with' and much less about 'doing to'.' (PEF-only local authority)

4.15 Emerging impacts of engaging with families and communities were also identified through responses to the Local Authority Survey 2021. These included the following perceptions:

• Greater appreciation of the role of schools in providing support to children, young people and their families impacted by poverty;
• Increased supports in place for families affected by poverty and improved understanding of systems/processes and of supports which can be provided to families and communities:

'…a much better understanding of what support is required, where it is required and when it is required.' (PEF-only local authority)

• Increased awareness within schools of poverty and its impact on pupils and their families, including basic needs families may have which are not being met. One local authority respondent highlighted this was associated with the development of a 'empathetic' workforce;
• Increased understanding of the role of improved support for parents and carers in improving support for pupils;
• Strengthened relationships with families and communities and increased awareness of the importance of ongoing relationships and of mechanisms such as regular check-ins to continue to build and support relationships;
• Increased awareness of the importance of signposting to other services;
• Increased parental engagement;
• Reduction in barriers to learning through provision of direct assistance to families;
• Greater focus on pupil attendance and engagement (such as through health and wellbeing approaches) leading to improvements in attendance.

4.16 A number of local authority respondents pointed to the impact of specific roles to support engagement with families, some examples of which are provided below:

• One local authority respondent highlighted family learning assistants in primary schools leading to greater engagement of families and increased signposting to specialist services;
• Another local authority respondent pointed to the role of Pupil Support Officers (PSOs) to support mental health of families with the aim of improving engagement and attendance of pupils. This was associated with positive impacts on young people and their families and their engagement and attendance at school;
• Early successes with individual families participating in specific family centred approaches provided through partnerships between a local authority and relevant third sector organisations were also described by a local authority respondent.

Collaboration

4.17 This section considers the extent to which progress has been achieved towards the stated medium-term outcome on collaboration articulated in the SAC logic model:

'Increased evidence of collaboration across the education system (between schools, local authorities, third sector, other delivery partners and professionals such as social work) to deliver and evaluate approaches aimed at closing the poverty-related attainment gap'.

4.18 It considers the extent to which ASF encouraged collaboration amongst those receiving funding through Challenge Authority, Schools Programme and/or PEF. It also considers:

• Who was collaborating, how and why?
• How did the level and nature of collaboration change over time?
• What factors helped and hindered increased collaboration?
• What was the impact of increased collaboration?
• To what extent has the fund encouraged collaboration across the education system (e.g. between schools, LAs, 3rd sector, other delivery partners and professionals)?

4.19 The impact of COVID-19 on collaboration was also considered, seeking to explore:

• How COVID-19 impacted both positively and negatively on existing collaborations;
• The extent to which new collaborations emerged, and if so, how and why, and whether these are anticipated to continue in the longer term;
• The extent to which existing collaborations stopped/changed, and if so why, and the impact of these changes/interruptions.

4.20 Evidence from previous years of the ASF evaluation has consistently highlighted the positive contribution of the fund to both the level and nature of collaboration.

4.21 As in previous evaluation reports, evidence sources have been explored to consider the extent to which evidence of collaboration continued in Year 6, and the impact of COVID-19 on collaborations.

To what extent did the fund encourage collaboration?

4.22 Evidence on the extent to which collaboration increased as a result of the fund continues to indicate that the fund has had a positive impact on collaboration. This has been a consistent finding across all years of the evaluation to date.

4.23 Headteachers' perceptions of the extent of collaborative working in schools as a result of the fund remain positive in Year 6, with nearly two thirds (62%) of Headteacher Survey 2021 respondents indicating they had seen an increase in collaborative working in their school as a result of ASF. Whilst the finding remains broadly similar to both the 2020 and 2019 surveys, there has been an overall fall of 15 percentage points since the 2017 survey. Variation in school experiences around collaborative working also continue to show similar patterns, with primary schools, schools with lower PEF allocations, and schools in rural areas continuing to be less likely to have seen an increase in collaborative working.

