Agenda Document Pack - Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee - 02/06/2025
Perth and Kinross Council · 2 June 2025
Back to Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee — 2 June 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Ambition | Compassion | Integrity Our vision is for a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Council Building 2 High Street Perth PH1 5PH 27/05/2025 A hybrid meeting of the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee will be held in the Council Chambers (Hybrid) on Monday, 02 June 2025 at 13:00. If you have any queries please contact Democratic 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 Caroline Shiers Page 1 of 120
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Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee Monday, 02 June 2025 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/SUBSTITUTES 2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 3 MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE SUB-COMMITTEE OF LEARNING AND FAMILIES COMMITTEE OF 2 APRIL 2025 FOR APPROVAL (copy herewith) 5 - 6 4 STANDARDS AND QUALITY IN SCHOOLS, LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND PRE-SCHOOL CENTRES/DAY CARE OF CHILDREN Report by Strategic Lead - Education and Learning (copy herewith 25/136) 7 - 36 5 SUMMARY REPORT ON CARE INSPECTORATE AND EDUCATION SCOTLAND INSPECTIONS Report by Strategic Lead - Education and Learning (copy herewith 25/137) 37 - 48 6 HMIE NATIONAL THEMATIC INSPECTION REPORT - LOCAL AUTHORITY APPROACHES TO SUPPORTING SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT Report by Strategic Lead - Education and Learning (copy herewith 25/135) 49 - 120 Page 3 of 120
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Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee Minute of Hybrid Meeting of the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee held on Wednesday 2 April 2025 at 2.30pm. Present: Councillors J Rebbeck, M Frampton, Bailie C Ahern, L Barrett, D Cuthbert, and C Shiers. In Attendance: D Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning; J Chiles, G Doogan, B Martin-Scott (both Education and Learning); C Loudon, Headteacher, Kirkmichael Primary School; and K Molley, A Brown and M Pasternak (all Legal and Governance). Apologies: Councillor S Carr. Councillor J Rebbeck, Convener, Presiding. 1. Welcome and Apologies The Convener welcomed all those present to the meeting. Apologies for absence were noted as above. 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 the Lifelong Learning Committee of 28 October 2024 was submitted, approved as a correct record. 4. Standards and Quality in Schools, Learning Communities and Pre- School Centres/Day Care of Children There was submitted a report by the Strategic Lead – Education and Learning (25/73) setting out the key findings following inspections of schools and nurseries by Education Scotland/ His Majesty’s Inspectorate 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 and Families Committee in 28 October 2024. Resolved: Having heard from the relevant officers on the key findings of the inspection report and following consideration and questions from the Sub-Committee, the contents of Report 25/73 and its appendices, be noted. 3 Page 5 of 120
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee Date of Meeting: 2 June 2025 Report Title: Standards and Quality in Schools, Learning Communities and Pre-school Centres/Day Care of Children Report Number: 25/136 Report Author: James Chiles, Performance & Improvement Officer (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 This report sets out the key findings following inspections of schools and nurseries by Education Scotland/His Majesty’s Inspectorate 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 the Learning and Families Committee on 2 April 2025. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation 3. Background/Main Issues 4. Recently Published Reports 5. Performance Summary 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8. Appendices 2. Recommendation It is recommended that the Sub-Committee: 2.1 Considers and comments as appropriate on the contents of the report. 4 Page 7 of 120
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3. Background/Main Issues 3.1 Education Scotland/HMIE Inspections 3.1.1 As required for the National Improvement Framework, HMIE will report on and provide grades for the following Quality Indicators (QIs) as part of full model inspections: • QI 1.3 – leadership of change; • QI 2.3 – learning, teaching and assessment; • QI 3.1 – ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion; and • QI 3.2 – raising attainment and achievement. Short model inspections focus on QIs 2.3 and 3.2. 3.2 ELC Inspections 3.2.1 ELC settings are subject to inspections from the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland and can experience joint inspections where both scrutiny bodies evaluate the quality of the provision. Due to higher levels of scrutiny in the ELC sector, it has been agreed nationally that an ELC setting which has been inspected by the Care Inspectorate will not receive an inspection by Education Scotland within 18 months. 3.2.2 The quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare is framed around four key questions. Each of these include a number of QIs for actual inspection which are: • How good is our care, play and learning? • How good is our setting? • How good is our leadership? • How good is our staff team? The final key question is: What is our overall capacity for improvement? This requires a global judgement based on evidence and evaluations from all the other key areas but is not evaluated specifically. 3.2.3 Each QI is graded on a 6-point scale in which 1 = unsatisfactory, 2 = weak, 3 = adequate, 4 = good, 5 = very good and 6 = excellent, and the overall key question evaluation is based on the lowest QI rating if more than one is completed. Following the publication of Funding follows the child and the national standard for early learning and childcare providers: principles and practice, all ELC settings must gain evaluations of good or better to be able to provide funded ELC in partnership with the local authority. 3.2.4 Recommendations and requirements may follow an inspection. Page 8 of 120
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• Recommendations: statements that set out actions the care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service; and • Requirements: statements which set out what is required of the care service provider to comply with relevant legislation. 3.2.5 Care service providers must submit an action plan to the Care Inspectorate addressing any requirements and recommendations identified. Progress against the action plan is monitored by the Care Inspectorate through annual return and self-assessment forms submitted by the care service provider, and through subsequent inspection. 4. Recently Published Reports 4.1 Education Scotland/HMIE Inspections 4.1.1 Since the Executive Sub-Committee of Learning and Families Committee on 2 April 2025, the following reports have been published by Education Scotland1: • Stanley Primary School and Nursery Stanley Primary School and Nursery was inspected in January 2025 by Education Scotland. Education Scotland will make no further visits in connection with this inspection. The evaluations against the QIs are shown in Appendix 1. At the time of the 2024 pupil census, the school had 120 primary school children and 27 nursery children enrolled. The primary school had a staffing complement of 8.03 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers. The detailed Summarised inspection findings for Stanley Primary School and Summarised inspection findings for Stanley Primary ELC are available on the Education Scotland website. • Meigle Primary School Meigle Primary School was inspected in February 2025 by Education Scotland. Education Scotland will make no further visits in connection with this inspection. The evaluations against the QIs are shown in Appendix 2. At the time of the 2024 pupil census, the school had 32 primary school children enrolled. The primary school had a staffing complement of 2.83 FTE teachers. The detailed Summarised inspection findings for Meigle Primary School is available on the Education Scotland website. • Kinross High School Kinross High School was inspected in March 2025 by Education Scotland. Education Scotland will make no further visits in connection with this inspection. The evaluations against the QIs are shown in Appendix 3. At the time of the 2024 pupil census, the school had 882 secondary school children 1 As at 31 Mar 2025 Page 9 of 120
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enrolled. The school had a staffing complement of 67 FTE teachers. The detailed Summarised inspection findings for Kinross High School is available on the Education Scotland website. 4.2 Care Inspectorate Inspections - Day Care of Children 4.2.1 A total of 3 inspections have been undertaken and published2 by the Care Inspectorate since the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee on 2 April 2025. 4.2.2 For the 8 indicators inspected; 4 received a ‘Very Good’ grading and 4 received ‘Good’ gradings. 4.2.3 The Oakbank Primary School Nursery inspection was part of a pilot to test the 'Quality improvement framework for early learning and childcare sectors' developed jointly with Education Scotland. Because this inspection was part of a pilot, no new evaluation grades were awarded. 4.3 Care Inspectorate Inspections - Kids Clubs 4.3.1 A total of 1 Kids Club inspection has been undertaken and published3 by the Care Inspectorate since the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee on 2 April 2025. 4.3.2 For the 4 indicators inspected; 1 received a ‘Very Good’ grading and 3 received ‘Good’ gradings. 4.4 Care Inspectorate Inspections - Childminding Services 4.4.1 There have been no Childminding inspections published4 by the Care Inspectorate since the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee on 2 April 2025. 5. Performance Summary 5.1 Education Scotland/HMIE 5.1.1 This section provides a summary of the performance of ELC settings and schools since August 2016 in inspections undertaken by Education Scotland. Since August 2016, the inspection model has changed with QI 1.1 Self-Evaluation for Self-Improvement no longer being evaluated. 5.1.2 30 ELC providers, 41 primary schools and 5 secondary schools have been inspected since the beginning of academic session 2016/17. 5.1.3 Table 1 below gives a summary of the evaluations for each QI for all ELC, primary and secondary school inspections. 2 As at 31 Mar 2025 3 As at 31 Mar 2025 4 As at 31 Mar 2025 Page 10 of 120
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Table 1: Number of QI Evaluations - 2016/17 to date. ELC QI Grading 1.3 Leadership of change 2.3 Learning, teaching & assessment 3.2 Securing children’s progress 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality & inclusion 1.1 Self-evaluation for self- improvement All QIs Excellent - - - - - - Very Good 6 8 9 8 - 31 Good 10 11 13 11 1 46 Satisfactory 4 6 3 1 1 15 Weak - 1 3 - - 4 Unsatisfactory - - - - - - Total 20 26 28 20 2 96 Primary Schools QI Grading 1.3 Leadership of change 2.3 Learning, teaching & assessment 3.2 Raising attainment & achievement 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality & inclusion 1.1 Self-evaluation for self- improvement All QIs Excellent 1 - - 1 - 2 Very Good 7 6 10 8 3 34 Good 8 16 18 12 - 54 Satisfactory 6 10 7 1 1 25 Weak - 1 2 - - 3 Unsatisfactory - - - - - - Total 22 33 37 22 4 118 Secondary Schools QI Grading 1.3 Leadership of change 2.3 Learning, teaching & assessment 3.2 Raising attainment & achievement 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality & inclusion 1.1 Self-evaluation for self- improvement All Qis Excellent - - - - - - Very Good - 1 - - - 1 Good - - 2 1 - 3 Satisfactory 3 3 2 1 - 9 Weak - 1 1 1 - 3 Unsatisfactory - - - - - - Total 3 5 5 3 0 16 5.1.4 In Perth and Kinross, there is an expectation that ELC provision and schools meet “good” evaluations in all QIs. This is higher than the national “satisfactory” expectation. Therefore, where a school or ELC setting receives less than a “good” evaluation, the Quality Improvement Officer for the school/setting works with the Headteacher/Manager to develop an action plan which will secure improvement in the areas of identified need. 5.1.5 Benchmarking data for ELC, primary and secondary inspections up to March 2024 using national and comparator authority information is shown in Appendix 4. Page 11 of 120
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5.1.6 For all ELC QIs evaluated from 2016/17 to date, 80% were graded as ‘good’ or better. 5.1.7 For all primary school QIs evaluated from 2016/17 to date, 76% were graded as ‘good’ or better. 5.1.8 For all secondary school QIs evaluated from 2016/17 to date, 25% were graded as ‘good’ or better. 5.2 Care Inspectorate 5.2.1 This section provides a summary of the performance of ELC settings in inspections carried out by the Care Inspectorate. A total of 31 Day Care services across Perth and Kinross have been inspected by the Care Inspectorate and reported to the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee since the beginning of the financial year 2024/25. 5.2.2 Table 2 below gives a summary of the evaluations for each Key Question. A summary list of inspections, as well as benchmarking over a longer time period (since financial year 2021/22) against national and comparator data, can be found in Appendix 5. This also includes an analysis of overall evaluation statistics to give the current position of inspections. Table 2: Number of Evaluations Received in Perth and Kinross 2024/25 to Date. QI Grading How good is our care, play and learning How good is our setting How good is our staff team How good is our leadership All QIs Excellent 0 0 0 0 0 Very Good 11 12 18 13 54 Good 18 17 10 16 61 Adequate 2 3 3 3 11 Weak 2 1 1 0 4 Unsatisfactory 0 0 1 1 2 Total 33 33 33 33 132 5.2.3 There is an expectation that ELC providers meet “good” evaluations in all QIs. Therefore, where an ELC provider receives less than a “good” evaluation, the Service Manager and Quality Improvement Officer for the ELC establishment works with the Headteacher/Manager/Leader to develop an action plan which will secure improvement in the areas of identified need. 6. Conclusion 6.1 Inspection reports provide further information on the standards and quality in Perth and Kinross schools, nurseries and funded partners providing ELC. This report sets out the outcomes of Education Scotland and Care Inspectorate reports of schools and ELC settings inspected and published since last reported to the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee on 2 April 2025. The overall performance of schools and Page 12 of 120
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ELC settings in inspections is strong, and where necessary, action plans put in place provide evidence of continuous improvement. 7. Impact Value Assessment 7.1 The Impact Value Assessment (IVA) undertaken in relation to this report can be viewed on the Perth and Kinross Council website via the link: Standards and quality in schools, learning communities and pre-school centres/day care of children 8. Appendices 8.1 Appendix 1 – Stanley Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare 8.2 Appendix 2 – Meigle Primary School 8.3 Appendix 3 – Kinross High School 8.4 Appendix 4 - Summary of Education Scotland Inspections 8.5 Appendix 5 - Summary of Care Inspectorate Day Care of Children Inspections Page 13 of 120
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1 | Stanley Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare, Perth and Kinross Council, 5348927 © Crown Copyright 4 March 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In January 2025, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Stanley Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. The inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work. • Children are polite, caring and motivated to learn. Children across the school and nursery are very supportive of each other and demonstrate a good understanding of their school values and rights. • All staff work effectively as a team. Senior leaders, teachers, practitioners and support staff are keen to develop their individual and collective skills to help improve outcomes for children. • The range of leadership opportunities for children at the primary stages. In the school, children have very good opportunities to achieve success and develop a wide range of skills through clubs, committees and groups. • Approaches to supporting children’s wellbeing. Children know and understand how to support their own health and wellbeing independently. They speak confidently about the support they receive in this area of their learning. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from Perth and Kinross Council. • All staff should increase the rigour of approaches to evaluate the quality of the work more accurately in the school and nursery. In doing so, staff need to work together to ensure planned improvements enhance children’s learning experiences and outcomes. • Senior leaders and teachers need to improve approaches to learning, teaching and assessment to ensure a consistently high quality across the school. In doing so, they should ensure the pace of learning is brisker and planned at the right level of difficulty for all children. • Staff should further develop approaches to planning and assessment. Teachers and practitioners require to improve how observations, assessment data and other key information is used to ensure that all children are making the best possible progress. 4 Page 15 of 120
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2 | Stanley Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare, Perth and Kinross Council, 5348927 © Crown Copyright We gathered evidence to enable us to evaluate the school’s work using four quality indicators from How good is our school (4th edition) and How good is our early learning and childcare?. Quality indicators help schools, local authorities and inspectors to judge what is working well and what needs to be improved. Following the inspection of each school, the Scottish Government gathers details of our evaluations to keep track of how well Scottish schools are doing. Here are Education Scotland’s evaluations for Stanley Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare Quality indicators for the primary stages Evaluation Leadership of change satisfactory Learning, teaching and assessment satisfactory Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion good Raising attainment and achievement good Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our school? (4th edition), Appendix 3: The six-point scale Quality indicators for the nursery class Evaluation Leadership of change good Learning, teaching and assessment good Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion good Securing children’s progress good Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our early learning and childcare? Appendix 1: The six-point scale A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: Stanley Primary School | Inspection Report | Education Scotland Page 16 of 120
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3 | Stanley Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare, Perth and Kinross Council, 5348927 © Crown Copyright What happens next? We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Perth and Kinross Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Simon Gallon HM Inspector Page 17 of 120
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1 | Meigle Primary School, Perth and Kinross Council, 5345723 © Crown Copyright 25 March 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In February 2025, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Meigle Primary School. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. The inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work. • Through the strong and effective leadership of the headteacher and principal teacher, staff and children work very effectively as a team. They have established a positive, nurturing and inclusive ethos where children are proud of their school and supportive of their peers. • Teachers use well-established and clear routines to support children’s learning in multi-composite classes. This helps teachers provide effective, direct teaching to groups and individuals in most literacy and numeracy lessons. • Staff are highly collaborative and work very well with educational partners to develop high-quality interventions for children who require support for their wellbeing. This includes skilled support staff who meet children’s social and emotional needs very well. • Children take on a wide range of leadership opportunities through school committees and extra-curricular experiences. They gain valuable skills in teamwork, leadership and communication and articulate clearly the impact of these roles. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from Perth and Kinross Council. • Teachers now need to use assessment information more regularly to inform their daily planning of children’s individual tasks and activities. They should ensure children experience the right level of challenge when working independently. • Teachers should continue with plans to accelerate children’s progress in literacy and numeracy. In particular, staff should prioritise improving writing to ensure children have regular opportunities to write at length for a variety of different contexts. 4 Page 19 of 120
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2 | Meigle Primary School, Perth and Kinross Council, 5345723 © Crown Copyright We gathered evidence to enable us to evaluate the school’s work using four quality indicators from How good is our school (4th edition). Quality indicators help schools, local authorities and inspectors to judge what is working well and what needs to be improved. Following the inspection of each school, the Scottish Government gathers details of our evaluations to keep track of how well Scottish schools are doing. Here are Education Scotland’s evaluations for Meigle Primary School Quality indicators Evaluation Leadership of change good Learning, teaching and assessment good Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion very good Raising attainment and achievement good Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our school (4th edition) Appendix 3: The six-point scale A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: Meigle Primary School | Inspection Report | Education Scotland What happens next? We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Perth and Kinross Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Gillian Frew HM Inspector Page 20 of 120
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1 | Kinross High School, Perth and Kinross Council, 5350530 © Crown Copyright 29 April 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In February 2025, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Kinross High School. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and young people and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. The inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work. • The headteacher and senior leaders have led a successful focus with staff on developing high quality learning, teaching and assessment. As a result, staff are highly motivated to provide positive and engaging learning environments for young people. • Senior leaders and staff have developed a range of robust systems to monitor young people’s progress in learning. Staff use this information well to plan young people’s support and ongoing learning experiences. • Staff work well with an extensive range of highly effective partners. These partnerships are enhancing significantly young people’s learning in classes, their wellbeing and achievements. • Most young people attain well. Almost all young people are supported effectively by staff and partners to progress to a positive destination on leaving school. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from Perth and Kinross Council. • Senior leaders and staff should continue to embed their approaches to providing consistently high-quality learning experiences for young people. • Staff should continue to identify and address gaps in young people’s attainment. All young people need to attain at the highest level, in line with their ability. 4 Page 21 of 120
