Agenda Document Pack - Learning and Families Committee - 25/10/2023
Perth and Kinross Council · 25 October 2023
Back to Learning and Families Committee — 25 October 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Securing the future… • Improving services • Enhancing quality of life • Making the best use of public resources Council Building 2 High Street Perth PH1 5PH 18/10/2023 A hybrid Meeting of the Learning and Families Committee will be held in the Council Chamber on Wednesday, 25 October 2023 at 14:00. If you have any queries please contact Committee Services on (01738) 475000 or email Committee@pkc.gov.uk. THOMAS GLEN Chief Executive Those attending the meeting are requested to ensure that all notifications are silent on their device and other devices are in silent mode. Please note that the meeting will be broadcast online and recorded. The recording will be publicly available on the Council’s website following the meeting. Members: Councillor John Rebbeck (Convener) Councillor Steven Carr (Vice-Convener) Councillor Michelle Frampton (Vice-Convener) Bailie Chris Ahern Councillor Liz Barrett Councillor Dave Cuthbert Councillor Neil Freshwater Councillor Noah Khogali Councillor Brian Leishman Councillor Iain MacPherson Councillor Ian Massie Provost Xander McDade Councillor Crawford Reid Councillor Caroline Shiers Councillor Jack Welch Mrs Margaret Conroy Mr Adrian Ferguson Mr Tim Kearns Ms Miranda Powell Page 1 of 126
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Learning and Families Committee Wednesday, 25 October 2023 AGENDA MEMBERS ARE REMINDED OF THEIR OBLIGATION TO DECLARE ANY FINANCIAL OR NON-FINANCIAL INTEREST WHICH THEY MAY HAVE IN ANY ITEM ON THIS AGENDA IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCILLORS’ CODE OF CONDUCT. 1 WELCOME AND APOLOGIES 2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 3 MINUTES (i) MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE OF 23 AUGUST 2023 FOR APPROVAL (copy herewith) 5 - 8 (ii) MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE OF 15 MAY 2023 FOR NOTING (copy herewith) 9 - 10 (iii) MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE JOINT NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE FOR TEACHING STAFF OF 12 JUNE 2023 FOR NOTING (copy herewith) 11 - 14 (iv) MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES PARTNERSHIP OF 16 JUNE 2023 FOR NOTING (copy herewith) 15 - 20 4 OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT (copy herewith 23/278) 21 - 22 5 APPOINTMENT TO COMMITTEE Committee is asked to note that Mrs Susan McLagan replaces Ms Teresa Moran as the religious representative from the Roman Catholic Church 6 TAYSIDE CHILDREN'S SERVICES PLAN AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES PLAN ANNUAL REPORT 2022-2023 Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 23/279) 23 - 74 Page 3 of 126
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7 RAISING ATTAINMENT UPDATE Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 23/280) 75 - 100 8 PUPIL EQUITY FUNDING UPDATE 2023 Report by Executive Director (copy herewith 23/281) 101 - 126 Page 4 of 126
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LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE Minute of hybrid meeting of the Learning and Families Committee held in the Council Chambers, 2 High Street, Perth on Wednesday 23 August 2023 at 2.00pm. Present: Councillors J Rebbeck, S Carr, M Frampton, Bailie C Ahern, K Allan (substituting on behalf of Councillor N Khogali). L Barrett, N Freshwater, D Illingworth (substitute on behalf of Councillor C Reid), B Leishman, I MacPherson, I Massie, Provost X McDade (substituting on behalf of Councillor C Stewart), C Shiers, and J Welch; Ms M Conroy, Mr T Kearns and Ms M Powell. In attendance: S Devlin, Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services); P Cunningham, G Doogan, S Johnston, D Macluskey, F MacKay, S Sweeney and S Turner (all Education and Children’s Services); D Williams, A Brown and M Pasternak (all Corporate and Democratic Services). Apologies: Councillors N Khogali and C Reid; Mr A Ferguson. Councillor J Rebbeck, Convener, Presiding. The Convener led on Items 1-6 and 8-9 and Vice-Convener Frampton led on Item 7. 1. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES The Convener welcomed all those present to the meeting. Apology for absence was noted as above. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest made in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. 3. MINUTES (i) Learning and Families Committee The minute of meeting of the Learning and Families Committee of 3 May 2023 was submitted, approved as a correct record and authorised for signature. (ii) Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee The minute of meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff of 20 March 2023 was submitted and noted. (iii) Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff of 27 March 2023 The minute of meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff of 27 March 2023 was submitted and noted. (i) Page 5 of 126
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(iv) Children, Young People and Families Partnership of 3 March 2023 The minute of meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership of 3 March 2023 was submitted and noted. 4. OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT The Outstanding Business Statement (23/232) was noted. 5. APPOINTMENT TO COMMITTEE The Committee welcomed the new primary and secondary teacher representatives to their first meeting Committee. Following advertisement there was one application received for the appointment of a third religious representative, this being the current member Mr Adrian Ferguson. As Mr Ferguson has currently sat on the Committee since 2019 and in consultation with the Convener it be agreed that Mr Ferguson be reappointed to the Committee. Following advertisement there were insufficient nominations for primary or secondary parent representatives. It was noted that once parent councils have reformed following the school holidays these vacancies will be advertised again. 6. EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2022/23 There was a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (23/181) (1) presenting the Annual Performance Report 2022/23; and (2) detailing progress against targets and improvement actions over the last year against the 2022/23 Business Management and Improvement Plan. Resolved: The Education and Children’s Services Annual Performance Report 2022/23, as detailed in Appendix 1 to Report 23/181, be approved. 7. CARER’S STRATEGY 2023-2026 FOR YOUNG AND ADULT CARERS There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (23/223) seeking approval for the refreshed Joint Young Carers Strategy 2023-2026 which was developed to allow response to new duties contained in the Carer (Scotland) Act 2016. Resolved: The refreshed Carers Strategy for 2023-2026 for Young and Adult Carers be approved. 8. PERTH AND KINROSS EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2023/2024 There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (23/224) providing (1) an update on progress against the Page 6 of 126
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Education Improvement Plan 2022-2023; and (2) details on the priorities set within the Education Improvement Plan 2023-2024. Resolved: (i) The Education Improvement Plan 2023-2024 be approved. (ii) The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) be requested to submit the Plan to the Scottish Government by 30 September 2023. 9. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY (2023-2026) There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) presenting for approval the Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) Parental Involvement and Engagement (PIE) Strategy and Three-Year Improvement Plan. Resolved: (i) The comments on the contents of the Strategy be noted. (ii) The Three-Year Implementation Plan to support the Strategy, for delivery from August 2023; be approved. (iii) A report on progress prior to the introduction of a new Strategy, in August 2026, be requested. Page 7 of 126
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EXECUTIVE SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE Minute of Meeting of the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee held virtually on Monday 15 May 2023 at 1.00pm. Present: Councillors J Rebbeck, S Carr, M Frampton, L Barrett, D Cuthbert, N Khogali and Councillor C Shiers. In Attendance: S Johnston, Head of Education and Learning, H Robertson, B Martin- Scott, D McCluskey, J Chiles, G Doogan, G Knox, S Cowmeadow (all Education and Children’s Services) and D Williams, M Pasternak, and R Ramsay (Corporate and Democratic Services). Councillor J Rebbeck, Convener, Presiding. 1. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES The Convener welcomed all those present to the meeting. There were no apologies for absence. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest made in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. 3. MINUTE OF PREVIOUS MEETING The minute of meeting of the Executive Sub-Committee of Learning and Families of 20 March 2023 was submitted, approved as a correct record, and authorised for signature. 4. EDUCATION REFORM IN SCOTLAND CONSULTATIONS UPDATE There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (23/142) (1) providing the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee with an update on the professional responses provided thus far on aspects of the education reform activity currently underway, and also (2) providing some detail of how education officers, children and young people, parents and school staff are engaging with the range of consultations and activities which are being undertaken relating to the education reform agenda. Councillor L Barrett proposed that the Committee second recommendation in Report 23/142, be removed. Resolved: The responses provided on the National Discussion, and Phases One, Two and Three of the Hayward Review; be noted. Councillor C Shiers registered her dissent at this decision. (ii) Page 9 of 126
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5. SUMMARY REPORT ON CARE INSPECTORATE AND EDUCATION SCOTLAND INSPECTIONS There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (23/117) (1) providing an overview of the performance of Education and Children’s Services inspected and reported over the past year by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland, since the previous report of this type in 2022, and (2) setting out the Service’s approach to implementing improvement actions arising out of inspections, as well as the wider school improvement framework. Resolved: The contents of the report 23/117, be noted. 6. STANDARDS AND QUALITY IN SCHOOLS, LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND PRE-SCHOOL CENTRES/DAY CARE OF CHILDREN There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (23/141) setting out the key findings following inspections of schools and nurseries by Education Scotland/HM Inspectors of Education (HMIE) and of early learning and childcare (ELC) settings undertaken by the Care Inspectorate in the day care of children. Reporting is of inspections reported since the Executive Sub-Committee of Learning & Families Committee on 20 March 2023. Resolved: The contents of the report 23/141, be noted. Page 10 of 126
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JOINT NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE FOR TEACHING STAFF Minute of hybrid meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff (JNCT) held in the Council Chambers, 2 High Street, Perth on Tuesday 12 June 2023 at 2.30pm. Present: Representing Perth and Kinross Council Councillors J Rebbeck and C Shiers; S Devlin, S Johnston, L Gordon, J Donnelly, G Doogan and D Macluskey (all Education and Children’s Services); P Johnstone (Corporate and Democratic Services). Representing Teachers’ Associations L Gibb, L.J. Grant, M Laurie, J Leslie, C Rose, M Taylor and C Weston (all EIS); M Mackie (SSTA). In Attendance: L Byrne and C Guild (Corporate and Democratic Services); A McAuley, Joint Secretary (Teachers’ Side); D Williams for Joint Secretary (Management Side). Apologies: Councillor S Carr; S Dowling; S Topen-Cooper. M Laurie, Convener, Presiding. 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were submitted and noted as above. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST (ELECTED MEMBERS ONLY) There were no declarations of interest made in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. 3. MINUTES The minute of meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff of 27 March 2023 was submitted and approved as a correct record. 4. MATTERS ARISING There were no matters arising from the previous minutes. 5. TEACHERS’ AGREEMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY There was submitted the Teacher’s Agreement for the 21st Century, Guidance to Schools for Session 2023-24 (G/23/71). G Doogan advised that a copy of the Guidance would be circulated to schools, along with any supporting comments, following the meeting and (iii) Page 11 of 126
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support and training would be provided where necessary. C Weston intimated that she would be happy to be involved. Resolved The Committee noted the contents of G/23/71. 6. UPDATE ON STAFFING EXERCISE S Johnston led on a verbal update to the Committee regarding the staffing exercise. S Johnston advised that the pupil population had changed this year, which had impacted on the exercise and led to a reduction in ten classes across primary schools. S Johnston also advised that there had been a rise in the number of children with complex needs going into P1, and additional staffing and training have been provided. Additional teams which included Educational Psychologists and speech and language specialists were being provided along with some outreach. S Johnston advised that pilot projects had been undertaken with regards to Early Learning Centres and wraparound care, and advised that an outdoor nursery was opening up at Westbank. S Johnston further advised that the Council had been successful in bidding for the Whole Family Wellbeing fund, meaning that parenting and family support could be offered to parents of older children. With specific regards to the primary sector, S Johnston advised that 30 probationers had been taken on during the school year, and that the intention was to take on as many as possible in permanent roles in Perth and Kinross schools. P Johnstone confirmed allocation that 30 probationers had been in place in the primary sector and a further 15 in the secondary sector. With specific regards to the secondary sector, S Johnston advised that many roles which had been traditionally difficult to fill had been filled through the year. S Johnston advised that there had been an increase in the numbers of teachers for those with Additional Support Needs, and there was a plan in place to provide training for HI/VI teachers. She added that there was a rolling advert in place constantly for Pupil Support Assistants and were looking to fund additional training and role progression. Also, a Modern Apprentice Scheme was being explored to attract young people. C Weston commented that she felt the additional teams for P1 were a really welcome development, and added that she would welcome feedback on the pilot projects looking at wrap around care in Inchview and Pitlochry as well as learning more about the Modern Apprentice Scheme. Councillor Rebbeck commented that he felt there was a number of very positive initiatives. Page 12 of 126
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M Mackie echoed the comments made by others, and queried whether it would be possible to ring fence strike money for further training. S Devlin advised that this would be through the Council’s Finance and Resources Committee, and that the relevant reports would be circulated to members following the meeting. 7. VIV UP PRESENTATION ON NEW EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PLATFORM The Committee received a presentation from L Byrne on the new Employee Benefits Platform recently rolled-out by Perth and Kinross Council. In presenting, L Byrne advised that this new platform was to make all employee benefits available in one place and advised that the platform would grow over time. L Byrne demonstrated the website to those in attendance. In response to a query from L Gibb regarding Counselling services available to Council employees, L Byrne advised that it remained that there would be six sessions available on any one issue via the benefits platform and MyCare. P Johnstone further advised that employees could also be referred by their manager to counselling via the Occupational Health Service (PAM) and that there was also the Able Futures counselling via DWP. 8. EMPLOYEE SURVEY – CONSULTATION ON WHAT COULD BE INCLUDED The Committee received a presentation from C Guild regarding the employee survey and consultation on what could be included. In presenting, C Guild advised that all local authorities in Scotland were trying to improve engagement with employees, and that many different approaches were being taken. C Guild did add, however, that she was keen for the Power BI dashboard to continue to be used. C Weston raised a query regarding how it was envisaged that consultation would look with Trade Union’s moving forward, suggesting the potential for a working group, to which C Guild agreed that a working group with Trade Union involvement would be beneficial moving forward. 9. SEESAW The Committee received a verbal update from D Macluskey regarding the See Saw app used in schools. In presenting his update, D Macluskey highlighted that Seesaw had become a popular and valuable resource during the Covid-19 Pandemic. However, D McCluskey further advised that charges of £2000 per school were introduced to retain all the features which were initially free of charge. Subsequently, a district package was established, with some schools continuing to use the free of charge version. However, the free of charge version does not fully comply with GDPR and the Council’s obligations under GDPR. As such two new Page 13 of 126
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similar platforms to Seesaw have been identified, which will be piloted by some schools. In response to a query from C Weston, D McCluskey advised that there were presently 63 schools from across Perth and Kinross involved in the district package of Seesaw. 10. ANY OTHER COMPETENT BUSINESS There was no other competent business. Page 14 of 126
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CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES’ PARTNERSHIP Minute of meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership held on Friday 16 June 2023 at 10.00am in the Council Chambers, Council Building, 2 High Street, Perth. Present: Councillor L Barrett S Johnston, Head of Education and Learning, PKC H Robertson, Head of Services for Children, Young People and Families, PKC J Cunningham, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration T Leonard, Chief Inspector, Police Scotland (Item 6 onwards) J Hutton, Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross L Sharkey, Chief Midwife, Women Children and Families Division, NHS Tayside A Rhind, Senior Nurse, Health Visiting, NHS Tayside (Up to and including Item 10) Apologies: Councillor M Frampton Councillor C Shiers S Devlin, Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services), PKC In Attendance: E Cruickshank, Child Health Commissioner, NHS Tayside; J Chiles, R Drummond, C McAuley, C Mackie, S Cooper, and J Guild (all PKC). H Robertson in the Chair 1. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE H Robertson welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies were noted as above. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest in terms of the relevant Codes of Conduct. 3. MINUTE OF PREVIOUS MEETING The minute of the meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership of 3 March 2023 was submitted and noted as a correct record. (iv) Page 15 of 126
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4. MATTERS ARISING There were no matters arising from the minute of the previous meeting. 5. PRESENTATION – CHILD HEALTH COMMISSIONER, NHS TAYSIDE Elaine Cruickshank, Child Health Commissioner, NHS Tayside, joined the meeting and provided a presentation regarding the role of Child Health Commissioner within NHS Tayside. E Cruickshank advised she has been in post for approximately three months and prior to this, the role had not been filled within NHS Tayside for several years. The role sits within the Public Health Directorate and reports to the Director of Public Health. The Child Health Commissioner is a first point of contact for referrals from external agencies including the Scottish Government, third sector partners and families. In response to a query from H Robertson regarding how the role of Child Health Commissioner fits with the Caldicott Guardian, E Cruickshank confirmed there is no direct impact. The role of Caldicott Guardian is established and will continue to inform the Scottish Government. In response to a query from Councillor Barrett regarding whether the role’s remit encompassed carers under school age, E Cruickshank advised this is being considered and links have been established with S Cooper, Service Manager, Services for Children, Young People and Families, PKC. H Robertson thanked E Cruickshank for her presentation, welcomed regular input from the Child Health Commissioner and extended an invitation to attend the meeting on a more regular basis. The Partnership agreed E Cruickshank be added to the Membership for future meetings. T LEONARD JOINED THE MEETING AT THIS POINT. 6. PERTH AND KINROSS CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE BUSINESS ACTIVITY REPORT SINCE 3 MARCH 2023 There was submitted a report by the Independent Chair of Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee (G/23/66) providing a summary of the key business activities of the Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee since the last meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership on 3 March 2023. R Drummond advised a focus of work has been the development of the Child Protection Committee Improvement Plan for 2023-2026. He advised the ambitious plan which identifies 18 actions, was approved by the Child Protection Committee on 6 June 2023. R Drummond further advised that input has been received from the Care Inspectorate, with positive feedback received. It was noted that an update on the plan would be brought to this meeting, as well as a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council, in the Autumn. Page 16 of 126
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In response to a query from Councillor L Barrett regarding resources to deliver the ambitious actions of the Improvement Plan, R Drummond confirmed it is a three year plan and although leads for actions have been identified, timescales are indicative only. R Drummond advised the first update due in Autumn will provide a good opportunity for monitoring progress. H Robertson added that staffing issues continue to present challenges and managing staffing and supports is critical to ensure minimal risk. The Partnership noted and endorsed the update. 7. CARERS STRATEGY 2019-2022 FOR ADULT AND YOUNG CARERS – UPDATE There was submitted a report (G/23/79) by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) providing an update on the progress towards the identified outcome in relation to supporting young carers and to note the refresh of the Joint Carer Strategy which will be presented to the Integrated Joint Board on 21 June 2023, for approval, with the Young Carer section being presented for approval to the Learning and Families Committee on 23 August 2023. In introducing the report, H Robertson advised the needs of young carers continue to grow, with numbers identified also increasing since the pandemic. S Cooper advised the new strategy captures the requirement for support for Parent Carers and work continues with PKAVS who have been a lead partner throughout the initial strategy and its refresh. In response to a query from L Sharkey regarding carers below school age and health involvement in the initial strategy, S Cooper confirmed health colleagues were involved in the initial strategy and although attempts have been made for involvement throughout the refresh, input has been minimal. L Sharkey expressed concern regarding lack of input at this late stage in development of the refreshed strategy. It was agreed S Cooper and E Cruickshank would connect regarding this following the meeting to have an amendment added. The Partnership: (i) Noted the progress made towards supporting young carers to achieve their potential in Perth and Kinross. (ii) Noted the refreshed Carers Strategy for 2023-26 which will be presented to the Learning and Families Committee on 23 August 2023. (iii) Agreed that Outcome 7, Action 5 – Support for young carers pre-school age, of the Action Plan within Appendix 1 would be amended to reflect the NHS Young Carer Representative be Elaine Cruickshank, Child Health Commissioner. 8. WHOLE FAMILY WELLBEING FUND There was submitted a report from the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (G/23/67) providing a summary of the progress in the development and implementation of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund Page 17 of 126
