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

Annex B: Progress ‘stock take’ of evidence in relation to Evaluation sub-questions

• To what extent were engagement, attendance, confidence and wellbeing features of school and local authorities’ approaches?

There is evidence of readiness to learn as a feature of school and local authorities’ approaches.

Further exploration of the concept of ‘readiness to learn’ is required, particularly in the context of children affected by poverty. This will build on the exploration undertaken in Year 1.

• How do schools and local authorities monitor and evaluate progress on engagement, attendance, confidence and wellbeing?

This has not been a specific focus in the evaluation to date. There is evidence more broadly of a range of approaches to monitoring and evaluating progress including the current focus on attendance. Further evidence is required.

• How did stakeholders perceive a focus on ‘readiness to learn’ would support progress towards the long-term outcome of improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty? What evidence is being gathered in support of this?

Evidence from the Local Authority SAC Leads Survey 2022/23 indicates that there is some evidence emerging suggesting a focus on ‘readiness to learn’ does support progress towards the long-term outcome of improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty.

Further evidence is required, and with wider groups of stakeholders. This will be a focus in the evaluation going forward, including work to explore the perspectives of wider stakeholders on the concept of readiness to learn.

• What has been learned about approaches to engagement, attendance, confidence and wellbeing in support of progress towards the long-term outcome of improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty?

Evidence from the Local Authority SAC Leads Survey 2022/23 suggests a range of approaches are being utilised by local authorities, with learning emerging about approaches and how these support progress towards the long-term outcome of improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty.

The evaluation will continue to consider learning emerging through approaches, both within local authorities and also approaches being developed by partners such as the SAC National Programmes.

This will seek to complement learning emerging from wider work in terms of attendance.

• To what extent has there been an improvement in children and young people’s ‘readiness to learn’ through focusing on engagement, attendance, confidence and wellbeing?

The forthcoming impact evaluation will be utilised to explore the extent to which there has been an improvement in children and young people’s ‘readiness to learn’.