Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation - readiness to learn: thematic evaluation report 2024

What have we learned about the concept of readiness to learn in the context of the Scottish Attainment Challenge?

What does readiness to learn mean to children and young people?

Two projects funded as part of the Scottish Attainment Challenge National Programmes^[7], one by Young Scot and one by Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland Cost of the School Day, are of key relevance and are supporting the exploration of the concept of readiness to learn from the perspective of children and young people, particularly in the context of children and young people affected by poverty.

‘What I need to learn’ survey – Young Scot #YSEquity Panel

The #YSEquity Panel, established by Young Scot as part of its work in relation to the Scottish Attainment Challenge, has been considering readiness to learn as a thematic focus in 2023^[8]. Following work to refresh the #YSEquity Panel of children and young people over the summer of 2023, the Panel first explored what readiness to learn means for themselves as panel members. The work of the panel identified barriers that may stop young people feeling ready to learn as well as leading to a prioritised list of what young people need to be ready to learn. This developing understanding was then used to develop the Young Scot ‘What I Need to Learn’ Survey which gathered responses from children and young people from 11 years of age across Scotland from October 2023 to January 2024. This captured responses from children and young people from a range of backgrounds.

Headline findings from the ‘What I Need to Learn’ survey, which over 1,000 children and young people aged 11 years upwards responded to, indicate that readiness to learn is associated with a broad number of aspects of children and young people’s lives in relation to attending and engaging in school.

This includes aspects such as being prepared, having the material resources needed, not being hungry, tired or stressed, feeling or being safe, valued, respected, feeling supported, and being confident and happy.

To further evidence this range, the tables below provide frequencies of survey responses to the questions ‘What does ready to learn mean to you?’ and ‘What does it feel like to be ready to learn?’.

What does ‘ready to learn’ mean to you?

I have what I need to learn (stationery, technology, books) - 17%

I am motivated and have hopes for the future - 13%

I see the importance of education - 12%

I am ready for the challenges I might face - 12%

I feel respected, valued and listened to - 8%

I know school is a safe space where I will be supported by teachers - 8%

My needs are met - 7%

I know what I want for the future - 7%

I have the required materials- 6%

I am safe at home - 5%

I know there is a supportive guidance team - 3%

What does it feel like to be ‘ready to learn’?

Interested and Engaged - 17%

Relaxed - Not anxious or stressed - 11%

Energised and motivated - 10%

Confident – 8%

Smart - 8%

Feel listened to and involved - 7%

Comfortable - 7%

Respected - 7%

Heard and Understood - 6%

Happy - 5%

Positively influenced by your surroundings - 5%

Full - not hungry - 4%

Connected - 3%

Considered - 2%

Survey findings, available from Young Scot, will be used to support the ongoing understanding and exploration of readiness to learn from children and young people’s perspectives, particularly in the context of children and young people affected by poverty. The #YSEquity Panel is continuing to explore readiness to learn as part of Young Scot’s work funded through the Scottish Attainment Challenge National Programme.

The full survey findings will be available from Young Scot Observatory, a hub for Young Scot’s insight work.

Readiness to Learn – responses to Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland Cost of the School Day Project Big Question 2023

The Child Poverty Action Group Cost of the School Day Project is exploring children and young people’s perspectives of readiness to learn through the Cost of the School Day Big Question, undertaken as part of the CPAG Voice Network launched during Challenge Poverty Week in October 2023.

Almost 600 primary school pupils and over 4,000 secondary school pupils from a range of backgrounds participated in the Big Question^[9] from across schools in the Voice Network, Pupils were invited to engage with the questions through Mentimeter, an interactive platform accessed via an individual device or mobile phone, and introduced to a fictional character to help pupils to provide their views.

The Big Question included several specific questions to explore readiness to learn:

• Children and young people’s views of the importance of food to readiness to learn
• What other things (apart from food) help children and young people to be ready to learn
• Anything else that helps children and young people feel ready to learn

For those in primary school settings, having enough food was very important for 86% of children and young people who participated in the Big Question, and quite important for 13%. In secondary school settings, having enough food was very important for 67%, quite important for 30% and not important at all for 3%.

In terms of other things which help children and young people to be ready to learn, participating pupils were invited to choose a ‘top 5’ from a range of options. Responses are provided in the tables below.

Primary responses: What other things do you need to be ready to learn?

Not being tired or stressed – 81%

Feeling that grown ups are listening to you and that your opinions are important – 71%

Being able to take part in the same things at school as your friends and classmates – 64%

Having pens, pencils and other things you need in class 61%

Having support from your parents, carers or family – 57%

58%

Having a grown up at school you can talk to – 47%

47%

Being able to take part in trips – 30%

30%

Being able to get to school on time – 27%

28%

Being able to take part in sports and clubs – 25%

25%

Having devices at school, like tablets and laptops – 21%

21%

Secondary responses: What other things do you need to be ready to learn?