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(WFWF) including the report for the Scottish Government which will be included with the Tayside Plan Annual Report 2022-23. H Robertson acknowledged that the project has received considerable funding for the parliamentary term which should enable newly developed services to have significant impact true to begin within the timeframe. However, full transformation to early intervention and prevention for whole families will take some time. C McAuley advised robust consultation will also take place with communities to inform funding allocation to the third sector. The Partnership: (i) Reviewed the content of the report and approved the Annual Progress Report to the Scottish Government. 9. GIRFEC STEERING GROUP – UPDATE ON PROGRESS There was submitted a report (G/23/68) by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) providing an update on the progress of the reinstatement of the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) Steering Group. The decision to establish the group, as a sub-group of the Children Young People’s and Families Partnership was agreed by the Partnership following the publication of the refreshed GIRFEC practice guidance on 30 September 2022. In introducing the report, H Robertson advised that A Rhind, Senior Nurse, Health Visiting, NHS Tayside and S Johnston, Head of Education and Learning, PKC, co-chair the group. S Johnston continued that following liaison with Tayside partners, a decision was reached to not develop a joint plan as has previously been the case, but collaboration work will be undertaken where necessary and links are established with the NHS GIRFEC Group. A Rhind confirmed she is a member of the NHS Tayside GIRFEC Group as well as the Angus group, ensuring robust links across Tayside. H Robertson commented on the huge undertaking of the Group and the importance of their work. The Partnership: (i) Noted the proposed Terms of Reference and key priorities for the PKC GIRFEC Steering Group. (ii) Request the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) to seek updates on progress at Children and Young People and Families Partnership meetings. 10. MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING OVERVIEW GROUP There was submitted a report (G/23/69) by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) reviewing progress to date of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Overview Group. In introducing the report, C Mackie advised this report is the first to the Partnership following establishment of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Page 18 of 126
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Overview Group in June 2022. The Group will meet quarterly, and their work informs the Local Outcome Improvement Plan. In response to a query from T Leonard regarding a Police Scotland representative on the group, C Mackie confirmed a representative would be very welcome. J Hutton also volunteered a representative from Independent Advocacy. In response to a query from S Johnston regarding impact of the interventions so far, C Mackie confirmed it is too early to show impact for most projects, and it is anticipated this will generally be difficult to reflect given the short term nature of the funding. S Johnston offered to share funding monitoring tools used by Education Services, which C Mackie confirmed would be useful. The Partnership: (i) Requests the Mental Health and Wellbeing Overview Group review the role and remit of the group in line with the proposals noted and changes to membership suggested. (ii) Requests the Overview Group review the action plan to show streamlined actions aligned to local outcomes, which should be specific, measurable and timely, and include where appropriate, funding and financial information. (iii) Requests the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) to submit a six-monthly progress report to the Partnership. A RHIND LEFT THE MEETING AT THIS POINT. 11. THEMATIC APPROACH TO PERFORMANCE REPORTING There was submitted a report (G/23/70) by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) continuing the thematic reporting plan for performance and outcome information focused on children, young people and families. The report sets out a suite of information around the second of the themes, namely Outcomes for Vulnerable Children, for consideration and scrutiny by the Partnership. In introducing the report J Chiles confirmed that Looked After Children with more than one placement in a year, is not necessarily negative in that it could reflect a move to a more suitable placement. J Chiles also advised data regarding Care Leavers is significantly impacted by “unknown economic activity” and while work is ongoing in conjunction with Skills Development Scotland to improve accurate record keeping, this does rely on other sources. H Robertson thanked those involved in the production of the report for the additional narrative provided alongside the data. The Partnership: (i) Considered and commented on the information set out in Appendix 1. (ii) Provided guidance to inform the future direction of thematic performance reporting. Page 19 of 126
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12. ANY OTHER COMPETENT BUSINESS There was no other competent business. 13. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership will take place on 15 September 2023. Page 20 of 126
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NAME OF COMMITTEE / SUB-COMMITTEE: LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT (OBS) (Report No. 23/278) Please note that this statement sets out outstanding decisions of Council / this committee / sub-committee along with an update and estimated completion date. Actions which are overdue are shaded for ease of reference. Where an update reflects that an action is complete then agreement will be sought to its removal from the OBS. No Date / Minute Reference / Report Number Subject Title Outstanding Action Update Lead Officer /Service Action Due/completed Action Expected 7. Appointment of non-elected members of the Learning and Families Committee. Appointment of relevant non- elected members to the Committee. In terms of the Parent Representatives to the Committee, the positions are now being readvertised again , and it is hoped that this will be completed and then reported to the next meeting of this Committee in March. Discussions regarding youth representation on the Committee continue, with the Perth and Kinross Youth Forum having now been reconvened. Democratic Services / Education and Children’s Services DUE 11 March 2024. 4 Page 21 of 126
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE 25 OCTOBER 2023 TAYSIDE CHILDREN’S SERVICES PLAN AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES PLAN ANNUAL REPORT 2022-2023 Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 23/279) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 The attached Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People and Families 2023-2026 (Appendix 1) outlines the commitment of partners within the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative (TRIC) to deliver on shared objectives in a single Tayside Plan. 1.2 Appendix 1 highlights headline actions for Perth and Kinross Council and our statutory partners: NHS Tayside and Police Scotland. The detail on the commitment across Tayside to deliver on outcomes, is specified within the renewed report and delivery plan. 1.3 Separately, the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families (2021- 2023) Annual Report 2022-2023 (Appendix 2) provides an update on the achievement of agreed actions throughout 2022-2023. 2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 It is recommended that the Committee: • Notes progress on the agreed actions within the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families (2021-2023) Annual Report (2022- 2023) (Appendix 2); • Approves the Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People and Families (2023-2026) (Appendix 1); and • Requests an annual progress report on the delivery of the 2023-2026 Plan to the Learning and Families Committee in October 2024. 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: Proposals • Appendices 4. BACKGROUND 6 Page 23 of 126
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4.1 The Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People and Families 2023-2026 is a refreshed approach which builds on the commitment, shared by partners, to produce a collaborative plan which ensures that ‘children and young people have the best start in life and that Tayside will be the best place in Scotland to grow up’. 4.2 The production of an integrated plan is a joint statutory requirement of the local authority and health board. The aim is to work in partnership with statutory and third sector organisations and with children, young people, families and communities to produce a plan which meets local need. 4.3 The original Tayside Plan was established in 2017 to help identify collaborative opportunities to address common commitments to children and their families. Throughout this time, there have been strenuous efforts to hear the ‘voices’ of children and young people in determining the priorities for service improvement. This renewed Plan for 2023-2026 provides an update on the implementation of identified actions and details communal ambitions for the future. 5. PROPOSALS 5.1 Within Perth and Kinross, the Children, Young People & Families Partnership (CYPFP) has a key role in ensuring oversight of the Delivery Plan, and measures of success within the Plan, and to provide robust governance of the actions which are reported on annually. Members of Learning and Families Committee can be assured that challenges are being mitigated and that there is commitment from every sector to achieving the agreed objectives and outcomes for children and their families. 5.2 The production of the 2023-2026 Plan is fundamental to the delivery of Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) and The Promise, at a strategic, operational, and practice level. There is universal agreement that this Plan should also recognise the needs of infants and pregnant women, and this will be prioritised over the three year lifespan of the new 2023-2026 Plan. All partners have individual and collective responsibility to progress the implementation of GIRFEC and to deliver on commitments to The Promise as fundamental aspects of wider children’s services planning. Author Name Designation Contact Details Hazel Robertson Head of Services for Children, Young People & Families ECSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk 01738 475000 Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) 5 October 2023 Page 24 of 126
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes/None Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial None Workforce None Asset Management (land, property, IST) None Assessments Equality Impact Assessment N/A Strategic Environmental Assessment N/A Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) N/A Legal and Governance N/A Risk N/A Consultation Internal Yes External Yes Communication Communications Plan Yes 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. (i) and (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. (i) and (ii). Page 26 of 126
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1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Vision, Values and Priorities in respect of the following key Priority area: • Best Start 2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 There are no financial implications. 2.2 There are no resource implications. 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. 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 (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. Page 27 of 126
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3.3.1 Not applicable. Legal and Governance 3.4 Not applicable. 3.5 Not applicable. Risk 3.6 No risks are associated with the proposals contained in this report. 4. Consultation Internal 4.1 This report has been reviewed by the Education and Children’s Services Senior Management Team. External 4.2 This report has, by necessity, required the involvement and engagement of all key statutory partners and particularly our NHS Tayside and Police Scotland colleagues. It has also been approved by colleagues in Angus Council and Dundee City Council. 5. Communication 5.1 This document will be circulated to the Scottish Government and be available to all partners and the public once approved. This will be made available on the Perth and Kinross Council website and via NHS Tayside, Police Scotland and our partner local authorities. 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 – Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People and Families 2023-2026 Appendix 2 – Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families (2021-2023) - Annual Report 2022-2023 Page 28 of 126
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Appendix 1 Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People and Families 2023-2026 6 Page 29 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 2 Foreword As Chair of the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative Leadership Group, I’m delighted to introduce our ambitious Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People and Families for the period 2023-26. The priorities and actions outlined in this plan are designed to complement activities at a local level. As the revised title suggests, we’ve strengthened our focus on early years whilst continuing to coordinate improvements in support to children and young people. You will see from the content that we remain committed to addressing inequalities in income, health and wellbeing; narrowing the attainment gap; and protecting vulnerable families from harm. As a collaborative, we have been very conscious that certain infants, children, young people and families are more likely to face significant challenges for which they require additional support, at least at certain times in their lives. The Covid-19 pandemic has now ended but has had a disruptive and enduring impact, which has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis. The importance of further enhancing early years support; improving pupil’s presence, participation and performance at primary and secondary school; promoting emotional health and wellbeing; and further strengthening child protection arrangements has been brought into even sharper focus. In the context of such key policies as the Scottish Government Child Poverty Delivery Plan, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Keeping the Promise Implementation Plan, Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) and Delivering Excellence and Equity, our new plan incorporates actions on how we will consistently support our workforce and how we will pro-actively target, listen and flexibly respond to vulnerable families. We want to jointly understand their challenges and work with them to build capacity and overcome barriers. We recognise that because this often involves multiple and overlapping needs, it requires a consistent holistic approach from all our services. The Regional Improvement Collaborative has been making good progress in improving support and this plan confirms our commitment to make further improvements over the next 3 years. As a Leadership Group, we will review internal governance arrangements which ensure that actions to address each priority are appropriately aligned and allow us to efficiently implement the plan at pace. We will also provide updates on progress to Scottish Government and within our respective local partnership and organisational governance arrangements at agreed intervals. In doing so, we will, wherever necessary, adapt our approaches and continue to both explore and respond to new opportunities whenever we can. Audrey May Executive Director, Children and Families Service, Dundee City Council Page 30 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 3 Key Statutory Drivers Our collaborative is driven by a range of key statutory requirements which share a similar theme of providing support which gives all infants, children, young people and families the best start in life and address inequalities in health, wellbeing, attainment and positive destinations. This includes the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, which outlines requirements relating to families in need of additional support; the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, which introduced new requirements relating to care leavers; the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, which includes a focus on 6 priority groups; and the Education (Scotland) Act 2016, which places an emphasis on the importance of addressing inequalities. National Outcomes Our children grow up loved, safe and respected so that they realise their full potential Our children live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe Our children are respected, protected, fulfil their human rights and live free from discrimination We tackle poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally Our collaborative work is built on Getting It Right For Every Child The Promise United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Trauma Informed workforce The Infant Pledge Vision Our children and young people will have the best start in life and Tayside will be the best place in Scotland to grow up Our Five Tayside Priorities 1. Our children will have the best start in life 2. Our children, young people and families will achieve and make positive contributions to communities 3. Our children and young people will enjoy good physical and mental health 4. Our children and young people will have their rights protected and their voices heard 5. Our children and young people will be safe and loved Our Guiding Principles Based on what people who know and use our services tell us and taking account of the fundamentals of the Promise our plan is underpinned by the following principles: Rights based – this means that there is evidence that children’s rights are considered in everything we do and that rights are promoted or enhanced by what we are doing. Easily understood and accessible – we will make sure that we clearly say what we are doing and what difference it will make. We won’t use confusing or stigmatising language, acronyms or jargon to ensure everyone has the same understanding of what we want to do. Based on what people with lived experience tell us – this means asking, listening, and acting on the voice and experience of people who use services and have lived experience. Linked clearly to evidence - it will be clear what our evidence base shows and we will measure the difference we are making. This will include use of data measures and the views of those accessing services, staff working with families, national impact reports and local research etc. Making the best use of resources - The benefits of working together on a Tayside basis and across different agencies/services will be clearly stated. Page 31 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 4 Key Policies and Strategies Compliance with our statutory requirements is shaped by a range of national policies and frameworks which promote both universal and targeted support. This includes the all- encompassing UNCRC, which outlines 54 Articles designed to ensure infants, children, young people and families benefit from all their social, political, economic, educational and cultural entitlements and are kept safe from harm. This is complemented by GIRFEC, which includes a focus on Health, Education and Social Work professionals acting as Named Persons and/or Lead Professionals for infants, children and young people with additional support needs and coordinating Child’s Plans. In Early Learning and Childcare settings and Schools, Achieving Excellence and Equity: National Improvement Framework and improvement plan 2023 sets out the vision and priorities for Scottish education. The Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress sets out a refreshed mission to use education to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty, with a focus on tackling the poverty-related attainment gap. Other key strategies we need to consider when framing improvement priorities include the Refreshed Narrative for Scotland’s Curriculum, the Additional Support for Learning: Action Plan (updated October 2021). In relation to children and young people at risk of significant harm, all partners within the collaborative play a key role and work in accordance with the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland (2021). For children and young people on the edge of care or in the formal care system, the Independent Care Review promotes improvements in the 5 foundations of The Promise of Voice, Family, Care, People and Scaffolding and the Promise Oversight Report. As many people in the justice system are also parents or carers, the National Community Justice Strategy, which emphasises the importance of holistic support to address risks and needs, is also relevant. Further guidance to ensure the safeguarding of children is also provided in Early Learning and Childcare national frameworks, Child Protection guidelines and the Promise Oversight report. Each of these policies and strategies, alongside a requirement to make the best use of resources, avoid duplication, promote consistency and both support and challenge each other, encourage us to work as a regional collaborative with our third sector partners with a particular focus on addressing inequalities. This extends to work with other key partners, including Scottish Government, the Scottish Prison Service, Parole Board, Sheriff Courts, Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service, Health and Social Care Partnerships, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, Education Scotland, Care Inspectorate, Scottish Social Services Council, Kinship Carers, Foster Carers and Adopters. Our relationship with the Third Sector is important as we commission or spot purchase a range of services designed to provide extra support to vulnerable families and address inequalities. This includes funding from core budgets and other funding such as Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) and Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) funding. At a local level, each Children’s Service Planning Partnership (CSPP) will also be coordinating the deployment of Scottish Government Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF), which has been allocated to promote innovation and transformational change in the way we deliver preventative support to families. Our Third Sector partners will inform regional and local opportunities. Page 32 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 5 Regional Context Our approach towards leading, managing, delivering and commissioning support to parents/carers, infants, children and young people must also be informed by an understanding of regional and local demographics. We know that although the nature and extent differ across the 3 local authority areas, there are enough commonalities to encourage a shared approach. Crucially, these issues include children, young people and families experiencing poverty and the various inter-related ways this can impact on life chances. Our plan therefore complements the 3 Local Authority Poverty Delivery Plans or their equivalent. These Delivery Plans set out bold and ambitious actions needed with partners to provide the support families need both immediately and in the medium to longer term, to address the cyclical drivers and impact of poverty, including employability, income, housing, mental health and substance use. This regional plan describes priorities and actions designed to contribute towards addressing each of these factors and give families the opportunity to participate and be economically active. Area covered across Tayside Region Page 33 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 6 Source for Looked After and Child Protection figures: https://www.gov.scot/publications/childrens-social-work- statistics-scotland-2021-22/ Page 34 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 7 Message to Our Parents/Carers, Infants, Children and Young People As a collaborative, we want to assure parents/carers, infants, children and young people that we have taken all available data into account when developing our priorities and actions. In each of the three partnership areas, work has taken place to engage with children, young people, families and communities to understand what matters most. Staff across the multi- agency workforce are committed to representing the voice of children and young people in key decisions affecting their lives, in developing supports and services and setting a strategic direction. The Promise, Children and Young People’s Rights and Participation Strategy and the Infant Pledge have influenced our work on engagement. Our message to parents, cares, children and young people: We are committed to ensuring families have the best possible start; to supporting you to reach your potential; to helping you enjoy good physical and mental health; to keeping you safe; and to listening to your needs and responding flexibly. We believe that having identified these as shared regional priorities, there are opportunities for us to share our resources and use them to enhance support in some key areas. Your rights are: You have the right to have your rights protected feel safe, secure and loved be successful be healthy the best start in life be ambitious Page 35 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 8 Our commitments are: We will listen to you support your relationships support your learning provide the right support help you be healthy and active support your independence Page 36 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 9 Governance including links with local Children’s Service Planning Partnerships The collaborative operates on a regional basis and its priorities and delivery plan complement activities at a local level. Our regional and local governance arrangements, in terms of how respective plans are developed, implemented and monitored, are therefore fully aligned and mutually informed. The links between respective partnership forums and regional and local plans are illustrated in the graphic below. Further details on Community Planning Partnerships and local strategic plans, including relevant connections with partnerships which are focused on specific themes such as child protection, healthy weight or substance use, can be found in the links towards the end of this plan. Page 37 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 10 What we have been doing and our next steps Progress of work led by the priority groups is detailed in the 2022-2023 annual report and is summarised below to demonstrate the connection between the previous plan and the next 3 years. Priority 1 – Pre-birth and Early Years There has been a key focus on improving transitions to Early Learning and Childcare (ELC), starting with a general mapping of support