Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation - Headteacher Survey 2021: technical report

2. Survey Questions

The Attainment Scotland Fund

1. To what extent would you say you understand the challenges and barriers faced by pupils affected by poverty in your school?

2. How aware are you of the range of approaches that could be used to close the poverty-related attainment gap?

3. To what extent do you feel confident in selecting the approach(es) to closing the poverty-related attainment gap that would be most effective in your school?

4. To what extent has an overall approach to achieving equity in education, specifically in relation to the poverty-related attainment gap, been embedded within your school community?

5. As a result of COVID-19 and school building closures, greater flexibility was provided in how ASF funds can be used. Have you made use of this greater flexibility to change any aspects of how ASF funds are used in your school?

6. How have you used the greater flexibility in use of ASF funds?

ASF-supported approaches

7. Which of the following have you used in the last year as part of your schools’ approach for achieving equity in education?

8. Thinking about new circumstances affecting families which have emerged since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to what extent have you seen more or less of the following issues since the start of the 2020/21 school year?

9. Please tell us about any other new or emerging circumstances in your school’s community since the start of the 2020/21 school year that may lead to pupils and families needing additional support to close the poverty-related gap.

10. Have you made any of the following changes to your approach to support these new or emerging pupils and families being affected by poverty?

11. Thinking about the 2020/21 school year as a whole, to what extent did your approach to addressing the poverty-related attainment gap change from the previous year?

12. Thinking about your school’s approach to addressing the poverty-related attainment gap during the period of school building closures from January to March 2021, did this differ from the rest of the year?

13. If yes, please tell us how your approach differed during school building closures from January to March 2021.

14. To what extent do you feel your experience of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic from March to June 2020 helped your approach to addressing the poverty-related attainment gap during the 2020/21 school year?

15. If your experience of the 2020/21 school year (including school building closures) differed from the previous school year, please tell us what you found more challenging?

16. If your experience of the 2020/21 school year (including school building closures) differed from the previous school year, please tell us what you found less challenging?

Engagement with families and communities

17. To what extent has engagement with families and communities been part of your school’s approach to achieving equity in education?

18. Please tell us how you adapted your approach to engagement with families and communities in 2020/21, and specifically during the period of school building closures from January to March 2021.

19. Thinking about your experience of engaging with families and communities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, what would you say have been the main learning points?

Use of data and evidence

20. How would you rate your school’s approach to the following?

• Using data and evidence to inform the development of approaches
• Identifying the most appropriate measure(s) to assess the impact of approaches
• Using evidence to measure whether approaches are having the desired impact
• Measuring progress and impact of approaches supported by Challenge Authority/Schools Programme funding and/or Pupil Equity Funding

21. To what extent has ASF support helped to develop staff skills and knowledge in using data for teaching planning, evaluation and improvement?

Impact of approaches

22. So far, have you seen any improvement in closing the poverty-related gap in literacy attainment, numeracy attainment or health and wellbeing in your school as a result of interventions/approaches supported by Challenge Authority, Schools Programme and/or Pupil Equity Funding?

23. Please explain your answer above.

24. Are you expecting to see any improvement in closing the poverty-related gap in literacy attainment, numeracy attainment or health and wellbeing in your school as a result of interventions/approaches supported by Challenge Authority, Schools Programme and/or Pupil Equity Funding?

25. Please explain your answer above.

26. To what extent have COVID-19 and school building closures during 2020/21 had an impact on the progress you have made in closing the poverty-related gap?

27. Please explain your answer above.

Sustainability

28. Do you think that any improvement in the poverty-related attainment gap in your school as a result of Attainment Scotland Funding will be/is sustainable?

29. To what extent do you expect the focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school will be/is sustainable?

30. Can you tell us a little about your views on the sustainability of closing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school (e.g. the sustainability of specific improvements to date, or how the focus on equity is likely to be sustainable in the future)?

Collaborative working

31. As the result of Challenge Authority, Schools Programme and/or Pupil Equity Funding, do you think there has been a change in staff working collaboratively in your wider school community to improve their practice during the 2020/21 school year?

32. Has there been improved collaboration in the following areas over the past year as a result of Challenge Authority, Schools Programme and/or Pupil Equity Funding? Please select ALL that apply

33. Please tell us about any new collaborations that have emerged in 2020/21, including specifically during or as a result of the period of school building closures from January to March 2021.

Pupil Equity Funding

34. Thinking about your experience of Pupil Equity Funding in the previous school year 2020/21, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

• Reporting requirements associated with PEF funding are reasonable
• Timescales for planning for implementation of PEF have been adequate
• PEF has provided my school with additional resource needed to address the poverty-related attainment gap
• As headteacher I have autonomy to develop a plan for Pupil Equity Funding taking account of the school’s local context and needs
• There was sufficient support in place to develop and implement school plans for Pupil Equity Funding in 2020/21
• PEF has been used effectively in my school to meet local needs

35. Which of the following did you consult when developing your plans for Pupil Equity Funding?

36. Have you used Pupil Equity Funding to support specific approaches, distinct from those supported by Challenge Authority/Schools Programme funding?

37. If you have used Pupil Equity Funding to fund distinct approaches, please tell us a little about these.

38. So far, have you seen any improvement in closing the poverty-related gap in your school specifically as a result of your use of Pupil Equity Funding?

39. Please explain your answer above.

Learning from experience of school building closures

40. What would you say have been the main challenges to your work in closing the poverty-related gap as a result of COVID-19 impacts during the school year 2020/21?

41. Is there anything about your school’s response to these challenges, and any creative solutions, that you would like to share? This could include the overall school approach and ethos that have evolved during 2020/21, specific approaches used, or targeting of support for specific groups of pupils and families.