The Scottish Attainment Challenge: Equality Impact Assessment results
The Scottish Attainment Challenge aims to help achieve equity in educational outcomes with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
Equality Impact Assessment Results - The Scottish Attainment Challenge
| Title of Policy | The Scottish Attainment Challenge |
|---|---|
| Summary of aims and desired outcomes of Policy | The Scottish Attainment Challenge aims to help achieve equity in educational outcomes with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap |
| Directorate: Division: Team | Directorate for Learning: Strategy and Performance Division: The Scottish Attainment Challenge Policy Unit |
Executive summary
The aim of the Scottish Attainment Challenge is to help achieve equity in educational outcomes with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. During the first two years of the fund, £52 million was distributed to the nine Challenge Authorities and 74 additional schools with the highest levels of deprivation.
A full Equality Impact Assessment ( EQIA) was undertaken to consider the potential impact of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (the Attainment Challenge) on children and young people with protected characteristics and to identify potential opportunities to advance equality of opportunity for pupils with protected characteristics.
The process identified that some equality groups, for example some ethnic minority groups and those with disabilities, are over represented in the lower Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation ( SIMD) quintiles. Evidence also shows that some children with protected characteristic and children and young people living in areas of deprivation perform less well than the general school population. Therefore, some children and young people have more significant barriers to learning because of they are affected by deprivation and may also face additional barriers as a result of protected characteristics.
The EQIA process did not identify any indirect or direct discrimination through the policy intention, design or activity being implemented as part of the Attainment Challenge and has identified some areas where opportunities for pupils with protected characteristics might be advanced. The Attainment Challenge is intended to be inclusive. Targeting resources, through the Attainment Scotland Fund, to children and young people is expected to have a positive impact on lives of children and young people affected by poverty, including those in the equality groups.
A number of actions are underway to ensure that the Attainment Challenge promotes the duties of the Equality Act. For example:
- The National Operational Guidance and grant terms and conditions for Pupil Equity Funding require that schools should promote equity by taking into account equality groups when planning support and interventions.
- The National Operational Guidance states that evidence shows that some children and young people from equalities groups can be disproportionately affected by deprivation and can therefore face significant additional barriers to learning. Education authorities have responsibility to actively address inequality and the promotion of equity is a shared responsibility held by all staff, partners and stakeholders. In this context, headteachers should consider additional steps that might be required to close the educational attainment gap for pupils affected by poverty who may also experience disadvantage for other reasons. For example, disadvantage relating to; a protected characteristic (disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex (gender) and sexual orientation); a need for which they require additional support; being looked after; or having caring responsibilities.
- The grant terms and conditions state that in delivering the Pupil Equity Funding, the Grantee (the relevant local authorities) should consider additional steps that might be required to close the educational attainment gap for pupils affected by poverty who also experience disadvantage for other reasons. For example, disadvantage related to; a protected characteristic (as defined in the Equality Act 2010); a need for which they require additional support; being looked after; or having caring responsibilities.
- Tools and resources on the National Improvement Hub include examples of effective interventions that apply to all children and young people, including those in equality groups.
- There is also evidence emerging from earlier Attainment Challenge activity to demonstrate that reasonable adjustments are being made to support children and young people with protected characteristics. For example, investment in speech and language development, additional support for speakers of English as an Additional Language, and/or fund Educational Psychologists, counsellors and nurture bases. Evidence from the interim evaluation of the Challenge (see below) shows that, whilst participants in the Schools Programme favoured targeted approaches, there were still a considerable number of interventions that were universally targeted and a smaller number of interventions were targeted according to another criteria; for example, pupils with additional support needs or English as an additional language.
- Many of the strategies deployed in the Scottish Attainment Challenge such as reciprocal reading, communication support from speech and language therapists, nurture etc. provides help for children with additional support needs so almost all the work of the Scottish Attainment Challenge would prove beneficial to disabled children.
- Any equality issues identified through school inspections by Education Scotland will be highlighted to the Attainment Challenge team by HMI and reviewed to ensure that there has been no unintended consequence on the protected characteristics as a result of the Attainment Challenge.
- One of the aims of the Scottish Attainment Challenge is to increase professional learning opportunities for teaching and other staff. It is providing access to training, encouraging reflection on skills, increased professional dialogue, improved collaboration and providing opportunities to mentor, network and lead on new approaches. There is extensive evidence from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s ( OECD), the Education Endowment Foundation and othersthat such interventions that improve the quality of learning and teaching can make a significant impact on improving educational outcomes for all children whether or not they are part of a targeted group.
Interim Evaluation Report - Attainment Scotland Fund.
An interim evaluation report of the Attainment Scotland Fund was published on 16 March 2018. The report includes an evaluation strategy for the next two years of the Attainment Scotland Fund, which will incorporate Pupil Equity Funding. The evaluation covers the Challenge Authority and Schools programmes and aims to provide learning about the overall implementation of the fund and the extent to which the aims of the fund have been met.