available for children with emerging developmental or additional support needs moving into ELC settings. During 2022-23, process maps were used to identify gaps in transition processes, identify Tayside-wide solutions and create a Pan- Tayside pathway. Also, in 2022-23, an Early Years tracking tool developed to monitor the progress of children aged 3-5 years, was refined by each local authority in response to evaluative feedback and is being used across Tayside by ELC staff to provide timely, targeted support for children in their learning and development, including onward transitions to P1. Following some refinements, this tool will be used across Tayside in session 2023/24 and will inform further developments. The transitions survey will also be repeated in 2023-24 to measure the impact of the new pathways and similarly inform next steps. Priority 2 - Learning and Attainment There has been a particular focus on building capacity to promote UNCRC, providing targeted support to specific groups and creatively enhancing digital learning opportunities. Professional learning sessions on Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) continued to be offered to all schools to help increase understanding of UNCRC and were attended by over 500 members of staff. The Tayside Virtual Campus was expanded to offer support to 35 learners engaging with 6 Advanced Higher subjects. The campus offers a blend of self-study, live delivery, webinars and tutorials. For session 2023-24, 180 young people are enrolled to study 7 Advanced Higher subjects and 1 Higher subject. National 1-3 resources have been developed and collated for learners in the Senior Phase in all STEM subject areas. A new website, Open Tay Learning, has been created to house these resources and has many accessibility functions to enhance learning for our young people with additional support needs and barriers to learning. Each local authority is now utilising the Digital Schools Award Scotland self-evaluation framework to develop their digital pedagogy. Our Tayside Leadership, Development and Induction programme continued in 2022/23 with participation of another 15 Head Teachers from across Tayside. Following COVID-19 and recovery, reciprocal visits resumed in this session to support local authority central teams and build the capacity of school leaders across Tayside. Priority 3 – Health and Wellbeing Following extensive consultation and engagement ‘Helping Tayside’s Children & Young People Feel Great and Ready to Learn’ Tayside’s Child Healthy Weight Strategy (CHWS) was co-produced and subsequently launched in 2021. Pressures relating to the cost-of-living crisis and increasing numbers of families living with food insecurity sets a clear and ongoing need for implementation and spread of a Whole Systems Approach to Child Healthy Weight across Tayside. This work will be informed by the early adopter work in Dundee and the need to advance the realisation of the vision of the CHWS ‘for every child in Tayside to grow up in Page 38 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 11 a community and environment that supports them to feel great and ready to learn so that they can achieve optimum health and flourish to their best of abilities’. Following the launch of ‘Connected Tayside: An Emotional Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Children and Young People’ in November 2021, an implementation plan was similarly developed. The Children and Young People’s Charter and a padlet of resources have been developed, including links to e-learning modules, the previously developed Emotional Health and Wellbeing Toolkit and a variety of useful links to support teachers, parents and carers. Additional supports have been provided through CAMHS and ‘Living Life Well’, the overarching population-wide mental health strategy for Tayside. Alongside the above, and in line with national strategies, work on both suicide prevention and the voice of the infant has been actively developed. Priority 4 – Care Experienced Children and Young People The focus for PG4 changed to key aspects of the 5 foundations of The Promise, including the coordination of some regional activity and some shared learning about local initiatives which could be transferred between areas. This included work with Strathclyde University Centre of Youth and Criminal Justice, the 3 Local Authorities and NHS Tayside to carry out a regional self-evaluation of practice against new national Secure Care Standards. The group also reviewed data pertaining to the school attendance of care experienced children and young people. Actions to develop better support for these cohorts of young people were identified and have included work on transitions and additional support at home, school and the community. A focus on maintaining relationships with brothers and sisters was taken forward in Angus, with a view to scaling this up to a Tayside-wide model. This will inform action plans on how to maximise opportunities to maintain relationships, including in respect of brother/sister informed assessments, obtaining the views of brothers and sisters and placement capacity. It is also helping to confirm some constraints and complexities, such as children being placed into adoption well before much younger brothers or sisters are born, either with the same or a different father, all with parental rights and responsibilities. Priority 5 – Safeguarding and Child Protection Founded upon research carried out for Tayside by Dr Sharon Vincent from Northumbria University, PG5 has focused on the inter-related themes of workforce development, practitioner guidance and peer learning. This has, in turn, informed local Child Protection Committee Improvement Plans, including additional learning from case reviews and further workforce development. Tayside Practitioner Guidance on Chronologies, Concern for Unborn Babies and Inter-Agency Referral Discussions (IRDs) were all reviewed and refreshed, ensuring compliance with the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland (2021). Following the publication of National Guidance for Child Protection Committees Undertaking Learning Reviews, local arrangements have been updated and Significant Case Reviews (SCRs) and Initial Case Reviews (ICRs) replaced with multi-agency Learning Reviews. Angus and Dundee Child Protection Committees have jointly commissioned a consultant to review and develop local learning review guidance for all Protecting People arrangements. Page 39 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 12 Looking forward Having reviewed the work undertaken previously through the annual report and after analysis of local data and national policy developments, we have agreed the priorities and actions as a focus for collaboration and joint learning and these are set out in the plan below. The 2023-26 Tayside plan is an ambitious 3 year plan with some work to be carried out on refining our performance framework. We will continue to work to this plan in partnership with other key strategic partnerships including Child Poverty, Alcohol and Drug Partnership, Child and Adult Protection Committees and Community Planning Partnerships more widely. Additionally, each of the respective local authorities and their partners have established robust Whole Family Wellbeing Plans to support early and effective help for families. This will further enhance the collaborative commitment of partners across Tayside to deliver on the strategic priorities specified in this plan. (For details, please see attached plans for each local authority area and NHS Tayside). Our overall thematic priorities have been refreshed as collective commitments to infants, children, young people and families across Tayside as follows: • Our Children will have the best start in life. • Our children and young people will achieve and make positive contributions. • Our children and young people will enjoy good physical and mental health. • Our children and young people will have their rights protected and their voices heard. • Our children and young people will be safe and feel loved. Please refer to the Delivery Plan below for further detailed actions and measures. Page 40 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 13 Delivery Plan and measures of success April 2023 – March 2026 What We Want to Achieve How We Will Achieve It We will …. What will success look like? Baseline Data Our children will have the best start in life Ensure clear pathways are in place for early identification of need in children pre-birth to age 3 with specific attention to: • Pre-birth support pathways • Transition pathways into early years settings for children with significant early concerns in relation to their development or emerging additional support needs Families with identified needs are matched with support at an early stage. Reduced number of concerns identified at 27- 30mth review compared to 13–15 month review (showing success of early intervention). Increased % of children aged 3-5 newly enrolled at LA ELC where significant early concerns were raised with the ELC prior to child starting (indicating good information sharing). Infant mental health is understood and promoted. Unborn baby referrals per quarter (data for Feb- Apr’23) – no audit data yet Angus: 40 Dundee: 46 Perth & Kinross: 27 % of children with concerns identified at 13- 15mth & 27-30mth Angus: 13.4% (16.0%) Dundee: 16.6% (17.5%) Perth & Kinross: 15.0% (16.6%) Tayside: 14.9 (16.8 %) (figure in brackets is 27- 30mth; both figures 2021- 22) 93 children or 51% of children newly enrolled at LA ELC aged 3-5 with significant early concerns raised prior to starting nursery Provide accessible, responsive, and flexible parenting support Increased availability of Solihull programme delivered in local areas. Increased range and uptake of supports and services available to families in local communities. Evidence of engagement and involvement of fathers/those in a fathering role in children’s health, education, and child’s plans Solihull staff training data - figures show 2022-23 (italics and brackets show total trained to date): Angus Council: 52 (737) Dundee CC: 89 (432) Perth &Kinross C: 103 (364) NHS Tayside: 147 (199) Local monitoring of Whole Family Wellbeing Plans – outcome measures. Page 41 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 14 What We Want to Achieve How We Will Achieve It We will …. What will success look like? Baseline Data Our children and young people will achieve and make positive contributions to communities Implement effective strategies to increase school attendance Increased attendance across all groups. Increased attendance and attainment for children living in SIMD 1 and/or looked after at home. Attendance 2020/21 Angus: 92.8% Dundee: 90.6% Perth & Kinross: 91.9% Attendance gap by SIMD SIMD 1 – most deprived, and in italics SIMD 5- least deprived) Angus – 89.9% (95.0%) Dundee- 88.2% (94.6%) Perth & Kinross: 88.9% (93.7%) - 2020/21 data Attendance gap for looked after children all pupils in normal font, LAC in italics) Angus – 92.8 (86%) Dundee – 90.6% (88%) Perth & Kinross: 91.9% (89%) - 2020/21 data Implement plans focused on raising attainment and meaningful engagement (participation). Reduced attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people. Measures as set out in each of the local authority stretch aims. Page 42 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 15 What We Want to Achieve How We Will Achieve It We will …. What will success look like? Baseline Data Our children and young people will enjoy good physical and mental health. Ensure full implementation of the Child Healthy Weight Tayside Strategy. Increased proportion of children with a healthy weight Reduced inequality in healthy weight between children living in the most and least deprived areas in Tayside. A revised Child Health Weight outcomes framework is under development. Proportion of Children with Healthy Weight by SIMD quintile (SIMD 1 – most deprived, in italics SIMD 5- least deprived) Angus – 59.2% (89.3%) Dundee - 68.5% (76.5%) Perth & Kinross - 73.2% (74.6%) Tayside 68.2% (78.5%) Work collectively to support uptake of immunisation for children across Tayside. Increased proportion of children receiving all immunisations. First MMR by age 24mths Angus: 91.4% Dundee: 89.7% Perth & Kinross: 92.6% Scotland: 93.4% Implement the Tayside Action Plan to reduce suicide in children and young people Reduced number of children and young people completing suicide Increased number of identified staff trained in suicide intervention. Increased satisfaction with information sharing from child death/suicide review. Tayside Suicide Review Group (TSRG) Data Set Continued implementation of ‘Connected Tayside; an emotional health & wellbeing strategy for children & young people’ (2021-23) Tayside Mental Health pathways are fully implemented and supports are accessible. Health and Wellbeing survey will show an increase in pupils who say they feel positive about their future. % of pupils who feel positive about their future Angus: 70.2% Dundee: 74.6% Perth & Kinross: 78.0% Scotland: 72.8% Page 43 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 16 What We Want to Achieve How We Will Achieve It We will …. What will success look like? Baseline Data Our children and young people will have their rights protected and their voices heard Support the multi-agency workforce to promote rights, choice and control for children and young people on how their views are heard and represented and how they are involved in decisions that affect them. Children and young people will have access to independent advocacy, informal advocacy and digital tools to support participation. Attending child’s planning meetings will be supported and the environment inclusive. Children with additional needs will have support to share their views and be involved in decisions. Views are well represented at child’s planning meetings. Children’s Hearing decisions are fully informed by the views of children and young people. Staff will have access to training on UNCRC, The Promise, engagement and feel confident in supporting young people. Local performance measures will be shared, and best practice built upon including outcomes from local self-evaluation, audit, feedback from young people, and use of digital tools. Number of schools with Rights Respecting Schools Awards (July 2023): Gold - 16 Silver - 36 Bronze - 87 Registered – 42 Promote and protect relationships that are important to children and young people when children are separated from their families and it is safe to do so. When children are separated from people that are important to them, there are clear plans to maintain and promote safe family time. National Data set for siblings will be implemented and monitored Page 44 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 17 What We Want to Achieve How We Will Achieve It We will …. What will success look like? Baseline Data Our children and young people will be safe and feel loved Ensure appropriate housing options are in place for vulnerable families including pregnant women and families with children. Children and families are secure in good quality accommodation that meets their needs. Reduction in the number of children growing up in temporary accommodation. Households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation on 30.09.2022 (and no. of children in brackets): Tayside: 100 (245) Further develop approaches to identifying, responding, and managing risk to young people aged 12 – 18 including: • Young people at risk of secure care • Young people subject to Care and Risk Management (CARM) planning. • Young people who go missing Young people in our settings feel informed and feel that their rights have been respected. Young people at risk of harm have access to appropriate support and clear plans to address need and risk. Secure care standards will be implemented with evidence of rights-based practice. CARM data set under development. Make progress toward the implementation of Bairns’ Hoose Principles. Provide trauma responsive supports and services to children and young people involved in child protection. To be established following outcome of Pathfinder Bid. Introduce the Scottish Child Interview Model for children and young people. Reduced requirement for children and young people to attend Court. To be established as part of implementation programme. Page 45 of 126
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Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 18 Glossary for acronyms Acronym Full words ASN Additional Support Needs ASL Review Additional Support for Learning Review AVS Angus Virtual School CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service CfE Curriculum for Excellence EBSA Emotionally-based school avoidance ELC / EY Early Learning and Childcare / Early Years ELKLAN Speech, language and communication courses EPS Educational Psychology Service FSM Free School Meals GIRFEC Getting it Right for Every Child IRDs Inter-agency Referral Discussions IEP Individual Education Programme LLW Live Life Well MMR Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccination PIPS Performance in Primary Schools PHS P1 BMI Body Mass Index of Primary 1 children in Scotland PSE Personal and Social Education QAMSO Quality Assurance Moderation Support Officer RRS Rights Respecting Schools RSHP Relationships Sexual Health and Parenthood SAC Scottish Attainment Challenge SBAR Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation SDS Skills Development Scotland SHANARRI Wellbeing indicators – safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active respected, responsible, included SIMD Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation SNSA Scottish National Standardised Assessment SOLAR Science of Language and Reading SRS Sound Reading System STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics SYP Scottish Youth Parliament TLAG Tayside Learning and Attainment Group TMSRG Tayside Multiagency Suicide Review Group TRIC Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative UNCRC United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Page 46 of 126
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2 Appendix 2 Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families (2021-2023) Annual Report 2022-2023 6 Page 47 of 126
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3 Contents Introduction 4 Tayside Collaborative Model 5 Focus of Priority Groups 6 Priority Group 1: Pre-birth and Early Years 7 Priority Group 2: Learning and Attainment 10 Priority Group 3: Health and Wellbeing 12 Priority Group 4: Care Experienced Children and Young People 14 Priority Group 5: Safeguarding and Child Protection 15 Performance Framework Summary 20 Conclusion 21 Appendix 1: Priority Group Members (Job Titles & Organisations) 22 Appendix 2: Headline measures 23 This report was approved by the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative on 21/08/23. Should you wish to enquire on this report, please contact us via www.taycollab.org.uk Page 48 of 126
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4 Introduction The Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2021-23 forms the Integrated Children’s Services Plan (ICSP) for the three Community Planning Partnership areas in Tayside and is led by the three Councils (Angus, Dundee, and Perth and Kinross), NHS Tayside, Police Scotland, the Third Sector and other organisations that influence service delivery in the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) areas. The plan focuses on improving the outcomes of children, young people and families by galvanising the collective capacity of partners across Tayside. This annual report outlines the work undertaken to progress the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families in the period from April 2022 to March 2023. During this time, the Collaborative has remained committed to sharing and building on local practice across the 3 local authorities, and where value is added, working together to address the significant challenges faced by children, young people and their families at this time. The impact of the pandemic has continued to be experienced by the most disadvantaged in society, exacerbated further by the current cost-of-living crisis. The need to address child poverty and provide whole family wellbeing support has never been more evident. It is in this context that collaborative working across Tayside is vital to address inequity and accelerate progress towards improving outcomes in health, wellbeing and attainment. By focusing our collective efforts on the priorities of early years, learning and attainment, health and wellbeing, care experienced children/young people, and safe-guarding and child protection, we want to ensure that ‘our children and young people will have the best start in life and Tayside will be the best place in Scotland to grow up’. TRIC Leadership Group Page 49 of 126
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5 Tayside Collaborative Model The five Priority Groups (PGs) within the Tayside Collaborative have representation from across the three areas and deliver detailed action plans against which their progress is reported. The Performance and Data subgroup has continued to offer support to the PGs to deliver on outcomes. Governance is delivered through the Leadership Group and the Strategic Group at Chief Executive level, currently led by Dundee City Council. There is further governance oversight within the respective Children’s Planning Partnerships across Tayside. Page 50 of 126
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6 The Plan focuses on five shared priority areas to improve outcomes for children and young people, stated under each associated group in the progress section below. Page 51 of 126
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7 Priority Group 1: Pre-Birth and Early Years ‘Our children will have the best start in life in a nurturing environment’. The key areas taken forward from the 2021-23 Tayside plan were transitions for children aged 0-3 years with emergent developmental or additional support needs; tracking and monitoring in Early Years; and support for families (welfare and poverty). Transitions for children 0-3 years with emergent developmental or additional support needs During 2022-23, a multi-agency group continued to work collaboratively to find ways to improve home to Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) transitions for children with emergent developmental or additional support needs. Initially the target age group was 0-3yrs however this was extended to include transitions for children aged 2-5yrs. Most recent published data from Public Health Scotland Early Childhood Development statistics (2020-2021) at each of the 3 age reviews highlighted significant levels of emergent needs and concerns. Summary of data for 2020/21 13-15 month review In each of the local authority areas, the domain with the highest proportion of concerns was speech, language and communication followed by gross motor. This pattern was also reflected in national data. However, this represents an increase in the number of concerns about speech and language compared with the previous year. 27-30 month review For each of the local authority areas, the domain with the highest proportion of concerns was speech, language and communication, followed by emotional/behavioural in Dundee and personal/social in Angus and Perth & Kinross. Speech, language and communication and emotional/behavioural were also the domains with the highest proportion of concerns nationally. 4-5 year review The domains with the highest proportion of concerns were emotional/behavioural, fine motor and speech, language and communication although the order varied in each area. These domains also had the highest proportion of concerns nationally. In 2021/22 session, pathways were shared across Tayside, mapping support for children with emerging developmental or additional support needs transitioning into ELC settings. During 2022/23, these process maps were used to identify gaps in transition processes, find Tayside-wide solutions and create a Pan-Tayside pathway. A multi-agency staff survey was developed, implemented and analysed. The purpose was to gather baseline data in relation to the number of new starts (August 2022) with significant early concerns in relation to their development or emerging additional support needs. This included the percentage of those newly enrolled with significant early concerns raised prior to starting ELC and where the information came from, and the percentage of those children for whom concerns had been raised prior to starting ELC who had support plans in place. In March 2023, questionnaire results from 93 Local Authority ELC settings across Tayside Page 52 of 126
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8 highlighted that the three main areas of concern were speech and language development; play skills/interaction with others; and social communication. Of those children who had a successful transition, use of My World documentation to support planning in Angus; multi-agency relationships in Perth & Kinross; and health visiting relationships in Dundee were highlighted as positive contributing factors. Positive parent/carer relationships and effective lines of communication between ELCs and families, as well as transition visits and processes, were evident across all local areas. Summary of Staff Survey Results Information provided relates to both the 2 year old and 3-5 year old populations, case held by Health Visiting teams across Tayside, who enrolled in ELCs in August 2022. 2-year old children • 47% of those newly enrolled since August 2022 had significant early concerns. • 97% of those newly enrolled with significant early concerns raised prior to starting. • 50% of those newly enrolled since August 2022, whose concerns had been raised prior to starting ELC, had support plans in place. • Parent/carer as most common source of information with other health professional and ELC worker also noted. Of those children who had a successful transition, the following factors made this a successful process: • Effective relationships and information sharing between ELCs and Health Visitors • Child’s Plan in place prior to start • Parent/carer relationships 3-5 year old children • 17% of those newly enrolled since August 2022 had significant early concerns. • 97% of those newly enrolled with significant early concerns raised prior to starting. • 60% of those newly enrolled since August 2022 whose concerns had been raised prior to starting ELC, had support plans in place. • Parent/carer as most common source of the information, other health professional, ELC worker and other family member also recorded. Tayside Local Authority Early Learning and Childcare Settings 2-year old children • 17% of those newly enrolled for August 2022 had significant early concerns. • 52% of those newly enrolled with significant early concerns raised prior to starting. • 22% of those newly enrolled for August 2022 whose concerns had been raised prior to starting ELC, had support plans in place. • Parent/Carer and Health Visitor most common source of information with other Health professional and Social Worker also noted. 3-5 year old children • 13% of those newly enrolled in August 2022 had significant early concerns. • 51% of those newly enrolled with significant early concerns raised prior to starting. • 41% of those newly enrolled for August 2022 whose concerns had been raised prior to starting ELC, had support plans in place. • Parent/carer most common source of the information with previous ELC setting Health Visitor and Social Worker also recorded. Page 53 of 126