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2 | Kinross High School, Perth and Kinross Council, 5350530 © Crown Copyright We gathered evidence to enable us to evaluate the school’s work using quality indicators from How good is our school? (4th edition). Quality indicators help schools, local authorities and inspectors to judge what is working well and what needs to be improved. Following the inspection of each school, the Scottish Government gathers details of our evaluations to keep track of how well Scottish schools are doing. Here are Education Scotland’s evaluations for Kinross High School Quality indicators Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment very good Raising attainment and achievement good Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our school? (4th edition), Appendix 3: The six-point scale. A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: Find an inspection report | Find an inspection report | Inspection and review | Education Scotland What happens next? We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Perth and Kinross Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Patricia Cameron HM Inspector Page 22 of 120
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Appendix 4: Summary of Education Scotland Inspections National and Comparator Authority1 Benchmarking 2016/17 to 2024/25 Pre-School Inspections 1 Comparator Local Authorities are Aberdeenshire, Argyll & Bute, Highland, Scottish Borders and Stirling. No comparator data currently available for 2024/25. 4 Page 23 of 120
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Primary Inspections Secondary Inspections Page 24 of 120
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Inspections from 2016/17 to date Pre-School Inspections Academic Year Name of School/Partner Provider Type Inspectio n Date Publication Date Leadership of change Learning, teaching and assessment Securing h ’ progress Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement 2016/17 Dunning Stepping Stones Full Feb-17 Mar-17 Good Good Good Good - 2016/17 Glenlyon Primary School Full Mar-17 May-17 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good - 2016/17 Coupar Angus Primary School Follow Through Mar-17 Jun-17 - - - - - 2016/17 St Dominic's RC Primary School Full Sep-16 Nov-16 Good Good Good Very Good - 2017/18 Fossoway Pre-School Group Full May-17 Aug-17 Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Satisfactory - 2017/18 Alyth Primary School Short Jan-18 Apr-18 - - Good - Satisfactory 2017/18 Robert Douglas Memorial School Full Feb-18 Apr-18 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good - 2017/18 Honeypot Children's Nursery – Luncarty Full Feb-18 May-18 Good Good Good Good - 2017/18 The Wendy House Full May-18 Jul-18 Very Good Good Good Very Good - 2017/18 Balbeggie Primary School Full May-18 Aug-18 Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Good - 2017/18 Paint Pots Nursery Full Mar-18 Aug-18 Satisfactory Good Good Good - 2017/18 Arngask Primary School Short Jun-18 Sep-18 - - Good - Good 2018/19 Letham Primary School Full Sep-18 Oct-18 Satisfactory Weak Weak Good - 2018/19 Kinross Primary School Full Oct-18 Jan-19 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good - 2018/19 Newhill Primary School Full Jan-19 Mar-19 Good Good Good Very Good - 2018/19 Goodlyburn Primary School Full Apr-19 Jun-19 Good Satisfactory Satisfactory Good - 2018/19 Methven Primary School Short May-19 Sep-19 - Very Good Very Good - - 2019/20 Braco Primary School Short Oct-19 Dec-19 - Very Good Very Good - - 2019/20 Inchture Primary School Full Dec-19 Feb-20 Good Good Good Good - Page 25 of 120
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Academic Year Name of School/Partner Provider Type Inspectio n Date Publication Date Leadership of change Learning, teaching and assessment Securing h ’ progress Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement 2019/20 North Muirton Primary School Short Nov-19 Mar-20 - Satisfactory Weak - - 2019/20 St Madoes Primary School Full Feb-20 Mar-20 Good Good Good Good - 2019/20 Letham Primary School Follow Through Mar-20 Jun-20 - - - - - 2022/23 Crieff Primary School Short Nov-22 Jan-23 Good Good Good Good - 2022/23 S N ’ Ep p P m School Full Dec-22 Jan-23 - Satisfactory Weak - - 2022/23 Auchtergaven Primary School Full Apr-23 Jun-23 - Satisfactory Satisfactory - - 2022/23 Invergowrie Primary School Full Mar-23 May-23 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good - 2022/23 Craigclowan Preparatory School and Pre-School Full Jan-23 Mar-23 Very Good Good Very Good Very Good - 2023/24 Craigie Primary School Short Jun-23 Sep-23 - Very Good Very Good - - 2024/25 Kinloch Rannoch Primary School Full May-24 Sep-24 Good Very Good Very Good Good - 2024/25 Stanley Primary School Full Jan-25 Mar-25 Good Good Good Good - Primary Inspections Academic Year Name of School Type Inspectio n Date Publication Date Leadership of change Learning, teaching and assessment Raising attainment and achievement Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement 2016/17 Glenlyon Primary School Full Mar-17 May-17 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good - 2016/17 Muthill Primary School Short Feb-17 Apr-17 - - Very Good - Very Good 2016/17 Coupar Angus Primary School Follow Through Mar-17 Jun-17 - - - - - 2016/17 Ruthvenfield Primary School Full Oct-16 Dec-16 Very Good Very Good Very Good Good - Page 26 of 120
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Academic Year Name of School Type Inspectio n Date Publication Date Leadership of change Learning, teaching and assessment Raising attainment and achievement Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement 2016/17 St Dominic's RC Primary School Full Sep-16 Nov-16 Good Good Good Very Good - 2017/18 Grandtully Primary School Short Sep-17 Oct-17 - - Very Good - Very Good 2017/18 Portmoak Primary School Full Sep-17 Nov-17 Excellent Very Good Very Good Excellent - 2017/18 Alyth Primary School Short Jan-18 Apr-18 - - Satisfactory - Satisfactory 2017/18 Robert Douglas Memorial School Full Feb-18 Apr-18 Good Good Good Very Good - 2017/18 Balbeggie Primary School Full May-18 Aug-18 Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Good - 2017/18 Arngask Primary School Short Jun-18 Sep-18 - - Very Good - Very Good 2018/19 Letham Primary School Full Sep-18 Oct-18 Satisfactory Satisfactory Weak Good - 2018/19 Kinross Primary School Full Oct-18 Jan-19 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good - 2018/19 Newhill Primary School Full Jan-19 Mar-19 Good Good Good Good - 2018/19 Cleish Primary School Short Mar-19 May-19 - Good Very Good - - 2018/19 Goodlyburn Primary School Full Apr-19 Jun-19 Good Good Satisfactory Very Good - 2018/19 Burrelton Primary School Short May-19 Jun-19 - Very Good Very Good - - 2018/19 Logiealmond Primary School Full May-19 Sep-19 Good Good Good Good - 2018/19 Glendelvine Primary School Short Jun-19 Sep-19 - Good Good - - 2018/19 Methven Primary School Short May-19 Sep-19 - Satisfactory Satisfactory - - 2019/20 Braco Primary School Short Oct-19 Dec-19 - Good Good - - 2019/20 Inchture Primary School Full Dec-19 Feb-20 Very Good Good Good Very Good - 2019/20 North Muirton Primary School Short Nov-19 Mar-20 - Weak Weak - - 2019/20 St Madoes Primary School Full Feb-20 Mar-20 Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Good - 2019/20 Letham Primary School Follow Through Mar-20 Jun-20 - - - - - 2021/22 North Muirton Primary School Follow Through Jan-22 - - - - - Page 27 of 120
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Academic Year Name of School Type Inspectio n Date Publication Date Leadership of change Learning, teaching and assessment Raising attainment and achievement Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement 2022/23 Crieff Primary School Full Nov-22 Jan-23 Very Good Good Good Good - 2022/23 S N ’ Ep p P m School Short Dec-22 Jan-23 - Satisfactory Satisfactory - - 2022/23 Auchtergaven Primary School Full Apr-23 Jun-23 - Satisfactory Satisfactory - - 2022/23 Invergowrie Primary School Full Mar-23 May-23 Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Good - 2022/23 Pitlochry High School2 Full Apr-23 Jun-23 Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Good - 2022/23 Rattray Primary School Full Feb-23 Apr-23 Very Good Good Good Good - 2023/24 Craigie Primary School Short Jun-23 Sep-23 - Good Good - - 2023/24 Abernyte Primary School Full Oct-23 Dec-23 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good - 2023/24 Collace Primary School Full Nov-23 Jan-24 Good Good Good Good - 2023/24 St N ’ Ep p P m School Follow Through Jan-24 Apr-24 - - - - - 2024/25 Kinloch Rannoch Primary School Full May-24 Sep-24 Good Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory - 2024/25 Inch View Primary School Follow Through June-24 Sep-24 - Good Good - - 2024/25 Kirkmichael Primary School Short Oct-24 Nov-24 - Good Good - - 2024/25 Stanley Primary School Full Jan-25 Mar-25 Good Good Good Very Good 2024/25 Meigle Primary School Full Feb-25 Mar-25 Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Good - 2 Graded as All Through school – results are the same for Primary & Secondary. Page 28 of 120
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Secondary Inspections Academic Year Name of School Type Inspection Date Publication Date Leadership of change Learning, teaching and assessment Raising attainment and achievement Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement 2018/19 Perth High School Full Nov-18 Jan-19 Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory - 2019/20 Perth Grammar School Short Nov-19 Jan-20 - Satisfactory Weak - - 2021/22 Perth Grammar School Follow Through Dec-21 - - - - - 2022/23 Pitlochry High School3 Full Apr-23 Jun-23 Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Good - 2023/24 Perth Academy Full Nov-23 Mar-24 Satisfactory Weak Satisfactory Weak - 2024/25 Kinross High School Short Mar-25 Apr-25 - Very Good Good - - 3 Graded as All Through school – results are the same for Primary & Secondary. Page 29 of 120
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Appendix 5: Summary of Care Inspectorate Day Care of Children Inspections National and Comparator Authority Benchmarking 2021/22 to date (Comparator and National Data as of 28 February 20251) 1 All data supplied by Care Inspectorate Data Store and covers published inspections to 28/02/2025. This includes PKC Partner Provider settings for PKC and non-Local Authority supplied settings for Comparator Authorities/ National. 4 Page 31 of 120
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Overall, most ELC settings perform well. PKC perform consistently better than comparator authorities, and at national level when inspected by Care Inspectorate. Most inspections are good or better for all Quality Indicators. We are scoring above our comparator authorities and at national level. A continued focus on embedding the Experiences and Spaces Document and Family Mealtime Experience audit are both having a very positive impact on the grading for How good is our setting. The ELC Leadership programme continues to support the How good is our Leadership grading with a focus on the high standard of Quality Assurance, robust Self Evaluation and Improvement Planning. It should be noted that the Early Years Team are currently working with a number of settings to take forward action plans to address the outcomes of these inspections. Where evaluations are adequate or weak, a ‘team around the setting’ approach is taken in order to secure improvements. Currently, action plans are in for 4 settings which are supported by relevant officers. These are regularly monitored and reviewed with a final report on improvements being presented to parents. Inspections in Financial Year 2021/22 and Later under the new grading system *New inspections since the last Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning & Families Committee Gradings which are reported in full by exception (Unsatisfactory, Weak and Excellent) are shown in bold. Follow-up inspections and pilot inspections receive no gradings but are included in the table for completeness. Local Authority Service Name Inspection Date How good is our care, play and learning How good is our setting How good is our staff team How good is our Leadership Abernethy Primary Nursery Class 06/03/2024 Very Good Good Good Good Alyth Primary School Nursery 26/06/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Good *Auchtergaven Primary School Nursery 06/03/2025 Good Good Very Good Good Balbeggie Nursery 09/12/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Balhousie and North Muirton ELC 04/03/2022 Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Blair Atholl Primary School Nursery 29/09/2023 Very Good Good Very Good Very Good Breadalbane Academy 20/02/2024 Good Good Very Good Very Good Comrie Primary School Nursery 02/05/2023 Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Coupar Angus Primary School Nursery 13/09/2022 Good Very Good Good Very Good Dunbarney Primary School Nursery 25/05/2022 Good Good Very Good Good Errol Primary School Nursery 27/09/2022 Good Very Good Good Very Good Errol Primary School Nursery 23/11/2023 Good Very Good Very Good Good Page 32 of 120
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Fossoway Primary School Nursery 09/03/2023 Good Good Very Good Very Good Glenlyon Primary School Nursery 29/09/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Goodlyburn and City of Perth Early Childhood Centre 06/03/2023 Very Good Weak Good Adequate Goodlyburn and City of Perth Early Childhood Centre 07/02/2024 Very Good Good Very Good Very Good Guildtown Primary School Nursery 22/11/2021 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Inch View Primary School Nursery and Wrap Around Care Service 22/03/2023 Good Good Good Good Inchture Primary School Nursery 20/03/2023 Very Good Very Good Excellent Very Good Kirkmichael Primary School Nursery 09/09/2023 Good Good Very Good Very Good Letham Primary School Early Childhood Centre 21/02/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Logierait Primary School Nursery 06/05/2022 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Longforgan Primary School Nursery 09/06/2022 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Luncarty Nursery Class and Wrap Around Care 28/02/2022 Good Good Adequate Good Luncarty Nursery Class and Wrap Around Care 04/11/2022 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Milnathort Primary School Nursery 26/04/2022 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Murthly Primary School Nursery 15/05/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Newhill Primary School Nursery 12/05/2022 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Oakbank Primary School Nursery 16/06/2022 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good *Oakbank Primary School Nursery (Pilot) 11/03/2025 - - - - Our Lady’s RC Primary Nursery 02/05/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Pitlochry High 17/11/2022 Good Very Good Good Very Good Rattray Early Childhood Centre 09/12/2022 Good Very Good Good Very Good Riverside Primary School 22/04/2022 Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Robert Douglas Memorial Primary School Nursery 18/11/2022 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Royal School of Dunkeld Primary School Nursery 25/11/2022 Very Good Good Very Good Very Good St. John’s Academy Nursery Class 14/03/2024 Very Good Very Good Good Good St. Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School Nursery 15/12/2021 Very Good Good Very Good Good The Community School of Auchterarder 31/05/2023 Good Good Good Very Good Tulloch Primary School Nursery 07/11/2023 Good Good Good Good Page 33 of 120
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Local Authority Kid’s Clubs Service Name Inspection Date How good is our care, play and learning How good is our setting How good is our staff team How good is our Leadership Alyth Out of School Care Group 27/09/2024 Good Good Good Good Kinnoull Kids Club 08/12/2023 Very Good Good Very Good Good Langtoon Kids Club 19/06/2024 Good Good Adequate Good *Milnathort Kids Club 24/02/2025 Good Good Very Good Good St John’s Kids Club 20/03/2024 Good Very Good Good Good Village Kids Club 19/04/2024 Good Very Good Good Very Good Viewlands Kids Club 14/06/2024 Good Good Good Good Partner Providers Service Name Inspection Date How good is our care, play and learning How good is our setting How good is our staff team How good is our Leadership ABC Day Nursery 12/05/2023 Weak Adequate Adequate Unsatisfactory ABC Day Nursery 13/09/2023 Adequate Adequate Adequate Adequate ABC Day Nursery 12/02/2024 Weak Weak Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory ABC Day Nursery 12/06/2024 Adequate Adequate Adequate Adequate ABC Day Nursery (followup) 06/12/2024 - - - - Apple Tree Nursery 04/09/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Ardvreck Nursery 23/08/2022 Good Very Good Good Good Auchlone Nature Kindergarten 25/04/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Bridge of Earn Nursery 05/03/2024 Good Good Very Good Very Good Bright Starts Nursery 20/05/2022 Adequate Good Adequate Adequate Bright Starts Nursery 23/05/2023 Good Good Good Good Busy Bees Nursery 22/11/2021 Very Good Good Very Good Good Cheeky Monkeys 23/05/2023 Good Good Good Good *Cheeky Monkeys 26/02/2025 Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Page 34 of 120
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Cornerstones Nursery 26/04/2021 Good Good Good Good Cornerstones Nursery 25/07/2024 Very Good Good Very Good Very Good Country Bumpkins 17/10/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Craigclowan Preparatory School Pre School 13/11/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Good Daisy Chain Nursery School Perth LTD 23/09/2022 Adequate Adequate Adequate Weak Daisy Chain Nursery School Perth LTD 26/05/2023 Good Good Good Good Daisy Chain Nursery School Perth LTD 02/12/2024 Good Good Good Good Doodlebugs Day Nursery (Aberuthven) 26/05/2023 Good Good Very Good Adequate Doodlebugs Day Nursery (Aberuthven) 18/09/2024 Good Good Very Good Good Doodlebugs Day Nursery (Bridge of Earn) 26/01/2024 Good Good Good Very Good Fair City Munchkins Day Nursery 05/08/2022 Adequate Good Good Good Fair City Munchkins Day Nursery 13/09/2023 Good Very Good Very Good Very Good FossoPLAY Outdoor Nursery 03/05/2022 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Here4you Childminding 12/09/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Honeypot Children’s Nursery – Almondbank 06/07/2023 Good Good Very Good Good Honeypot Children’s Nursery - Luncarty 24/08/2023 Good Very Good Good Good Humpty Dumpty Community Nursery 22/05/2024 Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Inchture Wraparound Childcare 20/01/2025 Good Good Good Good Just 4 Kidz 02/07/2021 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Just 4 Kidz 24/09/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Lauriston Nursery @ Kinross 06/10/2022 Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Lauriston Nursery @ Kinross 18/09/2024 Good Very Good Very Good Good Linda Anderson 10/11/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Little Scallywags Nursery 14/12/2021 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Little Steps Childcare 21/09/2021 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Little Steps Childcare 09/05/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Maria’s Childminding Service 22/06/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Morag Fielding 14/12/2023 Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Morrison's Academy Nursery 01/06/2022 Good Good Good Good Muirton Community Nursery 09/11/2023 Good Very Good Very Good Good Paddingtons Nursery 16/07/2024 Good Good Good Good Perth College Nursery 08/11/2021 Very Good Good Very Good Good Page 35 of 120
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Rosemount Nursery School Ltd 13/09/2021 Very Good Good Very Good Very Good Swansacre Playgroup 06/02/2023 Good Good Good Very Good The Red Squirrel Children’s Nursery 06/03/2024 Good Good Very Good Good Thrive Childcare and Education Corner House Perth 23/06/2022 Adequate Adequate Adequate Adequate Thrive Childcare and Education Corner House Perth 02/08/2023 Adequate Good Adequate Adequate Thrive Childcare and Education Corner House Perth 13/06/2024 Weak Adequate Weak Adequate Thrive Childcare and Education Corner House Perth 26/11/2024 Adequate Adequate Adequate Adequate Valerie Chatila 14/08/2024 Very Good Good Very Good Very Good Wild Sparks Outdoor Nursery 23/09/2024 Good Good Very Good Good Current Position This chart summarises the proportion of settings that have a Good or better rating, based on the latest inspection for each indicator, and therefore reflects the current gradings of Early Learning and Childcare services in PKC. Page 36 of 120
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee (Scrutiny and Performance Committee (23 April 2025)) Date of Meeting: 2 June 2025 Report Title: Summary Report on Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland Inspections Report Number: 25/137 Report Author(s): James Chiles, Performance & Improvement Officer, (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the performance of Education and Learning services inspected and reported on over the past year by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland, since the previous report of this type in 2024, and to set out the Service’s approach to implementing improvement actions arising out of inspection. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation 3. Background 4. Summary of Inspections 5. Conclusion 6. Impact Value Assessment 7. Appendices 2. Recommendation It is recommended that the Scrutiny and Performance Committee: 2.1 Scrutinises and comments as appropriate on the contents of the report. 5 Page 37 of 120
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It is recommended that the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee: 2.2 Scrutinises and comments as appropriate on the contents of the report. 3. Background 3.1 Care Inspectorate 3.1.1 Regulated care services in Scotland are inspected by the Care Inspectorate using a range of quality frameworks, each with key questions and quality indicators. Services are measured against the National Health and Social Care Standards. 3.1.2 Where inspected, each key question and contributing quality indicator is graded on a six-point scale as follows: 1. Unsatisfactory 2. Weak 3. Adequate 4. Good 5. Very Good 6. Excellent 3.1.3 The updated quality framework for day care of children, childminding and school aged childcare has been in place for inspections carried out since 1 June 2022. 3.1.4 The framework is framed around four key questions. Each of these include a number of quality indicators for actual inspection which are: • How good is our care, play and learning? • How good is our setting? • How good is our leadership? • How good is our staff team? The final key question is: What is our overall capacity for improvement? This requires a global judgement based on evidence and evaluations from all the other key areas but is not evaluated specifically. 3.1.5 The Care Inspectorate conducts unannounced inspections for all regulated services as the main inspection method unless there are practical reasons that this is not appropriate. There are longer intervals between inspections for better performing services and a greater focus on risk-based inspections for poorly performing and high-risk services such as those which provide 24-hour residential care. Page 38 of 120
