Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: headteacher survey 2019 - technical report

4. Follow-up Engagement Questions

Follow-up engagement questions were tailored to the experience of individual schools, as reported through their initial survey response. The main questions around which the engagement was structured are summarised below.

School culture and ethos

• You indicated that a focus on addressing the poverty-related attainment gap is well embedded/is not well embedded in your school. Please tell us more about this.
• To what extent has the Attainment Scotland Fund (Pupil Equity Funding and/or being part of Challenge Authority/Schools Programme) supported a focus on equity?
• What have been the most important factors in successfully embedding an approach focused on equity within your school?
• To what extent has the focus on addressing the poverty-related attainment gap been a change for your school in recent years?
• Have you experienced any issues or barriers to embedding equity and a focus on addressing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school?
• What changes or support could help to further embed a focus on equity within your school?

Use of data and evidence

• How have you used data and evidence to shape the approach to closing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school? / You indicated that you do not feel confident using data - please tell us a little about this.
• Can you describe how, if at all, your approach to using data/evidence has changed over time?
• What have been the key factors which have helped to improve use of data and evidence in your school?
• Has anything inhibited use of data and evidence in your school? What impact, if any, has this lack of confidence in using data had on your approach to addressing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school?
• To what extent has the Attainment Scotland Fund (Pupil Equity Funding and/or being part of Challenge Authority/Schools Programme) supported use of evidence and data in your school?
• What positive impacts, if any, has the use of data and evidence had on your school?
• What changes or support could help to improve use of data and evidence in your school?

Progress in closing the poverty related gap

• In the survey, you indicated that you were/were not expecting to see a lot of improvement towards closing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school. Can you tell us a little bit more about why?
• Are you expecting to see other positive impacts as a result of approaches supported by Challenge Authority/Schools Programme or Pupil Equity Funding?
• What has or will make the biggest contribution to progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school?
• What have been the main factors that may have limited progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school?
• In what areas have you or are you expecting to see the most progress in closing the poverty-related gap? This could include specific aspects of attainment, or health/wellbeing.
• Are there any risks or barriers to your school continuing to make progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap? Please tell us about these.
• What changes or support might be needed for your school to maximise its progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap?

Family engagement

• In the survey, you indicated that engagement with parents, carers and families had supported/had been a barrier to your approach and progress towards closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Please tell us more about this.
• Can you describe how, if at all, your approach to engagement with parents, carers and families has changed over time?
• What have been the key factors which have supported engagement with parents, carers and families in your school?
• What have been the main barriers or difficulties in engaging parents, carers and families?
• Have there been areas where engagement with parents, carers and families has worked better in your school?
• To what extent has the Attainment Scotland Fund (Pupil Equity Funding and/or being part of Challenge Authority/Schools Programme) engagement with parents, carers and families in your school?
• What changes or support could help to further develop engagement with parents, carers and families in your school in your school?

Sustainability of progress

• In the survey, you indicated that you do/do not expect progress towards closing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school to be sustainable beyond the years of the fund. Why do you think this?
• What do you think are the key factors supporting the sustainability of your approach?
• What do you think are the key factors limiting the sustainability of progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap for your school? To what extent do you think these are specific to your school's circumstances, or universal?
• In what ways is your school working to ensure your approach is sustainable?
• Are there any issues or barriers that you have had to overcome to deliver sustainable progress?
• What changes or support could help to make your progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap more sustainable?

Collaboration

• In the survey, you indicated that there has been a large increase/no increase in staff working collaboratively within your school. Can you tell us more about this?
• What have been the key factors that have contributed to collaborative working in your school?
• Has anything inhibited collaborative working in your school?
• To what extent has the Attainment Scotland Fund (Pupil Equity Funding and/or being part of Challenge Authority/Schools Programme) supported this increase in collaboration?
• To what extent do you feel that collaboration is important for closing the poverty-related attainment gap in your school?
• What positive impacts, if any, has the increase in collaborative working had on your school?
• In which areas, if any, do you feel more collaborative working could have the greatest benefit for your school?
• What changes or support might be needed to encourage more collaborative working?