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9 Whilst there is evidence of effective communication and processes in place, feedback highlighted that further work is required to strengthen transitions through improved contact and information sharing with other agencies; better lines of communication and information sharing with parents/carers; and improved contact and information sharing between ELCs ahead of transition into ELCs. In June 2023, the Pan-Tayside transitions pathways for ELC providers and Health Visitors were shared with staff for use in all 3 local authorities. These outline the agreed processes that will support effective communication, information sharing, and transition planning for children aged 2-5 years with developmental needs and those with additional support needs, and include: • Pathways for Health Visitors who notice emerging concerns at 13-15mth and 27- 30mth review • Early Learning and Childcare admission process, including for children with significant early concerns in relation to their development or emerging additional support needs • ELC Transition Referral Process for children with emerging additional support needs The transitions survey will be repeated in 2023/24 to measure the impact of the use of the pathways to improve transitions into ELC for children with significant early concerns in relation to their development or emerging additional support needs. Tracking and Monitoring in Early Years In 2022/23, the Early Years tool developed to capture the learning, development and progress of children aged 3-5 years, was refined by each local authority in response to evaluative feedback and is being used across Tayside by ELC staff to provide timely, targeted support and challenge. From October to December 2022, a tool to track the development of 2-3 year olds was piloted with a small number of settings and this was extended to include more settings from January to June 2023 then implemented wider in the summer of 2023. In response to evaluative feedback from this pilot, adaptations have been made by each local authority and this will be used across Tayside in 2023/24. Support for Families (Welfare and Poverty) This subgroup of PG1 provides a useful forum to share ideas and good practice and agree and act on measures to improve access to financial maximisation support for families with infants or babies. Findings for the first 3 quarters show that the number of referrals to Welfare Rights from Midwifery Services, Health Visitors and Family Nurse Practitioners has been lower than the previous year. This could be due to a raised awareness of services and self-referrals as the cost-of-living response from local authority and third sector partners increased awareness of access to benefit advice, home energy advice and debt support. In the period of 2022-23, an additional 83 members of staff were trained on implementing referral pathways. This figure combines midwifery staff, Health Visitors and Family Nurse Practitioners. 164 people have accessed NHS Tayside’s Fuel Poverty sway module which will continue to be offered to support rollout of the Warmth Matters app which will be promoted across primary care services in October and November 2023. 2023-24 training dates have been offered to secondary care staff to support the money worries questions within the adult nursing documentation. Revised Poverty Sensitive Practice training, Public Health Scotland child poverty e-learning module and the Child Poverty Page 54 of 126
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10 Action Group (CPAG) Cost of the School Day modules means that a range of up-to-date training resources on the impact of poverty can be offered to a wide range of staff. A new training resource for community food providers and advice service staff will be developed in 2023-24 in response to the publication of UNICEF’s guide on supporting families with infants under 12 months experiencing food insecurity. PG1 subgroup members will be involved in the development of the training and a localised pathway of support. Building on the existing relationship with Dundee University’s School of Medicine, a new project with 1st year medical students will use case studies from local Welfare Rights and Citizens Advice services that will highlight the importance of financial inclusion and support. Introducing learning and awareness of the health-related harms that are caused by poverty to future medical staff is an area of work that the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit (SPIRU) is interested in hosting on their Tackling Poverty Directory to showcase areas of innovation and good practice. Priority Group 2: Learning and Attainment ‘Our children and young people will be meaningfully engaged with high quality learning experiences to extend their potential.’ United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC) During 2022-23, professional learning sessions on Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) continued to be offered to all schools to help increase understanding of UNCRC. These were well attended. Since May 2022, the Scottish Government has supported UNICEF UK’s RRSA removing the financial barriers to schools motivated to undertake Silver and Gold Awards. Across Tayside, we now have 181 schools involved with RRSA; 16 have achieved Gold; 36 Silver; 87 Bronze; and an additional 42 schools registered. This is an increase of 50 schools since 2021/22. Working to achieve a RRSA ensures that schools have access to a range of free training and resources for the duration of the funding period (May 22 - May 25); further developing their approaches to engaging, listening and acting on the views of children and young people. The impact being that children are more likely to be engaged in their learning if they feel their rights are prominent in the learning environment. During the year, a series of career long professional learning (CLPL) sessions were delivered across Tayside and attended by over 500 members of staff. These included sessions run by Education Scotland and the One World Centre in conjunction with colleagues from our own services. Digital Learning In session 2022-23, the Tayside Virtual Campus offer (blend of self-study, live delivery, webinars and tutorials) was further expanded to support 38 learners engaging with 6 Advanced Higher subjects (French, Spanish, Computing, PE, Modern Studies, and Business Management). Half of the candidate gained A or B grades with 82% attaining an award at A – D. For session 2023-24, 185 young people are enrolled to study 6 Advanced Higher subjects and 1 Higher subject (Politics). To support our virtual learning model of delivery, an induction course has been developed for learners who are accepted to study with the Tayside Virtual Campus. The Scottish Qualifications Agency (SQA) has accredited the course at SCQF Level 6 (worth 3 points). Learners who complete the assessments to a satisfactory level gain our newly created Certificate in Preparing for Digital Learning in the Senior Phase. This course is designed to develop knowledge and skills relating to; digital tools, academic writing, citation and referencing, effective study, basics of research and has tools to support Page 55 of 126
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11 health and well-being. Many of the assessments are designed to test practical application and learner reflection. The whole course signposts students to many other services and helps develop learner self-efficacy. This helps lay a solid foundation for our learners and further supports improved attainment, both in their Virtual Campus course and in their other school-based courses. For the small number of young people who decide not to continue with their subject after the summer holidays, provided they have achieved all the assessments, they will still be rewarded for the time spent. Learners who join much later, for example after the summer break, can still attain due to the flexible nature of the course. While the course is currently quite bespoke to the Virtual Campus, we are anticipating that it will be suitable for students in our city campuses/consortia/clusters and as a stand-alone course available to schools in 2024-25. National 1- National 3 resources have been developed and collated for learners in the Senior Phase in all STEM subject areas in partnership with Forth Valley Regional Improvement Collaborative and the TRIC STEM officer. A new website, Open Tay Learning, was created to house these resources. This website allows us to create a bespoke resource with many accessibility functions to enhance learning for our young people with additional support needs and barriers to learning. In session 2022-23, this resource was developed to include English and Maths resources. Each local authority is now utilising the Digital Schools Award Scotland self-evaluation framework with schools to develop their digital pedagogy and a total of 26 schools in the region have achieved their award with a further 106 now enrolled across the region. Leadership Our Tayside Leadership, Development and Induction programme continued in 2022/23 with participation of a further 15 headteachers from across Tayside. The programme continued in a hybrid format of both online and face-to-face sessions and was delivered across six workshops. Moderation and Assessment The online Quality Assurance and Moderation Support Officers (QAMSO) programme continued to be delivered to practitioners from across Tayside. Three online twilight sessions, involving 38 staff from across three authorities, were held to allow QAMSOs to reconnect and moderate together across the improvement collaborative. Feedback was positive with requests for more in-person moderation opportunities. In September 2022, a full day session was held for 140 school leaders across Tayside. Feedback was very positive and the 2023-2024 Teaching, Learning and Assessment Group (TLAG) plan was created in response to this information. Leads and 17 staff from across the 3 authorities also collaborated in a working group to create progression pathways in pupil/family friendly language from Early to Fourth level, in response to requests from practitioners. The Literacy documents will be shared with schools early in the new session. The Curriculum Community of Practice was led by Education Scotland and lead staff from each authority with 33 Head Teachers and Leaders participating in a series of 6 sessions culminating in an in-person afternoon event at the V&A Dundee. Page 56 of 126
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12 School Improvement Following COVID-19 and recovery, reciprocal visits resumed in session 2022/23 to support local authority central teams and build the capacity of school leaders across Tayside, with peer Head Teachers supporting improvement visits. Priority Group 3: Health & Wellbeing ‘Our children will grow up healthy, confident and resilient with improved physical and mental health and strengthened emotional wellbeing.’ Tayside Child Healthy Weight Strategy Following extensive consultation and engagement ‘Helping Tayside’s Children & Young People Feel Great and Ready to Learn’ the Tayside Child Healthy Weight Strategy (CHWS) was co-produced and launched in June 2021, promoting five key ambitions: 1. Child healthy weight is seen as a society wide issue. 2. Children have the best start in life. 3. Our environment supports healthier choices. 4. Families get helpful weight management support. 5. Families and communities in most need are our main concern. Implementation is now being driven and co-ordinated by NHS Tayside Public Health Directorate working alongside multi-agency partners. The strategy has thirteen calls to action that seek to focus collective effort and shared responsibility in addressing population levels of childhood obesity. Increasing the proportion of children who have a healthy weight and reducing the disparity between levels of obesity seen in the least affluent compared to the most affluent areas is a key focus. The UNCRC is rooted within the five key ambitions, and these are being operationalised through a Whole Systems Approach (WSA) to Child Healthy Weight (CHW). Pressures relating to the cost-of-living crisis and increasing numbers of families living with food insecurity has widespread impact, including increasing the risk of poor diet quality and obesity and further driving the socioeconomic inequalities in child healthy weight. This challenging background sets a clear and ongoing need for implementation and spread of a WSA to CHW across Tayside informed by the early adopter work in Dundee and the need to advance the realisation of the vision of the strategy ‘for every child in Tayside to grow up in a community and environment that supports them to feel great and ready to learn so that they can achieve optimum health and flourish to their best of abilities’. The Dundee Healthy Weight Partnership was refreshed, and membership expanded to partners outside Dundee to increase capacity to support the implementation of a whole systems approach across Tayside. In February 2023, as part of the evaluation of the CHW whole systems approach, members of PG3 participated in an Action Learning Set, facilitated by the National Institute of Health Research Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team and an NHS Tayside Researcher. In terms of applying a whole systems approach to child healthy weight across Tayside, the strategy will be operationalised in Angus via the ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’ group and align closely with efforts to address child poverty. Page 57 of 126
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13 A revised whole systems outcomes framework is currently under development and will be reviewed in-line with the publication of the national report on the ‘7 Local Levers for Diet and Healthy Weight in Scotland’ in the Autumn of 2023. Progress towards realising the ambitions of the CHWS is reported to NHS Tayside Public Health Committee, Dundee Children and Families Executive Board, and the Integrated Children’s Services Partnerships as the Tayside wide roll-out progresses in the other two local authorities. 'Connected Tayside'- An Emotional Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Children and Young People (2021-23) Following the launch of the Connected Tayside strategy in November 2021, an implementation plan was developed. The Children and Young People’s Charter, and a padlet of resources have been developed, including links to e- learning modules, the previously developed Emotional Health and Wellbeing Toolkit, and a variety of useful links to support teachers, parents and carers across Tayside. Since then, the work of the Health & Wellbeing Priority Group (PG3) has been to continue to support the implementation of the strategy and to develop effective measures to demonstrate impact. Additional support has been provided by CAMHS and resources accessed through ‘Living Life Well’ (the overarching, population-wide mental health strategy for Tayside) to investigate mechanisms for gathering information on awareness and use of the strategy by major stakeholders. Counselling in Schools The Counselling in Schools (CiS) programme continues to be delivered across Tayside. The 3 local authorities continue to work collaboratively in the procurement of counselling providers. During the reporting period April 2022 to March 2023, 3752 children and young people were supported through counselling in schools across Tayside. Tayside Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Total CYP supported 1851 388 800 663 Primary 332 58 205 69 Secondary 1519 330 595 594 Male 547 108 262 177 Female 1157 267 446 444 Prefer not to say 93 15 41 37 Total number of counselling sessions 3752 847 1476 1429 Most young people supported were in secondary school, with the greatest number attending counselling being in S3. The most prevalent issues identified at counselling were anxiety, self-esteem, emotional/behavioural and family issues. An evaluation of the impact of the Counselling in Schools programme in Tayside is being developed in conjunction with Abertay University. Page 58 of 126
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14 Priority Group 4: Care Experienced Children and Young People ‘Children who are care experienced or at risk of becoming care experienced, have good quality relationships with people who are committed, who support and nurture them, whether within their birth families or other family or care settings’ As a key policy driver, The Promise continues to shape the focus of work in Social Work services and within wider partnership working to improve services to children and families. The focus for PG4 therefore changed to aspects of the 5 foundations of The Promise, including the co-ordination of some regional activity and some shared learning about local initiatives which could be transferred between areas. This included work with Strathclyde University Centre of Youth and Criminal Justice, the 3 Local Authorities and NHS Tayside to carry out a regional self-evaluation of practice against new national Secure Care Standards. The new standards focus on multi-agency practice before, during and after a young person is placed in secure care and outcomes of the self- evaluation included a need to improve communication with young people. At a local level, the self-evaluation also informed a review of approaches towards older young people in Dundee, which has involved additional training and development to the partnership workforce and possible co-location of services. The group also reviewed data pertaining to the school attendance of care experienced children and young people. This confirmed that children who are looked after at home have the lowest attendance levels, especially in S1-S3 and has informed local Promise delivery plans to ensure there is support for children in this group including a focus on transition into secondary school, support at home, school and in the community and reducing stigma that can be experienced for young people in the school setting. Some examples of practice improvement that have been developed locally and shared in the wider group include: the development and pilot of a social education module for use in Angus schools to de-stigmatise care experienced children. and promote an understanding of the value of connection and relationships. A Promise working groups specifically to develop tools and approaches to promote sibling relationships will report next year on their findings and explore opportunities for shared learning and development. Similarly, in Dundee and in Perth and Kinross, family time between brothers and sisters has continued to be promoted through fostering families. An electronic system is also being developed in Perth and Kinross to identify significant relationships a child or young person wishes to remain connected with when they become involved with Social Work. Through funding from the Corra Foundation, Perth and Kinross has also developed a Lifelong Links service which has successfully reconnected a number of children and young people with someone significant to them. All areas are considering ways to improve engagement and communication with children and young people. Dundee have reviewed the Team Around the Child process with a focus on improved engagement of children (see below). My Plan letters are being trialled in Angus where accessible letters are sent to all young people following their child’s planning meeting, describing what each professional must do to support them. Page 59 of 126
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15 Priority Group 5: Safeguarding and Child Protection ‘We will continue to ensure that our children and young people are safe and protected from harm, at home, school and in the community.’ The work of Priority Group 5 is built upon the research carried out for Tayside by Dr Sharon Vincent of Northumbria University and Priorities for Practice were developed from this. The Priorities for Practice workstream themes have continued to be focused on in the 3 local authorities and used to underpin and shape Child Protection Committee Improvement Plans, case reviews and workforce development. Workstream 1 – Focus on the Child, Engagement and Relationship Building In Angus, the ongoing commitment to improve the experience of families involved in child protection processes, has seen the rollout of PREpare, as social work led, strengths-based model that improves child and parental engagement in the child protection planning and decision-making process. The voice of children, including very young children, is central to the PREpare approach, seeing risk and strength from the perspective of the child. A short film about PREpare has been made providing information for families and professionals. Evaluations show that parents who attended a facilitated PREpare meeting prior to a Child Protection Planning Meeting (CPMM) were more engaged in the CPPM and contributed to the care and safety planning for their children. The rollout of PREpare will continue to be extended into next year. Focusing on strengthening GIRFEC practice and ensuring needs are identified and Page 60 of 126
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16 responded to at the earliest opportunity, children and families in Dundee were engaged in reviewing the multi-agency Team around the Child (TATC) process. Changes included ensuring that children’s perspectives are presented first in TATC meetings, followed by those of parents/carers; and writing the Child’s Plan in a participatory and transparent way during the meeting when actions can be discussed, agreed and plain English plans shared on the day. The impact of these changes has resulted in increased participation, greater focus on the child’s needs, use of creative ways for children, parents/carers to have their voices heard and calmer meetings with less focus on negative issues. Care experienced young people from Angus were also engaged in a project to design the new #SPEAKUP campaign for Child Protection Scotland. Their involvement was instrumental in ensuring that the campaign message would be available in formats accessed by other young people including YouTube. Workstream 2 – Assessment and Planning Multi-agency Guidance During 2022/23, under the auspices of PG5, the following practice guidance was reviewed and refreshed: 1. Tayside Practitioner Guidance: Chronologies (24 August 2022) 2. Tayside Practitioner Guidance: Concern for Unborn Babies (24 August 2022) 3. Tayside Practitioner Guidance: Inter-Agency Referral Discussions (IRDs) (9 June 2023) These are now compliant with the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 (Scottish Government: September 2021) and were shared with local child protection committees to disseminate. The Interagency Referral guidance was finalised following the evaluation of an audit of Initial Referral Discussions (IRDs) undertaken in Perth and Kinross. Angus has scheduled an IRD audit in 2023 following the Perth and Kinross model. In support of the IRD Guidance, Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee also developed an Online IRD Module which can be accessed here and is available to all partners across Tayside. Perth & Kinross Child Protection Committee developed an IRD Quality Assurance and Self- Evaluation Toolkit, which after being piloted in Perth and Kinross, has been further piloted in Angus and Dundee, refined and is has now been made available to the CPCs and partners across Tayside. In Dundee, a programme of work, Transforming Public Protection, took place from 2021 to 2023 to improve the use of chronologies within Children and Families Service. Improvement methodology was used to develop and test a new template on Mosaic, as well as local guidance on chronologies. Quality assurance to date has shown an improvement in the quantity and quality of chronologies with 78% found to be good or better. Multi-agency Quality Assurance and Evaluation Through PG5, learning is continually shared; key child protection data trends examined; and opportunities to extend child protection quality assurance and self-evaluation shared in order to develop a Tayside-wide approach to child protection learning and development. Following the publication of National Guidance for Child Protection Committees Page 61 of 126