Stakeholder views were sought as to whether the fund has had a positive or negative impact on inequalities amongst particular groups considering protected characteristics. Most stakeholders felt that there had been a strong focus on poverty related deprivation, and more limited impact on wider inequalities. However, some felt that having improved approaches to monitoring and tracking pupil needs would benefit all pupils. More widely, it will contribute to the Scottish evidence base around what works or does not work to improve attainment and close the attainment gap.
The findings show that in Year 2 of the Scottish Attainment Challenge programme 78% of headteachers indicated that there had been improvement or they expected to see improvement in attainment and health and wellbeing as a result of the Attainment Scotland Fund and that 97% of headteachers expect to see improvements in closing the poverty-related attainment gap over the next 5 years.
The evaluation uncovered a number of highlights, including:
- The fund appeared to be a driver for change and cohesion. Stakeholders reported an increased understanding and shared commitment to address the impact of poverty on attainment.
- Widespread agreement that the fund had made a positive impact on professional development and leadership opportunities; use of data to drive improvements; and the level of collaboration both within schools and with external partners.
- Confidence in sustainability of improvements beyond the funding increased over time. This was linked to a belief that the fund had created significant change in practice and culture.
- Some evidence at local level of the positive impact of interventions initiated as a result of the fund, particularly for literacy and health and wellbeing outcomes.
- Support provided to schools by Attainment Advisors and local authorities appeared pivotal to the success of the fund.
This EQIA analysis will be kept under regular review, with new data and evidence analysed as it becomes available to monitor the on-going impact of the Attainment Challenge on children and young people with protected characteristics.
Background
The Scottish Attainment Challenge was launched in 2015 to help achieve equity in educational outcomes. Equity can be achieved by ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. The Attainment Challenge focuses and accelerates targeted improvement activity in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. It also supports and complements the broader range of initiatives and programmes to ensure that all of Scotland’s children and young people reach their full potential. The Attainment Challenge is supported by the £750m Attainment Scotland Fund, and underpinned by the 2018 National Improvement Framework for Scottish Education, Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right for Every Child.
While the development and implementation of the Attainment Challenge will be on-going during the current Parliamentary term, it currently comprises of the following elements:
1. Challenge Authorities
2. Schools Programme
3. Pupil Equity Funding (from 2017/18)
4. Universal support, including:
- Attainment Advisors
- The National Improvement Hub
- Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative ( CYPIC)
A brief description of these elements is set out below.
Attainment Scotland Fund
The Attainment Challenge is supported by the Attainment Scotland Fund which will provide £750 million over the lifetime of this Parliament to make demonstrable progress in closing the poverty related attainment gap. In 2018-19 it will:
- Provide up to £59 million to fund the areas with the greatest intensity of children living in poverty through the Challenge Authorities and Schools programme.
- Allocate additional Pupil Equity Funding (£120 million in 2018/19) directly to schools to deliver activities and interventions that support children and young people affected by poverty based on the number of children in P1-S3 known to be eligible to receive free school meals.
1. Challenge Authorities
The Challenge Authorities are the local authorities with the greatest concentration of school aged children living in the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland. There are 9 local authorities that participate in the Challenge: Clackmannanshire Council, Dundee City Council, East Ayrshire Council, Glasgow City Council, Inverclyde Council, North Ayrshire Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Renfrewshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Council. These local authorities develop improvement plans with their partners setting out their plans on closing the attainment gap, focused on the core areas of improving literacy, numeracy and health & wellbeing.
2. Schools Programme
The Schools Programme includes the 52 primary schools with 70% or more of their pupils living in the 20% most deprived communities outwith the Challenge Authorities. It also includes the 22 associated secondary schools with 20% or more of their pupils living in the 20% most deprived communities. It aims to empower and equip schools to achieve transformational change through targeted, sustainable and evidence-based support and interventions in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Schools submit plans focusing on support and programmes for disadvantaged young people to improve their literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.
3. Pupil Equity Funding
As children are affected by poverty related disadvantage across Scotland, Pupil Equity Funding is allocated on the basis of the number of children in primary school and S1-3 secondary school known to be eligible for free school meals. £120 million is being allocated in 2018/19 directly to schools to deliver activities and interventions that support children and young people affected by poverty, based on the number of children in P1-S3 known to be eligible to receive free school meals. National Operational Guidance to support this use of Pupil Equity Funding has been published by the Scottish Government and makes clear that it is for Headteachers, working in partnership with each other, their local authority and other partners, to agree the best use of the funding in order to support children and young people affected by poverty to achieve their full potential.