4.24 In terms of types of collaboration, at the school level, headteachers responding to the Headteacher Survey 2021 reported schools were most likely to have seen an increase in collaboration with families and communities (67% of respondents), and with other schools in their local authority (55% of respondents). Collaborations were also commonly mentioned by headteacher respondents with third sector organisations (39%) and with public sector partners (33%).

4.25 At the local authority level, positive perceptions of the extent of collaboration as a result of the fund continue to be evidenced, with responses to the 2021 Local Authority Survey reflecting trends from previous local authority surveys where the majority of respondents indicated the fund had increased collaboration to a great or some extent.

4.26 In order to explore local authority perspectives of collaboration in more granular detail than previous survey waves had allowed, the 2021 Local Authority Survey focused on exploring both within local authority collaborations and collaborations outwith the local authority^[12].

4.27 The majority of local authorities who responded to the 2021 survey (24 out of 26) indicated within local authority collaborations had increased to a great (11) or to some (13) extent, with only two indicating this had been to a limited extent. Examples of within local authority collaborations provided by local authority respondents include:

• Revision of equity communication strategy as a key mechanism in sharing equity-related good practice;
• Role of key professionals such as Educational Psychology in facilitating collaborations;
• Approaches based on cluster/cross-sector collaboration at local authority level. The quote below illustrates one such approach:

'A number of schools have worked together, sharing practice and in some cases pooling resources to meet needs within their learning community'. (Local authority in receipt of Schools Programme funding)

4.28 Fewer local authority respondents viewed an increase in collaborations outwith the local authority as a result of ASF. Fifteen viewed collaborations outwith the local authority as having increased as a result of ASF, including four (three of which were Challenge Authorities) who viewed this to a great extent and 11 who viewed this to some extent. The remaining 11 respondents viewed collaborations outwith the local authority as having increased to a limited extent as a result of ASF.

4.29 Local authority open responses provide further insight into their perspectives on collaboration outwith their local authority. Attainment Advisors were highlighted as key in supporting collaborations outwith local authorities by a number of respondents, as were wider Education Scotland and SAC-related activities such as SAC networking events. Specific collaborations were also identified, such as data coaches and good practice sharing.

4.30 The role of Regional Improvement Collaboratives (RICs) was also frequently mentioned, with local authorities highlighting aspects of collaboration with their RIC. For example, the SAC leads from one RIC were collaborating alongside Attainment Advisors to share good practice in relation to closing the poverty related attainment gap across the RIC. Another respondent described its collaboration with the RIC as follows: '(RIC) has worked very well in providing a practical and trusted discussion forum for senior managers and school leaders for benchmarking, support, networks and sharing resources across schools'.

4.31 The NHS Poverty Practice Network was viewed as another important mechanism facilitating collaboration amongst colleagues involved in equity across Scotland. Other Scotland wide networks were also highlighted, including the particular role played by ADES throughout the pandemic.

4.32 However, there were some limitations experienced in terms of collaboration, with the impact of COVID-19 clearly constraining collaboration as highlighted in the following open responses:

'(The) Equity team have reached out to other LAs but this has not been as successful as hoped.' (Local Authority in receipt of Schools Programme funding)

'Capacity of schools and local authority officers to collaborate out with local authority boundaries has been significantly impacted due to additional pressure within our local system created by (COVID-19) planning and response.' (PEF-only local authority)

'Unfortunately the period of school closure and the continuing restrictions in schools has negatively impacted on opportunities for collaboration.' (PEF-only local authority)

'Levels of collaboration outwith our authority as a result of ASF have diminished somewhat. This has been due to COVID restrictions and due to the fact that the landscape in schools has been extremely challenging and the priority for Head Teachers has been ensuring that work in their own establishment is progressing and that pupils and staff are safe.' (PEF- only local authority)

4.33 Themes emerging from the Local Authority Survey 2021 in terms of local authority perspectives on collaboration with respect to the fund continued in line with those identified in previous surveys. Funding continues to be a driver for collaboration with a view to progressing the overall outcome of closing the poverty-related attainment gap:

'There has been a very clear principle in our use of ASF resources that no single agency or service can close the attainment gap alone. At the out-set, we spent a great deal of time with HTs and schools looking at a broad set of information to identify focus pupils and it was clear very quickly that the most significant factors impacting on attainment related to social, emotional, domestic and familial/community factors and the approaches of the team would need to be holistic and include work with partner services as a given.' (PEF-only local authority respondent)

4.34 Collaborations continue to be viewed as key to enable sharing of practice, building capacity and improvement. Whilst the pandemic undoubtedly has affected collaborations in many respects, there are also clearly ongoing developments to support collaborations between different parts of the system, including strategic and more practice-oriented approaches. There were also a number of local authorities where school clusters were collaborating specifically in terms of PEF, including the pooling of resources. Benefits of collaboration continue to be identified, including supporting a focus on improving outcomes for children and young people affected by poverty through effective collaboration across services and sectors.

Changes in collaborations over the previous year, including the development of new collaborations

4.35 As in the Local Authority Survey 2020, the 2021 Survey invited local authorities to provide an assessment of the extent to which collaborations had changed within their local authority over the previous year. There was evidence that collaborations had changed during 2020/21, with 22 respondents stating these had changed (10 changed significantly and 12 changed to some extent). For a further three respondents, there were perceptions of limited change and for one respondent (a PEF-only local authority) a perception of no such change across the previous year. This reflects an ongoing trend from 2020 responses, where there was some evidence that collaborations had changed during 2019/20: five of 15 respondents perceived collaborations had changed significantly, eight that collaborations had changed to some extent and two of limited change.

4.36 A number of factors associated with changes in collaborations over the previous year were identified by local authorities. These were primarily related to the ongoing impact of COVID-19:

• Pausing of some networks and collaborations during school building closures which had still not fully restarted;
• Staff resource constraints;
• Requirement to focus on vital support work within schools, and adapt and develop new collaborations to support this;
• Increases in collaboration identified as being supported by the increased use of digital technology e.g. digital platforms such as MS Teams;
• The importance of developing key networks to undertake particular pieces of work.

4.37 The significant need for, and change in, collaborations as a result of COVID-19 is illustrated in the following quotation from a local authority respondent:

'The need for collaboration to continue at a time when children and families' vulnerability was at its greatest ensured that effective solutions were found to support established and embedded relationships between LA/schools/partners agencies/partner providers/third sector.' (Challenge Authority)

4.38 There was also evidence of new collaborations emerging which had been established specifically during the period of school building closures in 2020/21. Sixty per cent of headteachers responding to the Headteacher Survey 2021 reported new collaborations had been established with third sector organisations and community groups during this period. This included national charities such as Barnardo's and Action for Children, local voluntary organisations and local faith groups. In addition, almost a third of respondents (31%) reported that new collaborations had been established with public sector organisations, particularly health and social care, and mental health services.

4.39 Local authority responses also provide evidence of new collaborations resulting from the period of school building closures from January to March 2021. New partnerships established as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic were identified, both with services such as Citizens Advice Bureau, and with local organisations, and there is evidence that many such partnerships have endured. New collaborations between public services were also identified in order to drive the changes required to respond to the ongoing demands associated with responding to COVID-19. This is illustrated by the following quotation from a local authority respondent:

'The integration of staff from CLD/ HR/ Admin/Finance / Outdoor learning etc. became pivotal in securing the necessary level of community and individual supports. These teams were simply outstanding.' (Challenge Authority respondent)

4.40 Another local authority respondent (PEF-only local authority) highlighted the very effective and 'vital' collaboration with colleagues in Social Work and in the Health and Social Care Partnership working to support vulnerable families. Another pointed to the quality of collaborations which have changed as a result of COVID-19:

'Collaborations have become much more open and trusting with colleagues engaging in meaningful ways to support much needed interventions.' (PEF- only local authority).