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3.1.6 Following an inspection, the Care Inspectorate publishes a report that may set out a series of: • Recommendations: statements that set out actions the care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service; and • Requirements: statements which set out what is required of the care service provider to comply with relevant legislation. 3.1.7 Care service providers must submit an action plan to the Care Inspectorate addressing any requirements and recommendations identified. Progress against the action plan is monitored by the Care Inspectorate through annual return and self-assessment forms submitted by the care service provider and through subsequent inspection. 3.2 Education Scotland 3.2.1 Education Scotland inspects and reports on the quality of education in Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings, primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, community learning and development services, colleges, and residential educational provision. 3.2.2 ELC Settings are subject to inspection by both the Care Inspectorate, and Education Scotland. There are overlaps between the two inspection frameworks, and sometimes inspections are carried out on a joint basis, but in general, Care Inspectorate inspections focus on the care aspects of service provision, and Education Scotland have a focus on Education and Learning. 3.2.3 For ELC inspections, the How good is our early learning and childcare (HGIOELC) framework is used. For school inspections, a selection of the How good is our school (HGIOS4) quality indicators are evaluated on a six- point scale. 3.2.4 A short letter is provided to report the inspection, highlighting strengths and aspects for development, and includes a table indicating the quality indicator evaluations against the six-point scale. The inspection evidence gathered during the inspection is published online as a document called the Summarised Inspection Findings. 3.3 Analysis of Inspection Outcomes 3.3.1 There are a number of factors which make the analysis of the inspection gradings complex. These factors include: • Improvements and changes to the inspection models and quality frameworks such that it is not possible to make direct comparisons across each year; Page 39 of 120
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• The number of inspections carried out within the local authority area varies from year to year; • The selection of quality indicators and themes can vary from inspection to inspection; and • Partnerships with private providers may change between inspections, meaning that some included inspection results may be for services which are no longer partner providers. 4. Summary of Inspections 4.1 Services providing Day Care for children 4.1.1 This section presents an overview of the performance of services providing day care for children inspected over the past year where Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) is the registered provider, and for services registered as funded partners; this includes childminders with funded childcare places. 4.1.2 A total of 51 inspections were carried out and published by the Care Inspectorate since the last presentation of this report in 2024. The Care Inspectorate inspection reports are reported to the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee by exception, where any grading has been awarded an evaluation of unsatisfactory, weak, or excellent. In the last year, two services have been reported for receiving unsatisfactory or weak gradings; these were ABC Day Nursery and Thrive Childcare and Education Corner House Nursery, Perth. Both settings have been re- inspected following these initial results and have shown improvement to ‘adequate’ in all areas. There is ongoing work with each setting to further improve standards, including specific service improvement plans for each ‘requirement’ or ‘recommendation’ highlighted by the Care Inspectorate 4.1.3 Of the 202 gradings awarded, 88% were ‘good’ or better (88% was also achieved at this time last year), whilst 46% were ‘very good’ or better, which is a slight reduction from the 50% achieved last year. 4.1.4 Appendix A (Summary of performance, services providing day care of children inspected by the Care Inspectorate), provides further details and interpretation of the overall figures on an annual basis, as well as comparator and national benchmarks, and a summary of the current position for all settings. 4.2 ELC Settings and Schools – Education Scotland Inspections 4.2.1 This section presents an overview of the performance of PKC ELC settings, including partner providers, and schools inspected by Education Scotland and reported to the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee. Page 40 of 120
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4.2.2 A total of four inspections were carried out and published by Education Scotland since the last presentation of this report in 2024 which included a single joint inspection of a nursery and primary setting. There have been no further secondary school inspections published since the last report. 4.2.3 A combined summary of achievement (2016/17 to date) as well as performance against comparator local authorities and Scotland as a whole, is shown in Appendix B (Overview and Comparison of Education Scotland Inspections 2016/17 - 2024/25 by Performance Indicator). PKC consistently outperforms both the comparator group of local authorities and the Scotland average across both the primary school and ELC sectors. Performance for secondary inspections is generally lower than both our comparator authorities and the Scotland average. 4.2.4 Areas for improvement identified during an inspection are addressed through a School Action Plan. Progress against the plan is monitored and a report prepared for parents/carers (and is also shared with the PKC Area Lead Officer) within one year of the report being published. 4.2.5 Inspection reports are scrutinised by members of the Executive Sub- Committee of the Learning and Families Committee. 5. Conclusion 5.1 The analysis of the gradings and reports by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland provide positive confirmation that the standards and quality in our services remain high and set a clear agenda for continuous improvement. 6. Impact Value Assessment 6.1 The Impact Value Assessment (IVA) undertaken in relation to this report can be viewed on the Perth and Kinross Council website via the link: Summary Report on Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland Inspections - Scrutiny and Performance Committee (23rd April 2025). 7. Appendices 7.1 Appendix A: Summary of performance, services providing day care of children inspected by the Care Inspectorate. 7.2 Appendix B: Overview and Comparison of Education Scotland Inspections 2016/17 - 2024/25 by Performance Indicator. Page 41 of 120
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Appendix A: Summary of performance1, services providing day care of children inspected by the Care Inspectorate2 3 Table A1: Summary of performance – April 2024 to date4 Number of services inspected = 54 Quality Themes Care, Play and Learning Setting Staff Team Leadership Total Excellent 0 0 0 0 0 0% Very Good 19 21 30 22 92 46% Good 26 25 14 21 86 43% Adequate 4 3 4 7 18 9% Weak 2 1 1 0 4 2% Unsatisfactory 0 0 1 1 2 1% Total 51 50 50 51 202 CHART A1: Performance April 2024 to date: PKC, Comparator Authorities and Scotland 1 Note that rounding of percentage figures may mean totals reported elsewhere differ slightly. 2 Note that comparator and national proportions include all services for day care of children whereas Perth and Kinross figures only represent local authority and partner provider services (it is not possible to distinguish these in national statistics). It also restates previous gradings when quality themes are not assessed in every inspection. 3 Comparator local authorities are Argyll and Bute, Aberdeenshire, Stirling, Scottish Borders and Highland Council. Comparator and national proportions currently available until January 2025. 4 Inspected, published and reported to Learning and Families Executive Sub-Committee 5 Page 43 of 120
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CHART A2: Performance 2016/17 to 2024/25: PKC, Comparator Authorities and Scotland Commentary: National and comparator figures show PKC out- performing comparator and national benchmarks at both Good and Better and Very Good or Better levels. Note: Vertical axis adjusted to emphasise differences * Quality Indicators changed on 01/06/2022 by Care Inspectorate. Current Position The charts above illustrate the aggregated individual results of inspections over several years. Some settings will be inspected more than once during this period, and some Quality Indicators are not covered in every inspection. The accumulated result of all these inspections is the current position of all Early Learning and Childcare services in Perth & Kinross - shown in the charts below. These summarise the proportion of settings that currently have a Good or better rating, based on the latest inspection for each indicator. CHART A3: Current Quality Ratings – Perth and Kinross Page 44 of 120
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Appendix B: Overview and Comparison of Education Scotland Inspections1 2016/17 – 2024/25 (to date) by Performance Indicator Table B1: ELC Settings Overview by Performance Indicator Number of Pre-Schools inspected = 29 (2 Follow Through, 21 Full and 6 Short Inspections) QI Grading Leadership of change Learning, teaching & assessment Securing Children's Progress Ensuring wellbeing, equality & inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement All Quality Indicators Excellent - - - - - - Very Good 6 8 9 8 - 31 Good 9 10 12 10 1 42 Satisfactory 4 6 3 1 1 15 Weak - 1 3 - - 4 Unsatisfactory - - - - - - Total 19 25 27 19 2 92 Chart B1: ELC Settings Comparison by Performance Indicator23 1 Inspected, published and reported to Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families 2 Comparator Authorities are Argyll and Bute, Aberdeenshire, Stirling, Scottish Borders and Highland Council. 3 Comparator and National data currently only available up to December 2023 5 Page 45 of 120
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Table B2: Primary Overview by Performance Indicator Number of Primary Schools inspected = 39 (4 Follow Through, 24 Full and 11 Short Inspections) QI Grading Leadership of change Learning, teaching & assessment Raising attainment & achievement Ensuring wellbeing, equality & inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement All Quality Indicators Excellent 1 - - 1 - 2 Very Good 7 6 10 7 3 33 Good 7 15 16 11 - 49 Satisfactory 5 9 7 1 1 23 Weak - 1 2 - - 3 Unsatisfactory - - - - - - Total 20 31 35 20 4 110 Chart B2: Primary Comparison by Performance Indicator Page 46 of 120
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Table B3: Secondary Overview by Performance Indicator Number of Secondary Schools inspected = 5 (1 Follow Through, 3 Full and 1 Short Inspection) QI Grading Leadership of change Learning, teaching & assessment Raising attainment & achievement Ensuring wellbeing, equality & inclusion Self- evaluation for self- improvement All Quality Indicators Excellent - - - - - - Very Good - - - - - - Good - - 1 1 - 2 Satisfactory 3 3 2 1 - 9 Weak - 1 1 1 - 3 Unsatisfactory - - - - - - Total 3 4 4 3 - 14 School Inspection Date Inspection Type Perth High School November 2018 Full Perth Grammar School November 2019 Short Perth Grammar School November 2021 Follow Through Pitlochry High School April 2023 Full Perth Academy November 2023 Full Chart B3: Secondary Comparison by Performance Indicator Page 47 of 120
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee Date of Meeting: 2 June 2025 Report Title: HMIe National Thematic Inspection Report - Local Authority Approaches to Supporting School Improvement Report Number: 25/135 Report Author: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning, (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to share the National Thematic Inspection report published by His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education on 12 March 2025 regarding local authority approaches to supporting school improvement and to share the findings from the thematic inspection undertaken in Perth and Kinross. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8 Appendices 2. Recommendation It is recommended that the Executive Sub-Committee review and note the content of both the National and local reports. 6 Page 49 of 120
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3. Background/Context 3.1 In June 2024, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education announced a National Thematic Inspection of local authorities in Scotland. The focus of this thematic inspection was to review how local authorities support schools to improve. This National Thematic Inspection enabled HM Inspectors to explore current priorities for improving school performance across all 32 local authorities in Scotland. The Inspectors identified what is working well and heard about challenges that local authorities encounter and improvements that need to be addressed to ensure effectiveness across Scotland. 3.2 Visits to local authorities took place between September and November 2024. The visit to Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) took place during week beginning 9 September 2024. 3.3 During the visits, inspection teams met with senior officers and central teams in local authorities to hear about local priorities and approaches to quality assurance and school improvement. HM Inspectors also met with focus groups of headteachers and school leaders, teachers, representatives of professional associations, elected members and chairs of parent councils. 4. Main Issues 4.1 Through the National Thematic Inspection, HM Inspectors gathered evidence on the following themes: • How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through implementing effective improvement planning and standards and quality reporting. • How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through self-evaluation and quality assurance. • How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through professional learning. • How local authorities deliver universal support and challenge for all schools, and targeted support for specific schools to improve the quality of education. 4.2 The report makes a number of national recommendations: • Ensure that all schools receive high-quality, consistent support through robust universal provision. This should reduce variability within and across local authorities and secure equitable outcomes for learners. • For schools requiring targeted support, implement robust action planning, monitoring and accountability. This is essential to ensure that necessary improvements for learners are secured at pace. • Prioritise leadership development for middle leaders, particularly in secondary schools, where improvement outcomes are less consistent, with a focus on the principles of self-evaluation for self-improvement. Page 50 of 120
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• Establish a national professional learning programme for local authority central officers. This will help to build capacity and professional knowledge in school improvement and effective support and challenge practices. • Develop flexible models of support that address the specific needs of rural, remote, and island schools. • Embed local authority collaborative approaches to foster collective accountability for school improvement, ensuring these are consistently grounded in robust self-evaluation, and lead to accurate understanding of individual and collective improvement priorities. • Improve the strategic use of data at both local authority and school levels. This includes developing staff capacity to interpret data effectively and use data-driven insights to inform self-evaluation, improvement planning, and resource allocation. 4.3 At PKC level, the review identified that: • The advice and guidance to support school improvement is clear and comprehensive with clear expectations set for the completion and submission of standards and quality reports and school improvement plans. • Quality Improvement, Learning Teaching and Assessment, Literacy and Numeracy Frameworks were identified as providing detailed and useful tools to support improvement. • The responsive and risk-based approach to providing support and challenge to schools along with formal Quality Improvement Reviews are helping to identify more accurately schools’ capacity for continuous improvement. • Through these approaches to quality improvement and support for the effective use of data, the local authority is supporting headteachers to be more robust and accurate in their self-evaluation. • Professional learning programmes have been reviewed to ensure a focus on improved outcomes based on impact. There is effective engagement with national professional learning offers with successes and impacts being shared across the authority. • There are appropriate supports for staff at all levels including coaching and mentoring approaches where appropriate. • Headteachers value the role of Quality Improvement Officers and their interventions, with teachers reporting that they are very visible and supportive of schools. • Recruitment and retention of staff was identified as a challenge affecting the capacity for school improvement, particularly in rural areas. Recruitment to certain secondary subjects including Mathematics, Computing and Home Economics was also identified as a significant challenge. • Managing additional support needs and inclusion were also identified as a challenge for some schools with this also potentially impacting on staff capacity for school improvement. • A more structured approach to the use of the network of Associate Assessors could benefit staff across the Authority. Page 51 of 120
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4.4 There were a number of areas identified as effective practice worth sharing. These included: • The approach to engaging with parents following school inspections. • Approaches to school improvement are well developed and streamlined with the responsive and risk-based approach enabled by well- developed and considered systems and processes. • Effective use of the National Model for Professional Learning and Improvement Science Methodologies which allow staff to develop their knowledge and skills in key priority areas. 5. Proposal The content of the National Thematic Inspection and the PKC report will be reviewed by senior leaders within Education and Learning and any identified actions will be incorporated into the Education Improvement Plan 2025-26 which will be presented to Learning and Families Committee on 27 August 2025. 6. Conclusion The Executive Sub-Committee is asked therefore to review and note the content of the report. 7. Impact Value Assessment Once the review of these reports has been completed, any identified actions will be included within the Education Improvement Plan for 2025-26. An Impact Value Assessment will be completed at that point and included within the report for Learning and Families Committee on 27 August 2025. 8. Appendices Appendix 1 - Local authority approaches to supporting school improvement: A national thematic inspection report from His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education, 12 March 2025 Appendix 2 - National Thematic Inspection: Local authority approaches to supporting school improvement, Summarised Findings, Perth and Kinross Council Page 52 of 120
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1 Local authority approaches to supporting school improvement A national thematic inspection report from His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education 12 March 2025 6 Page 53 of 120
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2 Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................ 3 Overview ................................................................................................................................ 5 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 6 Main findings and summary messages .................................................................................. 8 Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 10 Supporting effective improvement planning and standards and quality reporting ................ 11 Supporting improvement through self-evaluation and quality assurance ............................. 15 Supporting schools to improve the quality of education through professional learning ........ 20 Delivering universal support and challenge for all schools, and/or targeted support for specific schools to improve the quality of education ............................................................ 26 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 32 Appendix: Questionnaire analysis ........................................................................................ 34 Page 54 of 120
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3 Foreword I am pleased to present this national thematic inspection report on how local authorities in Scotland support school improvement. This report reflects insights gathered from all 32 local authorities, offering a comprehensive overview of the strengths, challenges, and opportunities within our education system. Local authorities play a pivotal role in supporting schools to improve the quality of education. This report highlights how they undertake this critical work, focusing on self-evaluation, improvement planning, quality assurance, professional learning, and the delivery of both universal and targeted support to schools. Across Scotland, there is much to commend. We have seen strong examples of strategic leadership, robust data-driven self-evaluation, and collaborative cultures where schools and local authorities work together to improve outcomes for children and young people. Positive relationships, grounded in professional trust and respect, underpin many of these successes. In particular, effective leadership at all levels – central officers, school leaders, and middle leaders – emerges as a powerful driver for sustainable improvement. However, the report also identifies areas where improvement is needed. There is notable variability in the consistency and quality of support provided to schools, both within and across local authorities. The effectiveness of self-evaluation processes requires strengthening, to maximise the progress of children and young people. Strengthening leadership development at all levels is essential for building capacity for continuous improvement. The fiscal challenges facing all local authorities are significant. Financial constraints and the geographical realities of rural and island communities create barriers to consistent support and professional learning opportunities. The rural and remote contexts of a third of Scotland’s local authorities present unique challenges, including attracting and retaining high-quality staff and ensuring consistent in-person engagement with schools. Addressing these challenges requires system-wide collaboration. Despite these pressures, many local authorities are cultivating a culture of excellence and enhanced accountability. Where this culture thrives, there is a strong, collective responsibility to support every child and young person to achieve, regardless of which school they attend. This should be our shared ambition. Another notable strength is the high-quality professional learning available to teachers, supported through a variety of courses, programmes, networks, and coaching approaches. However, there is a gap in comprehensive professional learning for central officers in local authorities – an area that must be addressed to ensure that they are equipped to lead and support improvement effectively. I would like to acknowledge the work of the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES) in developing a framework for self-evaluation. This represents an important step towards strengthening the capacity of local authorities to reflect on their performance and secure improvement. Complementing this, our work to develop a framework for inspecting local authorities will provide an essential external perspective. It offers opportunities to strengthen partnerships and support continuous improvement to ensure that efforts are delivering the best outcomes for Scotland’s learners. The learning from this national thematic inspection will directly inform the development of that framework. Page 55 of 120