4. Universal Support
Universal support is available to all Local Authorities and schools across Scotland to increase the educational attainment levels of the most disadvantaged young people. Universal support includes:
- Attainment Advisors
All Local Authorities have direct access to a named Attainment Advisor who works collaboratively alongside local authority staff on agreed priorities which support the Scottish Attainment Challenge. It is intended to extend the reach and impact of the Attainment Advisors, through regional alignment to promote collaboration and joint delivery across local authorities. The Attainment Advisor team works directly with schools where they can make the biggest difference to accelerate efforts to close the gap.
- The National Improvement Hub
The National Improvement Hub [1] is a virtual centre of educational expertise that will support the Scottish Attainment Challenge. It will play a key role in moving the knowledge to action around the education system. It incorporates practitioners to support a self-improving education system. It includes specific learning and teaching tools and strategies which are proven to help close the poverty-related attainment gap. It includes a Scottish specific version of the Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning Toolkit that provides an accessible summary of global educational research on the impact of interventions for 5 - 16 year olds. This is intended to support practitioners in Scotland and inform intervention and investment decision making to tackle inequity and to close the poverty related attainment gap.
- Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative ( CYPIC)
The Government has established the Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative ( CYPIC), which joins up to Early Years Collaborative and the Raising Attainment for All Programme to deliver quality improvement throughout a child’s journey, The CYPIC is supporting schools, early learning and childcare settings, health services and family support services to use the 3-Step Improvement Framework for Scotland’s public services more effective and responsive to the needs of children, young people and families.
The Scope of the EQIA
This EQIA considered the potential impact of the Attainment Challenge on children and young people with protected characteristics in school education, to identify possible chances to advance equalities of opportunity for pupils with protected characteristics and to identify potential opportunities to promote good community relations. As the Attainment Challenge targets activity and resources to children and young people affected by poverty, this is a particular focus of the analysis. It is acknowledged that the Attainment Challenge has the potential to impact on all children and young people in school education and in particular on those children with protected characteristics who are more likely to be within the targeted work.
Methodology
In order to determine the impact, a desk based review of evidence was initially undertaken. This took into account a variety of statistical surveys, reports and other publications including:
- Pupil Census, 2016, Scottish Government [2]
- National Improvement Framework for Scottish Education - 2016 Evidence Report [3]
- Child Health 27-30 Month Review Statistics Scotland 2015/16, ISD Scotland [4]
- Summary statistics for attainment, leaver destinations and healthy living, No.7: 2017, Scottish Government [5]
- Additional analysis of poverty in Scotland 2015/16 [6]
- Prejudice-based bullying in Scottish schools: a research report, Equality and Human Rights Commission, March 2015 [7]
- Scottish Government Equality Outcomes: Gender evidence review, 2013 [8]
- ISD Scotland, Teenage Pregnancy - Year of conception ending 31 December 2014 [9]
- State of the Nation Report: Race and Racism in Scottish Education, 2013 [10]
- National Improvement Framework for Scottish Education - 2017 Evidence Report [11]
- National Improvement Framework for Scottish Education – 2018 Evidence Report [12]
In addition, an internal Scottish Government workshop and a number of stakeholder discussions with representatives from relevant organisations including the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Enable, BEMIS, Engender, LGBT Youth Scotland, Stonewall Scotland The Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations Scotland, helped to inform this EQIA.
Key findings – evidence
The EQIA process identified that some equality groups, for example some ethnic minority groups and those with disabilities, are over represented in the lower SIMD quintiles and therefore part of the targeted group for this work.
Impact of poverty on attainment
The evidence shows that children and young people living in areas of multiple deprivation perform less well than the general school population. For example, table 1 shows that the percentage of school leavers attaining at SCQF level 4 to 6, by pupil characteristic SIMD, is significantly lower in the most deprived quintile than those in the highest quintile. Further, table 3 shows that the percentage of school leavers in positive follow up destinations in the most deprived SIMD quintile was lower than those in the highest quintile (85% compared to 96.2%).
In addition, the evidence shows that some pupils with protected characteristics perform less well than the general school population, and the figures show a similar negative pattern of the impact of deprivation on their attainment. For example, tables 4 & 5 show that boys attain less well than girls across all SIMD quintiles and that the percentage of both sexes achieving the expected level is lower for those in the lower quintiles. Similarly, tables 6 & 7 show that pupils with additional support needs perform significantly poorer than those without and that performance varies significantly across the SIMD quintiles. And tables 8-11 provides attainment broken down by ethnicity and show a mixed picture with some ethnic groups performing better than the general population and some, particularly gypsy travellers, performing significantly worse, with performance across all ethnicities varying across the SIMD quintiles.
List of data tables.