4.41 Evidence of increasing collaboration also continued to feature strongly in Challenge Authority progress reports, particularly in relation to health and wellbeing, and with academic institutions and specialist providers.

Use of Data and Evidence

4.42 This section explores the extent to which schools and local authorities have used data, analysis and knowledge of 'what works' to monitor and inform their activity related to closing the poverty-related attainment gap in order to address the following evaluation question:

'To what extent did schools and authorities use data, analysis and evidence to drive improvements as part of the Fund?'

4.43 Evidence sources considered include Challenge Authority and Schools Programme progress reports, Headteacher Survey 2021 and Local Authority Survey 2021 findings.

4.44 In line with the positive trends demonstrated since the inception of the ASF, there continue to be strong perceptions of data and evidence as key features of ASF activity in the Year 6 evaluation. Challenge Authority progress reports at the local authority level, and the Schools Programme progress reports at the school level, included many examples of strengthened use of data and evidence. Challenge Authority progress reports continued to outline progress in data collection, analysis and informed use at the local authority level and school level. There was a clear narrative across reports related to the central importance of data, and increasing sophistication and complexity in considering and utilising data in order to respond to the challenges associated with COVID-19.

Data and evidence supporting decision-making

4.45 At local authority level, evidence from the Local Authority Survey 2021 suggests that data and evidence relevant to the local context continued to feature strongly in local authority decision-making with regard to the ASF. Of 26 local authority respondents, 21 local authorities indicated that data and evidence relevant to the local context featured in decision-making over the previous year to a great extent, and to some extent for a further four respondents. The remaining local authority perceived data and evidence relevant to the local context only featured in decision-making to a limited extent. These findings are broadly consistent with 2019 and 2020 surveys, when the majority of local authorities who responded similarly found data and evidence had featured to a great extent in decision-making over the previous year.

4.46 Local authorities who indicated data and evidence had featured strongly referenced a range of relevant approaches and, as in previous waves, these were evident from local authority-wide through to the school level. The use of nationally available tools such as Insight and Broad General Education (BGE) Toolkit continued to be highlighted, alongside bespoke local authority tools which had been developed to support use of data and data analysis to support decision-making.

4.47 Evidence on schools' use of data and evidence in relation to ASF supported activity was drawn from the Headteacher Survey 2021 and continued to indicate positive perspectives. The large majority (87%) of headteachers who responded to the survey in 2021 felt they are 'very good' or 'good' in using data and evidence to inform the development of their school's approach. This is broadly consistent with previous survey waves, for example 84% of headteachers reported this in 2020.

Improvements in data capability and capacity

4.48Improved capability and capacity across the system to use data and evidence was also evident in Local Authority Survey 2021 responses. This was apparent at all levels, from local authority wide through to the classroom level. Several local authority respondents highlighted the broader range of data available to inform decision-making, described by one (Schools Programme) local authority respondent as 'invaluable in prioritising interventions' and a more systematic approach to utilising evidence. This is illustrated by one local authority respondent, describing their overall approach as 'data rich', who pointed to the importance of data use and analysis at all levels:

'Across the system, there is a high level of competence in the use and analysis of data; practitioners understand that data literacy delivers improvement.' (Challenge Authority respondent)

4.49 Local authority respondents to the Local Authority Survey 2021 described a range of developments such as:

• Development of a Senior Phase tracker pilot in one secondary school (Schools Programme) which was viewed as supporting practitioner engagement with the data and 'how to move learning forward in their classrooms';
• Development of a new local authority wide tracking system (PEF-only local authority) which facilitated the local authority Quality Improvement Team to work with schools with in-depth attainment data to provide support and challenge;
• Recent local authority level analysis in one local authority of literacy, numeracy and attendance data through 'poverty lens' from early years through to Senior Phase including positive destinations in order to inform strategic planning;
• Commissioning of a local authority wide update report on poverty and deprivation in order to support best use of evidence and targeting.