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4 I am grateful to all those who contributed to this thematic inspection, including local authority officers, school leaders, elected members, teachers, professional associations, and parents. Their openness and commitment to improvement are evident throughout this report. Ultimately, this report reinforces a shared ambition: to ensure that all of Scotland’s children and young people benefit from an education system that is inclusive, equitable, and of the highest quality. Together, through continuous reflection, leadership, and collaborative practice, we can achieve this goal – ensuring that every learner thrives in a system committed to their success. Janie McManus His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education Page 56 of 120
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5 Overview In June 2024, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education announced a national thematic inspection of local authorities in Scotland. The focus of this thematic inspection was how local authorities support schools to improve. This inspection provides a timely opportunity to reflect on strengths, challenges, and opportunities for ensuring high-quality education for all learners. This national thematic inspection enabled HM Inspectors to explore current priorities for improving school performance across all 32 local authorities in Scotland. We learned what is working well and heard about challenges that local authorities encounter and improvements that need to be addressed to ensure effectiveness across Scotland. Through the national thematic, HM Inspectors gathered evidence on the following themes: • How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through implementing effective improvement planning and standards and quality reporting • How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through self- evaluation and quality assurance • How local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through professional learning • How local authorities deliver universal support and challenge for all schools, and targeted support for specific schools to improve the quality of education. Terms of quantity The following standard terms of quantity are used: All 100% Almost all 91%-99% Most 75%-90% Majority 50%-74% Minority/less than half 15%-49% A few less than 15% Page 57 of 120
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6 Methodology Visits to local authorities took place between September and November 2024. During the visits, inspection teams met with senior officers and central teams in local authorities to hear about local priorities and approaches to quality assurance and school improvement. HM Inspectors also met with focus groups of headteachers and school leaders, teachers, representatives of professional associations, elected members and chairs of Parent Councils. At the planning stages of these inspections, HM Inspectors recognised the need for flexibility in our approach to meetings so that we could engage with a range of stakeholders who might not be able to travel to a central venue due to location and/or other commitments. We therefore held some meetings and focus groups using a hybrid approach, with some participants joining online and some in person. Who we spoke to As part of our approaches to gathering a range of evidence, we captured the views of headteachers and local authority staff who support improvement through a pre-inspection online questionnaire. Questionnaire responses We received responses from: • 1,328 headteachers • 485 local authority staff The responses to these questionnaires can be found in the appendix. Local authority senior leaders Local authority officers Headteachers Teachers Trade union representatives Parents Elected members Total 150 436 635 479 111 144 126 Page 58 of 120
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7 Methodology key facts graphic Page 59 of 120
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8 Main findings and summary messages This summary highlights the overarching strengths and areas for further improvement. More detail is contained in the subsequent sections of the report. Supporting effective improvement planning and standards and quality reporting All local authorities provide guidance for self-evaluation, improvement planning, and standards and quality reporting, often using standard templates, exemplars, and timelines. This is most effective when local authorities’ strategic frameworks align school improvement approaches with broader visions for quality improvement in education. In a few local authorities, more work is needed to ensure rigorous evaluation and alignment between local authority and school priorities. Most authorities equip headteachers with a range of useful data (e.g. on attendance and attainment) for self-evaluation and benchmarking. A majority of local authorities should moderate the work of central teams to ensure consistent quality. Some school leaders perceive inequity in the support levels they receive. In most authorities, headteachers are engaged in worthwhile processes to collaborate and share practice, often within clusters. They help to improve quality assurance and self- evaluation approaches. For many authorities, a next step is to fully evaluate the impact of cluster improvement initiatives. Most authorities analyse school self-evaluation and improvement planning processes to inform local priorities, professional learning needs, and to identify targeted support for individual schools. Across authorities, school leaders, including middle leaders, need more support with evaluative writing and evidence-based self-evaluation. For a minority of authorities, challenges exist in demonstrating how self-evaluation informs broader strategic decisions. In a few authorities, collaborative governance structures help some headteachers shape local policies and enhance partnerships. This is practice worthy of sharing more widely. Most authorities actively involve their key stakeholders in aspects of improving policy and planning. Hybrid engagement methods developed during the pandemic continue in many areas, while some forums are being reinstated. Budget cuts and fiscal challenges are a shared concern among all local authorities and school leaders. Supporting schools to improve the quality of education through self-evaluation and quality assurance Most local authorities have well established and well understood systems in place to evaluate and monitor the performance and quality of education in schools, but they are not always effective. The majority of authorities should continue to develop robust ways to evaluate the effectiveness of their school improvement strategies. A minority of local authorities need to moderate more closely the input of central teams to ensure consistency of approach. Page 60 of 120
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9 A few local authorities have identified the need to strengthen their systems and approaches to evaluating school performance. This is important to ensure that local authority leaders and officers have an accurate overview of the strengths and areas for improvement across their schools. This will help to ensure there is equitable, targeted support for those schools that need to improve, and that effective practice can be shared more widely. In a minority of local authorities, strategic approaches are demonstrably improving attainment and standards in learning, teaching, and assessment in primary schools, but much less so in secondary schools. In most authorities, there is a need to revisit the principles of self-evaluation for improvement, so that this is well understood by school leaders and staff at all levels, particularly in secondary schools. A few local authorities have developed an effective system leadership approach across their schools. Many more local authorities are working towards this. Where this approach is effective, school leaders and their staff teams provide robust challenge and support to one another. They collaborate and share practice and feel empowered to lead and drive educational change. Building capacity within school teams in using robust, data-driven self- evaluation, strengthened by peer moderation, can help all local authorities to continue to raise standards and produce better outcomes for all children and young people, despite diminishing budgets and numbers of officers in central teams. Supporting schools to improve the quality of education through professional learning All local authorities provide a programme of universally accessible professional learning opportunities for leaders and staff in schools. In a few local authorities, the variability in uptake and engagement in professional learning across schools should be addressed. Most local authorities have well-established or improving professional learning strategies in place. These professional learning programmes are comprehensive and well-informed by national policy, and school and local priorities. Central teams use the expertise available from national organisations and a range of partners to enhance their professional learning offer. This includes, in a few authorities, the strong contribution being made by Educational Psychological Services teams. Almost all local authorities actively encourage and promote the sharing of effective practice among schools and build opportunities for this into meetings and networks. Collaborative working, based on positive relationships and mutual trust, is central to developing the skills and knowledge of staff at all levels. Staff engagement in network groups is customary practice in almost all local authorities. Most local authorities provide well established leadership learning programmes for current and aspiring school leaders. This includes national leadership programmes and locally developed offers. Local authority leaders use this strategy increasingly effectively to improve their ability to recruit and retain school leaders from within their own workforce. Across Scotland, there is a need to continue to develop high-quality leadership learning approaches, focused on self-evaluation, for middle leaders. A quarter of local authorities need to develop more rigorous and consistent approaches to evaluating the impact of their professional learning strategies. This should include monitoring the effectiveness of professional learning on improving the quality of learning and teaching and raising attainment, particularly in the secondary sector. In rural local authorities, geographical context and financial pressures make staff engagement in a broad range of professional learning activities challenging. Central teams Page 61 of 120
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10 and staff in schools welcome and devise creative digital solutions to address these barriers. Teachers of Gàidhlig contribute significantly to the work of central teams in a few local authorities. They often have enhanced roles for Gàidhlig Medium Education, beyond their own school. Delivering universal support and challenge for all schools, and/or targeted support for specific schools to improve the quality of education All local authorities have a framework in place to support improvement in their schools. In most local authorities, these frameworks are clear, well-established, and embedded in practice. A few local authorities have recently reviewed their frameworks to make improvements or are in the process of doing so. Almost all local authorities have effective systems and processes in place to identify and organise appropriate levels of support and challenge to individual schools. Most local authorities provide clear advice and strong support to all schools to help them make improvements. In a few local authorities, these processes lack the rigour and consistency to secure improvement. Local authority officers play a key role in the monitoring of school performance, identifying risk and supporting change and improvement. Most local authorities have an accurate understanding of the individual performance of all schools. Almost all local authorities use an evidence-based approach to identify schools that require targeted support. In the majority of local authorities, these approaches are well-established and effective. A few local authorities recognise the need to increase the robustness of the procedures they use to identify schools requiring targeted support. In around half of local authorities, schools receiving targeted or intensive support have clear action plans against which progress can be robustly measured. This is a common area for further development across local authorities. Local authorities with a high number of rural, remote and island schools face significant challenges in maintaining regular, in-person contact between all schools and central officers. Recommendations • Ensure that all schools receive high-quality, consistent support through robust universal provision. This should reduce variability within and across local authorities and secure equitable outcomes for learners. • For schools requiring targeted support, implement robust action planning, monitoring and accountability. This is essential to ensure that necessary improvements for learners are secured at pace. • Prioritise leadership development for middle leaders, particularly in secondary schools, where improvement outcomes are less consistent, with a focus on the principles of self- evaluation for self-improvement. Page 62 of 120
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11 • Establish a national professional learning programme for local authority central officers. This will help to build capacity and professional knowledge in school improvement and effective support and challenge practices. • Develop flexible models of support that address the specific needs of rural, remote, and island schools. • Embed local authority collaborative approaches to foster collective accountability for school improvement, ensuring these are consistently grounded in robust self-evaluation, and lead to accurate understanding of individual and collective improvement priorities. • Improve the strategic use of data at both local authority and school levels. This includes developing staff capacity to interpret data effectively and use data-driven insights to inform self-evaluation, improvement planning, and resource allocation. Supporting effective improvement planning and standards and quality reporting All local authorities provide schools with guidance on self-evaluation, improvement planning and standards and quality reporting. This usually includes standardised templates for school leaders to use, exemplars of good practice and timescales for completion. Most local authorities provide comprehensive guidance and advice that is embedded in a strategic quality improvement framework, which sets out a wider vision for school improvement. In these authorities, central officers know their schools very well and have a clear understanding of each school’s strengths, challenges, and improvement needs. In improvement plans, headteachers are required to highlight how they will address local priorities as well as their own school’s needs. In most local authorities, officers provide headteachers with a range of data and performance information to inform their self-evaluation processes. This includes data on attendance, attainment and positive destinations at local authority, cluster, and school levels and for virtual comparators. Headteachers report that this data helps them to evaluate and benchmark their own school’s performance and to identify appropriate improvement priorities for their school. In a minority of local authorities, officers recognise that school leaders would benefit from further support in evaluating school performance more rigorously against national standards and local frameworks. At school level, improvement planning processes do not always lead to better outcomes quickly enough. School staff are not always clear about how local authority priorities align with individual school priorities. Education officers provide all headteachers with evaluative written feedback on draft school improvement plans and standards and quality reports in most local authorities. Where practice is most effective, central teams moderate the quality of this feedback to ensure consistency in the approach they are taking. This is a next step for a minority of local authorities. Some school leaders do not always feel that there is equity and the same level of rigour across central teams. A few local authorities take a digital approach to reporting to stakeholders on standards and quality. All the schools in these local authorities produce standards and quality reports as interactive, digital publications, rather than paper-based documents. Headteachers report that parents, staff, and learners have welcomed this more dynamic and inclusive reporting Page 63 of 120
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12 style. Teachers and learners contribute to the standards and quality report through videos, podcasts, and photographs. As a result, wider school communities are now actively engaged in school improvement planning processes. They are involved in identifying and celebrating successes and in highlighting next steps. Headteachers and staff report that this consistent approach is helping to develop a clear cycle of improvement planning and reporting on standards across school teams. Involvement of school leaders Almost all local authorities involve headteachers in reviewing and refreshing approaches to improvement planning and standards and quality reporting. This includes through surveys, working groups and through regular headteacher meetings. Almost all local authorities support their headteachers to work collaboratively in clusters, trios, or quads to lead common areas of improvement. Local authorities share attainment and other data across cluster schools. Headteachers use this data to make comparisons and reflect on their own school’s performance. In a minority of authorities, work has still to be done to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach on individual school improvement. In most local authorities, school leaders are encouraged to be involved in improvement activities beyond their own establishments. These opportunities include being members of validated self-evaluation teams and school reviews and engaging in peer moderation of school improvement plans and standards and quality reports. In a very few authorities, they also include school leaders working across the primary and secondary sectors. Using data from school improvement plans and standards and quality reports to inform strategic decision-making and local authority support In the majority of local authorities, officers collate information from individual school improvement plans and standards and quality reports to identify common areas of good practice, priority and need. They use this information very effectively to inform strategic decisions about local authority priorities, requirements for professional learning and targeted support for schools. This is helping leaders and officers in these authorities to maintain existing high standards, and to secure further improvement in the quality of school education for children and young people. For the minority of local authorities, central staff should consider ways to share with school leaders how school improvement planning and the accuracy of their self-evaluation contributes directly to the wider service improvement plan. There is scope for local authorities to make this process more explicit for school leaders. Most local authorities have identified the need to work with school leaders to support them in the use of evaluative writing. They are also challenging headteachers more about the evidence they use to support their own evaluations of the quality of education. In a few authorities, school leaders are core members of governance boards and provide advice and guidance on the effectiveness of local authority policy and practice, including school improvement approaches. These types of collaborative approaches help to build the capacity of headteachers to evaluate the impact of planned outcomes on school improvement. This contributes to a sense of genuine partnership working and mutual respect between local authority senior leaders and school leaders. Page 64 of 120
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13 Stakeholder involvement The majority of local authorities have well embedded approaches to involving parents, learners, Elected Members and professional associations in informing policy and the work of central teams. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the ways that all local authorities engaged with stakeholder groups, and many forums were paused. In more recent years, some authorities have opted to maintain hybrid ways of engagement that were established during periods of lockdown. A few local authorities plan to now reinstate some forums and stakeholder groups. In almost all local authorities, Central Officers and Elected Members reported to have productive and positive working relationships. Elected Members value the timely information and professional advice they receive from senior leaders. In a few local authorities, officers provide training sessions for Elected Members, for example on interpreting attainment data and on Gàidhlig. Elected Members appreciate this approach, and they feel better informed about school performance and statutory duties. During our visits to local authorities, Elected Members in all local authorities raised their concerns about the very challenging fiscal landscape and the resulting cuts to education budgets and some services. Central teams and school leaders across Scotland share these concerns. Where practice is effective, local authority leaders hold regular meetings with the chairs of Parent Councils. Together, they discuss information about educational priorities and strategies to increase parental engagement in decision-making. In other examples, parental engagement officers work with Parent Councils to promote sharing practice across schools. In a few local authorities, parents are invited to help to shape policy and practice, for example for reviewing approaches to inclusion and equity. In a minority of local authorities, there is an embedded approach to stakeholder engagement. Local authority senior leaders make time to listen to the views of learners. Education officers gather the views of children and young people through their quality assurance activities, including during school visits and thematic reviews. Engagement with learners is sometimes promoted through community learning and development (CLD) and third sector partners. In a few local authorities, children and young people’s views have informed the implementation of council-wide priorities, such as tackling poverty and The Promise. Practice examples East Renfrewshire The local authority promotes the collaboration of all stakeholders, especially learners, as essential to self-evaluation. The Director of Education engages regularly with children and young people from all schools to seek their views on a range of themes. The local authority gathers information from surveys completed by children and young people in schools. Through the Young Leaders of Learning approach, children and young people are developing an understanding of how to evaluate aspects of their own and other schools. Pupil and parent-friendly versions of school improvement plans are available in all schools. This is supporting children, young people, and parents to have a better understanding about school improvement. Parents welcome these school improvement plans and standards and quality reports that avoid educational jargon. Page 65 of 120