1. Percentage of school leavers attaining at SCQF level 4 to 6, by pupil characteristic SIMD, 2014/15 & 2015/16.
2. Percentage of pupils who are assessed or declared as having a disability, by SIMD quintiles, 2016.
3. Percentage of school leavers in a positive follow-up destination by SIMD and pupil characteristics, 2015/16.
4. Percentage of primary pupils achieving expected level in literacy and numeracy by gender and SIMD 2016/17.
5. Percentage of secondary pupils achieving Third level or better in literacy and numeracy by gender and SIMD 2016/17.
6. Percentage of primary pupils achieving expected level in literacy and numeracy by additional support needs and SIMD 2016/17.
7. Percentage of secondary pupils achieving expected level in literacy and numeracy by additional support needs SIMD 2016/17.
8. Percentage of primary pupils achieving expected level in literacy by ethnicity and SIMD 2016/17.
9. Percentage of secondary pupils achieving Third level or better in literacy by ethnicity and SIMD 2016/17.
10. Percentage of primary pupils achieving Third level or better in literacy by ethnicity and SIMD 2016/17.
11. Percentage of secondary pupils achieving Third level or better in numeracy by ethnicity and SIMD 2016/17.
Table 1: Percentage of school leavers attaining at SCQF level 4 to 6, by pupil characteristic SIMD, 2014/15 & 2015/16
| 2014/15 | 2015/16 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 or more at SCQF level 4 or better | 1 or more at SCQF level 5 or better | 1 or more at SCQF level 6 or better | 1 or more at SCQF level 4 or better | 1 or more at SCQF level 5 or better | 1 or more at SCQF level 6 or better | |
| SIMD | ||||||
| 0-20% (most deprived) | 92.6 | 74.0 | 41.2 | 92.8 | 74.4 | 42.7 |
| 20-40% | 94.8 | 80.7 | 50.6 | 95.4 | 81.4 | 52.2 |
| 40-60% | 97.1 | 86.4 | 60.3 | 96.8 | 86.7 | 62.2 |
| 60-80% | 97.8 | 90.1 | 69.2 | 97.8 | 91.4 | 71.1 |
| 80-100% (least deprived) | 98.9 | 94.9 | 80.3 | 98.8 | 94.7 | 81.2 |
| All Leavers | 96.2 | 85.2 | 60.2 | 96.3 | 85.6 | 61.7 |
Source: Summary statistics for attainment, leaver destinations and healthy living, No.7: 2017
Disability
Table 2 shows that there is a higher percentage of pupils who are assessed or declared as having a disability in quintiles 1 & 2, than the overall percentage of pupils living in quintiles 1 & 2 (47.5% compared to 42%).
Table 2: Percentage of pupils who are assessed or declared as having a disability, by SIMD quintiles, 2016 7
| SIMD quintile | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most deprived | 2 | 3 | 4 | Least Deprived | |
| Percentage of all pupils by SIMD quintiles | 22.4 | 19.6 | 18.8 | 19.4 | 19.8 |
| Total assessed and/or declared as having a disability | 26.7 | 20.8 | 20.2 | 17.9 | 14.4 |
| Assessed as having a disability 7 | 27.8 | 20.2 | 19.4 | 17.9 | 14.7 |
| Declared as having a disability but not assessed | 22.4 | 23.0 | 23.3 | 17.8 | 13.4 |
| Assessed requirement of adaptation to school provision: | |||||
| Physical adaptation | 22.0 | 20.2 | 19.9 | 21.6 | 16.3 |
| Curriculum adaptation | 28.2 | 20.5 | 19.2 | 17.7 | 14.4 |
| Communication adaptation | 28.1 | 20.5 | 19.1 | 17.8 | 14.4 |
Source: Pupil Census 2016
Table 3: Percentage of school leavers in a positive follow-up 1 destination by SIMD 2 and pupil characteristics, 2015/16
| SIMD Quintile 1 - Most deprived | SIMD Quintile 2 | SIMD Quintile 3 | SIMD Quintile 4 | SIMD Quintile 5 - Least deprived | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | |||||
| Female | 86.4 | 90.3 | 92.8 | 95.1 | 97.0 |
| Male | 83.6 | 89.1 | 91.8 | 93.3 | 95.4 |
| All leavers | 85.0 | 89.7 | 92.3 | 94.2 | 96.2 |
| Disability Status | |||||
| Not declared or assessed disabled | 85.1 | 89.8 | 92.5 | 94.5 | 96.3 |
| Declared or assessed disabled | 80.6 | 84.0 | 83.5 | 81.5 | 92.8 |
| All leavers | 85.0 | 89.7 | 92.3 | 94.2 | 96.2 |
| Ethnic Background | |||||
| White – Scottish | 84.4 | 89.6 | 92.1 | 94.4 | 96.2 |
| White – Other British | 82.9 | 88.8 | 92.7 | 92.4 | 96.4 |
| White – Irish | * | 100.0 | * | 93.8 | * |
| White – Polish | 91.9 | 94.8 | 98.4 | 93.3 | 84.6 |
| White – Gypsy/Traveller | * | 100.0 | * | 0.0 | * |
| White – Other | 92.6 | 89.1 | 94.0 | 94.3 | 97.3 |
| Mixed or multiple ethnic groups | 90.7 | 92.0 | 93.8 | 93.9 | 92.7 |
| Asian - Indian | 95.2 | 95.3 | 100.0 | 95.7 | 98.4 |
| Asian - Pakistani | 86.3 | 91.7 | 94.3 | 93.6 | 96.7 |
| Asian - Chinese | 97.1 | 96.4 | 100.0 | 95.1 | 93.2 |
| Asian – Other | 96.9 | 87.5 | 97.8 | 92.7 | 100.0 |
| African/Black/Caribbean 3 | 92.5 | 95.0 | 82.9 | 93.1 | 97.2 |
| All other categories 4 | 83.3 | 84.8 | 93.3 | 90.9 | 92.9 |
| Not Disclosed/Not known | 79.6 | 84.5 | 92.4 | 94.3 | 94.5 |
| All leavers | 85.0 | 89.7 | 92.3 | 94.2 | 96.2 |
1. Postitive Destinations include: Higher Education, Further Education, Employment, Activity Agreement, Training and Voluntary Work.