Not being tired or stressed – 84%

Having pens, pencils and other things you need for school – 71%

Being able to take part in the same things at school as your friends and classmates – 53%

Feeling that adults are listening to you and that your opinions are important – 48%

Access to devices at school, like tablets and laptops – 46%

Having support from your parents, carers or family – 41%

Being able to get to school on time – 35%

Being able to take part in trips – 31%

Having an adult at school you can talk to - 29%

Being able to take part in sports and clubs – 20%

Young people offered invaluable insights into what they need outside of school, in school, in the classroom and from the people around them to feel ready to learn. Many of the examples they provided, such as sufficient food, uniform, lack of worry and stress, resources for learning and equal participation, are strongly influenced by family income. Young people’s responses tell us more about the barriers and enablers to readiness to learn and the kinds of approaches required from practitioners and policymakers to remove barriers and support engagement, attendance, confidence and wellbeing.

There are clearly wide areas of overlap between these two complementary pieces of evidence indicating what children and young people think that readiness to learn means and feels like, and exploring this in the context of the Scottish Attainment Challenge for children and young people affected by poverty. These pieces of engagement work with children and young people are helping to inform us about what readiness to learn means.

We will continue to explore this going forward in the thematic evaluation, seeking to build on the work to date and particularly through continued engagement with the Scottish Attainment Challenge National Programmes.

What have we learned about approaches being developed in relation to readiness to learn in the context of the Scottish Attainment Challenge?

Evidence from a range of documentary evidence has been considered in relation to the concept of readiness to learn, to bring together what has been learned to date about readiness to learn in the context of the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

Prior to the refresh of the Scottish Attainment Challenge in March 2022, there were a range of approaches and interventions in progress across local authorities as part of the Attainment Scotland Fund which can be broadly linked to the concept of readiness to learn. For example, Progress Reports from Challenge Authorities and Schools Programme^[10] schools submitted in 2022 provided many examples of relevant approaches and interventions designed to support engagement and attendance, often delivered in partnership with third sector organisations.

Following the refresh of Scottish Attainment Challenge in March 2022, local authorities were required to set local stretch aims under a ‘core plus’ model. The ‘core’ aims required local authorities to set aims for an agreed set of attainment measures and to identify their own local Health and Wellbeing stretch aim, as well as having the option to set ‘plus’ stretch aims. Local authorities were required to submit Stretch Aims, initially covering 2022-23 (submitted in September 2022) and subsequently covering the three year period 2023/24 -2025/26 (submitted in September 2023).

In 2022 stretch aims submissions, many local authorities set their local Health and Wellbeing stretch aim related to attendance. In terms of the wider concept of readiness to learn, several local authorities set relevant ‘plus’ stretch aims in their 2022 stretch aims submissions. For example, Inverclyde included a ‘readiness to learn’ ‘plus’ stretch aim in 2022, linked to six readiness to learn short term outcomes identified in the Logic Model. Argyll and Bute included a nurture stretch aim related to a bespoke measure for schools engaged in nurture work which included a wellbeing indicator for ‘achieving’ (based on SHANARRI). Another example related to a stretch aim specifically focused on addressing the Cost of the School Day.

In 2023/24-2025/26 stretch aims submissions, all local authorities included attendance as a Health and Wellbeing stretch aim, reflecting attendance as an increasing national priority. Whilst all local authorities set an attendance-related local Health and Wellbeing stretch aim for 2023-26, individual attendance stretch aims set by local authorities varied both in focus and level of disaggregation, with some stretch aims being set at an overall level, whilst others were disaggregated, for example by sector (primary, secondary, and in some instances special) or by care experience. Stretch aim submissions in some instances provided further detail on specific approaches to attendance, including whole school approaches, the development of revised local authority guidance and frameworks, and specific initiatives either in place or in the process of development to support progress towards individual local authority stretch aims on attendance. Whilst no ‘plus’ stretch aims submitted for 2023-26 specifically mentioned ‘readiness to learn’, there were a number of local authorities with nurture-based and Cost of the School Day-based stretch aims.