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14 Inverclyde Council Education Service senior leaders meet regularly with focus groups of learners from across the local authority. As a result, there are clear examples of improvements to learners’ experiences that are informed and driven by children and young people. These include learners’ roles in shaping approaches to building racial literacy in schools. Local authority leaders also have a strong working relationship with teachers’ professional associations. Professional associations worked with the authority to improve incident recording and reporting. These improvements mean that more effective actions can be taken to monitor and deal with incidents. These constructive relationships are supporting the local authority and its schools to move forward with change and improvements effectively Renfrewshire Council As part of the local authority’s target to build on inclusive approaches, parents of children with additional support needs (ASN) are invited to volunteer as Parent Ambassadors. Renfrewshire’s Parent Ambassadors play a significant role in advising education officers during the creation or review of local authority policy and practices in relation to inclusion and ASN. They meet four times per year to discuss emerging issues and to consider local authority initiatives. An example of this consultation and collaboration is the development of the local authority’s policy for transitions. Parent Ambassadors feel that they have a genuine voice in representing the families of children with ASN, and in informing the bespoke arrangements and approaches that are frequently required. The City of Edinburgh Council The Director and Heads of Education work very closely with Elected Members. They have established positive, constructive relationships. Education officers deliver a series of workshops for Elected Members, to support them in understanding school improvement systems and policy. For example, education officers have held sessions for Elected Members on interpreting data on Insight (the professional benchmarking tool for analysing attainment data in the senior phase), on Gàidhlig Medium Education, and the local authority’s statutory plan for Gàidhlig. Elected Members speak very highly of this support in helping them make informed decisions to further improve outcomes for children and young people. West Dunbartonshire Council Officers have collaborated with school leaders to develop the West Dunbartonshire Council Improvement Framework. The framework sets out successfully the local authority’s expectations for self-evaluation, quality assurance and improvement. The Excellence and Equity Board, which includes officers in central teams and school leaders, provides important governance to headteachers, central education leaders and elected members. School leaders agree that the framework and governance approach has been valuable in helping them maintain a focus on improvement within the context of their school community. The strong partnership between officers and schools, combined with the work of the Excellence and Equity Board, helps school leaders meet the standards and expectations outlined in the framework. Page 66 of 120
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15 “Headteachers are fortunate to work with a great team of senior managers, who know their schools. There is a constant drive for improvement, Collaboration is encouraged, and good practice is shared.” Headteacher “A key strength is the extent to which we know our schools and we work in partnership to support improvement. The balance of support and challenge is not formulaic. We meet schools ‘where they are’ and support is tailored to individual schools’ needs.” Education manager “Being a member of the Excellence and Equity Improvement Board has given me real insight into the local authority's improvement strategies. Their drive to have headteacher colleagues representing each local learning community is having a positive impact, enabling school leaders to work together on improvement initiatives thereby building collective efficacy.” Headteacher Supporting improvement through self-evaluation and quality assurance Methods to evaluate school performance and review the quality of education Most local authorities have well established systems in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of education provision in their schools, but the effectiveness of these systems varies. Common features of effective and embedded practice include: • programmes of formal visits by officers to every school across the year • regular discussions between officers and school leaders about attainment and other data • school reviews, often including peer school leaders We found practice to be highly effective in just over half of local authorities. In these authorities, local authority officers know their schools very well and have a clear understanding of each school’s strengths, challenges and improvement needs. School leaders feel well supported as well as challenged robustly by local authority officers. Their involvement in quality assurance reviews in other schools is helping to build professional capacity and contribute to the creation of a shared understanding of national standards across local authority and school teams. Overall, the majority of local authorities should continue to develop comprehensive approaches to evaluate the effectiveness of their quality improvement strategies. This includes implementing more robust approaches to moderate the work of central teams, such as how accurately officers evaluate school performance, and the quality of feedback they provide to headteachers. This is necessary to ensure better consistency, a shared understanding, and equity of approach across central teams. In a few authorities, a minority of headteachers feel that the quality of support and challenge they received from central officers is inconsistent or not sufficiently robust or frequent enough to help them to improve. Page 67 of 120
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16 A few local authorities have identified the need to strengthen their systems for evaluating and reviewing school performance. In these authorities, there are some early signs of positive new approaches being implemented. For example, refreshed frameworks for improvement provide clearer guidance and expectations, including clarity on the roles and responsibilities of central officers and school leaders. These approaches have the potential to support a more effective cycle of continuous improvement. Evaluating and improving the quality of learning, teaching, and assessment A minority of local authorities can demonstrate through robust data that their quality assurance strategy is directly supporting schools to improve the quality of learning, teaching, and assessment. Many more local authorities are developing and improving their systems to achieve this. Where practice is well established, embedded and leading to positive impact, there is a shared understanding between central officers and school leaders that the quality of learning, teaching and assessment is directly linked to outcomes for learners. There is a clear focus on improving the quality of learning, teaching, and assessment in the work of central officers. For example, during quality assurance visits to schools, outwith cyclical programmes of ‘deep dive’ school review, officers will routinely: • observe learning and teaching • speak with focus groups of children and young people • meet with groups of staff to discuss improvements in pedagogy • importantly, share messages about their findings with school teams. In a minority of local authorities, there are clear and embedded approaches on using robust and reliable data to inform decision-making, policy, and practice. Many other local authorities are developing and improving their processes in this area. In local authorities where this is working particularly well, central teams prioritise developing school leader and staff capacity to use data effectively to improve outcomes for children and young people. For example, ‘data leads’ or ‘data champions’ in each school are trained and supported to interpret and use data and to disseminate practice. Officers in central teams meet school leaders regularly across the school year to discuss a range of attainment, attendance, and exclusion data to determine school performance and how well the school is improving. In a minority of local authorities, headteachers have access to and use data for their locality and authority, as well as their own school. This is helping to support an ethos of collective efficacy and shared self-evaluation for improvement. A minority of local authorities have identified the need to continue to develop the use of data across their central and school teams. In a minority of local authorities, evidence demonstrates that strategic approaches are improving standards in learning, teaching, and assessment in primary schools, but less so in secondary schools. There is a need to ensure that practice in effective and robust self- evaluation for improvement is shared across, and between, primary and secondary schools. Professional learning for school leaders, including middle leaders in secondary schools, will help to achieve this. Page 68 of 120
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17 Local authorities that have higher proportions of speakers and learners of Gàidhlig have substantial, bespoke support for schools that offer Gàidhlig Medium Education. In the most effective practice, central teams give schools feedback on the distinctive features of Gàidhlig Medium Education and on pedagogy. They use a range of evaluative strategies, such as visiting classes, analysing learners’ work and assessing learners’ progress through focus groups. System leadership A few local authorities have undertaken significant work over recent years to develop system leadership approaches. In these authorities, positive and effective relationships underpin the work of all staff. This arises from strong, strategic leadership, driving forward a well-understood, shared vision for collective improvement. Local authority senior leaders, officers and headteachers feel strongly that a culture of trust, respect and empowerment is central to effective system leadership. Reasons for local authorities adopting this approach include developing a vision for shared commitment for raising standards. However, they also include the fact that financial constraints mean that the numbers of staff in central teams, in almost all geographical areas, are diminishing. Therefore, building capacity within school teams in using robust, data driven self-evaluation, strengthened by peer collaboration, is helping these local authorities to continue to raise standards and produce better outcomes for children and young people. Key principles for the successful implementation of collective endeavours like these to improve all schools include ensuring that there is a shared understanding across all schools on the purpose and rationale for collaborative improvement and collective accountability. Building on this shared understanding, school leaders need to be skilled in robust and accurate self-evaluation, based on sound judgements and reliable data. Relationships need to be strong enough for school leaders to be able to benefit from providing, receiving, and acting on constructive feedback from their peers. Most local authorities are undertaking positive work towards achieving these aims. Practice examples East Lothian Council The local authority’s Self-improving Schools (SIS) model is creating a culture where school leaders feel empowered to drive their own school’s improvement journey and play a key role in supporting the improvement of others. This approach is having a positive impact on developing a strong culture of professional collaboration. Headteachers welcome the opportunities to work in partnership with staff in other schools, and with their link quality improvement officer, to support improvement. Whilst the SIS model represents significant time investment, headteachers value this approach and the difference it is making to outcomes for children and young people. Falkirk Council The development of ‘quality associates’ enhances the local authority’s universal and targeted support for schools. Headteachers who take on the role as ‘quality associates’ use their skills, experience, and professional knowledge to provide support and challenge to peer school leaders. Within a challenging financial climate, this approach is helping to increase the capacity across the local authority, with a particular focus on effective self-evaluation for school improvement. Page 69 of 120
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18 Fife Council The local authority’s ‘Self-Improving Networked Learning System’ promotes continuous self-evaluation for improvement. All headteachers benefit from a comprehensive network of support and challenge at local authority, locality, cluster, and school levels. This systematic framework builds on a culture of ongoing improvement in the quality of education. The system aims to use the wealth of skills and expertise that exist at all levels of the local authority, supporting the empowerment of school leaders through strong partnership working and outcomes- focused collaboration. Local authority officers participate within targeted groups and networks to provide universal support and challenge. Renfrewshire Council The local authority has a clear and highly effective data strategy that underpins the work of all. The strategy is successful in ensuring that robust data is accessible for practitioners, teachers, school leaders and education officers alike. A data dashboard for each school provides a wealth of data that can be interrogated in different ways. The data strategy provides a comprehensive programme of skills development for practitioners, teachers, school leaders and education officers. As a result, the use of data is firmly embedded in the work of all. Decisions, refinement to practice and interventions at school and local authority levels are based on robust data evidence. This is leading to strong educational outcomes for children and young people. South Ayrshire Council Local authority officers work effectively with a range of colleagues including headteachers and teachers to co-design approaches to evaluate the quality of learning, teaching, and assessment in schools. This is helping to bring about improvement in this area across schools. In the secondary sector, the local authority has strengthened subject networks for subject leaders and teachers. These are regular, planned forums for subject leaders and teachers to share good practice and develop consistency around approaches to learning, teaching, and assessment. The recent development of well-planned subject department quality assurance visits is helping to generate a culture of sharing effective practice across schools and maintain a shared understanding about expected high standards. West Dunbartonshire Council Enhanced Scrutiny, Collaborative Action (ESCA) visits are an important feature of the local authority’s quality assurance framework and complement a wide programme of school review. ESCA visits are ‘deep dives’ into one area of a school’s work. School leaders identify an area for focused attention. A team of education officers and senior leaders from other schools visit the school for one day. They provide an objective view and constructive feedback on the school’s self-evaluation. School leaders often choose an area of practice that they feel needs further development. They report that participating in the supportive and robust dialogue is extremely helpful in deciding next steps for improvement. Examples of areas of practice that school leaders have chosen for an ESCA visit include: • safeguarding • ASN provision Page 70 of 120
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19 • moderation of Curriculum for Excellence levels • use of data to inform improvement • the quality of learning environments • the use of Pupil Equity Funding to close the poverty-related attainment gap. West Lothian Council The local authority’s evaluation and review of ASN across its schools led to a strategic approach to supporting learning, teaching, and assessment in classrooms. Additional support needs are prioritised as a quality improvement driver in all schools. There is a clear focus on embedding the principles of inclusion and equity within mainstream classrooms across West Lothian schools. An ‘inclusion ambassador’ network connects teachers with an interest and skills in ASN pedagogy across the local authority. Courses, training events and coaching and mentoring sessions, run by the central ASN team, help to upskill school staff’s knowledge in five priority areas: autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, behaviour as communication, inclusive classrooms, and sensory needs. These professional learning opportunities, which are linked to the local authority’s clear strategic lead, are having a positive impact on the learning experiences of children and young people with ASN. “There has been a notable shift in how we work with the central team. Schools have clear objectives identified through service level agreements. This means we are clear on our objectives and how we will measure and report back on progress.” Headteacher “Our authority has a very strong quality improvement framework which has been developed and improved in recent years. We are empowering schools to grow as a self-sustaining network.” Quality improvement officer “There appears to be an inconsistency in the standard of improvement plans and quality reports across the authority. Some schools appear to have more scrutiny or expectation placed on them than others. The level of support and challenge is very much dependent on who your Quality Improvement Officer is.” Headteacher “Sometimes it can feel that data is all that matters, rather than discussion about how it helps children's learning move forwards.” Headteacher “The introduction of self-evaluation trios has allowed school leaders to become part of the central quality assurance offer and provides leadership opportunities for staff in schools.” Head of Education Page 71 of 120
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20 Supporting schools to improve the quality of education through professional learning Professional learning strategy to drive school improvement The majority of local authorities have in place established and effective professional learning strategies, with the remainder taking steps to strengthen their professional learning provision. In a few local authorities, this is at a very early stage of development. All local authorities believe that professional learning plays a critical part in improvement and embed the importance of this role within their quality improvement frameworks. Increasingly, professional learning strategies are tailored to align closely with the local authorities’ learning, teaching, and assessment strategies. However, the rationale for the professional learning offer and the decision-making process that informs it are not yet fully understood by school leaders and staff in a few local authorities. Most professional learning strategies are well-informed by national policy and the needs of service and school improvement priorities. This is most effective when central officers undertake regular, robust data analysis, using a wide range of local data and intelligence, including external inspection outcomes. They ensure that this supports career-long professional development, reflecting the needs of staff at all levels. A few local authorities could use their professional review and development process more effectively to inform their professional learning programme. Most local authorities’ strategies are based on the national model of professional learning. This supports staff to identify, participate in and reflect on the impact of professional learning on themselves as learners, and importantly on the children, young people. They provide a balance of self-directed, online professional learning and opportunities for collaborative learning. The range of learning opportunities is generally comprehensive and wide ranging. Geographical and budgetary constraints make the provision of in-person professional learning opportunities much more challenging for some. Increasingly, creative approaches are employed to mitigate these barriers. All local authorities provide professional learning that is available universally, in addition to more targeted approaches. Nationally, improving the quality of learning and teaching to raise attainment, data-literacy, inclusion, equality and building positive relationships are common priority areas for development. Bespoke training is delivered in individual schools, learning communities, localities or across sectors, as appropriate to local context. In the few local authorities where professional learning is very well-embedded, their approach to targeted support is responsive, varied, and agile. This enables them to adapt the delivery of professional learning programmes to meet the specific needs of individual schools or staff groups. As a result, professional learning is highly effective in improving staff skills and knowledge and, crucially, improving outcomes for children and young people. More rigorous, consistent evaluation of the impact of professional learning is required in almost a quarter of local authorities. Officers should use the increasing rigour of quality assurance activities to inform the design and delivery of their professional learning offer. These local authorities should give greater consideration to how they can meet the needs of both local and school improvement plans, and the professional development needs of staff identified through annual professional review and development meetings. Page 72 of 120