4.50 At the school level, headteacher perceptions of skills in measuring the impact of their school's approaches were measured through the Headteacher Survey 2021. The majority (81%) of 2021 Headteacher Survey respondents were positive about their ability to identify the most appropriate measure(s) to assess impact. Similarly, more than three quarters (79%) felt they were 'very good' or 'good' at measuring the progress and impact of ASF-supported approaches, similar to the 2020 survey (78%). A similar proportion of respondents (79%) were positive about their ability to measure progress and impact of approaches. As noted in the 2020 Headteacher Survey report, headteacher perceptions on some measures rating schools' approaches to use of data and evidence had decreased in 2020 in comparison to previous years, with 2021 responses remaining broadly consistent with 2020 survey results. There was also some variance in terms of funding stream on measures related to data and evidence, with schools receiving PEF-only and those with lower levels of PEF allocation less positive than other schools regarding skills at measuring the progress and impact of ASF-supported approaches.

4.51School level evidence from Headteacher Survey 2021 indicates that just under two-thirds (61%) of schools felt that ASF support had helped to develop staff skills and knowledge in using data and evaluation, a similar proportion to 2020 survey (63%). Also consistent with the 2020 survey results, there remained variation across respondent groups, with PEF-only schools, those in rural areas and those with lower PEF allocations less positive on this measure.

The role of data and evidence in improvement and targeting support

4.52 The use of data and evidence to support decision-making to drive improvement at different levels of the education system continued to be identified, from strategic decision-making through to practitioner engagement at the classroom level. However, there was also a strong theme within local authority responses of utilisation of data in order to meet the dual requirements of improvement alongside targeting support where it is most needed. There was a clear focus both on use of data for targeting and for improvement activity across local authority responses. For example:

'(Local Authority) is very data informed. All schools use data to identify areas for improvement and also to ensure that support is targeted where it is most needed.' (Local Authority in receipt of Schools Programme funding)

'…as a result of effectively interrogating the data we have around attainment and health and wellbeing, we were able to focus decisions and targeted interventions to areas of greatest need'. (Challenge Authority)

Impact of COVID-19 on use of data and evidence

4.53 The Year 6 evaluation sought to consider the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on use of data, analysis and evidence across the 2020/21 academic year. Additionally, the evaluation sought to identify the emergence of new data/new ways of using data resulting from COVID-19.

4.54 The impact of COVID-19 on use of data and evidence was identified across evidence sources considered for the Year 6 evaluation report. As identified in the Year 5 report, there continued to be a strong focus on data and evidence to drive decision-making, although some data collections had been impacted due to the pandemic. Several local authority respondents to the Local Authority Survey 2021 highlighted challenges associated with the absence of national ACEL data for 2019/20. There were also continued requirements both to utilise existing data and evidence, and to develop new sources of data and evidence in order to respond appropriately to the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19 in the 2020/21 academic year.

4.55 In the 2021 Local Authority Survey, respondents highlighted a range of activity related to gathering, analysing and applying data in order to effectively respond to COVID-19. It was clear that data was an important tool for many local authorities in order to make effective decisions about resourcing and priorities in the ongoing context of COVID-19. For example, one local authority (in receipt of Schools Programme funding) had gathered predictions for ACEL levels in November 2020 and February 2021 in order to ensure targeted support was made available to identified schools. There were frequent mentions of utilisation and analysis of vulnerable pupil engagement data, as well as surveys of pupils and parents. A number of Challenge Authorities outlined specific data-focused actions in order to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 on pupil learning with a targeted focus on improvement. For example a 'deep dive' had been undertaken in one Challenge Authority with the Attainment Advisor and senior management and leadership to 'review emerging data and evidence and ensure that interventions which are making the biggest impact in improving children's progress in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing are strengthened'.

Promoting collaboration and use of data and evidence

4.56 The importance of collaboration as a driver for improvements in use of data and evidence continued to be identified across evidence sources. The role of Attainment Advisors was a key feature, working across a range of contexts including local authority and individual schools, often in close collaboration with local authority leads. As one local authority respondent to the Local Authority Survey 2021 described, this role was important in 'supporting staff at all levels to make sense of data'.