East Renfrewshire Strategic Equity Plan^[11] (2022, revised 2023) provides an example of a local authority focus on readiness to learn. The East Renfrewshire Strategic Equity Plan, ‘Delivering Excellence through Equity’, published on eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk and submitted alongside the local authority wide stretch aims, highlighted ‘children and young people’s wellbeing – readiness to learn’ as one of the three themes for the Strategic Equity Plan 2022 – 26. A number of activities are detailed in the Strategic Plan in relation to wellbeing and readiness to learn in order to achieve the long term outcome of ‘a sustained focus on children and young people’s readiness to learn through focusing on inclusion, participation, engagement and attendance, confidence and wellbeing’. This included:

• ‘Early Intervention and prevention for secondary aged pupils experiencing emotionally based school avoidance;’
• ‘Enhanced partnership working to ensure pupils are well equipped to learn and engage in school.’

What have we learned about readiness to learn from the Scottish Attainment Challenge local authority leads survey 2022/23?

Evidence related to local authority focus on readiness to learn in the context of the Scottish Attainment Challenge was gathered in the Scottish Attainment Challenge Local Authority Leads^[12] survey undertaken in 2023^[13]. The section below reports on findings from Scottish Attainment Challenge Local Authority Leads survey in relation to the readiness to learn theme.

Readiness to learn as a strategic priority

All local authorities who responded to the 2023 Survey (nineteen of thirty-two) considered that readiness to learn was a strategic priority for their local authority in relation to their approach to the Scottish Attainment Challenge. (Seventeen indicated this was to a great extent, and two that this was to some extent).

In terms of attendance and readiness to learn, the introduction of Strategic Equity Funding (SEF) in 2022/23 alongside the focus on readiness to learn was highlighted, with one SAC local authority lead respondent describing school attendance post COVID-19 pandemic as having led to a focus on attendance in relation to SEF funding:

'...school attendance post-Covid is a more widespread area for focus and as a result is a focus area for SEF funding.'

How the ASF funding is being used to support readiness to learn

Nearly all local authority respondents considered that the ASF was supporting the development of approaches to readiness to learn in their local authority. Of nineteen respondents to the survey, fifteen viewed the ASF as supporting the development of readiness to learn approaches to a great extent and three to some extent. One respondent considered this was occurring only to a limited extent.

A range of examples of readiness to learn approaches supported through the ASF were provided by former Challenge Authority^[14] local authorities. Respondents frequently highlighted more than one aspect as supporting readiness to learn. For example, attendance, the work of family link workers, and nurture were viewed in responses as being an element of readiness to learn.

Examples included:

• Home Link Team (for example, one local authority noted its Home Link Team was working with over 190 families to support 're-engagement in learning');
• Inclusion team (for example, one local authority noted its work with 40 families);
• Educational Psychologist Service (EPS) (for example, one respondent noted the EPS’ role in supporting inclusion and readiness to learn initiatives);
• Investment in 'cluster resource staff' by a local authority;
• An Engagement Officer approach;
• Investment in local authority through partnership with a third sector organisation who 'provide key bespoke interventions we have ensured that children, young people and families are supported in their readiness to learn’;
• Nurture - effective use of nurture teachers to support readiness to learn;
• Early years (for example, one local authority noted the development of a pilot project focused on investment in early years and Speech and Language therapy in Primary 1);
• Pedagogical approaches such as Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) for teachers.

Local authorities which had previously had schools in the Schools Programme also provided comment on how ASF funding was being used to support readiness to learn. One respondent mentioned that it is hard to be specific and separate out from other areas of work, whilst others pointed to the importance of high quality learning and teaching, a focus on equity and excellence, and ensuring a clear focus. On interventions to close the poverty-related attainment gap, one mentioned nurture and nurturing approaches which were a significant focus of funding in the local authority. Another respondent highlighted a range of specific actions including:

'Employment of Family Link workers in several schools (PEF); Secondment of attendance lead, also in VHT team, development with RIC of attendance toolkit, plans to employ an outreach teacher for session 23/24 to provide direct support'.

Respondents to the survey from local authorities which were not involved in either the Challenge Authorities or Schools Programme also provided a range of specific examples as well as general comment on aspects supporting readiness to learn. One respondent highlighted that this was 'a main focus of their Strategic Equity Fund plan', with a particular focus on wellbeing. One respondent highlighted that work on tracking and monitoring allows for early intervention and support. Another noted a small scale project, as well as a range of interventions in some schools within the local authority supporting this. Another highlighted a range of PEF/SEF interventions to 'enable children and young people to engage in learning, attend school and support wellbeing related factors’ with a ‘Focus on SIMD 1-3 localities with SEF, addressing barriers to learning'. Specific examples of ASF supported work related to readiness to learn included:

• Specific postholders 'working in schools to support learners to be more participative and engaged. This includes direct in-class support, nurture-based interventions, supported participation in clubs, running additional activities during and after school etc'.
• SEF-funded Quality Improvement Officer postholder 'works in schools alongside senior leaders and visits classrooms as part of school visits, supporting schools in identifying areas for improvement'.