National improvement framework for Scottish education: evidence report 2017

Key Driver: Assessment of children's progress

The range of robust evidence currently available on how children are developing and progressing ( i.e. their outcomes) as they move through their early and school years, to the time they leave school, are reported under each of the Key Priorities at the start of this evidence report.

These outcome measures help to identify where things are going well and whether changes in practice, or the interventions being implemented, are having a positive impact on these outcomes.

In addition, measuring outcomes also, in themselves, act as a "Driver for Improvement", as they help to identify areas where, collectively, more needs to be done in order for further improvement in these outcomes to occur and whether improvement is occurring at the pace expected.

Ensuring Wellbeing, Equality and Inclusion

HM Inspectors evaluated the impact of the service's approach to wellbeing, equality and inclusion which underpins children's and young people's ability to achieve success. There is a focus on how positive learners and staff feel and how well they are listened to and on how effectively legislative duties are understood and met.

91% of the 120 schools across primary, secondary and special provision inspected as part of the sample for the National Improvement Framework between August 2016 and June 2017 were evaluated as satisfactory or better on ' ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion'.

68% of the 120 schools across primary, secondary and special provision inspected as part of the sample for the National Improvement Framework between August 2016 and June 2017 were evaluated as good, very good or excellent on ' ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion'.

Pupil Pre-inspection Questionnaires

Before school inspections take place, HM Inspectors issue questionnaires to children and young people in the school. These give an indication of children and young people's satisfaction with various aspects of the schools to inform the inspection.

During the 2016/17 academic year, Education Scotland reviewed the range and content of the pre-inspection questions. The revised questions were piloted from January to June 2017 alongside the trial of a new online questionnaire system which was introduced in January 2017.

Each year, Her Majesty's Inspectors ( HMI) inspect the quality of education and training across all sectors of the learner journey, from early learning and childcare to adult education. Inspections undertaken in a sample of schools form the main focus of this activity. These inspections cover primary, secondary, all-through and special schools.

The results are shown for the responses to pre-inspection questionnaires issued to schools inspected between January and June 2017 as part of this sample. These results are not representative of all children and young people across Scotland.

6,542 primary aged pupils and 5,855 secondary aged pupils completed the questionnaire between January and June 2017. Of those:

• 66% of the respondents agreed that the school listens to their views and takes them into account.
• 76% of the respondents of primary school age agreed that they feel comfortable approaching staff with questions and suggestions.
• 73% of the respondents of secondary school age felt comfortable approaching staff with questions and suggestions at least some of the time.
• 78% of the respondents of primary school age felt that their teacher asked them about what they want to learn at school at least some of the time.
• 72% of the respondents of secondary school age felt that they were given the opportunity to influence what they learned some of the time.

Pupil engagement with teachers

In the 2016 Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN) pupil questionnaire pupils were asked about teachers' practices in the classroom.

The most common practices being undertaken 'very often' were ' telling you what you are going to learn about before you start working' ( 81%, 89% and 73% at P4, P7 and S2, respectively).

In the last six SSLN surveys, this has been the highest reported teacher practice by the pupils at all stages, with primary sectors consistently over 80% and S2 over 70%.

A similar pattern can be seen for ' encouraging you to work hard', over the six SSLN surveys this has the second highest rates recorded, with P7 consistently over 80%; P4 ranging between 67% and 75% and S2 between 64% and 68% of pupils reporting teachers did this 'very often'.

More than two-fifths of pupils reported that teachers in the primary sector very often ' explained to pupils how they would know when they have done well'. This has been consistent over the six SSLN surveys. This tended to be lower for S2 pupils (between 28% to 30%).

In 2016, the percentage of pupils who reported that very often ' someone at school talked to them about how they were doing overall in their learning' was 34% in P4, 27% in P7 and 18% in S2.

Over half of all pupils for all stages in 2016 reported that someone talks to them about their learning 'sometimes', and over a quarter of secondary pupils reporting 'hardly ever or never'.

Careers Information, Advice and Guidance ( CIAG) Services

100% of the 5 CIAG inspections carried out between August 2016 and June 2017 were graded as good or better against " Customer progression and achievement of relevant high quality outcomes."