Section 3: School suitability

Suitability is a measure of whether a school is fit for the purpose of delivering the education curriculum. It provides a measure of the extent to which a school building and its grounds provide an environment which supports quality learning and teaching. That is whether its design and layout enhance its function and use, whether there is space and scope to accommodate all the pre-school, day-school and after-school demands and services, whether it is 'inclusive' and accessible to those with disabilities, how capable it is of adjustment or adaptation, how able to 'flex' in response to future, sometimes unforeseen changes in the scale and nature of demand and usage, to changes in climate and to changes in ICT and other technology and the ways in which education may be delivered.

The following ratings are used to measure school suitability:

A. Good – Performing well and operating effectively

B. Satisfactory – Performing well but with minor problems

C. Poor – Showing major problems and/or not operating optimally

D. Bad – Does not support the delivery of services to children and communities

Further details on school suitability ratings are available in the Background Notes.

The proportion of schools with good or satisfactory suitability has increased 7.5 percentage points from 81.4 per cent in 2017 to 88.9 per cent in 2023 (Figure 7). There has been an increase of 14.9 percentage points from 74 per cent in 2010 when this data collection began (see supplementary tables for data prior to 2017).

The number of schools with a poor or bad suitability rating has continued to drop with 269 reported this year, 26 fewer than in 2022 and 194 fewer than in 2017 (Figure 6).The number of schools with good or satisfactory ratings has continued to rise annually, up 145 since 2017.

Taking into account the different number of pupils in each school, there has been a 5.8 percentage point increase in the proportion of pupils in good or satisfactory suitability schools from 84.0 per cent in 2017 to 89.8 per cent in 2023 (Figure 9). This is an increase of 14.1 percentage points from 75.7 per cent in 2010 when this collection started (supplementary tables).

There are 35,737 fewer pupils in schools in schools with poor or bad suitability ratings than in 2017 (Figure 8). After a slight increase last year, the number dropped again in 2023 to 71,379, the lowest since the start of this data collection in 2010. The number of pupils in schools with a bad suitability rating has risen since last year although the number of schools with this rating remains low (9 schools in 2023).

A suitability rating may not be reported for special schools where attendance is solely by pupils who are enrolled at a different school which has been separately reported in the survey. Ratings may also not be available for newly built schools or schools based in buildings outwith the school estate such as hospitals. In 2023 suitability ratings were not recorded for 6 schools: two special schools located in hospitals, three special school support hubs where pupils were enrolled at other schools and one newly opened school.

Figure 6: Number of schools with a good or satisfactory suitability rating has continued to rise

The number of schools by suitability rating from 2017 to 2023 [Note 4].

Figure 7: Percentage of schools with a good or satisfactory suitability rating has continued to rise

The percentage of schools by suitability rating from 2017 to 2023 [Note 4].

Figure 8: Number of pupils in a school with a poor or bad suitability rating has fallen,  despite an increase in the number of pupils in a school with a bad suitability rating

The number of pupils on roll by school suitability rating from 2017 to 2023.

Figure 9: Percentage of pupils in a school with a poor or bad suitability rating has fallen despite an increase in the percentage of pupils in a school with a bad suitability rating

The percentage of pupils on roll by school suitability rating from 2017 to 2023.

Note 4: Three primary schools in East Lothian have split site campuses and submitted two School Estate Core Facts Survey returns. These schools are included twice in the school counts in this table, pupil roll figures are not affected.