2. Based on SIMD 2012 for 2015/16.More information on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD.
3. For 2015/16 the 'African/ Black/ Caribbean' category includes 'African', 'African - Other', and the 'Caribbean or Black' categories.
4. For 2015/16 'All other categories' includes 'Other - other' and 'Other - Arab'.
* - information was suppressed due to small numbers
Source: 2015/16 School Leavers (A1401)
Table 4: Percentage of primary 1 pupils achieving expected level in literacy 2 and numeracy by gender and SIMD 3 - 2016/17
| Female | Female | Male | Male | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIMD | Literacy | Numeracy | Literacy | Numeracy |
| SIMD Quintile 1 - Most Deprived | 66 | 71 | 54 | 68 |
| SIMD Quintile 2 | 71 | 74 | 58 | 71 |
| SIMD Quintile 3 | 76 | 78 | 64 | 75 |
| SIMD Quintile 4 | 81 | 81 | 70 | 80 |
| SIMD Quintile - Least Deprived | 86 | 87 | 77 | 86 |
| SIMD - Unknown | 59 | 64 | 49 | 60 |
| Total | 75 | 78 | 64 | 75 |
Table 5: Percentage of secondary pupils achieving Third Level or better in literacy 2 and numeracy by gender and SIMD 3 - 2016/17
| Female | Female | Male | Male | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIMD | Literacy | Numeracy | Literacy | Numeracy |
| SIMD Quintile 1 - Most Deprived | 87 | 83 | 75 | 78 |
| SIMD Quintile 2 | 89 | 87 | 79 | 82 |
| SIMD Quintile 3 | 92 | 92 | 83 | 88 |
| SIMD Quintile 4 | 94 | 93 | 88 | 91 |
| SIMD Quintile - Least Deprived | 97 | 96 | 92 | 95 |
| SIMD - Unknown | 81 | 78 | 68 | 75 |
| Total | 91 | 90 | 83 | 87 |
Notes:
Achievement of Curriculum of Excellence ( CfE) Levels are experimental statistics for 2015/16 and 2016/17.
As data under development they are not directly comparable to each other.
1. Primary pupil is combined P1, P4 and P7, where pupil achieved expected CfE level for their stage
2. Literacy is the combination of reading, writing and listening and talking organisers
3. Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2016
Source: ACEL 2015/16, 2016/17 (A1401)
Table 6: Percentage of primary 1 pupils acheiving expected level in literacy 2 and numeracy by additional support needs and SIMD 3 - 2016/17
| Additional Support Needs | No additional support needs | Additional support needs - unknown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIMD | Literacy | Numeracy | Literacy | Numeracy | Literacy | Numeracy |
| SIMD Quintile 1 - Most Deprived | 38 | 50 | 68 | 76 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD Quintile 2 | 38 | 49 | 73 | 80 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD Quintile 3 | 41 | 52 | 78 | 83 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD Quintile 4 | 44 | 54 | 82 | 87 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD Quintile - Least Deprived | 51 | 61 | 87 | 91 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD - Unknown | 38 | 46 | 79 | 85 | 53 | 62 |
| Total | 41 | 52 | 77 | 83 | 53 | 62 |
Table 7: Percentage of secondary pupils acheiving Third Level or better in literacy 2 and numeracy by additional support needs and SIMD 3 - 2016/17
| Additional Support Needs | No additional support needs | Additional Support Needs - Unknown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIMD | Literacy | Numeracy | Literacy | Numeracy | Literacy | Numeracy |
| SIMD Quintile 1 - Most Deprived | 67 | 66 | 89 | 89 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD Quintile 2 | 68 | 70 | 91 | 92 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD Quintile 3 | 71 | 75 | 93 | 96 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD Quintile 4 | 75 | 79 | 96 | 96 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD Quintile - Least Deprived | 83 | 85 | 97 | 98 | n/a | n/a |
| SIMD - Unknown | * | * | * | * | 75 | 75 |
| Total | 72 | 74 | 93 | 94 | 75 | 75 |
Notes:
Achievement of Curriculum of Excellence ( CfE) Levels are experimental statistics for 2015/16 and 2016/17.
