Scottish Attainment Challenge Funding Report - 2024-25
Perth and Kinross Council · 12 November 2025
Back to Learning and Families Committee — 12 November 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities Committee or Board: Learning and Families Committee Date of Meeting: 12 November 2025 Report Title: Scottish Attainment Challenge Funding Report 2024/25 Report Number: 25/303 Report Author: Rhona Munro, Scottish Attainment Challenge and Pupil Equity Fund Project Lead (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning 1. Purpose 1.1 This report provides an update on progress made in Perth and Kinross in relation to the provision of support for children and young people affected by poverty and those who are care-experienced to achieve their full potential, focusing on targeted improvement activity in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, and in closing the poverty related attainment gap. 1.2 This report outlines the range of measures implemented through Strategic Equity Funding (SEF), Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) and Care Experienced Children and Young People’s Funding (CECYPF) to improve performance and monitor the progress of improvements. It meets the requirements to report on the expenditure and impact of SEF, PEF and CECYPF. 1.3 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation 3. Background/Context 4. Conclusion 5. Impact and Value Assessment 6. Appendix 2. Recommendation It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Considers the contents of this report and comments as appropriate.
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3. Background/Context 3.1 The Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) was launched in 2015 with the mission of closing the poverty-related attainment gap. 3.2 In November 2021, the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills set out plans for a refreshed SAC from April 2022. 3.3 The mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge is “to use education to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty, with a focus on tackling the poverty-related attainment gap.” 3.4 This mission recognises the need to reflect the breadth of achievements and experiences, and the importance of health and wellbeing to contribute to improved outcomes for children and young people, including through improved post-school participation in positive destinations. 3.5 Resources for the SAC, funded through the Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF), are provided to local authorities through SEF and CECYPF; and directly to schools through PEF. This is additional targeted investment, which is used strategically alongside existing funding at, and across, local authority and school level to achieve the shared national mission of the SAC. Every education authority in Scotland receives SEF, PEF and CECYPF. 3.6 SEF is distributed equitably to all local authorities based on the UK government’s Children in low income families: local area statistics data for the 2019/20 financial year. 3.7 PEF is allocated to schools on the basis of the estimated number of pupils registered to receive free school meals in primary 1 to secondary 3, with £1225 allocated per pupil per year. 3.8 CECPYF is allocated to support care experienced children and young people at a figure of £1225 per looked after child aged 5-15, as outlined in the Children’s Social Work Statistics Scotland, 2021/22. Local authorities are asked to use local data to understand which individual children, groups of children, or families, would benefit most from this additional funding. This includes considering the needs of all young people aged 0-26 who are eligible to be supported and engaging with partner agencies and establishments to provide this. 3.9 In Perth and Kinross, Headteachers have full access to PEF funding and meet regularly with their Finance Officer to review spending. Although funding is allocated on the basis of eligibility described above, Headteachers are expected to use their discretion in making decisions about which children and young people would benefit most from any particular intervention or approach, whilst keeping a clear focus on delivering equity. Headteachers work in partnership with other schools and their local authority whilst planning improvements and associated investment.
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3.10 There is a continued expectation that funding will focus particularly on literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing, and support the school’s priorities in raising attainment. All schools develop a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) outlining their PEF priorities and setting out both the universal and targeted approaches that will be adopted to achieve the expected outcomes. 2024/25 Funding Allocation in Perth and Kinross 3.11 In the financial year 2024/25, Perth and Kinross Council received £748,193 SEF and £214,988 CECYPF. 3.12 Perth and Kinross schools were allocated £1,863,500 of PEF. This was allocated to 66 primary schools, 11 secondary schools and 1 special school. There are 3 primary schools that do not receive any PEF allocation due to them having no pupils eligible for free school meals, as identified in section 3.7 of this report. 3.13 In academic session 2024/25, a total of £1,784,185 of PEF was spent (90% of allocation plus carry forward from 2023/24). A carry forward of £195,284 was taken into the 2025/26 financial year. Guidance and Planning 3.14 The Scottish Government provide National Operational Guidance for each of the three funding streams: • Strategic Equity Funding: national operational guidance 2023 - gov.scot • Pupil Equity Funding: national operational guidance 2023 - gov.scot • Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund: operational guidance 2023 to 2024 - gov.scot Revised PEF guidance was issued to all Perth and Kinross schools in June 2024. Interventions 3.15 All three funding streams focus on a range of approaches to enhance the universal provision and targeted interventions for children and young people, with the aim of addressing barriers to learning and supporting the achievement of positive outcomes for those affected by poverty or who are care experienced. 3.16 In academic session 2024/25, school PEF plans focused particularly on literacy, numeracy, and health and wellbeing, which is expected to continue in session 2025/26. Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact 3.17 All three funding streams are overseen by the Raising Attainment Board and its sub-groups. This oversight includes monitoring the impact of expenditure on the outcomes of children and young people through the focus on the
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Stretch Aims set out in the Perth and Kinross Council Raising Attainment Strategy 2024-2027 (Report no. 24/82 refers). 3.18 PEF is allocated directly to primary, secondary and special schools within Perth and Kinross, and the local authority is required to monitor and evaluate its use, including reporting to the Scottish Government. 3.19 Schools measure the impact of their PEF budget through a bespoke tracking tool which enables the identification of successful interventions and promotes the sharing of good practice. 3.20 The Perth and Kinross Council School Improvement team provide support and challenge to schools in relation to raising attainment and closing the poverty related gap as part of their regular quality improvement work. Education Scotland’s Attainment Advisor also works with identified primary schools and secondary schools to analyse data in more detail and identify appropriate strategies for closing the poverty related gap. 3.21 The Perth and Kinross Council Research Analysis & Performance team continue to provide support to schools and central officers through the Analysis Suite and a developing Data Hub which provides comprehensive data, including individual school data profiles. New interactive dashboard tools have been released which support schools in their analysis of data. 3.22 Schools have received support and training from Education Scotland’s Attainment Advisor to organise and understand their tracking and monitoring and evaluation data more effectively, and to use this data to inform interventions and improvement. 3.23 All PEF plans, submitted by schools in June 2025 for session 2025/26, have been reviewed and analysed by the Education Scotland Attainment Advisor. Detailed feedback has been provided, and plans are reviewed through regular quality assurance activities. Next Steps 3.24 To ensure that the use of these funding streams continues to be monitored and evaluated, Perth and Kinross Council Education and Learning staff will ensure that there is: • Analysis of quantitative data to establish the effectiveness of the spend and the impact for care experienced children and young people. • Focus on the quality and impact of the evidence-based interventions chosen to address attainment gaps for learners affected by poverty. • Regular reporting and analysis of progress to the Raising Attainment Board.
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4. Conclusion 4.1 All three of the funding streams, which sit under the Attainment Scotland Fund, provide a valuable resource that is making a significant contribution towards improving the outcomes for the children and young people of Perth and Kinross. This funding is guaranteed until the end of March 2026 – there is a lack of certainty regarding the levels of funding available to the local authority and to schools beyond that date. 5. Impact and Value Assessment 5.1 This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. 6. Appendix 6.1 Appendix 1 – Scottish Attainment Challenge Funding Report 2024/25.