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21 Collaborative practice All local authorities support staff to work collaboratively in a range of ways, for a range of purposes. Often, this is informed by strategic priorities and data analysis. Increasingly, local authorities use collaboration to build capacity to support the development of a self- supporting school system. Most local authorities use a wide range of collaborative approaches. These include the creation of networks, working parties, think-tank groups and the development of online hubs. A few local authorities have a highly developed culture of effective collaborative working. They view collaboration as the main universal support for improvement. In these authorities, the vision for and promotion of this collaborative culture is strongly led by directors and senior leaders. In these local authorities, collaboration is creating the conditions through which supportive and empowered approaches to system-wide professional learning is being delivered. The strong culture of collaboration between school leaders and central officers is based on mutual trust and respect. In almost all local authorities, the effective use of dedicated networks to support professional learning is common practice. In only a very few local authorities, headteachers identified a need for more opportunities to work together. Formal networks provide forums for practitioners to discuss priorities, share practice and engage in collaborative improvement activity. They are designed to provide tailored support and development relevant to specific job roles, reflecting a commitment to career-long professional development. Typical networks include provision for newly qualified teachers, newly appointed teachers and aspiring middle leaders through to school leaders. A few local authorities are expanding network provision further to meet the needs of support staff and newly appointed or acting headteachers. In addition to role-specific networks, a range of more subject-specific and cross-sectoral approaches are also used, for example for staff working in Gàidhlig Medium Education or with a specific focus on additional support needs. Secondary subject networks involve curriculum leaders and teachers in development work centred on subject specific professional learning and moderation. These provide opportunities to share more specific approaches to school improvement and learn about effective practice from peers. Where well-established, this encourages effective cross-cluster collaboration and is making a positive difference to the practice of those who attend. A minority of authorities have identified the need to re-establish or strengthen further secondary subject specific networks. Smaller local authorities find collaborative working with other local authorities particularly beneficial. It allows staff to work with a wider range of partners, to share expertise and practice and develop resources together. They cite Regional Improvement Collaborative partnerships as having been instrumental in facilitating connections and partnerships with other local authorities. Actively involving school leaders in working beyond their own school contributes positively to their own learning and development. Most local authorities operate a well-established cluster, trio, or quad approach, where school leaders work with cluster colleagues or are matched with schools with similar contexts and profiles. These groups have important roles in supporting accurate, rigorous, and robust peer self-evaluation. School leaders consider participation in school reviews, such as validated self-evaluation, to be highly effective forms of professional learning. Headteachers grouped across learning communities gain a broader perspective of school standards and performance across the local authority. Page 73 of 120
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22 The ability to recruit school leaders with the necessary skills and expertise is particularly challenging in some parts of the country. Increasingly, local authorities are strengthening their approaches to leadership development to enable them to recruit to promoted posts from within their existing workforce. Aspiring leadership programmes are successful in encouraging participants to apply for promoted posts and undertake accredited learning. Local authorities value the contribution of staff participation in more formal national leadership development programmes, such as Into Headship and Excellence in Headship, working in partnership with Education Scotland and universities. Most local authorities provide opportunities for staff to develop leadership skills through specific roles, such as curriculum champion, data lead or quality assurance and support officer. Teachers appreciate these opportunities to work collaboratively and share their expertise in their own schools, and more widely across the authority. A few local authorities recognise the need to monitor more closely the impact that participation in professional learning has on the quality of leadership in their schools. The use of coaching and mentoring to support leadership development is common practice across all local authorities, particularly to support newly appointed or acting headteachers. Where practice is strongest, mentors feel well-equipped to carry out this responsibility due to the provision of training in advance of taking up the role. Those in receipt of mentoring speak highly of this approach and the high-quality coaching conversations on which the mentoring is based. Headteachers comment positively on its impact on their confidence and practice. The ongoing need to ensure that all school leaders undertake robust quality assurance and accurate self-evaluation remains a priority across the country. Professional learning is increasing school leaders’ confidence in using qualitative and quantitative data, evaluative writing, and improvement planning. A few local authorities are seeing increasing alignment with school self-evaluation, local authority evaluation of schools and outcomes from school inspection as a result. Impact of professional learning High-quality professional learning builds the capacity and increases the confidence of staff, impacting positively on their practice. The number of staff participating in professional learning programmes impacts positively on staff expertise and pedagogical practice. A few local authorities are aware of the variability of uptake in professional learning across their schools and are taking steps to address this. Staff engagement is particularly challenging for island-based and predominantly rural authorities, where travel and budgets are significant barriers to participation. As a result, some teachers have not participated in subject-specific professional development for a considerable period. Restricted access to central digital professional learning platforms, although intended for general use, can also make accessibility difficult. A lack of permanency of employment for newly qualified teachers is also a challenge. This is leading to some inconsistencies in the level of teacher skills. There is a need to strengthen approaches to systematically evaluating the quality and impact of professional learning in a minority of local authorities. In a few authorities, this is particularly the case in relation to determining improvement in the quality of learning and teaching in secondary schools. Robust self-evaluation shows that high-quality professional learning is contributing positively to improving outcomes for children and young people in a minority of local authorities. In these authorities, officers gather data to monitor the impact of Page 74 of 120
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23 professional learning on staff’s ability to adapt to the changing needs of education. This in turn is improving outcomes for children and young people. A few local authorities have successfully overcome barriers of limited contractual hours, to enable support for learning assistants to engage in dedicated professional learning programmes. The provision of additional paid hours enables support for learning assistants to work more collaboratively within and across schools. In some instances, this has led to them gaining advanced qualifications. As a result, children and young people benefit from an improved level of support. Almost all local authorities have a range of effective induction programmes in place for new staff. In almost all cases, these are targeted to meet the specific needs of identified groups of staff, such as newly qualified teachers, middle leaders, senior leaders and headteachers. These induction programmes support staff to feel increasingly confident in their role. Most local authorities are strengthening their focus on improving the quality of learning, teaching, and raising attainment. Those local authorities that are in the process of introducing new learning and teaching frameworks are doing this effectively through a comprehensive programme of professional learning, guidance, and support. This is having a positive impact on learning and teaching approaches, improving the curriculum, and developing data literacy skills. A few local authorities are committed to ensuring that all teachers across a specific sector, or at specific stages, engage with high-quality professional learning over a sustained period. These authorities report this leading to consistently better learning and teaching, particularly in primary schools. An increasing culture of professional enquiry is supporting staff to use quality improvement methodology to improve outcomes for children and young people. Most local authorities provide a universal offer with a clear focus on raising attainment in literacy and numeracy. Nationally, an increased focus on the teaching of writing in primary schools is increasing teacher confidence in teaching and assessing writing. This is having a positive impact on levels of attainment. Partnership working Across the country, local authority officers engage partners and national organisations who can contribute to the provision and quality of their professional learning programme. Frequent use is made of the professional learning offers from organisations such as Education Scotland and universities. Increased collaboration and looking outwards are creating a more consistent approach to developing highly effective practice in line with national standards. The positive impact of the professional learning provided by educational psychological services is evident in a few local authorities. They offer bespoke professional learning inputs, for example, in relation to understanding anxiety and cognitive behavioural approaches. This supports improved wellbeing for children and young people and the development of more inclusive practices across schools. All local authorities have senior leaders or central officers who work in partnership with HM Inspectors as Associate Assessors (AAs). Local authorities and AAs themselves value highly the quality of professional learning that inspection experience provides. All local authorities use the skills and experience of AAs to enhance their understanding of national standards and expectations, but to varying degrees. AAs work in partnership with local authority officers and headteachers to build capacity and support improvement. This Page 75 of 120
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24 includes providing support for Gàidhlig. A few local authorities have sought to increase the number of AAs across their service to enable them to utilise their skills more strategically. In almost all local authorities, AAs are becoming integral to the improvement work of central teams, in evaluating and validating the quality of education provided in schools. They support the development of increased confidence in applying national standards to self- evaluative professional activity. Practice examples Falkirk Council The Leadership Development Pathway is successfully increasing leadership capacity across the authority. School leaders are confident to support improvements beyond their own establishments. The Leadership Empowerment Strategy enables school leaders to take greater responsibility and accountability for leadership in their own school and across the authority. School leaders are viewed by the director and heads of education as part of the collective leadership of the local authority. School leaders collaborate successfully across sectors and establishments to support continuous improvement. This includes participation in thematic reviews and involvement in strategic decision making. School leaders influence strategic direction and contribute to a shared understanding of standards. Fife Council The secondary headteacher collaborative is a well-established network of headteachers and central officers that meets regularly to discuss self-evaluation and quality assurance approaches. Quality improvement packs provided by the central team support secondary school leaders to develop and embed quality improvement and self-evaluation processes and expectations across their individual schools and across the sector. This professional learning approach supports secondary school leaders in benchmarking performance, planning next steps, and linking evidence directly to school improvement planning and standards and quality reporting. Secondary school leaders are very positive about this collaborative. They feel that it is an integral part of ensuring a shared understanding of expectations across secondary schools. It supports them to evaluate robustly their schools’ strengths, identify areas for improvement and to access good practice examples within the authority. Glasgow City Council The Executive Director has a clear vision to develop Glasgow City Council as a ‘networked learning city.’ He has placed collaborative working at the centre of developments. Staff share this drive to work together across the city to identify priorities, find solutions and improve outcomes for all children and young people. This vision is articulated by staff at all levels. Headteachers report an increase in autonomy and feel empowered to work with others to lead and manage change and improvement. All staff acknowledge and value the role of professional learning and networking in improving the quality of education. North Ayrshire Council North Ayrshire Council has a very well-established and embedded Professional Learning Academy (PLA) that focuses on supporting improvement. The PLA, which is comprised of a team of seconded teachers, offers a range of supports to staff and Page 76 of 120
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25 schools within North Ayrshire. This includes a programme of courses, targeted visits, and in-residence programmes. The PLA in-residence programme is an important lever for success in the local authority’s quality improvement framework. The approach involves a PLA teacher joining a school team for nine weeks, working alongside teachers in classes to team teach, observe and plan learning experiences and create resources. The role of the PLA and aims of the programme are planned by headteachers, working with senior local authority managers. A contract is drawn up that sets out the agreed nature of the support to be delivered, its aims and how success and impact will be evaluated. Local authority staff and school leaders carry out reviews of the PLA in-residence programme to evaluate the impact and sustainability of the work. Renfrewshire Council Approaches such as a ‘train the trainer’ model, supports professional learning within schools and across clusters. This promotes an ethos of strong collaboration and is helping to build capacity for leading improvement at authority level, beyond the central team. Collaboration through subject networks is working very well across the secondary sector to support this work. Development officers provide universal professional learning and targeted, practical support to class teachers and support staff through modelling and coaching practice. The local authority is developing the role of ‘modelling and coaching’ officers within school staff teams in a consistent and universal ways through the development of a ‘grow your own’ approach. This approach supports the local authority’s aim to embed practitioner inquiry in professional learning. Stirling Council The local authority has a motivating way of recognising and capitalising on the skills, expertise and professional knowledge of staff in schools. It provides secondment opportunities for school staff to join the central team, to take forward priorities that support equity and excellence in education. This is contributing very successfully to the local authority’s approach to developing leadership capacity. Senior leaders’ sharing of their practice through creative conversations and at learning festivals supports the local authority’s mission for high-quality learning, teaching, and attainment across its schools. The City of Edinburgh Council The Edinburgh Learns for Life strategy is based on strong collaboration across schools, partners, and other stakeholders, with high accountability and support as required. The Professional Learning Charters for all teachers and practitioners are drivers for success. They highlight the local authority’s commitment to expanding and improving the workforce. The suite of professional learning opportunities sets out clearly an offer to teaching staff. The highly effective model for delivery of professional learning clearly aligns with identified priorities within the service strategic plans, as well as being responsive to emerging themes at local and national levels. Education officers ensure that they monitor the impact of professional learning effectively using a variety of methods. These robust evaluation approaches are supporting education officers to review, adapt, and improve professional learning on an ongoing basis. This helps to ensure that the professional learning offer continues to align with the progressive local authority strategic improvement plan. Page 77 of 120
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26 “We have invested in a Pedagogy Team to build capacity in schools in order to help raise achievement. This involves providing both targeted and universal professional learning and support to schools across the local authority.” Education manager “Headteacher collaborative sessions are not tokenistic information sharing sessions. They are meaningful opportunities to work with colleagues, finding solutions to the real challenges we face.” Headteacher “Professional learning programmes could be shaped more with headteachers. It can often feel delivered to us. There is not a lot of consultation on what would be helpful to us.” Headteacher “As a new Acting Headteacher, I have greatly appreciated the unwavering support from my local authority. Their guidance has not only been readily available but has also instilled in me the confidence to make informed decisions and to lead with purpose.” Acting headteacher Delivering universal support and challenge for all schools, and/or targeted support for specific schools to improve the quality of education Frameworks to support and challenge all schools All local authorities have a framework in place to support improvement in schools. In most local authorities, improvement frameworks are clear, well-established, and embedded in practice. All local authorities provide a tiered approach to support and challenge, recognising the need for universal, targeted, and intensive categories of support for schools, as necessary. The set of criteria used by central officers to determine the level of support for each school is generally well defined in almost all local authorities and is reviewed annually. A few local authorities have reviewed and refreshed their improvement frameworks recently or are rightly in the process of doing so. Authority staff have initiated these reviews due to a range of factors, including changes to the leadership and structure of central teams; quality assurance and self-evaluation evidence, including external inspections; and the impact of budget cuts. Almost all local authorities ensure that their improvement frameworks are founded on principles of self-evaluation, taking appropriate account of local and national priorities. Improvement frameworks are effective in securing continuous improvement in most local authorities. In these authorities, approaches are developed and refined collaboratively by local authority officers and school leaders. In most local authorities, there is an established culture of collaborative working. Positive, trusting relationships between school leaders and local authority officers are evident. These relationships are important in facilitating the effective development, implementation, and Page 78 of 120
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27 review of local authorities’ improvement frameworks. This supports central officers to ensure that improvement processes are clearly understood, transparent and responsive to need. School leaders value the visibility of local authority officers in their schools and welcome the feedback and challenge they provide. It is very important to recognise that maintaining in-person relationships is a significant extra challenge for those local authorities with a high number of rural, remote and island schools. This can restrict the full implementation of improvement frameworks that require a balance of in-person and online activity. Barriers include significant journeys for central officers to remote schools, transport difficulties and challenges in the recruitment and retention of central officers and school leaders. In a few rural authorities, hybrid approaches to engagement between officers and schools are often hindered due to poor broadband or digital infrastructure. Processes to identify support and challenge for all schools Most local authorities have effective processes in place to identify and organise appropriate levels of support and challenge for all schools. In a few local authorities, these processes lack consistency and rigour and are less effective. Senior leaders in these authorities recognise the need for a more strategic approach to developing the capacity of their central teams. This has the potential to support an increased pace of change in schools where improvement is required. Senior leaders should ensure that they have clear oversight of which schools are receiving universal, targeted, or intensive support. This will enable them to monitor more effectively the impact of support delivered by central teams. Across all local authorities, link officers play a key role in gathering intelligence and data about school performance. In a few local authorities, this role is also undertaken by a cluster lead or an experienced school leader who has been seconded for this purpose. The implementation of an agreed calendar of engagement between individual school leaders and their link officer is common practice across all local authorities. The frequency, nature and impact of this engagement is more variable across the country. There is a need to ensure a more consistent approach across teams, with a clear focus on improvement. In a minority of local authorities, officers could strengthen further the quality of their feedback to school leaders, for example on improvement plans and standards and quality reports. Most local authorities have an accurate understanding of the performance, capacity, and context of each of their schools. In these authorities, officers ensure that their understanding of school performance is accurately informed by a wide range of qualitative and quantitative evidence. This enables them to monitor and maintain a strong understanding of each school’s capacity for improvement and areas of risk. Officers interrogate attainment, attendance, and exclusion data regularly, looking for patterns or dips in performance. They review the impact of the school’s use of Pupil Equity Fund on attainment. Staff absence, recruitment challenges and recent appointments, particularly of headteachers, is also monitored carefully. In addition, they review the number of complaints received and consider the views of parents following local authority-wide surveys. Where practice is most effective, they use regular discussions with school leaders to triangulate data to ensure its accuracy and rigour, making comparison against local and national benchmarks where appropriate. In the minority of local authorities where practice is particularly strong, it is this breadth of understanding that most accurately informs the local authority’s identification of schools requiring enhanced or intensive support. Page 79 of 120