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17 Undertaking Learning Reviews, local arrangements have been updated and Significant Case Reviews (SCRs) and Initial Case Reviews (ICRs) replaced with multi-agency Learning Reviews, in line with national guidance. Angus has jointly commissioned a consultant with Dundee Protecting People to review and develop local learning review guidance for all protecting people committees. In Dundee, the Child Protection Committee established a Quality Assurance Sub-Group when it published it’s 2022-25 Delivery Plan. The aim of the group is to improve their strategic approach to learning from single agency quality assurance and develop a multi-agency co-ordinated and systematic approach to quality assurance, self-evaluation and the use of improvement methodology. This work will link with other subgroups (data, case reviews and CYP involvement) in order to triangulate findings and recommendations. Over 2023, a single agency audit schedule has been finalised, the Protecting People Quality Assurance Framework has been revised and multi-agency audits planned, the first taking place in September 2023. Children’s Social Work and other agencies have continued with single agency case file audits, which were commented on positively by the Joint Inspection report published in 2022. Workstream 3 – Early Intervention and Support Priority Group 5 is also committed to supporting the workforce to take early intervention approaches including support to whole families through for example, Safe and Together. This model is predicated on partnering with the non-abusive parent to keep them safely with their child(ren) wherever possible and, through intervention with the abusive parent, it aims to reduce risk of harm to the other parent, and child(ren). Safe and Together is guided by three main principles: Safe and Together is included in the National Child Protection Guidance 2021 as a best practice model and as such has been further implemented within the 3 local areas. Dundee first introduced Safe and Together in 2016. There is now a Team Manager (Domestic Abuse) within the Children and Families Social Work service who works closely with the Violence Against Women (VAW) lead and VAW Partnership to implement Safe and Together across the wider multi-agency workforce. A complex case consultancy forum has been established, comprising of Community Justice, Police, Women’s Aid and ASSIST colleagues to support social workers with complex domestic abuse cases using a Safe and Together lens. There has also been a relaunch of Safe and Together briefing sessions and Page 62 of 126
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18 practitioner forums. Angus began to embed this model in 2017 by training 20 champions. Since then, it has grown and as of April 2023, there are over 70 champions from both frontline and strategic positions in place. Champions take a role within their own team or organisation to promote the model and come together regularly to provide support and to develop tools and learning opportunities for the wider multi-agency workforce. In Perth and Kinross, Safe and Together training has continued to be rolled out across Services for Children, Young People and Families (SCYPF) after its inception in 2021. 135 SCYPF and Criminal Justice Service (CJS) staff have now been trained in the full model and over 240 staff from across the partnership, including Elected Members and colleagues from Housing, Health, Education, Children’s Hearing Panel members, Reporters to the Children’s Hearing and the Third Sector. Feedback has been very positive and has helped understanding of the model and work to support parents and children subjected to domestic abuse. Further work is planned to increase the awareness of Child Protection Officers in schools regarding domestic abuse, Safe and Together, and the wider topic of ensuring that fathers and male carers are included in the day-to-day lives of their children. In Angus, a multi-agency working group has also been established to consider the role of fathers in families and how services interact with them. The focus of the group is to consider practice of engaging with fathers across all agencies and to identify barriers to their inclusion. Workstream 4 – Partnership Working The Child Protection Committees (CPCs) across Tayside are local multi-agency partnerships, strongly committed to building active child protection communities and securing a culture where the care and protection of children and young people are at the heart of everyone’s job. Membership of the CPCs remain intentionally wide and kept under constant review to ensure they accurately reflect the local children’s services landscape across the public, private and third sectors. This allows the CPCs to take a whole-community approach to raising awareness of the key risks to children and young people. Much of the work of Priority Group 5 has provided the 3 local child protection committees with added value; supported the work of the committees; and provided a shared opportunity across Tayside to design, develop, implement and evaluate our work to improve day-to-day culture, ethos and child protection practice. Building on local learning and development, training opportunities on a pan-Tayside basis will also be further progressed throughout the next reporting year. Workforce Development In Angus, the Protecting People workforce training programme has continued to be delivered during 2022-23 with a combination of virtual, online and e-learning opportunities. The learning and development framework is updated every 2 months with newly available learning resources ensuring the workforce has access to the most up-to-date and relevant materials. A monthly newsletter for internal and external frontline staff is issued with just over 1,190 subscriptions. Similarly in Dundee, work was carried out in 2023 to bring Protecting People Learning and Development (including child protection) into one online location that is easily accessible Page 63 of 126
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19 and locates protection training and development within a tiered framework, from basic awareness to skilled and expert levels. The training and development opportunities are multi-agency and cross-cutting. The framework will be launched in August 2023, hosted on One Dundee and accessible to all agencies. Framework overview Workstream 5 – Empowerment, Supervision and Leadership The aforementioned Transforming Public Protection programme in Dundee had a focus on supervision and led by front line managers, a supervision model was developed and implemented. In an audit of cases, 85% were rated good or better in relation to supervision. Page 64 of 126
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20 Performance Framework Summary The agreed set of indicators (when the Tayside Plan was first introduced) have now been updated by the Performance and Data Group to include core data from this year. Performance in relation to these high-level outcome measures has been provided in Appendix 2, with information to the end of 2020-21 representing the most up to date data available from most public sources. In addition, work has progressed this year in the development of a more detailed performance framework looking at outcomes relating to specific actions within the priority groups and including both quantitative and qualitative data. • 27-30 month child developmental data has shown a slight increase in the proportion of children with a concern in any domain in both Angus and Perth and Kinross and a minor (0.5%) decrease in Dundee but overall can said to be stable. Once quarterly and more timely becomes available on a regular basis it will become easier to follow trends in a meaningful way. Speech, language and communication remain by far the most common concerns, and some of this still is likely to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. • The proportion of pupils entering positive destinations after leaving school remains high, with all 3 local authority areas show a slight increase (approximately 2 % points) in this reporting year (including for children who are looked after. A decrease had been seen in the previous year which had been attributed to the impact of COVID- 19, so it appears that there may have been a recovery in this data. • Childhood obesity at P1 remains a key measure for Tayside, along with other measures being developed for the Child Healthy Weight strategy. Due to reduced weighing in recent years due to the pandemic, comparisons over time are difficult to make. However, all three local authorities see significant gaps in healthy weight depending on income, with an average difference of 10% between SIMD 1 (68.2%) and SIMD 5 (78.5%). • The proportion of children achieving Literacy and Numeracy at SCQF Level 4 has remained broadly stable this year (with a small increase in Angus). However, increases in the proportion achieving Literacy and Numeracy at SCQF Level 5 has increased slightly in both Angus and Dundee. Data for both measures are broadly in line with national values. • In general, educational attainment continues to show some fluctuating patterns and has not been consistent across all key measures across the three local authority areas. The alternative awarding arrangements in place in the Senior Phase in 2020 and 2021, the generous approach applied in 2022, and the significantly different circumstances in which exams took place in 2019 and the years before, means that comparisons of attainment between years should be treated with significant caution and do not allow for any conclusions to be drawn on changes in education performance. As highlighted in previous years, some indicators are based on relatively small cohorts, such as number of Looked after Children in particular settings, which are therefore subject to fluctuation from year to year. Caution is therefore required in interpretation. Again, there are often considerable differences in the patterns seen across the three local authority areas, which, considering the different demographic profiles in each area, is not unexpected. Page 65 of 126
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21 Conclusion As an established Collaborative, the commitment to partnership working across Tayside has continued in the delivery of the 2021-23 plan. Given the demands on Children’s Services, partners have had to prioritise those areas where collaborative working would have greatest impact and reduce duplication across the 3 local authorities whilst realising that some of the work is best driven locally to achieve more immediate outcomes for children, young people and families. However, across the Collaborative there remains the appetite to share learning and to adopt, adapt or abandon, as appropriate given the changing needs of our local communities. As we present the Tayside Plan for 2023-26, there is a continued commitment to improve outcomes for children, young people and families in Tayside by ensuring the leadership, structure, membership and support available to the Collaborative is effective in progressing the priorities within the new plan and make improvements that will ensure ‘our children and young people will have the best start in life and Tayside will be the best place in Scotland to grow up’. Page 66 of 126
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22 Appendix 1: Priority Group Members (Job Titles and Organisations) (AC – Angus Council, DCC – Dundee City Council, PKC – Perth & Kinross Council) Priority Group 1: Pre-birth & Early Years. Lead: Education Manager, Early Years (DCC) Members: Family Nurse Partnership Lead Nurse (NHS Tayside), AHP Early Intervention and Prevention Lead (NHS Tayside), Senior Health Promotion Officer (NHS Tayside), Education Officer (Education Scotland), Quality Improvement Officer (Early Years and Primary) (PKC), Senior Nurse Health Visiting Service (P&K) (NHS Tayside), Consultant Midwife (NHS Tayside), Acting Service Leader (Education & Lifelong Learning) (AC) Priority Group 2: Learning & Attainment (TLAG). Lead: Education Officer (DCC) Members: Chief Education Officer (DCC), Head of Education (PKC), Executive Director (Education & Children’s Services) (PKC), Director of Education and Lifelong Learning (AC), Service Leader (AC), Improvement Officer (AC), Education Officer x 2 (DCC ), Head Teacher, Angus Virtual School (AC), Quality Improvement Officer (PKC), Senior Regional Advisor for Tayside (Education Scotland), NIF Advisor (Education Scotland), Support Service Manager (AC), Chief Education Officer (AC), Service Manager (Primary) (PKC) Priority Group 3: Health & Wellbeing Lead: Lead Nurse, Women, Children & Families Division. (NHS Tayside) Members: Education Officer (DCC), Service Lead (DCC), Service Leader ASN/Educational Psychology (AC), Lead Officer ADPs (AC), CAMHS Manager (NHS Tayside), AHP Manager (NHS Tayside), Senior Nurse School Nursing Service (NHS Tayside), Senior Health Promotion Officer (NHS Tayside), Dietetic Consultant in Public Health (NHS Tayside), Development Officer (Heath & Social Care) (PKAVS), LAC Medical Adviser to Adoption and Fostering Panels, Community Paediatrician (NHS Tayside), Inclusion Manager/Principal Educational Psychologist (PKC), Senior Education Officer (Inclusion) (Education Scotland). Priority Group 4: Looked after Children, Care Leavers & Young Carers. Lead: Head of Service, Children’s Service and Community Justice (DCC) Members: Senior Manager, Residential Services (DCC), Education Support Officer (ASN) (DCC), Senior Manager, Children and Families (PKC), Service Leader, Child Protection and Review (AC), Team Manager (Carers Support Services) (Dundee Carers Centre), Locality Reporter Manager (SCRA), Child Heath AHP Service Manager (NHS Tayside), Team Leader (Looked After Children) (NHS Tayside), Consultant Community Paediatrician/Medical Advisor for LAC in Dundee (NHS Tayside), Senior Information Officer (DCC), Senior Education Officer (Inclusion) (Education Scotland), Service Manager, Children and Families (DCC), Consultant in Public Health (NHS Tayside), Assistant Director (Barnardo’s Scotland), Attainment Advisor (Education Scotland) Priority Group 5: Safeguarding & Child Protection Lead: Detective Chief Inspector, Public Protection Unit (Police Scotland) Members :Detective Inspector (Police Scotland), Assistant Director (Barnardo’s Scotland), Lead Nurse Child Protection (NHS Tayside), Consultant Paediatrician Child Protection (NHS Tayside), Independent Chair (Angus Child Protection Committee), Independent Chair (Dundee Child Protection Committee), Independent Chair (Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee), Lead Officer, Protecting People (DCC), Team Leader, Protecting People (AC), Child Protection Inter-Agency Coordinator (PKC), Attainment Advisor (Education Scotland), Information Assistant (PKC), Tayside Child Protection Learning & Development Officer (PKC). Page 67 of 126
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23 Appendix 2: Headline Measures Unless otherwise noted, data for all indicators covers the six academic years 2016/17 to 2021/22 NB The COVID-19 pandemic may have had an impact on many of the measures presented, particularly those within education. Care should be taken when making comparisons with previous years. For 2020 and 2021 the absence of external assessment information, and the Ministerial direction to award estimated grades, have led to a different pattern of attainment than we have seen in previous years. The results for 2020 and 2021 should not be directly compared to those in previous years or future years. The Attainment data cannot therefore be used to directly demonstrate subject, school or authority improvement compared with previous years. 1. Education measures: Our children, young people and their families will be meaningfully engaged with learning and combined with high quality learning experiences all children and young people will fulfil their potential Indicator (aim) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Scotland Proportion of school leavers achieving 5 plus awards at SCQF level 5 or higher (increase) Proportion of school leavers achieving 5 plus awards at SCQF level 6 or higher (increase) Page 68 of 126
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24 Indicator (aim) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Scotland Proportion of school leavers from SIMD Q1 achieving 5 plus awards at SCQF level 5 or higher (increase) Proportion of school leavers from SIMD Q1 achieving 5 plus awards at SCQF level 6 or higher (increase) Proportion of school leavers achieving literacy and numeracy at SCQF level 4 or above (increase) Proportion of school leavers achieving literacy and numeracy at SCQF level 5 or above (increase) Page 69 of 126
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25 Indicator (aim) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Scotland Proportion of pupils entering positive destinations after leaving school (increase) Leavers’ average total tariff SIMD Quintile 1 (increase) Leavers’ average total tariff SIMD Quintile 2 (increase) Leavers’ average total tariff SIMD Quintile 3 (increase) Page 70 of 126
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26 Indicator (aim) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Scotland Leavers’ average total tariff SIMD Quintile 4 (increase) Leavers’ average total tariff SIMD Quintile 5 (increase) Proportion of pupils who stay on from S4 to S5 (increase) Proportion of pupils who stay on from S4 to S6 (increase) Page 71 of 126
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Indicator (aim) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Scotland 27 attendance rate, overall(%) * Data on school attendance is only collected nationally once every other year, so data shown is for 2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2020-21 – 2022/23 not available yet School attendance rate, primary (%) * Data on school attendance is only collected nationally once every other year, so data shown is for 2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2020-21 – 2022/23 data not available yet attendance rate, secondary (%) * Data on school attendance is only collected nationally once every other year, so data shown is for 2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2020-21 – 2022/23 data not available yet Page 72 of 126
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Indicator (aim) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Scotland 28 Proportion of school leavers who are looked after achieving literacy and numeracy at SCQF level 4 or above Due to the small cohort size, data is presented as 3 year rolling averages (2016-2018,2017-2019,2018-2020,2019-2021 and 2020-2022) Proportion of pupils who are looked after entering positive destinations after leaving school Due to the small cohort size, data is presented as 3 year rolling averages (2016-2018,2017-2019,2018-2020,2019-2021 and 2020-2022) % children and young people looked after in community settings Page 73 of 126
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29 2. Other indicators Indicator (aim) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Scotland Proportion of children with at least one developmental concern recorded at 27-30 months Child Health Review (reduce) Proportion of children with no speech, language and communication concerns identified at 27-30 months Child Health Review (increase) Page 74 of 126
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE 25 OCTOBER 2023 SCRUTINY AND PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE 22 NOVEMBER 2023 RAISING ATTAINMENT UPDATE Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 23/280) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report provides an update to progress on the Education and Children’s Services Raising Attainment Strategy 2020-2023. Specifically, it provides information on a range of performance measures across the National Improvement Framework (NIF) for education priorities. 2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 It is recommended that the Learning and Families Committee: • Considers and comments as appropriate on the contents of the report. It is recommended that the Scrutiny and Performance Committee: • Scrutinises and comments as appropriate on this 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 Raising Attainment Strategy was approved by the Lifelong Learning Committee in August 2020 (Report No. 20/140 refers), building upon the previous version for the period 2016-2019. 4.2 The Education Improvement Plan 2023/2024 was approved by the Learning and Families Committee in August 2023 (Report No. 23/224 refers) and was subsequently submitted to the Scottish Government. This annual Education Improvement Plan meets the requirement set out by the Scottish Government 7 Page 75 of 126
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on planning and reporting progress on the priorities set out in the NIF for education. 4.3 This Raising Attainment Update report provides an update on key achievements for the academic session 2022/2023 on the progress against the NIF. Appendix 1 provides more detailed reporting on the attainment data pertinent to the Raising Attainment Strategy. 4.4 The Raising Attainment Strategy outlines the approach within Perth & Kinross Council’s (PKC) Education & Children’s Services (ECS) 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 Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress (the Framework) has been developed to support the next phase of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC). It aims to set high expectations, including three year stretch aims with annual milestones, developed across all 32 education authorities, to help ensure progress is made in recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and in achieving the mission of the SAC. 4.7 The SAC report noted that there has been some progress in closing the poverty related attainment gap but ‘at a limited pace’ during this period of recovery from COVID-19. The pandemic disrupted the learning of children and young people and affected the wellbeing of many. It is also evident that there has been a disproportionate impact on children and young people affected by poverty. 4.8 Data published by Public Health Scotland, Early Child Development Scotland 2021 to 2022 statistics in April 2023 indicates that there were increases in the proportion of children with a developmental concern assessed during the 13-15 months, 27-30 months and the 4-5 year child health reviews. Consideration is being given to what actions are required to mitigate the impact of these developmental concerns and to ensure that children are supported to achieve their potential. 5. PERFORMANCE SUMMARY 5.1 Appendix 1 provides information on the progress made in academic session 2022/2023 towards each of the four NIF priorities relevant to this report. Key performance measures reported include: Page 76 of 126
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Improvement in attainment particularly in literacy and numeracy • 79.8% of P1 children have met all developmental milestones prior to starting school. • For primary pupils, achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels has maintained or improved on 2022 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 4 have improved from 52% to 64%. • National 5 (N5) Levels pass rate is 81% - higher than our comparator authorities and the Scottish average. Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged • The poverty-related attainment gap for P1, P4, P7 and S3 has narrowed for all stages. • The poverty-related attainment gap, in terms of pass rates, is better than the Scottish average for N5, Higher and Advanced Higher. • The percentage of care-experienced primary school pupils at P1, P4 and P7 achieving expected levels in literacy and numeracy combined, increased by 14%. • Attainment, in terms of pass rates in Senior Phase of our Looked After Children, has improved at National 4 as part of a consistent trend from 2020-2023, while National 5 pass rates have remained stable at 74%. Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing • School attendance was maintained at around 92.5% in primary but decreased from 88% to 87% in secondary schools. Plans to arrest this decline in attendance are part of the Education Improvement Plan 2023/2024. • Exclusion rates remain on a steady downward trajectory once account has been taken of Covid related school closure. Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people • Participation in positive activities (16–19-year-olds) is slightly improved on 2021 data and sits positively within a national context. • Effective partnership takes place between schools, colleges, universities, employers and the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Board. • Training was provided in March 2022 to enable more school staff to undertake health and safety checks in order to approve work placements. Twilight sessions were run by the central PKC work experience team and ongoing support to schools has seen work experience placements increase from 260 in 2021/22 to 450 in 2022/23. 5.2 Key areas to focus improvement activity on for academic session 2023-2024 are to improve the number of young people attaining at Level 6 (Higher and equivalent) by the point of leaving school, and to prioritise improved outcomes for key priority groups, including young carers; those most affected by poverty, and children and young people looked after at home. Page 77 of 126
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6. CONCLUSION 6.1 The 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 the narrowing of poverty-related gaps in many outcomes; to which, a sustained focus will be maintained to reduce these poverty-related gaps further. Author Name Designation Contact Details David Macluskey Service Manager (Secondary Schools) ECSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk 01738 475000 Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) 5 October 2023 Page 78 of 126
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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). Page 79 of 126
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1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Vision, Values and Priorities in respect of the following key Priority area: • Best Start 2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 All actions are taken forward within the Education and Children’s Services revenue budget. 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. 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. 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 Page 80 of 126
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achievement of sustainable development. Under the Climate Change (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 Children’s Services 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 - Attainment Report 2022-2023 Page 81 of 126
