Raising Attainment Report Oct 24
Perth and Kinross Council · 23 October 2024
Back to Learning and Families Committee — 23 October 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Perth and Kinross Council Learning and Families Committee 23 October 2024 RAISING ATTAINMENT UPDATE 2023-2024 Report by Strategic Lead - Education and Learning (Report No. 24/293) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report provides a progress update on the Education and Children’s Services Raising Attainment Strategy 2024-2027. Specifically, it provides information on a range of performance measures across the Scottish Governments National Improvement Framework (NIF) for education priorities. 2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 It is recommended that the Committee: • Considers and comments as appropriate on the contents of the report. 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: Performance Summary • Section 6: Conclusion • Appendices 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 A renewed Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) Raising Attainment Strategy 2024-2027 was approved by the Learning and Families Committee on 11 March 2024 (Report No. 24/82 refers), building upon the previous version for the period 2020-2023. 4.2 The Perth and Kinross Education Improvement Plan 2024/2025 (Report No. 24/237 refers) was approved by the Learning and Families Committee on 22 August 2024 and subsequently submitted to the Scottish Government. This annual plan meets the requirement set out by the Scottish Government on planning and reporting progress on the priorities set out in the NIF for education. 4.3 It provides an update on key achievements for the academic session 2023/24 on the progress against this framework. This supplementary report provides
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more detailed reporting on the attainment data pertinent to the Raising Attainment Strategy. 4.4 The Raising Attainment Strategy outlines the approach within the PKC Education and Learning service in the pursuance of the current relevant priorities of the NIF which are: • Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy; • Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged; • Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing; and • Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people. 4.5 These priorities guide the reporting of progress using a range of measures describing both excellence – performance for all; and equity – focusing on poverty-related and other gaps in outcomes. 4.6 The Scottish Governments Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress has been developed to support the next phase of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC). It aims to set high expectations, including annual stretch aims, developed across all 32 Scottish education authorities, to help ensure significant progress is made in recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and in achieving the mission of the SAC. 5. PERFORMANCE SUMMARY 5.1 Appendix 1 provides information on progress made in academic session 2023/24 towards each of the four NIF priorities. Key performance measures reported include: Improvement in attainment particularly in literacy and numeracy • For primary pupils, achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels has maintained or improved on 2023 attainment - largely the highest seen in almost all curricular areas and stages. • For secondary pupils in S3, achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels at level 3 have improved further - reaching or exceeding their stretch aim in literacy and 1% below the 92% stretch for numeracy. • For the second year in succession, our National 5 exams pass rate is higher than our comparator authorities and the Scottish average. There were 333 more A-C passes at National 5. Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged • The poverty related attainment gap for primary pupils in P1, P4 and P7 has improved by 1% for reading and writing; grown by 1% in listening and talking and remained at the same level for numeracy, compared to last year`s figures. This is in the context of a five year improvement trend.
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• The poverty-related attainment gap, in terms of pass rates, is better than the Scottish average for National 5 and Higher grades. In terms of National 5, the gap is almost half the size of the Scottish average. • The percentage of care-experienced primary school pupils in P4 and P7 achieving expected levels in literacy and numeracy combined, has maintained a sustained trend of improvement since 2021. • Attainment in the Senior Phase school year groups of our Looked After Children has improved in terms of the number of awards at National 2 and National 3. There has been a consistent trend from 2020-2024, while National 5 pass rates have remained stable at 74%. Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing • Exclusion rates remain on a steady downward trajectory once account has been taken of COVID-19 related school closures. • School attendance improved from 92.5% to 93.1% in primary schools but remained static at 86.9% in secondary schools. Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people • Participation in positive activities (for 16-19 year olds) has remained at the same level in 2024, compared to 2023, and sits positively in a national context. However, there is scope for improvement. • A new version of the Workit work experience management system has been launched and school staff have received training and guidance. In 2023/24, a total of 597 pupils accessed a placement, which was an increase of 147 on the previous year. • The PKC 16+ Framework has now been adopted by Dundee City Council and will likely become a Tayside regional approach. 6. CONCLUSION 6.1 This report outlines, in detail, a range of measures describing progress in raising attainment and related outcomes for children and young people across Perth and Kinross. 6.2 Notable improvements are seen in many key measures. There are some positive indications of narrowing the poverty-related gaps in many outcomes; to which, a sustained focus will be maintained by PKC to reduce these further.
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Author Name Designation Contact Details David Macluskey Service Manager (Secondary) FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk 01738 475000 Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Strategic Lead - Education and Learning 25 September 2024
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes/None Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement None Corporate Plan None Resource Implications Financial None Workforce None Asset Management (land, property, IST) None Assessments Equality Impact Assessment None Strategic Environmental Assessment None Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) None Legal and Governance None Risk None Consultation Internal None External None Communication Communications Plan None 1. Strategic Implications Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement 1.1 This section sets out how the proposals relate to the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement in terms of the following priorities: (i) Giving every child the best start in life; (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens; (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy; (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives; and (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations. This report relates to Objective No. (ii). Corporate Plan 1.2 This section sets out how the proposals relate to the achievement of the Council’s Corporate Plan Objectives: (i) Giving every child the best start in life; (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens; (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy; (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives; and (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations. This report relates to Objective No. (ii).
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1.3 The report also links to the Education and Learning; and the Children, Families and Justice Services Vision, Values and Priorities in respect of the following key Priority area: • Best Start 2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 N/A Workforce 2.2 N/A Asset Management (land, property, IT) 2.3 N/A 3. Assessments Equality Impact Assessment 3.1 Under the Equality Act 2010, the Council is required to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between equality groups. Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments for plans and policies allows the Council to demonstrate that it is meeting these duties. 3.1.1 The proposals have been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) with the following outcome: (i) Assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA. Strategic Environmental Assessment 3.2 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals. 3.2.1 The proposals have been considered under the Act; however, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report. This is because the Committee are requested to note the contents of the report only and the Committee are not being requested to approve, adopt or agree to an action or to set the framework for future decisions. Sustainability 3.3 Under the provisions of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003, the Council has to discharge its duties in a way which contributes to the achievement of sustainable development. Under the Climate Change
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(Scotland) Act 2009 the Council also has a duty relating to climate change and, in exercising its functions must act: • In the way best calculated to delivery of the Act’s emissions reduction targets. • In the way best calculated to deliver any statutory adaption programmes. • In a way that it considers most sustainable. 3.3.1 N/A Legal and Governance 3.4 N/A 3.5 N/A Risk 3.6 N/A 4. Consultation Internal 4.1 Service Managers within Education and Learning were consulted in the preparation of this report. Consultation on the stretch aims was conducted with Headteachers and Education Officers. External 4.2 N/A 5. Communication 5.1 N/A 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 No background papers, as defined by Section 50D of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (and not containing confidential or exempt information) were relied on to a material extent in preparing the above report. 3. APPENDICES 3.1 Appendix 1 - Raising Attainment Strategy, Attainment Report 2023-2024