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28 A few local authorities offer headteachers a higher level of support. Headteachers recognise and value the enhanced level of guidance and resource associated with this and are keen to secure this for their school. As a result, these authorities are giving an increasing proportion of schools enhanced support. However, this can lead to an over-reliance on enhanced and targeted support in some schools, and an imbalance in resource provision overall. To redress this, local authorities should consider the effectiveness of their universal support provision. In authorities where universal provision is working very well, there is a more proportionate and targeted balance of central support across the schools. All authorities make effective use of the outcomes of school inspections within their own authority. They use these to benchmark the accuracy of their schools’ self-evaluation activity. Occasionally, in a few authorities, the emphasis on engagement and quality assurance is placed most often on preparing for inspection. This can be at the expense of other effective, ongoing quality assurance activity that would be based on a range of measures. Provision of advice and support Most local authorities have effective systems in place to provide advice and support to schools. They use data in increasingly strategic ways to inform and determine the approaches to be used. This includes support to address both performance and pastoral needs. Headteachers value highly the pastoral support provided by link officers, reflecting that relationships are built on trust and respect. A few local authorities find the provision of advice and support more challenging. This can be due to school-based staff’s lack of awareness of improvement frameworks, the cycle of self-evaluation for self-improvement, or the support provision available to schools. In a few local authorities, the central team do not have capacity to support high numbers of schools requiring targeted or intensive support. Increasingly, peer headteachers are being given a more prominent role in quality assurance activities, working in partnership with other schools to help address this. Almost all local authorities make increasing use of a range of networks to provide support and challenge to schools. This includes peer and multi-agency support. A few local authorities take a ‘team around the school’ approach to strengthen and inform multi-agency planning. Informed by their careful monitoring and tracking of school performance, they identify common themes. Guidance, such as improving attendance, is then issued to all schools, making best use of time and resource. Headteacher meetings and cluster improvement approaches are being used increasingly to provide universal support. A few local authorities have redesigned their headteacher meetings to incorporate regular evaluative activity. There is now a much stronger emphasis on strategic improvement in these authorities. They actively promote collaboration among headteachers, encouraging them to engage in open and honest dialogue. The sharing of effective practice is encouraged and facilitated. Most local authorities share effective practice to support learning in a variety of ways. Local authority officers direct staff at all levels to identified areas of strong practice across schools. Authority-led conferences, seminars and headteacher-led forums provide beneficial opportunities to develop knowledge and share effective practice. Staff value these opportunities to hear about the implementation and impact of new initiatives and effective and embedded practice. Page 80 of 120
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29 A few local authorities have a relatively high number of newly appointed headteachers. They understand the importance of providing enhanced support to build the capacity of new school leaders. Experienced headteachers are often paired with a new colleague to provide mentor support. In almost all authorities, officers and headteachers have engaged in coaching and mentoring training that has strengthened their skills in delivering this support. This approach to leadership development contributes to the success of improvement frameworks. All local authorities recognise the importance of having reliable and robust data for effective self-evaluation and quality assurance activity. Most local authorities provide advice and support about the use of data to build staff capacity and improve the accuracy of schools’ self-evaluation. This includes the provision of comprehensive data packs for each of their schools. A few local authorities implement effective support that links well with the national Pupil Equity Fund guidance. They use the expertise of their link attainment advisor to increase staff skills in using data to demonstrate impact. Identifying schools requiring targeted support The majority of local authorities have well-established systems and processes in place to identify schools requiring targeted support. They ensure that performance data for each school is maintained and updated regularly on a central database. This provides local authority officers and leaders with access to current performance information and intelligence. A minority of local authorities need to use data and intelligence more strategically. Doing so would help them to develop and maintain a clearer profile of risk, set within a structured risk matrix. This will enable them to provide a more equitable response to support provision, prioritising finite resources to where this is most needed. A few local authorities use data very well to provide targeted support to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy, including closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Their use of a central database enables officers to share information with support providers such as a central pedagogy team, enabling them to prioritise bespoke support accordingly for individual or groups of schools. Action planning, monitoring, and reviewing progress Around half of local authorities that have identified schools requiring targeted or intensive support ensure that a clear action plan is in place to support improvement. The quality and effectiveness of these actions plans varies across the country. Local authorities find action plans to be most effective when priorities and the nature of the support to be provided are agreed in partnership with the headteacher. These set out clear goals, responsibilities, time limits and measures for success. Around half of local authorities monitor the impact of action plans closely. A minority of local authorities need to strengthen further their approach to ensuring that targeted support leads to desired improvement. Where monitoring supports improvement most effectively, officers review progress in partnership with headteachers regularly and provide valuable feedback. Together, they agree next steps to ensure continuing improvement. The establishment of baseline measures by the staff involved help inform the rate of progress. Headteachers value this intensive support and challenge. Link officers take time to review data about their link schools and with each other. Working within an environment of professional trust, they feel able to challenge the quality and effectiveness of improvement actions and learn from each other. This provides opportunities for them to moderate the quality of their work. Page 81 of 120
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30 A few local authorities need to develop further the skills of the central team to ensure a consistent approach in developing, implementing, and monitoring the progress of school improvement. Officers need to be more precise about what will make the biggest difference to secure school performance. They need to ensure that headteachers act on the feedback and guidance provided more effectively. Practice examples Falkirk Council Education officers provide targeted support and challenge for schools in areas of high deprivation. They are reducing the attainment gap for children and young people living in the most deprived areas of the local authority. Central officers work with school leaders and staff to support those children and young people who are not on track to achieve expected Curriculum for Excellence levels. They moderate teachers’ professional judgements and analyse children and young people’s progress. Education officers have clear evidence that children and young people living in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintile one make significant progress because of successful, planned interventions by staff and partners. The local authority has a well-established ‘team around the school’ approach to provide enhanced support and challenge when necessary. This is helping to address challenges in identified schools, particularly around strengthening leadership and improving outcomes for children and young children. This approach provides a sustained focus for schools to improve and involves a range of officers from the authority’s central team. The progress that schools make is very carefully tracked, monitored, and evaluated by the ‘team around the school.’ The City of Edinburgh Council The local authority has very effective systems and processes in place to address any concerns about school provision. It takes swift action to ensure that improvements are made and that outcomes for children and young people are not diminished. In addition to universal quality assurance visits to all schools, identified schools benefit from a range of bespoke support and challenge approaches, whenever necessary. These can include meetings with a Head of Education to agree targets for an action plan. The authority takes a ‘team around the school’ approach, with relevant partners and specialist officers supporting individual schools to improve. This includes bespoke professional learning packages delivered by the ‘Edinburgh Learns’ team and coaching in context approaches to bring about improvement. Headteachers are very positive about the proportionate model of support and challenge taken by officers. They feel it is transparent, fair, and well understood by all. South Ayrshire Council The local authority’s very effective three-tiered approach to quality improvement visits is ensuring that support and challenge is targeted to promoting improvement. The model and criteria at each level was co-designed with school leaders and LA Officers and is shared with school staff. Schools in tiers two and three receive enhanced or targeted support. Targeted support for specific schools arises because of a range of potential circumstances. This may include a drop in attainment, a high frequency of parental complaints or staff absences. Each school’s agreed allocation to a tier is flexible. Schools may move between tiers during a session as circumstances, needs, and staffing change. School self-evaluation evidence and local authority officers’ Page 82 of 120
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31 professional judgement is discussed with the headteacher and is pivotal when determining a school’s current ‘live’ tier. Targeted offers of support are determined collaboratively between headteachers and local authority officers. This approach helps to ensure that proportionate support is provided where most needed, within the scope of finite resourcing. “We have high ambitions for our schools. Our focus is both about support and challenge, but ultimately, it’s about improving outcomes for learners. Effective local knowledge means that support and challenge can be tailored to specific needs and/or context, ensuring the support and strategies we adopt are relevant and have impact.” Head of Education “Central staffing levels in the local authority have greatly reduced recently, making direct personal support for all schools more difficult. This does, though, empower schools to be self-evaluative and to problem solve effectively without over-reliance on officer input.” Quality Improvement Officer “Before an inspection, there is an increase in involvement from the local authority. It would be more helpful for central staff to have an ongoing and updated sense of what is happening in my school to inform their engagement with us.” Headteacher “The central team has been hugely reduced in number, so their ability to support schools has been greatly reduced. There are increased efforts to improve opportunities for headteachers to work collaboratively as a Learning Community and to reduce duplication and workload.” Headteacher “As a relatively new headteacher, I have found the support from the authority integral to receiving a positive school inspection. The collaborative nature of quality improvement processes, and the approachability of the Senior Leaders within the authority, have made all the difference. I felt confident and supported going into the inspection, due to the robust nature of quality improvement visits and discussions.” Headteacher “The quality improvement framework has changed from being largely universal in approach, to moving to more targeted and bespoke approaches over the last couple of years, to meet the needs of individual schools.” Education manager “Our capacity to engage in supporting wider school improvement, such as taking part in peer reviews, is greatly restricted by staffing challenges, including a recent reduction in teacher numbers. We are wholly committed to collaborative improvement, but its increasingly difficult to say ‘Yes’ right way to these opportunities, as the capacity within our own schools is reduced.” Headteacher Page 83 of 120
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32 Conclusion Local authorities in Scotland play a crucial role in supporting schools to deliver high-quality education, ensuring that all children and young people can achieve their potential. This thematic inspection has highlighted both the strengths and challenges in how local authorities fulfil this role, particularly through self-evaluation, improvement planning, quality assurance, and professional learning. Across the country, most local authorities have established clear frameworks and processes embedded within strategic quality improvement plans. These frameworks are often underpinned by strong leadership, robust data use, and a commitment to continuous improvement. While most authorities have established frameworks and processes to support schools, there remains room for improvement in areas such as the consistency of support across schools, the effectiveness of school performance monitoring, and the evaluation of professional learning programmes. Collaborative practices are a notable strength, with positive relationships between central officers and school leaders fostering a culture of mutual trust, professional learning, and shared accountability. Innovative approaches, such as digital reporting and hybrid stakeholder engagement, have also expanded the reach and effectiveness of local improvement efforts. Given the often-limited resources available to local authorities, it is critical that support is prioritised for those schools with the greatest need. This requires a careful balance - ensuring strong, universal provision for all schools while also directing targeted support where it will have the most impact. Leadership development remains a key area for focus. While many local authorities offer well-structured leadership programmes, there is a need to strengthen pathways for middle leaders, particularly in secondary schools. Central officers play a crucial role in driving improvement, and their professional development should reflect this responsibility, to ensure consistency in the quality of support and challenge provided to schools. Fiscal constraints and the geographical challenges faced by rural and island authorities present significant barriers to the consistent delivery of support. Financial pressures affect not only the capacity of central teams but also the ability to provide in-person support to more remote schools. These challenges highlight the need for flexible, innovative solutions that ensure equity of access to high-quality support for all schools. Variability persists in the consistency and quality of universal support provided to schools, both within and across local authorities. This extends to the effectiveness of self-evaluation processes, particularly in the secondary sector, where strategic improvements in learning, teaching, and attainment are less evident compared to the primary sector. A recurring theme throughout this inspection is the importance of self-evaluation as a driver for improvement. Where self-evaluation is rigorous and embedded in practice, it leads to a clear understanding of strengths and areas for development, informing targeted action that improves outcomes for learners. The use of data to inform decision-making is inconsistent, with some authorities demonstrating strong practices while others require further development to ensure data-driven improvement planning. Despite the challenges, local authorities remain committed to improving the quality of education for all learners. By building on existing strengths, addressing areas for improvement, and fostering a culture of continuous reflection, strong leadership, and Page 84 of 120
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33 collaborative practice, local authorities can help schools to overcome challenges and ensure that all children and young people access to high-quality education. Page 85 of 120
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34 Appendix: Questionnaire analysis Local authority central staff 460 responses The questionnaire results presented reflect the aggregated views of responding local authority staff members. These findings should not be interpreted as fully representative of all local authority staff across Scotland. Percentages have been rounded and may not add to 100. Question 1 The education authority’s strategic plan for education is clearly focused on raising attainment and achievement for all learners. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 344 75% Agree 108 24% Disagree 4 1% Strongly disagree 0 0 Don’t know 3 1% Question 2 The education authority’s stretch aims to measure its progress in raising attainment and towards closing the poverty-related attainment gap, were developed in collaboration with headteachers. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 205 45% Agree 187 41% Disagree 25 6% Strongly disagree 1 0% Don’t know 40 9% Page 86 of 120
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35 Question 3: The education authority’s stretch aims have been made clear to senior leaders. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 270 59% Agree 161 35% Disagree 4 1% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 24 5% Question 4: The education authority’s leadership structure is clear. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 282 62% Agree 144 31% Disagree 26 6% Strongly disagree 3 1% Don’t know 3 1% Question 5: The education authority provides opportunities for children and young people to be involved and influence decision-making within the education authority. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 124 27% Agree 263 58% Disagree 37 8% Strongly disagree 5 1% Don’t know 28 6% Page 87 of 120
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36 Question 6: The education authority provides opportunities for parents and carers to be involved and influence decision-making within the education authority. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 124 27% Agree 278 60% Disagree 26 6% Strongly disagree 3 1% Don’t know 29 6% Question 7: The education authority’s arrangements and advice on self-evaluation is used effectively to help headteachers when planning for school improvement. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 254 55% Agree 181 40% Disagree 3 1% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 21 5% Question 8: The education authority’s guidance and advice on reporting on education standards and quality is used effectively by schools when writing their school standards and quality report. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 189 41% Agree 230 50% Disagree 12 3% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 29 6% Page 88 of 120
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37 Question 9: The education authority’s guidance and advice on planning for improvement is used effectively by schools when writing school improvement plans. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 184 40% Agree 242 53% Disagree 8 2% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 26 6% Question 10: The education authority provides constructive feedback to every headteacher on the quality of their improvement plan and standards and quality report. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 200 44% Agree 190 41% Disagree 27 6% Strongly disagree 1 0% Don’t know 42 9% Question 11: Between education authority staff and headteachers, there is a shared understanding of the purpose of its quality assurance activities. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 245 53% Agree 195 43% Disagree 9 2% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 10 2% Page 89 of 120
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38 Question 12: The education authority adopts a systematic approach to its quality assurance activities. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 245 53% Agree 186 40% Disagree 8 2% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 19 4% Question 13: The education authority invests in capacity building activities for its central education team to ensure that all schools experience a consistent application of the education authority’s program for quality improvement. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 190 42% Agree 200 44% Disagree 27 6% Strongly disagree 7 2% Don’t know 34 7% Question 14: The education authority’s quality assurance activities are making a positive difference to improving the quality of education in all its schools. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 182 40% Agree 230 51% Disagree 11 2% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 35 8% Page 90 of 120
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39 Question 15: The education authority promotes and supports schools’ effective use of data to evaluate impact and outcomes on children and young people. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 309 67% Agree 140 30% Disagree 7 2% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 4 1% Question 16: The education authority uses data effectively to demonstrate its progress in raising attainment and achievement for all children and young people in its schools. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 282 62% Agree 159 35% Disagree 6 1% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 8 2% Question 17: The education authority uses data effectively to demonstrate its progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 261 57% Agree 172 38% Disagree 11 2% Strongly disagree 1 0% Don’t know 14 3% Page 91 of 120
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40 Question 18: The education authority communicates its rationale for the professional learning activities that are offered to headteachers and their staff. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 209 45% Agree 212 46% Disagree 23 5% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 14 3% Question 19: The education authority offers professional learning opportunities that develop the capacity and capability of headteachers to lead their schools. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 233 51% Agree 193 42% Disagree 9 2% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 23 5% Question 20: The education authority’s strategy for raising attainment in literacy is clearly embedded in its programme of professional learning for teachers. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 277 49% Agree 193 42% Disagree 17 4% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 21 5% Page 92 of 120
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41 Question 21: The education authority’s strategy for raising attainment in numeracy is clearly embedded in its programme of professional learning for teachers. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 213 46% Agree 197 43% Disagree 24 5% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 24 5% Question 22: The education authority’s professional learning strategy draws on support from national organisations. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 216 47% Agree 207 45% Disagree 4 1% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 29 6% Question 23: The education authority’s professional learning strategy provides opportunities to work with other education authorities to achieve common goals. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 140 30% Agree 257 56% Disagree 27 6% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 34 7% Page 93 of 120