As data under development they are not directly comparable to each other.
1. Primary pupil is combined P1, P4 and P7, where pupil achieved expected CfE level for their stage
2. Literacy is the combination of reading, writing and listening and talking organisers
3. Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2016
n/a - not applicable
* - suppression due to small numbers
Source: ACEL 2015/16, 2016/17 (A1401)
Table 8: Percentage of primary 1 pupils achieving expected level in literacy 2 by ethnicity and SIMD 3 - 2016/17
| Ethnicity | SIMD Quintile 1 - Most deprived | SIMD Quintile 2 | SIMD Quintile 3 | SIMD Quintile 4 | SIMD Quintile 5 - Least deprived | SIMD - Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White – Scottish | 60 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 82 | 70 |
| White - Other British | 55 | 62 | 71 | 74 | 82 | 50 |
| White - Irish | 74 | 71 | 77 | * | * | * |
| White - Polish | 58 | 59 | 64 | 65 | 66 | * |
| White - Gypsy/Traveller | 33 | 25 | 37 | * | * | * |
| White - Other | 54 | 60 | 67 | 71 | 81 | * |
| Mixed or multiple ethnic groups | 69 | 69 | 78 | 80 | 86 | * |
| Asian - Indian | 74 | 72 | 79 | 83 | 83 | * |
| Asian - Pakistani | 61 | 65 | 70 | 72 | 73 | * |
| Asian - Chinese | 71 | 72 | 79 | 75 | 88 | * |
| Asian – Other | 63 | 64 | 72 | 71 | 76 | - |
| African/ Black/ Caribbean 4 | 71 | 71 | 68 | 79 | 80 | * |
| All other categories 5 | 44 | 49 | 55 | 69 | 69 | * |
| Not Disclosed/Not known | 56 | 64 | 69 | 75 | 81 | 53 |
| Total | 60 | 64 | 70 | 75 | 82 | 54 |
Table 9: Percentage of secondary pupils achieving Third Level or better in literacy 2 by ethnicity and SIMD 3 - 2016/17
| Ethnicity | SIMD Quintile 1 - Most deprived | SIMD Quintile 2 | SIMD Quintile 3 | SIMD Quintile 4 | SIMD Quintile 5 - Least deprived | SIMD - Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White – Scottish | 81 | 85 | 87 | 91 | 95 | 83 |
| White - Other British | 83 | 82 | 90 | 90 | 93 | * |
| White - Irish | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| White - Polish | 80 | 75 | 68 | 70 | 83 | - |
| White - Gypsy/Traveller | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| White - Other | 77 | 74 | 84 | 86 | 93 | * |
| Mixed or multiple ethnic groups | 86 | 88 | 88 | 94 | 93 | - |
| Asian - Indian | 84 | 94 | 87 | 97 | 89 | - |
| Asian - Pakistani | 83 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 95 | * |
| Asian - Chinese | 92 | 91 | 90 | 98 | 96 | - |
| Asian – Other | 87 | 84 | 95 | 91 | 93 | - |
| African/ Black/ Caribbean 4 | 87 | 92 | 82 | 96 | 92 | * |
| All other categories 5 | 66 | 75 | 71 | 68 | 85 | - |
| Not Disclosed/Not known | 73 | 71 | 80 | 90 | 89 | 75 |
| Total | 81 | 84 | 87 | 91 | 94 | 76 |
Notes:
Achievement of Curriculum of Excellence ( CfE) Levels are experimental statistics for 2015/16 and 2016/17.
As data under development they are not directly comparable to 2015/16.
