National improvement framework for Scottish education: evidence report 2017

Summary of Evidence for Key Priorities

The evidence in this chapter has shown that data on qualifications at the end of the Senior Phase and the participation of 16-19 year olds shows improvement, both generally and in terms of equity.

There is evidence of a gap in the development between pupils from the most deprived and least deprived areas from before pupils start Primary 1, which continues to exist throughout the Broad General Education and Senior Phase, and is clearly visible in final qualifications results.

The findings in this chapter show a mixed picture on progress in health and wellbeing. There are positive results on some aspects, such as that almost all pupils say their general health was 'good' or 'very good', a reduction in the proportion of children aged 0-15 reporting as having doctor diagnosed asthma, a higher proportion of children aged 2-15 being active at the recommended level, reductions in children's exposure to second-hand smoke, and by far most pupils want to do well in their learning.

However, there are challenging results on some aspects, such as the proportion of children aged 2-15 who were meeting the 5-a-day fruit and vegetables recommendations, and the variation by deprivation area in the proportion of children who are exposed to second-hand smoke.