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Education & Children’ Improving Lives Together Ambition Compassion Integrity Education & Children’s Services 5.23 Attainment Report 2022-2023 Raising Attainment Strategy Appendix 1 7 Page 83 of 126
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Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 NIF Priority 1: Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy. ............................... 3 Case Study 1 – Improving Primary Attainment in Writing ...................................................................... 3 Case Study 2 – St John’s Academy Raising Attainment S4 .................................................................... 6 NIF Priority 2: Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged. ....................... 6 NIF Priority 3: Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing. ............................. 8 Case Study 3 – PKC Nurturing Relationships Programme ..................................................................... 10 Case Study 4 – Perth High School Reflect, Restore and Re-engage (RRR) Provision ............................ 11 Case Study 5 – Perth Grammar School Outreach Programme ............................................................. 12 Case Study 6 – Art of Friendship 2023 .................................................................................................. 13 NIF Priority 4: Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people. ............................................................................................................................. 14 Case Study 7 – Scotland’s Enterprising Schools .................................................................................... 15 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 15 Annexe 1 – Glossary of Acronyms ......................................................................................................... 16 Page 84 of 126
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1 Executive Summary The Education Service Improvement Plan 2023-2024 was produced and submitted to the Scottish Government in September 2023. This annual plan meets the requirements set out by the Scottish Government on planning and reporting progress on the priorities set out in the National Improvement Framework (NIF) for education. This supplementary report provides more detail on the attainment data and provides an update on key achievements for the academic session 2022/23 in progress against the NIF. It is helpful to consider this report alongside the Education Service Improvement Plan 2023-2024 which considers the full breadth of services provided in the area, including those supporting children and families in a range of ways which may not relate directly to school-based attainment and achievement but act to support children and young people to achieve their fullest potential. The Scottish Government document ‘Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress’ has been developed to support the next phase of the Scottish Attainment Challenge. It aims to set high expectations, including annual, ambitious, locally identified stretch aims. The objective is to help ensure significant progress is made in recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and in achieving the mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge. The PKC Raising Attainment Strategy 2020-2023 came to an end last session. The next iteration of the strategy will focus on those stretch aims described above and will come to committee in March 2024. Introduction The report outlines progress towards each of the relevant priorities identified in the NIF and provides some exemplification of activity outlined in the Education Service Improvement Plan 2022-2023 against each of these priorities: • 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. • Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people. The following outcome • Placing the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education is addressed in the Education Improvement Plan 2022-23 and the Learner Participation Strategy. The Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress (the Framework) 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 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. These stretch aims in PKC last session were: • Achievement of literacy and numeracy levels for stages P1, P4, P7 and S3. • Achievement of literacy and numeracy levels looked after children in P1, P4 and P7. • Proportion of school leavers attaining one or more passes at SCQF level 5. • Proportion of school leavers attaining one or more passes at SCQF level 6. • Participation measure: proportion of 16-19 years olds participating in education, employment or training based on Annual Participation Measure produced by Skills Development Scotland (SDS). • Attendance and Exclusion measures in primary and secondary schools. • Average Insight tariff points for school leavers. • Average Insight tariff points for looked after school leavers. Page 85 of 126
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2 Excellence and Equity In order to identify if the actions taken to improve our priorities have been effective, measures are aligned to the strategy’s two overall objectives. 1. Excellence – we strive to improve performance across the board. In simple terms we aim to increase the combined ‘average’ of all individuals and raise the line. 2. Equity – we strive to reduce the “gaps” between those disadvantaged in different ways because of their circumstances. In simple terms, we aim to flatten the line across groups of different advantage/deprivation. These principles are shown simply above but progress is a complex combination of these two factors. In showing progress, we aim to draw upon a broad range of evidence rather than relying on single, narrow measures. Changes are likely to be seen reliably over several years and year-by-year comparison should be considered with care. At local authority level, the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) is used where necessary to understand the effects of poverty, in line with national level approaches. However, for many schools in PKC, SIMD is considered weak for differentiating pupil background or statistical analysis, and the ACORN classification is used preferentially. SQA Assessment Models 2020-2023 In 2020 qualifications were delivered purely as a result of teacher professional judgement over a shortened school year; in 2021 we followed an “Alternative Certification Model” allowing young people more opportunity to evidence their learning than a one off examination; in 2022 there were mitigations and alterations to the assessment and examination landscape with SQA stating that evidence would be marked “generously” and in 2023 these alterations remained but rather than generously these scripts would now be marked “sensitively”. Each session since 2020 where the pass rate nationally was at a record high this has resulted in a year-on-year decline in national pass rates. In 2023 pass rates have fallen nationally by up to 2%. Page 86 of 126
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3 NIF Priority 1: Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Pre-School Development Proportion of P1 children meeting all developmental milestones prior to starting school The proportion of P1s meeting all their expected developmental milestones has decreased slightly in 2023 to 79.8%. For this cohort of children, all 9 developmental milestones (Attention, Behaviour, Emotional Development, Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills, Hearing, Social Development, Speech and Language and Vision) have seen a drop in levels of achievement. Speech and language development and social and emotional development are the areas which are most affected. Our data aligns with that published in Public Health Scotland’s Early Child Development Statistics in April 2023, highlighting the national increase in the proportion of children with a developmental concern assessed during the 13– 15-month, 27-30 month, and 4–5-year child health reviews. Work is being undertaken across all ELC settings to mitigate the impact of these developmental concerns and to ensure that children are supported to achieve their potential through a focus on the overall quality of provision, outdoor learning, language development and emotional resilience. Broad General Education There has been steady progress over time in P1,4 and 7 Achievement of a Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Level (ACEL). In 2022-2023 a targeted programme of work to improve writing with 6 pilot schools created significant improvement in writing in these schools. This methodology will be used in at least 20 more schools in session 2023-2024. Case Study 1 – Improving Primary Attainment in Writing Find out more about the National Improving Writing Programme by clicking on the link below. Improving Attainment in Writing 2022-2023 (office.com) Page 87 of 126
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4 ACEL Combined Primary Attainment over Time Whole School Average 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Listening and talking 76% 82% 82% 73% 81% 85% 85% Reading 70% 77% 76% 70% 75% 78% 78% Writing 63% 70% 69% 63% 68% 71% 72% Maths 67% 74% 73% 68% 73% 77% 77% All areas 69% 76% 75% 69% 74% 78% 78% Primary attainment levels have risen in writing in session 2022-23 and maintained the previous improvement seen in session 2021-22 for all other measures. This is part of a sustained positive trend since 2016/17. Continued focus on writing, involving more schools, will be the main improvement activity in the current session. Secondary BGE Literacy and Numeracy In S3 the improvements created in 2022 through the deployment of focused intervention strategies were maintained in 2023. S3 Achievement over Time Greater focus and rigour around level 4 attainment created an overall improvement in literacy and numeracy from 52% to 65%. Senior Phase In 2023 SQA pass rates in PKC, in line with the national picture, were lower than in 2022 but higher than 2019 following the trend nationally of reducing pass rates overall after a significant increase in 2020. This is exemplified in the graph below for National 5. National 5 Pass Rate 2019-2023 Highlighted series green for Perth & Kinross and blue for Scotland. All other Local authorities in light grey. Shaded areas represent years utilising alternative approaches to assessment. Page 88 of 126
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5 The pass rate for National 5 is above the Scottish average and has fallen less between 2022-2023 than the rest of Scotland. The table below represents our 2023 performance in A-C pass rates in relation to the national average and comparator authorities. Pass rates in National 5 and Higher are positive in PKC while our Advanced Higher pass rate will require further analysis. Nat 5, Higher and AH Pass rates (A to C) PKC, National and Comparator Authorities PKC Scotland Argyll & Bute Aberdeenshire Highland Scottish Borders Stirling Nat 5 80.9 78.8 78.8 77.8 78.2 77.4 80.2 Higher 76.6 77.1 77.3 75.5 77.3 76.1 80.5 AH 77.2 79.8 79.4 75.7 80.6 77.3 82.1 Page 89 of 126
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6 NIF Priority 2: Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged. Pre-School Development Pre-school Development Milestones: Gap between ACORN 4/5 and 1 For children across ELC settings, the poverty related gap remains an issue with a 12% gap between the least and most deprived. Further breakdown of data shows that for boys it is 22%, girls 8% and for boys with ASN 13% and girls with ASN 15%. The developmental milestone areas with the lowest attainment levels and the biggest gaps between the least and most deprived are speech and language 11%, social 9% and emotional development 12%. Improvement work continues across all ELC settings to narrow the gap between the least and most deprived and for specific identified groups. Broad General Education Significant progress was made in closing the poverty related attainment gaps for literacy and numeracy in P1, P4 and P7 in session 2022-2023 as a result of focused data-led intervention at school level, supported by officers as shown in the following data table. Overall, the gap closed by 3% in 2023. % point Gap between ACORN 4/5 and ACORN 1 Area 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 Reading 20% 23% 18% 20% 18% Writing 21% 25% 21% 23% 19% Listening and talking 16% 22% 18% 16% 13% Case Study 2 – St John’s Academy Raising Attainment S4 St John’s Academy appointed a Principal Teacher of Raising Attainment at the beginning of session 2022-2023. The PT Raising Attainment undertook an enquiry into attainment barriers across the Senior Phase, focussing mainly on S4 attainment. Identifying young people at risk of not attaining 5 qualifications was the primary focus. Introducing tighter tracking and monitoring systems for this identified group of young people as well as maintaining an overview of their progress helped ensure that early interventions could be deployed. It also ensured that a more coherent and collaborative approach was able to be planned and implemented at appropriate times in the year. For example, the introduction of additional mentoring and the co-ordination of catch-up study periods. Having a dedicated member of staff taking ownership of this and other at-risk groups increased teacher awareness, enhanced home school communication as well improved all round support for those young people. The 2023 SQA results for St John’s Academy saw the school achieve their highest percentage of young people gaining at least 5 qualifications over the past 6 years. Page 90 of 126
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7 Mathematics & Numeracy 19% 23% 19% 20% 17% All Areas 19% 23% 19% 20% 17% Secondary BGE Literacy and Numeracy % point Gap between ACORN 4/5 and ACORN 1 This success is replicated in S3 in literacy measures where the overall gap was closed by 4% while in numeracy the improvement evidenced in 2021-22 has been maintained. Area 2018/19 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 Reading 19% 11% 13% 9% Writing 17% 11% 14% 10% Listening and talking 15% 8% 12% 8% Mathematics & Numeracy 14% 14% 9% 9% The proportion of care experienced young people in S3 who achieve the national benchmark of level 3 has improved every session from 36% in 2016/17 to 69% in session 2022/23 as a result of focused intervention work in school. Care Experienced Children and Young People The percentage of care-experienced primary school pupils at P1, P4 and P7 achieving expected levels in literacy and numeracy combined increased by 14% over 2022-2023. This continues a sustained upward trend in attainment for this group, although year on year comparison should be viewed with caution due to the very small number of pupils involved. Focussed work has been undertaken by the PRAISE team with around 30 primary pupils. In addition to supporting emotional regulation, the team has worked with schools and care-experienced young people or those on the edge of care to identify interventions to address any gaps in learning. Senior Phase The attainment gap in PKC in 2023, as expressed in pass rates, is lower than the Scottish average at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher reflecting a sustained focus on this outcome in all of our secondary schools. Attainment gap between most and least deprived cohorts in PKC compared to the national picture. PKC Scotland Nat 5 12.8% 15.6% Higher 6.8% 16.0% AH 8.2% 11.5% Page 91 of 126
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8 Over time since 2019 we can see a sustained trend of improvement for this measure at Higher level as seen in the following graph which runs contrary to the national trend. Care Experienced Children and Young People Focused work on our baseline attainment measure for this cohort is generating improvement over time in terms of pass rates at National 4 which have improved by around 6% since session 2021.Our pass rate for National 5 has remained steady at 74% over the same period which represents improvement relative to the national picture. NIF Priority 3: Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing. In this section our reported measures are attendance and exclusion. While health and wellbeing are complex and multifaceted areas of school improvement in the context of this report these remain our key measures and indicators. Attendance Primary attendance has remained steady, with figures of 92.4% in 2021/2022 and 92.5% in 2022/2023, however it remains 2.5% lower than pre-pandemic levels (95% in 2018/19). Secondary attendance was lower in academic year 2022/2023 (86.9%), compared with 2021/2022 (87.7%) which was in turn a significant drop from pre-pandemic levels (90.5% in 2018/19). Whilst final national data is not yet available, it is anticipated that these figures will be in line with national attendance patterns. Early indications show levels of attendance remain lower than the whole population for groups such as children and young people in more deprived areas, those with additional support needs, those that are care experienced and Young Carers. Improving levels in both sectors and for groups most vulnerable to low attendance will continue to be a key improvement focus for 2023/2024. Page 92 of 126
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9 Over the course of this year, funded through the Community Mental Health fund, a partnership project between PKC, NHS Tayside and the third sector has provided support for young people whose absence at school remains significantly low due to a mental health barrier. Attendance levels over time Exclusion Although 2022-2023 exclusion levels have increased slightly on 2021-2022, they remain significantly lower than the levels in 2018-2019. Schools have been sharing best practice in the provision of alternatives to exclusion to support vulnerable children and young people and central guidance and support has been key to this. Focused work on relationships and behaviour to reduce instances of exclusion is a major part of our Education Improvement Plan. Exclusion levels over time Session 2021-23 saw the implementation of updated guidance to all schools on reducing exclusion in our schools. Bearing in mind that sessions 2019-20 and 2020-21 were impacted by periods of school closure the impact of this on exclusion numbers, in secondary in particular in session 2021-22 is clear. However, there was a small increase in the numbers excluded per 1000 pupils last session and actions around the factors leading to exclusion are a major plank of the Education Improvement Plan 2022-23. Notwithstanding this our exclusion numbers are at their lowest level in the last 10 years. Page 93 of 126
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10 Care Experienced Children and Young People These figures are smoothed out over a three-year rolling average to mitigate against smaller cohort size and, as a result of a range of interventions and developing practice, are on a consistent trend of improvement since 2018-19. Further improvement here remains a key priority. Case Study 3 – PKC Nurturing Relationships Programme The PKC Nurturing Relationships Programme is a social and relational approach that encourages staff to test out different approaches with the aim of improving relationships between all and creating an environment and ethos in which children, young people and staff feel safe and accepted. Research suggests that creating such an environment and ethos allows children and young people to thrive regardless of any individual barriers and promotes individual development, social and problem-solving skills, and impacts on their ability to progress in their learning because they feel safe, accepted, and understood. Twenty-eight schools within Perth and Kinross have now signed up to the programme across three phases of implementation with a further three phases planned to meet the aim of 100% of schools in Perth and Kinross having started their nurturing relationships journey by June 2026. At the annual practice sharing session held in May 2023, Crieff High School shared their journey so far. They had chosen to use the Glasgow Motivation and Wellbeing Profile (GMWP) with all their pupils to identify a starting point for their journey. The GMWP responses showed that only 25% of pupils felt safe in school, and as such the staff decided to focus on their environment and creating a safe and consistent start to each school day. To do this they decided to change their daily registration time into a form class, and to introduce a whole school programme that centred around building positive relationships e.g., Monday check in, Tuesday news day, Friday celebrating success day etc. They also considered how to assign the form teachers, with the aim of a form class having the same form teacher throughout their school journey to promote the development of positive attuned relationships and consistency in approach. Impact These changes were implemented part way through the second term of the 2022/23 session and the GWMP was reviewed in term 4 to gather evidence of impact. Feelings of safety in school increased with an overall average rating of 4.3 out of 5 being given by pupils by the end of the 2022/23 session. The school have decided to adopt this change and continue to evaluate as they move forward into their next area of focus. Page 94 of 126
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11 Case Study 4 – Perth High School Reflect, Restore and Re-engage (RRR) Provision Exclusions have risen nationally and in Perth and Kinross in recent years for a variety of reasons, including the impact of the pandemic. Exclusion can be a barrier to pupils’ engagement and ultimately attainment, especially when young people have been excluded several times. Perth High School have looked afresh at their alternative to exclusion provision to ensure they are getting it right for their young people. In reviewing their processes, they identified there was increased scope for more support for young people to reflect on the causes and impact of their behaviours which led to exclusion/alternatives to exclusion being implemented. Research shows that when young people are supported to do this, they are more likely to be able to restore any damaged relationships and to reengage more successfully when they return to lessons. The RRR provision is coordinated by the Inclusion Coordinator and involves several key stakeholders including class teachers, Additional Support Needs staff and Principal Teachers of Guidance. Pupils are accommodated for a period on site in a bespoke provision specifically designed and staffed for the purposes of supporting alternatives to exclusion. Teaching staff speak knowledgeably about the programme and value the positive impacts it is having on the young people and their learning. Impact • Exclusions have fallen from 99 per 1000 pupils in 2021/2022 to 61 per 1000 pupils in 2022/2023. • Pupils who receive support through RRR are less likely to be involved in similar behaviours in the future as almost all young people who have had one referral to the programme do not go on to have a second referral. • Staff are enhancing their skills in this restorative work which is having an impact on their practice. • There is a calm and positive atmosphere in almost all lessons at Perth High School. • Perth High School is further developing the provision such is its success. Page 95 of 126
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12 Case Study 5 – Perth Grammar School Outreach Programme Some pupils in our schools including Perth Grammar School have difficulty attending school for a variety of reasons which include physical health issues, anxiety, and emotionally based absence. Where absences are longer term and other staged intervention processes have not been successful, the school utilises its Outreach programme. The school has developed the Outreach programme in collaboration with several stakeholders in ECS and local community partners to provide a tailored support package to pupils. Identified pupils receive significant support to ensure they receive their entitlement to education. Pupils work individually with their teachers and other professionals, often off site in a local community centre. The sessions start later in the morning to support greater engagement. Pupils and families find the quiet space and the one-to-one provision much more manageable and this is leading to improved outcomes for the young people. The school have deployed a Pupil Support Assistant to specifically support this process. The staff involved, including the Pupil Support Assistant, have engaged in professional learning in this area of pupil support which is enhancing their work. Impact • Attendance for identified pupils has improved significantly. • Many pupils have achieved success in National qualification who otherwise would not have achieved. • Pupils and parents/carers have reported they find the programme a support to them and their young people. • The school has significantly improved performance for achievement at National 3 and several young people have achieved three Science qualification through the programme. • Staff have developed their skills in providing support to pupils with significant barriers to their learning which is enhancing their practice. • Some young people have made a successful transition back to attending school on site. • The young people receive support from their Skills Development Scotland Careers Adviser through the programme to plan their next steps at a point when they are able to engage. Page 96 of 126