1. Primary pupil is combined P1, P4 and P7, where pupil achieved expected CfE level for their stage
2. Literacy is the combination of reading, writing and listening and talking organisers
3. Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2016
4. African/Black/Caribbean' category includes 'African', 'African - Other', and the 'Caribbean or Black' categories.
5. 'All other categories' includes 'Other - other' and 'Other - Arab'.
n/a = not applicable
* = suppression due to small numbers
- = nil
Source: ACEL 2016/17 (A1401)
Table 10: Percentage of primary 1 pupils achieving expected level in numeracy by ethnicity and SIMD 3 - 2016/17
| Ethnicity | SIMD Quintile 1 - Most deprived | SIMD Quintile 2 | SIMD Quintile 3 | SIMD Quintile 4 | SIMD Quintile 5 - Least deprived | SIMD - Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White – Scottish | 69 | 73 | 77 | 81 | 86 | 76 |
| White - Other British | 67 | 71 | 78 | 80 | 87 | 63 |
| White - Irish | 76 | 69 | 85 | * | * | * |
| White - Polish | 75 | 74 | 78 | 79 | 78 | * |
| White - Gypsy/Traveller | 45 | 34 | 48 | * | * | * |
| White - Other | 67 | 70 | 76 | 81 | 88 | * |
| Mixed or multiple ethnic groups | 74 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 91 | * |
| Asian - Indian | 80 | 81 | 85 | 88 | 87 | * |
| Asian - Pakistani | 69 | 71 | 74 | 79 | 80 | * |
| Asian - Chinese | 86 | 87 | 92 | 88 | 94 | * |
| Asian – Other | 73 | 76 | 80 | 81 | 88 | - |
| African/ Black/ Caribbean 4 | 80 | 76 | 75 | 82 | 87 | * |
| All other categories 5 | 59 | 64 | 70 | 79 | 83 | * |
| Not Disclosed/Not known | 69 | 75 | 78 | 83 | 89 | 62 |
| Total | 69 | 73 | 77 | 81 | 87 | 62 |
Table 11: Percentage of secondary pupils who achieved Third Level or better in numeracy by ethnicity and SIMD 3 - 2016/17
| Ethnicity | SIMD Quintile 1 - Most deprived | SIMD Quintile 2 | SIMD Quintile 3 | SIMD Quintile 4 | SIMD Quintile 5 - Least deprived | SIMD - Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White – Scottish | 80 | 85 | 90 | 92 | 96 | 91 |
| White - Other British | 84 | 85 | 85 | 90 | 95 | * |
| White - Irish | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| White - Polish | 87 | 89 | 91 | 95 | 98 | - |
| White - Gypsy/Traveller | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| White - Other | 82 | 82 | 91 | 93 | 95 | * |
| Mixed or multiple ethnic groups | 84 | 88 | 94 | 98 | 96 | - |
| Asian - Indian | 88 | 96 | 93 | 95 | 96 | - |
| Asian - Pakistani | 87 | 87 | 95 | 90 | 93 | * |
| Asian - Chinese | 97 | 100 | 97 | 100 | 100 | - |
| Asian – Other | 92 | 95 | 97 | 88 | 96 | - |
| African/ Black/ Caribbean 4 | 91 | 95 | 91 | 96 | 92 | * |
| All other categories 5 | 81 | 80 | 92 | 81 | 98 | - |
| Not Disclosed/Not known | 74 | 78 | 87 | 92 | 95 | 75 |
| Total | 81 | 85 | 90 | 92 | 95 | 76 |
Although there is very limited evidence available for some of the protected characteristics (pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation and religion and belief), the evidence also showed:
Age
- From the Child Health 27-30 Month Review Statistics Scotland 2015/16 one in four children from the more deprived areas (26%) had at least one developmental concern identified in the 27-30 month review compared to one in nine for the least deprived areas (11%).
- The difference between the percentage of pupils achieving the expected CfE level generally increases as children progress through the primary and secondary stages.
Gender
- A higher percentage of girls consistently achieve the expected CfE level compared to boys across all stages and curriculum areas regardless of where they live.
- The difference in the percentage of girls and boys achieving CfE levels becomes smaller for children living in less deprived areas.
Pregnancy and maternity
- There is a strong correlation between deprivation and teenage pregnancy. In the most deprived areas in 2014, the rate of teenage pregnancy in the under 16 age group was 5.2 times the rate in the least deprived areas (8.2 and 1.6 per 1,000 women respectively).
- UK level figures suggest that teenage mothers are 20% more likely to have no qualifications than older mothers.
Gender reassignment, sexual orientation and religion and belief
- Although the exact numbers of children and young people under these categories is not known, bullying and other barriers to learning are known to disproportionately impact on the outcomes of children and young people.
Key findings - impact
The EQIA process did not identify any indirect, direct or unlawful discrimination arising through the policy intention, design or activity being implemented as part of the Attainment Challenge. The Attainment Challenge is intended to be inclusive. Targeting resources, through the Attainment Scotland Fund, to children and young people living in poverty is intended to have a significant positive impact on lives of children and young people affected by poverty, including those in the equality groups.
The Attainment Challenge may advance equality of opportunity by providing training and resources for schools and teachers suitable to addressing the needs of children in equalities groups and helping to address the poverty related attainment gap for all. The enhanced professional development and leadership opportunities, better use of data to drive improvements and the increased level of collaboration both within schools and with external partners will have impacts beyond the immediate target group of children affected by poverty and have the potential to significantly improve educational outcomes for all children and young people.
The Attainment Challenge is also expected to promote good community relationships. It encourages professionals working with children and young people to maintain a clear line of communication with the families of children and young people who will benefit from the resources or activities under the Attainment Challenge, and the children and young people themselves.
There is also evidence emerging from early Attainment Challenge activity to demonstrate that reasonable adjustments are being made to support children and young people with protected characteristics. For example, investment in speech and language development, additional support for speakers of English as an Additional Language, and/or fund Educational Psychologists, counsellors and nurture bases.
Actions
A number of actions are being taken to ensure that the Scottish Attainment Challenge does not directly or indirectly, unlawfully discriminate. For example:
- Through Pupil Equity Funding, the reach of the Scottish Attainment Challenge has now been extended to over 96% of schools in Scotland. The National Operational Guidance and the grant terms and conditions for the use of the funding, makes clear that resources should promote equity by taking into account equality groups when planning support and interventions. Additionally, the use of Pupil Equity Funding should be planned for and monitored via existing planning and reporting processes. The guidance around this process makes clear links to How Good is Our School (Edition 4) which contains an equality indicator.
- Following stakeholder consultation, the 2018 National Improvement Plan sets out a basket of 11 key measures, supported by 15 sub-measures that will be used to monitor progress towards the goal of closing the poverty related attainment gap. We will use the data that will be published each year in the National Improvement Framework Evidence Report to show the poverty-related attainment gap at different stages of school and across literacy, numeracy and health & wellbeing.
- Work is on-going to ensure that the examples, tools and resources on the National Improvement Hub include examples of effective interventions that apply to all children and young people, including those in equality groups. It includes the Interventions for Equity initial framework to support the implementation of the Attainment Challenge by local authorities and schools will continue to be updated and developed.
- We know that Gypsy Travellers tend not to self-identify. Traveller Guidance has been produced by the Scottish Government and will be published in May/June 2018. The guidance advocates that action is required at local authority/ school/ classroom/individual pupil levels.
This will undoubtedly include resources funded by the Attainment Scotland Fund. Inclusive approaches which support individual pupils and support families to engage are the starting point. A Gypsy/Traveller Ministerial Working Group ( GTMWG) has been established to improve the lives of Gypsy/Traveller communities in Scotland. This Group will consider the guidance - as part of a wider discussion about improving education for Gypsy/Travellers at their next meeting in May 2018.
- As part of the overall evaluation of the Attainment Scotland Fund, an external piece of qualitative research was undertaken to assess the impact of the first 2 years of the Fund on reducing the poverty related attainment gap. It sought stakeholder views as to whether the fund has had a positive or negative impact on inequalities amongst groups such as in terms of gender, pupils with additional support needs, looked-after status, English as an additional language, disability, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gypsy/travellers, pregnancy or maternity and urban/rural differences. It evaluates what worked particularly well and what barriers stakeholders faced when trying to improve attainment or health and wellbeing of pupils in poverty who also face inequalities as part of any of these other characteristics. The interim evaluation report was published in March 2018
- Alongside the interim evaluation report, we have also published the evaluation strategy for the next two years which has been expanded to cover PEF. The evaluation strategy plans to make best use of existing data including national statistics, routine monitoring and existing surveys. Where there are clear gaps in evidence, new work is planned to address these. Specifically, a mini survey amongst local authorities, case studies with schools and the expansion of current data sources to include schools / stakeholders out with the Challenge Authorities but in receipt of PEF. The next evaluation report will be published in 2020.
- During school inspections Education Scotland will evaluate Quality Indicator 3.1 - Ensuring Wellbeing Equality and Inclusion. Any equality issues identified will be highlighted to the Scottish Attainment Challenge team by HMI and these will be reviewed to ensure that there has been no unintended consequence on the protected characteristics as a result of the Attainment Challenge programme. Any follow up which is required will be planned appropriate.
- We will continue to monitor the impact of the Attainment Challenge on children and young people in school education with protected characteristics through national data sources where they exist (i.e. age, gender, disability and race). Where it is not possible to monitor the impact through national data, we will work with local government and other stakeholders to identify any local activity that we may be able to draw evidence from.
Conclusion
The EQIA process did not identify indirect or direct discrimination through the policy intention and identified a number of actions being taken to ensure that the Attainment Challenge does not directly or indirectly, unlawfully discriminate (refer to key findings).
This EQIA analysis will be kept under regular review, with any new data or evidence analysed as it becomes available to monitor the on-going impact of the Attainment Challenge on equality groups. Further, a new EQIA analysis will be undertaken in advance of any significant changes to the Scottish Attainment Challenge. Any review will be undertaken in partnership with local government and other relevant stakeholders.
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