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13 Case Study 6 – Art of Friendship 2023 The Art of Friendship project was launched across PKC schools in January 2023. The project, open to all ages, was designed around wellbeing themes of positive relationships and friendships, complementing schools’ improvement priorities, and providing a creative approach to teaching health and wellbeing. Collaboration with a range of partners was crucial in the planning, delivery and the ongoing evaluation of the project. This included working with school practitioners, an art specialist teacher, Educational Psychologists, Inclusion and Digital Education Support Officers and our creative partners. Learners were invited to create artwork to explore, represent or symbolise friendship and the positive impact friendships can have on our wellbeing. The open and flexible nature of the project also promoted the development of creativity skills. Learner autonomy was a key principle of the project including the type of art created and the option to share work with a wider audience. Many learners collaborated including creations in digital animation, film, photography and a wall mural. We aimed for learners to: • Have agency and autonomy in their creative learning experiences. • Engage in dialogue about their wellbeing. • Develop and articulate their creativity skills further. • Connect with their peers and others through the sharing of artwork in and beyond their school. • Explore different approaches to creating art including the use of digital tools. In June 2023, an online exhibition of learner’s work was shared with schools, and the wider community, providing the opportunity for all learners to have their creations and efforts acknowledged and celebrated. To date this has been viewed nearly 300 times. Initial feedback from learners, practitioners and partners has been positive with over 800 learners from across 17 of our schools engaging in the project. Some examples of learner feedback • I enjoyed it because it was about friendship & getting to know someone I didn’t really know. • I liked working with other people & made new friends. • It taught me that even though you don’t like someone you can still be friends. • We watched the video about Edinburgh Art. It was an emotional video, really nice and interesting. Some examples of staff feedback • I feel this project provided a good starting point for learning conversations about friendships and it gave my children the opportunity to work collaboratively whilst being given the freedom to explore/express different approaches within the world of art. • Since the project we have done lots more groupwork. It has made me much more confident to try it with the pupils & they are more confident to work together. • Absolutely (improved relationships). Children loved working together as a team to produce their artwork. Feedback also included a film featuring a local artist interviewed learners with whom she supported in creating their art work. S2 learners from Blairgowrie High School wrote an article about their experiences in creating a wall mural with our creative partners. This included the following feedback: ‘The mural was unbelievably fun to make, and we enjoyed working with the artists, and even having some of the teachers come to help. It was an amazing experience, one that we are immensely proud of and won't forget! … we are glad we could make a positive mark in the school that people would hopefully enjoy for years to come!’ Page 97 of 126
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14 NIF Priority 4: Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people. Proportion of Young People (aged 16-19) in education, training or employment To supplement the school leaver information, SDS also reports the Annual Participation Measure. This measure reports on participation in education, training or employment for all 16–19-year-olds from across the population rather than focusing specifically on school leavers and is therefore a broader and preferred measure of recording positive outcomes. The measure shows a gradual improvement in the proportion of young people in education, training or employment, but the latest year will likely have been impacted by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The figures are above the Scottish average (92.4% in 2022) and the number not participating totals 194 individuals, with 155 unconfirmed. Key Developments in 2022/23 • An Employability Secondary School Strategy Toolkit was launched in April 2023. Designed to support schools to develop their own approach to school-employer partnerships and work-based learning activities, in line with local/national labour market information. • The PKC 16+ Framework designed through extensive consultation with schools, other Local Authorities and key stakeholders to provide structure, clarity and consistency to the school leaver process with a view to increasing positive destinations. • Data-sharing agreement now in place with UHI Perth to enable better attendance monitoring of pupils on School College Partnership Courses, including exceptional leavers, to support early intervention for pupils who are disengaging. • Training offered in March 2022 to enable more school staff to undertake health and safety checks in order to approve work placements, twilight sessions run by central team and ongoing support to schools has seen work experience placements increase from 260 in 2021/22 to 449 in 2022/23. • In response to need identified by schools, a bespoke employability programme was co-designed alongside Services for Young People and YMCA and delivered to eight pupils in each school who were most at risk of not achieving a positive destination. Page 98 of 126
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15 Conclusion There is evidence that the actions from our Raising Attainment Strategy and the Education Improvement Plan 2021-22 have improved outcomes for children and young people in terms of attainment through the lenses of excellence and equity. The next iteration of our Raising Attainment Strategy 2023-26 will look to consolidate these successes while addressing areas which require further attention. Our team approach to improving employability and skills in PKC with our partners in DYW (Tay Cities); Skills Development Scotland; UHI (Perth) and local employers continues to deliver success in this measure with a real focus for the session to come to support those young people most in need of additional interventions. Supporting the health and wellbeing of young people is a key feature of our Education Improvement Plan (2022-23) and the Raising Attainment Board will have key oversight of all these priorities. Case Study 7 – Scotland’s Enterprising Schools Business Challenge PKC ECS partnered with Scotland’s Enterprising Schools (SES) and Growbiz to pilot The Business Challenge, which involved over 300 S2 and 3 pupils across 5 secondary schools competing with each other online to see who could run the most successful business. The unique platform was co-designed by University of Glasgow Computing Science students and SES to bring the world of business and entrepreneurship into the classroom. Perth and Kinross has a significantly higher number of self-employed people than most other local authorities, which makes it important that pupils are given the opportunity to develop the necessary enterprise skills and attitudes to become self-employed in the future, if they choose. By involving Growbiz members as mentors and judges, pupils were also provided with information on local funding and support to develop their own business from as young as 16. The pilot was a success, with all teachers providing positive feedback and expressing the appetite to repeat it next year. The teacher from the winning school was recently invited to write an article for TES on the topic of Gamification of Learning, based on her experience of running The Business Challenge. Scotland’s Enterprising Schools have shared the success of the Pilot nationally with even more schools keen to take part next year. https://enterprisingschools.scot/news/perth-and-kinross-schools-pioneer-new-online-ses-b-24- 05-2023 Page 99 of 126
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16 Annexe 1 – Glossary of Acronyms Acronym Meaning ACEL Achievement of a Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Level ACM Alternative Certification Model CfE Curriculum for Excellence DHT Depute Headteacher DYW Developing the Young Workforce ECS Education and Children’s Services GMWP Glasgow Motivation and Wellbeing Profile HT Headteacher NIF National Improvement Framework PSA Pupil Support Assistant PT Principal Teacher RRR Reflect, Restore and Re-engage SAC Scottish Attainment Challenge SCQF Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework SDS Skills Development Scotland SES Scotland’s Enterprising Schools SIMD Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation SQA Scottish Qualifications Authority TES Times Educational Supplement UHI University of the Highlands and Islands YMCA Young Men’s Christian Association Page 100 of 126
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE 25 OCTOBER 2023 SCRUTINY AND PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE 22 NOVEMBER 2023 PUPIL EQUITY FUNDING UPDATE 2023 Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 23/281) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report provides an update on progress made in Perth and Kinross to close the poverty-related attainment gap through the use of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF). It outlines the range of PEF measures implemented to improve performance and monitor progress of improvements. It meets the requirements to report on the expenditure and impact of PEF. 2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 It is recommended that the Learning and Families Committee: • Considers the contents of this report. It is recommended that the Scrutiny and Performance Committee: • Scrutinises and comments as appropriate on this report. 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Appendices 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 The PEF forms part of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) programme which was launched in February 2015 and is currently in its seventh year. PEF is allocated by the Scottish Government to schools and is specifically targeted at closing the poverty-related attainment gap. A total of £130m has been committed to this funding as part of the national SAC programme for academic session 2023-2024. 4.2 In session 2022-2023, £200m of targeted funding was invested to help close the poverty related attainment gap, including the £130m allocated to PEF. This marked the first year of investment in an expanded £1b Attainment 8 Page 101 of 126
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Scotland Fund, which will be provided over the current parliamentary term (2021-2026), after an investment of over £750m in the previous parliamentary term (2016-2021). 4.3 Every education authority in Scotland has received PEF and 97% of Scottish schools have been awarded funding this session. PEF is allocated to schools on the basis of the estimated number of registered free school meals in P1 to S3, with £1225 allocated per pupil. 4.4 In Perth and Kinross, Headteachers have full access to PEF 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. 4.5 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 School Improvement Plan (SIP), outlining their PEF priorities, and setting out both the universal and targeted approaches that will be adopted to achieve the expected outcomes. 2022/23 Allocation in Perth and Kinross 4.6 In academic session 2022/2023, Perth and Kinross schools were allocated £1,873,930 of funding. This was then allocated to 68 of the 70 primary schools (2 primary schools did not meet the Scottish Government eligibility criteria in terms of their pupil body), all 11 secondary schools and 1 special school. 4.7 During financial year 2022/23, a total of £1,734,018 was spent (92.5% of allocation). A carry forward of £139,912 was taken into the financial year of 2023/24. At the end of the school year in June 2023, 99.6% of the 2022/23 PEF allocation had been spent. Guidance and Planning 4.8 Revised Local PEF Guidance was issued to all Perth and Kinross schools in June 2023. This aligned closely with the Scottish Government’s changes in the allocation of SAC funding as reflected in the paper Scottish Attainment Challenge: framework for recovery and accelerating progress published in March 2022. A key change is that PEF allocations to schools are now fixed until March 2026. Page 102 of 126
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Interventions 4.9 Schools concentrated on a range of approaches to enhance the universal provision and targeted interventions for children and young people, to support their reconnection with learning in school and address any gaps. 4.10 Over the course of academic session 2022/23, an Interventions Mapping Tool has been developed which will provide schools with information and guidance on research-based interventions to address particular gaps or areas of need. 4.11 In academic session 2022/23, PEF plans focused particularly on literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, and this will continue to be the focus for academic session 2023/24. Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact 4.12 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. Individual schools reported on the impact of PEF interventions within their annual Standard and Quality Reports for 2022-2023. 4.13 During the course of academic session 2022/23, the Raising Attainment Board challenged schools to focus more sharply on the stretch aims detailed in the Raising Attainment Strategy. The Board also monitored the impact of PEF expenditure and the impact of the identified interventions to close the poverty related gap. 4.14 Education Services staff 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 and identify appropriate strategies for closing the poverty related gap in more detail. 4.15 Progress is being made across Perth and Kinross in closing the poverty- related attainment gap with improvement demonstrated in Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels in literacy and numeracy in P1, P4, P7 and in S3. 4.16 Detailed analysis of plans and interventions has identified the approaches which are having the most impact in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, enabling them to be scaled up and rolled out across Perth and Kinross schools. 4.17 This evidence-based approach has enabled the development of an Interventions Mapping Tool which will support schools to identify the most appropriate intervention to address identified gaps, based on research and evidence available from other settings. Page 103 of 126
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4.18 Every school PEF plan for academic session 2023/24 has been reviewed and analysed by the Education Scotland Attainment Advisor. Detailed feedback has been provided and has been revisited during the Term 1 school improvement visits to all schools. Next Steps in Supporting Schools 4.19 To ensure that the use of PEF continues to be monitored and evaluated, Education Services staff will ensure that there is: • Continued promotion of, and support to schools in the delivery of, evidence-based interventions to target aspects of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, building upon the growing local evidence base. • Effective deployment of Scottish Government Strategic Equity Funding in Perth and Kinross to rigorously map, challenge and support school PEF, building upon existing structures and approaches. • Regular reporting and analysis of progress to the Raising Attainment Board. 5. CONCLUSION 5.1 Academic session 2022/2023 has seen improved levels of spending, supported by rigorous processes, to ensure that PEF is being spent in the same academic year and is being appropriately targeted to ensure its maximum impact for children and young people facing disadvantage. Author Name Designation Contact Details David Macluskey Service Manager (Secondary Schools) ECSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk 01738 475000 Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) 22 September 2023 Page 104 of 126
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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 Yes External Yes 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). Page 105 of 126
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1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Vision, Values and Priorities in respect of the following key Priority area: • Learning and Achievement 2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 These are reported within the body of the report and in Appendix 1. Workforce 2.2 N/A Asset Management (land, property, IT) 2.3 N/A 3. Assessments 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. 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. 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 (Scotland) Act 2009 the Council also has a duty relating to climate change and, in exercising its functions must act: Page 106 of 126
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• 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 and Quality Improvement Officers within Education and Children’s Services were consulted in the preparation of this report. External 4.2 The Education Scotland Attainment Advisor was consulted in the preparation of this report. 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 - Pupil Equity Fund Report 2022 - 2023 Page 107 of 126
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Education & Children’ Improving Lives Together Ambition Compassion Integrity Education & Children’s Services Pupil Equity Fund Report 2022-2023 Raising Attainment Strategy Appendix 1 8 Page 109 of 126
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Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Purpose of the Report ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 PEF Allocations ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.4 Guidance and Planning ....................................................................................................................... 2 1.5 Tracking and Monitoring ...................................................................................................................... 2 2 Progress on 2021-2022 Actions ................................................................................................................. 2 3 Support and Professional Development ..................................................................................................... 4 3.1 Support for Schools and Settings ........................................................................................................ 4 3.2 The Equity Network ............................................................................................................................. 4 3.4 Improvement Methodology .................................................................................................................. 4 3.5 Data for Improvement ......................................................................................................................... 4 4 PEF Interventions Summary ...................................................................................................................... 5 5 Impact ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 5.1 Headline Outcomes ............................................................................................................................ 5 5.2 Impact of Specific Interventions .......................................................................................................... 6 5.3 Closing the Gap .................................................................................................................................. 6 5.4 Attainment .......................................................................................................................................... 6 6 Quality Assurance ...................................................................................................................................... 7 6.1 PEF Planning ...................................................................................................................................... 8 6.4 Sampling Visits ................................................................................................................................... 8 7 PEF Expenditure 2022-2023 ...................................................................................................................... 8 8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Annexe 1 – Infographic ................................................................................................................................... 10 Annexe 2 – Case Studies ................................................................................................................................ 11 Annexe 3 – Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................................................ 14 Page 110 of 126
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1 1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose of the Report This report provides an update on progress made in Perth and Kinross to raise attainment and ensure equity for learners affected by poverty through the use of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF). 1.2 Background PEF is part of the national Scottish Attainment Challenge programme and has been in place since 2015. In 2022, the Scottish Government launched a refreshed programme which is outlined in The Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress. This framework explains that the Scottish Attainment Challenge aims to: • use education to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty, with a focus on tackling the poverty-related attainment gap; and • support educational recovery from Covid-19, increase the pace and reduce the variation in progress towards tackling the poverty related attainment gap. The Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress, The Operational Guidance published by the Scottish Government states that PEF must be used to provide targeted support for children and young people (and their families if appropriate) affected by poverty to achieve their full potential, focusing on targeted improvement activity in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. The Scottish Government asks local authorities to use the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) to identify learners living in poverty. This tool indicates that 7.2% of pupils in Perth and Kinross are classified as living in the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland. SIMD can be supplemented with local measures as appropriate. In Perth and Kinross, schools also use the ACORN system. This is a demographic tool which takes into account the dispersed nature of rural communities. Using ACORN indicates that over a third of children and young people in Perth and Kinross live in households subject to some level of deprivation, falling into ACORN Categories 4 and 5. 1.3 PEF Allocations PEF is allocated directly from the Scottish Government to schools on the basis of the estimated number of children and young people in P1-S3 registered for free school meals (FSM) under the national eligibility criteria. This meant that in the year 2022-2023, schools in Perth and Kinross received a total of £1,873,930 from the Pupil Equity Fund. 76 out of 78 schools in Perth and Kinross received PEF, 75% allocated to the primary sector, with 25% allocated to secondaries. Allocations varied between schools and are summarised below. Financial Range Number of Schools £0 2 £1-£9,999 23 £10,000-£19,999 17 £20,000-£29,999 8 £30,000-£39,999 7 £40,000-£49,999 1 £50,000-£59,999 2 £60,000-£69,999 3 £70,000-£79,999 1 £80,000-£89,999 2 £90,000-£99,999 3 >£100,000 9 Page 111 of 126
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2 Full details of allocations are available on the Scottish Government website. This funding is only one part of much broader approaches across PKC schools to narrowing the poverty related attainment gap. It enables the enhancement of existing approaches and the implementation of targeted interventions based on identified need. However, there is a significant amount of work undertaken at universal level which also impacts on achievement and attainment. 1.4 Guidance and Planning The PKC Raising Attainment Strategy 2020-2023 sets out a shared vision, priorities, and expectations in relation to raising attainment and achievement for every child and young person. This strategy reflects the national ambitions of attaining excellence and achieving equity. It outlines the approaches used to address all attainment gaps including those identified for learners affected by poverty. The refreshed Strategy for 2023-2026 will come to committee in March 2024. PEF local guidance has been developed in line with The Pupil Equity Funding National Operational Guidance 2022. This guidance is shared with all schools. It includes local information including planning, tracking, monitoring and reporting expectations as well as information on finance and procurement processes and the central support that is available to all schools. Information has also been shared on the PKC staff intranet with pages allocated to PEF, frequently asked questions, case studies to disseminate good practice, and providing school staff with access to a range of supporting information and guidance. 1.5 Tracking and Monitoring The Closing the Gap Tool which was launched during 2021-2022, is now being used by all schools to track and monitor their PEF-funded interventions. This has enabled schools and Education Services officers to enhance their understanding of how PEF is being used and to monitor and review the impact of interventions. Information about the tool, its implementation, development and use has continued to be shared on request with enquiries from at least another nine Scottish and one Welsh authority. In addition, over the course of 2022-2023, an Interventions Mapping Toolkit has been developed to act as a ‘one stop shop’ for schools to explore commonly identified needs and evidenced based interventions, resources and case studies that might support learners within their schools or settings. This is due to be launched in September 2023. 2 Progress on 2021-2022 Actions Action Progress A full analysis of PEF planning will complement individual feedback given directly to all head teachers. Data gathered from the PEF planning analysis will be used alongside financial information, contextual evidence, and attainment data to inform targeted and universal support to schools. Individual feedback was provided to all Headteachers on their PEF plans and overall analysis has informed planning, training and universal, targeted individual and collective support. Strengthened guidance and support for all head teachers. In addition to the universal support offer, some schools have received targeted support from Education Services officers, with others receiving intensive support from the Attainment Adviser based on a needs analysis. Information has been published on the PKC staff Intranet site, eric, signposting local and national Page 112 of 126
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3 guidance as well as internal and external supports and resources. Case studies and frequently asked questions have also been added to support the sharing of good practice across the local authority. Closer collaborative links between staff supporting schools with PEF planning, tracking, and monitoring and the finance and HR teams will support increased impact. Significant resource has been invested in supporting collaboration. Regular monthly updates from Finance colleagues in particular has resulted in a significant improvement in “in- year” spend of PEF allocations. In 2021-2022 36% of PKC PEF allocation was carried forward to 2022-2023. In 2022-2023 7.5% was carried forward to the 2023-2024 financial year and only 0.4% remained unspent at the end of the school year. The Closing the Gap Tool will be refined further with support provided to ensure all schools are effectively tracking interventions and evidencing impact by the end of the academic session. Version 2 of the ‘Closing the Gap Planning and Tracking Intervention Tool’ has been successfully developed and launched. The tool has been reviewed and re-designed in collaboration with school leaders. This has improved the planning, tracking and evaluative functions of the tool. It has been streamlined to reduce bureaucracy, includes clear aims and objectives, allows schools to track their financial spend and is linked to a live data dashboard which can be reviewed at local authority, local management group or school level. Training workshops have been delivered and initial feedback from schools is positive. Further training and support will be offered in 2023-2024. Professional Learning for all staff involved in closing the poverty related attainment gap will continue to be developed and refined. The ‘PKC Equity Network’ has provided a series of inputs to support schools’ understanding of the barriers faced by children and young people impacted by poverty and possible mitigations. This has included information on the Cost of the School Day, partnership working and creating a ‘poverty aware’ school. Sessions on pedagogy for equity and understanding poverty have been delivered as part of the probationer programme. Feedback from these sessions was extremely positive with many probationers referencing an increased understanding, sense of empathy and determination to provide additional support. A PKC interventions toolkit will be launched to support and signpost schools to effective evidence-based interventions. The Interventions Mapping Toolkit will act as a ‘one stop shop’ for schools to explore commonly identified needs and evidenced based interventions, resources and case studies to support learners has been developed over the Page 113 of 126
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4 course of the year and will be available to schools from September 2023. 3 Support and Professional Development Professional support is key to the effective deployment of PEF together with relevant professional learning. 3.1 Support for Schools and Settings Education Services Officers provide PEF support to all schools and more formally at termly meetings with school leaders. Targeted support has also been provided to identified schools by the Education Scotland Attainment Advisor. The focus of these visits included: PEF planning; selecting appropriate interventions; addressing underspend and supporting schools to carry out data analysis to identify gaps and particular learner needs. The impact of this support has been evidenced in improved PEF planning; clearer aims and objectives for individual interventions; and a reduced underspend across schools. 3.2 The Equity Network The Perth and Kinross Equity Network provides regular opportunities for school leaders and practitioners to meet and engage in a range of professional learning. It has approximately 80 members and provides a forum for good practice to be shared across schools. During 2022-2023, the following specific PEF-related training was delivered to school leaders and other practitioners with equity in their remit. • Effective use of data for improvement • Cost of the School Day • Use of impact measurement tool • Effectively measuring Health and Wellbeing interventions • Using digital technology to close the poverty-related attainment gap • PEF Planning Series: (Needs Analysis for PEF; Aims, Interventions and Measures; Sharing and reviewing PEF Plans) The impact of this training is being evidenced in the PEF plans for 2023-2024 which have shown significant improvement in terms of having clear, data-informed and measurable outcomes and aims based on identified gaps. This will impact in turn on the attainment and health and wellbeing of children and young people affected by poverty as resources are effectively targeted towards supporting them to achieve their potential. 3.4 Improvement Methodology The local authority has worked with the Education Scotland Attainment Advisor and the Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative (CYPIC) team to deliver training supporting the implementation of Quality Improvement Methodology (QI) across the authority. The QI programme has delivered training to school leaders and practitioners enabling them to deliver targeted improvement projects to improve outcomes for identified learners. The impact of this training is evidenced in the plans submitted for 2023-2024 which for most schools, evidence data informed outcomes with clear baselines and measurable aims. 3.5 Data for Improvement Significant support has been provided to school leaders to develop capacity to analyse data to inform improvement. Senior leaders from all schools were invited to attend training to develop skills in data collection, analysis, and planning for improvement. Training included the ‘data on a page’ approach to Page 114 of 126
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5 enable schools to gather and analyse data in a clear and diagnostic way. This approach has now been incorporated into the revised PKC quality improvement framework supporting data driven dialogue to increase the data literacy across all teams. The impact of this work has been evidenced in feedback from Education Scotland Inspections which for one school highlighted, “Senior leaders use detailed systems to track different identified groups of children effectively. This includes tracking by gender, children who require additional support in their learning, or those facing disadvantage. As a result, staff are able to identify children who are not making suitable progress and provide appropriate interventions.” 4 PEF Interventions Summary In 2022-2023, an analysis of PEF plans submitted on the Closing the Gap Tool identified literacy as the most frequently targeted area of support. When analysed by subject, the majority of these interventions were targeted towards reading. This bar chart demonstrates the range of needs targeted by PEF interventions. After attainment, learner engagement, mental health and wellbeing and participation were the area’s most frequently identified for intervention. Number of PEF Interventions by Identified Need 5 Impact By the end of 2022-2023, 100% of schools were recording interventions appropriately; an increase of 27% from 2021-2022. This provided information about 448 PEF interventions delivered to 6543 learners. 5.1 Headline Outcomes • 920 interventions were recorded – an increase of 337 from June 2022 • 89% of recorded PEF interventions accessed by 6543 learners fully or partly met the intended outcomes. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Page 115 of 126
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6 Intervention Outcomes by Subject Area * For all data analysis ‘fully met’ indicates that 100% of learners met the intended outcomes. ‘Partly met’ indicates that the majority or >50% of learners met the intended outcomes. 5.2 Impact of Specific Interventions The table below illustrates the percentage of children and young people who fully or partly met the intended outcomes in specific literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing interventions. This has allowed the identification of interventions that have been most successful and may therefore be effectively spread further across the authority. Health and Wellbeing Exclusion Support 100% Self-Regulation 87% Literacy Precision Teaching 100% Speech and Language 100% Targeted Reading 91% Numeracy Precision Teaching 100% Targeted Number Facts 90% *Interventions selected are a sample of those used most frequently with the highest % impact. 5.3 Closing the Gap Progress is being made across the authority in closing the poverty-related attainment gap at all stages. Changes are likely to be seen reliably over several years and year-by-year comparison should be done with care. 5.4 Attainment The table below demonstrates steady improvement year on year in the gap between ACORN 4/5 and ACORN 1 in the achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels in P1,4 and 7. % point Gap between ACORN 4/5 and ACORN 1, P1, 4 and 7 Area 2018/19 2019/20** 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 Reading 20% 23% 18% 20% 18% Numeracy Yes Fully Yes Partly Insufficient Evidence No HWB Yes Fully Yes Partly Insufficient Evidence No Literacy Yes Fully Yes Partly Insufficient Evidence No Page 116 of 126
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7 Writing 21% 25% 21% 23% 19% Listening and talking 16% 22% 18% 16% 13% Mathematics & Numeracy 19% 23% 19% 20% 17% All Areas 19% 23% 19% 20% 17% ** 2019/20 data is incomplete and PKC, individual school and comparator results may not be comparable with previous and following years. This is replicated in S3, where steady progress over time is also evident. % point Gap between ACORN 4/5 and ACORN 1, S3 Area 2018/19 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 Reading 19% 11% 13% 9% Writing 17% 11% 14% 10% Listening and talking 15% 8% 12% 8% Mathematics & Numeracy 14% 14% 9% 9% Analysis of interventions implemented by schools who have made a significant impact on their poverty- related attainment gap shows that Precision Teaching along with targeted number facts, targeted phonics, targeted reading, targeted grammar and targeted spelling were the most frequently used interventions. Interventions such as Emotion Works (focussing on emotional resilience), Toe by Toe, Wave 3, Power of 1 and Power of 2 were also widely used by these schools to address identified literacy and numeracy gaps. In Coupar Angus Primary School for example, where the overall attainment gap between Acorn 4/5 and Acorn 1 measured using Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels at P1,4 and 7 has reduced over time as detailed in the table below, targeted reading and other literacy interventions funded by PEF demonstrate a significant impact. Area 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 Reading 19% 54% -1% 41% 11% Writing 36% 25% 6% 56% 2% Listening and talking 35% 38% 7% 11% 7% All of these approaches are included in the new Interventions Mapping Tool which will provide support to schools in identifying the most appropriate intervention to address an identified need. This will enable the sharing of good practice and the upscaling of successful, evidence-based approaches across the authority. 6 Quality Assurance A broad range of quality assurance activity was undertaken at different levels to ensure the effective use of PEF. Information gathered was used throughout the academic year to inform ongoing support and challenge. Page 117 of 126
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8 6.1 PEF Planning All PEF plans were reviewed with individual feedback provided to school leaders alongside follow up discussions by Education Services officers. Specific consideration was given to the quality of aims and measures, whether interventions were evidenced based and met the conditions of the fund and any potential underspend. An analysis of all PEF plans was used to inform a programme of universal and tailored support. 6.2 Tracking and Monitoring The impact of all PEF interventions is tracked at school and local authority level. Additional team members recruited as part of the Scottish Equity Fund (SEF) supported schools to ensure that tracking was followed scrupulously. Regular meetings with the finance team ensured that PEF spend was reviewed and support offered to schools with any underspend. A central tracking system was developed to provide an overview of all schools PEF spend, planning, attainment, engagement in professional learning and any support received. 6.3 Self Evaluation Schools review the impact of their PEF spend and the efficacy of PEF-funded interventions as part of their ongoing self-evaluation processes. Education Services officers offer support with discussions at termly meetings. 6.4 Sampling Visits PEF Sampling Visits were conducted during Term 4 of 2022-2023. These followed a standard format with schools asked to discuss their approach to the identification of needs, tracking and monitoring of progress and measurement of impact. Collaboration, partnerships, successes and challenges were also included within the discussions. These visits will continue throughout 2023-2024 and a content analysis will be undertaken to identify strengths and areas for development. 7 PEF Expenditure 2022-2023 In line with national and local guidance, funding was allocated by schools for a range of purposes as identified through their self-evaluation processes. Schools were supported to commit and spend their full PEF allocation in year. At the end of the financial year, 92.5% of 2022-2023 PEF allocation had been spent, a significant improvement on the 64% in 2021-2022. £139,912 was carried forward into 2023-2024, representing 7.5% of the 2022-2023 allocation with the majority of this committed to be spent before the end of the school year. This is a significant improvement from 2021-2022 when £1,019,909 was carried forward. At the end of the school year just £7,660 remained unspent, meaning 99.6% of allocated funding had been spent. Spent £1,734,018 Unspent £139,912 PEF Spend 2022-2023 Allocation at end of Financial Year Spent £1,866,270 Unspent £7,660 PEF Spend 2022-2023 Allocation at end of School Year Page 118 of 126
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9 Expenditure has focused on the two main areas of staffing and resources. The breakdown of this allocation for session 2022-2023 is shown below along with the split of staff costs between teaching and single status staff. 8 Conclusion Significant progress has been made in 2022-2023 in effectively planning, tracking and monitoring PEF interventions and ensuring that funds are spent in-year to maximise impact, supporting children and young people affected by poverty to achieve their potential. Case studies, data and information gathered through quality assurance processes have demonstrated improved outcomes for learners. Evidence also demonstrates the positive impact of programmes of professional development and training as delivered through Quality Improvement and Data for Improvement training, the Equity Network and the Educational Psychology Service. It is important that this progress is built upon in 2023-2024 to ensure that all schools are effectively planning the most impactful use of their PEF monies. Education Services officers will continue to focus attention on the quality and impact of the evidence-based interventions chosen to address attainment gaps for learners affected by poverty. Therefore, the following actions are planned for 2023-2024: • Maintain the focus on spend to ensure that funds are spent in year thereby maximising the impact on children and young people affected by poverty. • Monitor and review the impact, quality and efficacy of PEF spend using attainment and other data to analyse the impact of interventions and how those have improved outcomes for children and young people. • Further build on professional development offer to senior leaders to enhance whole staff capacity to engage with data analysis by delivering a package of support for school leaders to explore data with staff teams. • Support the implementation of the Interventions Mapping Tool and monitor its usage and impact in supporting evidence-based interventions to address identified needs. • Enhance the focus on closing gaps particularly in attainment vs deprivation. Staff costs £1,682,625 Staff training £20,072 Property £3,100 Resource costs £936,005 Breakdown of Spend by Type Teacher £547,250 (32%) Single Status £944,828 (56%) Teaching Supply £112,654 (7%) Single Status Supply £77,908 (5%) PEF Funded Staff Costs Page 119 of 126
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10 Annexe 1 – Infographic Page 120 of 126
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11 Annexe 2 – Case Studies Kinross High School Pupil Care and Welfare Officer – Focus on Attendance and Timekeeping Background In common with schools across Perth & Kinross Council, levels of attendance post-COVID in Kinross High School have been lower than previously with increased levels of unauthorised absence. One of the local authority priorities for this session was to improve attendance generally and, specifically, to reduce unauthorised absence. Through improved attendance and enhanced trusting relationships, attainment should also improve. What did we do? We employed a Pupil Care and Welfare Officer using our Pupil Equity Funding allocation and supplemented this with our DSM to increase our PCWO capacity from one member of staff to three. These members of staff were used to focus on attendance and timekeeping, undertaking the following tasks: ✓ Producing and reviewing a caseload overview to target intervention by protected characteristics, ✓ Supporting vulnerable people to go to class and to be on time, ✓ Welcoming all young people at the doors, ✓ Building links with home highlighting poor attendance and timekeeping, ✓ Praising young people when attendance and timekeeping are good, ✓ Building relationships across the school community and beyond, ✓ Working as part of a team with guidance staff and beyond. Impact Attendance has increased: based on a yearly average of 88%, attendance during term 4 improved to 93% which is 1% above the Secondary Attendance Stretch Aim for Perth & Kinross Council. Unauthorised absences have decreased. Reasons for Impact ✓ PCWOs have established trusted relationships with young people, ✓ PCWOs have been able to effectively support young people, ✓ As PCWOs are not teaching staff there is less of a barrier with young people, ✓ Improved partnership working and better relationships with parents due to increased contact, ✓ PCWOs review attendance data daily to ensure all absences are followed up, ✓ PCWOs track a group of vulnerable young people, supporting them to get to class on time. Next Steps Due to the success of this intervention and the importance of the PCWO role in supporting young people, it has now been included as a more permanent approach in our support model and will be funded in future years from our DSM budget. Page 121 of 126
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12 Kinnoull Primary School Sensory Room Emotional Regulation Background We were aware that there were a number of children joining us in Primary 1 who had high levels of additional support needs, including (but not exclusively) Autistic Spectrum Disorders. We also have a number of children already in school who, at times, experience difficulties with emotional regulation and who we felt would benefit significantly from a specific calming space in which they were able to regulate their emotions. What did we do? We used Pupil Equity funding to convert a staff hub into a sensory space known as “The Star Room”. The room was cleared and a variety of sensory items, including a bubble tube, atmospheric lighting, weighted blankets, sensory toys, tiles, light cubes, a tent, wall panels and mirrors installed. The use of the room was monitored in order that we could evidence its use, and a “Zones of Regulation” display was created to tie in with the whole school approach to self-regulation. Use of the room was supported by Pupil Support and Community Learning Assistants. Impact Qualitative data and feedback indicate that the space has been very valuable for the younger pupils who joined P1 in 2022/2. Without this valuable break-out space, their experience of the busy classroom environment would have been overwhelming. Using the Leuven Scale of Engagement, the benefit for older children has also been monitored. Our data indicates that pupil engagement increased after almost every visit to the room (92%). Next Steps ✓ The intervention is now a permanent feature of our school which will benefit lots of pupils in the coming years, as well as those for whom it has already made a positive difference. Page 122 of 126
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13 Breadalbane Academy Targeted BGE Support (small groups and 1:1) Literacy and Numeracy Background Following successful interventions using COVID recovery funding in session 2021-2022, we were very close to achieving our stretch aims for S3 pupils achieving level 3 literacy and numeracy (95% for level 3 numeracy and an average of 93% for literacy). Our attainment for session 2020/21 had been lower with 82% achieving level 3 numeracy and an average of 90% for level 3 literacy. The stretch aim for this measure remained the same for session 2022-2023, therefore we were keen to continue this intervention. What did we do? We used Pupil Equity Funding for a teacher to work with BGE pupils 2 days per week. We allocated a teacher with a Science background to the English and Maths departments to work with targeted BGE pupils, either in small groups or on a 1:1 basis, depending on identified needs. Data such as P7 and S3 SNSA scores, in addition to S1 CAT scores were used to identify target pupils and groups. Where we had some additional staffing capacity, we also allocated a specialist teacher to work with small groups using techniques such as Precision Teaching. Impact At the end of May 2023 our attainment for Level 3 Literacy and Numeracy are as follows: ✓ Listening and Talking and Writing 96% ✓ Reading 95% ✓ Numeracy 91% We will continue to support this intervention for the remainder of session 2022-2023. Next Steps ✓ We plan to continue to use PEF funding to support this intervention. ✓ We will continue to use data including SNSA and CAT scores to identify target pupils and groups. ✓ We aim to increase the number of tracking snapshots in S1 and S2 for Literacy and Numeracy to monitor the progress of these cohorts. ✓ We hope to build on this by creating more opportunities for cross sector moderation and focussing on literacy and numeracy as responsibility of all. 80 100 S3 CFE L3 -% Achieved Writing 80 100 S3 CFE L3 -% Achieved Reading 50 100 S3 CFE L3 -% Achieved Nume… Page 123 of 126
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14 Methven Primary School Roots of Empathy Programme Social and emotional development Background 4 primary 3 children (all boys) were identified as struggling either significantly or somewhat more than peers with social interactions, emotional identification, and regulation. We chose to use our PEF funding for Roots of Empathy as a universal approach to support all of children in the class with developing their emotional literacy. What did we do? Roots of Empathy is a programme run over several months in which children observe the vulnerability and humanity of a baby (Tiny Teacher) who visits their classroom throughout the school year with their parent. Emotional literacy develops as children begin to identify and label the baby’s feelings, reflect on and understand their own feelings, then move towards understanding the feelings of others. The programme runs over several months and includes whole class work based on pre and post baby visits on a 3-weekly cycle, focusing primarily on emotions and growth. The programme was led by the nursery teacher (instructor), who is Roots of Empathy trained, and the Primary 3 class teacher. The pupils, teacher, instructor, and parent of the program’s “Tiny Teacher” completed questionnaires before and after the Roots of Empathy program to enable impact to be measured. Impact Based on feedback from the class teacher, there were significant changes in the emotional literacy of the children in the class. Improved emotional literacy was also evident in the pupil feedback as children with greater awareness of emotions and pro-social behaviours were more able to accurately gauge their abilities. True Before True After Not true Before Not true After Shows altruistic/pro-social behaviours (eg caring, sharing/helping and including others) 42% 63% 4% 1% Can recognize and understand their own feelings 47% 68% 11% 5% Can communicate their feelings to others 42% 32% 6% 3% Can understand how other people feel 32% 37% 11% 16% Displays aggressive behaviour and little anger control 16% 11% 58% 84% Can manage conflict and resolve disputes independently 16% 11% 53% 32% Will intervene if they see a peer being treated meanly or bullied 37% 42% 26% 21% Next Steps ✓ We plan to run the programme again due to the universal benefits it provides, but would not select it again as a PEF funded intervention for the purpose originally identified. ✓ 3 of the 4 boys identified still require further structured interventions and planning (all of which have been in place alongside the Roots of Empathy programme for the duration of the school year). Page 124 of 126
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15 Annexe 3 – Glossary of Terms Acronym Meaning CTGT Closing the Gap Tool CYPIC Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative FSM Free School Meals HR Human Resources HWB Health and Wellbeing PEF Pupil Equity Fund QI Quality Improvement SAC Scottish Attainment Challenge SEF Strategic Equity Fund SIMD Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation VSE Validated Self-Evaluation Page 125 of 126
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