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42 Question 24: The education authority invests in capacity building activities for its central education team to ensure that the competences and knowledge to lead school improvement activities are developed. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 165 36% Agree 212 46% Disagree 35 8% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 46 10% Question 25: There is a well-developed culture of support and challenge across the education authority. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 241 52% Agree 191 42% Disagree 20 4% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 6 1% Question 26: The education authority knows its schools well. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 305 67% Agree 133 29% Disagree 12 3% Strongly disagree 1 0% Don’t know 4 1% Page 94 of 120
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43 Question 27: The education authority ensures that there is a named officer who is linked to each school. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 396 86% Agree 59 13% Disagree 1 0% Strongly disagree 1 0% Don’t know 3 1% Question 28: The local authority routinely discusses the performance of schools with headteachers to help identify strengths and areas of development. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 293 64% Agree 149 33% Disagree 2 0% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 15 3% Question 29: The education authority recognises the successes of its schools. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 262 57% Agree 174 38% Disagree 14 3% Strongly disagree 1 0% Don’t know 9 2% Page 95 of 120
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44 Question 30: The education authority provides constructive feedback on schools’ self- evaluation processes. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 204 45% Agree 203 45% Disagree 15 3% Strongly disagree 1 0% Don’t know 33 7% Question 31: The education authority supports headteachers to lead effectively. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 227 49% Agree 207 45% Disagree 12 3% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 14 3% Question 32: Headteachers have opportunities to work collaboratively with other school leaders within the education authority. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 300 66% Agree 143 31% Disagree 7 2% Strongly disagree 0 0% Don’t know 7 2% Page 96 of 120
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45 Question 33: Headteachers are supported to exercise their autonomy to make key decisions relating to school improvement and education quality. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 252 55% Agree 188 41% Disagree 5 1% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 13 3% Page 97 of 120
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46 Headteachers 1,328 responses The questionnaire results presented reflect the aggregated views of responding headteachers. These findings should not be interpreted as fully representative of all headteachers across Scotland. Percentages have been rounded and may not add to 100. Question 1: I have a good understanding of how decisions about education are made by the education authority. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 455 34% Agree 748 56% Disagree 82 6% Strongly disagree 19 1% Don’t know 21 2% Question 2: The education authority’s strategic [improvement] plan for education is clearly focused on raising attainment and achievement for all learners. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 795 60% Agree 488 37% Disagree 29 2% Strongly disagree 4 0% Don’t know 11 1% Question 3: The education authority’s stretch aims to measure its progress in raising attainment and towards closing the poverty-related attainment gap have been made clear to me. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 696 52% Agree 534 40% Disagree 55 4% Strongly disagree 14 1% Don’t know 27 2% Page 98 of 120
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47 Question 4: The education authority’s leadership structure is clear to me. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 716 54% Agree 504 38% Disagree 72 5% Strongly disagree 23 2% Don’t know 12 1% Question 5: I have opportunities to be involved in and influence decision-making within the education authority. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 396 30% Agree 723 54% Disagree 144 11% Strongly disagree 29 2% Don’t know 35 3% Question 6: The education authority’s arrangements and advice on self-evaluation help me when planning for my school’s improvement. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 571 43% Agree 665 50% Disagree 55 4% Strongly disagree 11 1% Don’t know 23 2% Page 99 of 120
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48 Question 7: The education authority’s guidance and advice on reporting on education standards and quality is useful to me when writing my school’s standards and quality report. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 582 44% Agree 645 49% Disagree 59 4% Strongly disagree 12 1% Don’t know 28 2% Question 8: The education authority’s guidance and advice on planning for improvement is useful to me when writing my school’s improvement plan. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 580 44% Agree 647 49% Disagree 61 5% Strongly disagree 12 1% Don’t know 24 2% Question 9: The education authority provides constructive feedback to me on the quality of my school’s school improvement plan and standards and quality report. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 453 34% Agree 602 44% Disagree 178 13% Strongly disagree 49 4% Don’t know 42 3% Page 100 of 120
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49 Question 10: Between education authority staff and headteachers, there is a shared understanding of the purpose of its quality assurance activities. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 558 42% Agree 642 48% Disagree 74 6% Strongly disagree 12 1% Don’t know 38 3% Question 11: The education authority adopts a systematic approach to its quality assurance activities. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 465 35% Agree 639 48% Disagree 113 9% Strongly disagree 22 2% Don’t know 84 6% Question 12: The education authority’s quality assurance activities are making a positive difference to improving the quality of education in my school. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 371 28% Agree 690 52% Disagree 139 10% Strongly disagree 32 2% Don’t know 92 7% Page 101 of 120
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50 Question 13: The education authority has supported me to develop a systematic approach to self-evaluation in my school. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 377 28% Agree 719 54% Disagree 158 12% Strongly disagree 17 1% Don’t know 51 4% Question 14: The education authority promotes and supports effective use of data to evaluate impact and outcomes on children and young people. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 711 54% Agree 568 43% Disagree 28 2% Strongly disagree 7 1% Don’t know 11 1% Question 15: The education authority uses data effectively to demonstrate my school’s progress in raising attainment and achievement. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 567 43% Agree 617 47% Disagree 85 6% Strongly disagree 12 1% Don’t know 38 3% Page 102 of 120
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51 Question 16: The education authority uses data effectively to demonstrate its progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 528 40% Agree 623 47% Disagree 70 5% Strongly disagree 10 1% Don’t know 93 7% Question 17: I regularly participate in professional learning that develops my capacity and capability to lead my school. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 690 52% Agree 595 45% Disagree 35 3% Strongly disagree 1 1% Don’t know 2 2% Question 18: The education authority’s rationale for the professional learning activities it offers to headteachers is clear to me. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 347 26% Agree 688 52% Disagree 165 12% Strongly disagree 32 2% Don’t know 93 7% Page 103 of 120
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52 Question 19: The education authority’s strategy for raising attainment in literacy is clearly embedded in its programme of professional learning for teachers. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 445 34% Agree 701 53% Disagree 97 7% Strongly disagree 12 1% Don’t know 67 5% Question 20: The education authority’s strategy for raising attainment in numeracy is clearly embedded in its programme of professional learning for teachers. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 407 31% Agree 711 54% Disagree 106 8% Strongly disagree 13 1% Don’t know 80 6% Question 21: The education authority’s professional learning strategy draws on support from national organisations. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 397 30% Agree 727 55% Disagree 35 3% Strongly disagree 7 1% Don’t know 157 12% Question 22: The education authority’s professional learning strategy provides opportunities to work with other education authorities to achieve common goals. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 264 20% Agree 644 49% Page 104 of 120
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53 Disagree 183 14% Strongly disagree 29 2% Don’t know 199 15% Question 23: There is a well-developed culture of support and challenge in the education authority. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 425 32% Agree 661 50% Disagree 158 12% Strongly disagree 35 3% Don’t know 45 3% Question 24: The education authority knows my school well. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 454 34% Agree 620 47% Disagree 134 10% Strongly disagree 33 2% Don’t know 83 6% Question 25: When I need advice or support, I am able to contact a named education authority officer who is linked to my school. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 867 65% Agree 432 33% Disagree 16 1% Strongly disagree 5 0% Don’t know 5 0% Page 105 of 120
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54 Question 26: The education authority routinely discusses the performance of my school with me, to help identify strengths and areas of development. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 523 39% Agree 632 48% Disagree 138 10% Strongly disagree 20 2% Don’t know 13 1% Question 27: The education authority recognises my school’s successes. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 422 32% Agree 634 48% Disagree 151 11% Strongly disagree 26 2% Don’t know 7 7% Question 28: The education authority provides constructive feedback on my school’s self- evaluation processes. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 367 28% Agree 670 51% Disagree 190 14% Strongly disagree 27 2% Don’t know 66 5% Page 106 of 120
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55 Question 29: The education authority supports me to lead effectively. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 415 31% Agree 734 56% Disagree 110 8% Strongly disagree 21 2% Don’t know 41 3% Question 30: I have opportunities to work collaboratively with other school leaders within my local authority. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 746 56% Agree 549 42% Disagree 19 1% Strongly disagree 2 0% Don’t know 5 0% Question 31: I feel I can exercise my autonomy to make key decisions relating to school improvement and education quality. Response Number of responses Percentage of total responses Strongly agree 607 46% Agree 632 48% Disagree 54 4% Strongly disagree 12 1% Don’t know 16 1% Page 107 of 120
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1 National Thematic Inspection: Local authority approaches to supporting school improvement Summarised Findings Local Authority Perth and Kinross Council HM Lead Inspector Simon Gallon In September 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Perth and Kinross Council. During our visit, we talked to senior leaders, local authority officers, parents/carers, headteachers, teachers, representatives from professional associations and elected members. Purpose and themes The purpose of the visit was to gather evidence about how Perth and Kinross Council supports school improvement, with a focus on how they support schools to improve the quality of education through: • the implementation of effective improvement planning and standards and quality reporting • self- evaluation and quality assurance • professional learning • universal and targeted support and challenge Context of the local authority Perth and Kinross Council is a geographically large local authority with a mix of urban and predominantly rural communities. Its administrative centre is located in the city of Perth. Due to its geographic size, a number of schools lie as far as 50 miles to the north or south of the administrative centre in Perth. Twenty three percent of children and young people in primary and secondary schools live within deciles 1-2 of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Approximately 29% of children in primary and 42% of young people in secondary have been assessed as requiring additional support with their learning. The average attendance in 2022/2023 was 90.4%. The national average is 90.2%. There are a total of 81 schools across the local authority. This includes 69 primary schools, 11 secondary schools, which includes 4 all-through schools, one special school, nine Intensive Support Provisions (ISP) in primary schools and six ISPs in secondary schools. Two schools provide GME. The size of schools varies 6 Page 109 of 120
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2 significantly with primary school rolls ranging from under 20 to around 400, and secondary school rolls ranging from around 150 to over 1000. There are currently a few primary schools with a roll of under 20 pupils. The Chief Education Officer, who is the Strategic Lead for Education and Learning, has been in post since 2015. She is supported by four service managers with remits covering primary, secondary, early learning and childcare, and inclusion. Theme 1 - How do local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through implementing effective improvement planning and standards and quality reporting? • How clear and effective is the local authority’s arrangements and advice to schools on self-evaluation, improvement planning and standards and quality reporting? • How does the local authority ensure that schools’ self-evaluation is accurate, rigorous and robust, based on reliable and comprehensive data and information? • In what ways does the local authority promote collaboration with all stakeholders, especially learners, as essential to effective self-evaluation and identification of priorities? • What is the role of central teams in providing critical feedback to school leaders on the quality/robustness of their self-evaluation and school improvement planning processes? • To what extent does the local authority use the data from individual school or cluster improvement plans and standards and quality reports, to direct their officers’ work? The local authority’s advice and guidance to support school improvement is clear and comprehensive. Local authority officers have developed a range of documents (Quality Improvement Framework) which provide guidance and templates for schools. The improvement framework contains expectations and recommendations. This aims to support consistency of approaches while respecting individual headteachers’ autonomy and empowerment. Local authority officers have collaborated with headteachers to update guidance documents iteratively over recent years. Headteachers and local authority staff understand and use these approaches well. The advice and guidance provided by the local authority supports a consistent approach to school improvement across schools. As a result, local authority officers report an increase in consistency, quality and specificity of school improvement priorities. The local authority sets clear expectations for the completion and submission of standards and quality reports and school improvement plans. Local authority improvement priorities are shared with headteachers to inform individual school improvement plans. Headteachers indicate processes are more cohesive. Headteachers submit their school improvement plans to the local authority in June. Primary schools submit their standards and quality report (SQR) at the Page 110 of 120
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3 same time. Secondary schools submit their SQR in August to allow SQA exam data to be included. Officers provide all schools with feedback on school improvement plans (SIPs) and SQRs. This relates to school improvement objectives, outcomes, measures, actions and evidence that reflects the intended impact on children and young people. Local authority officers and headteachers collaborate effectively to improve the quality of education. Quality Improvement Officers (QIOs) work directly with schools. They are linked to locality management groups (LMGs) which consist of a secondary school and its associated primary schools. QIOs visit all schools in the first term of each session as part of the local authority’s universal school improvement offer. These provide formal opportunities for headteachers and local authority staff to review performance and agree levels of support required in individual schools annually. If further support is required, this is tailored to the individual needs of the school. Such examples include, coaching and mentoring, professional development on report writing, developing outcome-based priorities or using data to analyse impact. Headteachers who are newly appointed particularly welcome this level of additional support. Headteachers value these engagement sessions and report that these have increasingly focused on challenging school performance. The local authority has reviewed its approach to providing support to schools in recent years. It focuses more on an equitable rather than equal approach and aims to empower individual headteachers. This has been in response to a reduced number of staff in the local authority team. It now operates a universal, tailored or intensive support programme which replaces a cyclical approach used previously. Local authority staff target support to schools using a responsive and risk-based approach. Risk factors include, for example, changes to school leadership teams, attainment data, attendance data and complaints. This informs and directs the work of the local authority officers. Local authority officers undertake quality improvement reviews in primary and secondary schools. QIOs select these schools based on data analysis and risk factors. The local authority shares a letter with parents at the end of this process to inform them of the school’s progress and capacity for further improvement. Headteachers report that the process is helping to identify more accurately the school’s capacity for continuous improvement. School leaders are encouraged to be involved in improvement activities beyond their own establishments. Such opportunities include, for example, being members of previous validated self-evaluation teams and the local authority’s School Leaders Improvement Programme (SLIP). Headteachers also sit on, and contribute to, the local authority’s Raising Attainment Board. Officers and headteachers are making effective use of their Attainment Advisor. This has led to higher expectation around headteachers’ use of data to inform and measure the impact of school improvement priorities. There is a network of Associate Assessors (AAs) across the local authority who are involved in HMI inspections of schools. Service managers are aware that a Page 111 of 120
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4 more structured approach to using their knowledge and skills could benefit a greater number of staff in the authority. The local authority has a range of supportive and helpful network groups to support school improvement. All headteachers have regular opportunities to support improvement beyond their own establishment through participation in different networks. These include headteacher forums, cluster (LMG) networks, primary headteachers, secondary headteachers and school improvement data family groups. These networks include opportunities for discussion and the sharing of plans, policies, experiences and approaches. QIOs and headteachers identified these networks as integral to supporting school improvement and sharing effective practice. Elected members are confident in officers’ understanding of schools and particularly those schools that require targeted support. Local authority staff recently led a session for elected members to develop their understanding of school improvement frameworks and self-evaluation. Elected members agreed that these sessions had provided a strategic overview of approaches which has supported them further in their understanding of school improvement. The local authority shares regularly the impact of schools on children and young people with elected members. This is done through the Council’s Learning and Families Committee, Executive Sub Committee and Scrutiny and Performance Committee. Theme 2: How do local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through self-evaluation and quality assurance? • What methods does the local authority use to evaluate school performance (review the quality of education) for example, gathering evidence from stakeholders, review/validated self-evaluation visits, attainment analysis)? How effective are these methods? How often does this take place? • To what extent do officers carry out regular and rigorous evaluation of the quality of school provision? How is this work quality assured? • How does the local authority evaluate the quality of learning, teaching and assessment? • How clear and effective is the advice and support for schools on approaches to self-evaluation and their quality assurance? How effectively does the local authority moderate this at strategic and school levels? • How does the local authority identify and share effective practice through quality assurance? Is this making a difference across the authority? The local authority’s Quality Improvement Framework (QIF) is the basis for its approach to self-evaluation and monitoring performance of schools. The overall aim of the QIF is to improve the quality of educational provision in schools and settings. The QIF sets out clearly the improvement activity of the local authority’s Quality Improvement Team. It also provides guidance to support and enable school leaders to be empowered to lead their own improvement journey. There is team of eight QIOs across all areas of Education and Learning. They have regular contact with schools. Both QIOs and service managers can see that Page 112 of 120
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5 this approach is making a positive difference to schools and keeping the improvement momentum going. QIOs meet with headteachers of all schools in the first term. They reflect with headteachers on the feedback provided about the SQR. Where necessary, they challenge schools on their evaluations against each of the quality indicators from How Good Is Our School? 4th edition (HGIOS4). Local authority officers report they are holding increasingly robust conversations with headteachers. They analyse and question the evidence schools provide where they feel unable to support the school’s own evaluation. Local authority officers are increasingly challenging school leaders where school evaluations have remained static for consecutive years. QIOs and headteachers indicate these challenging conversations are supporting school’s self-evaluation to be more accurate, evidence-based and reflective of national standards. QIOs indicate the correlation of school self-evaluation and evaluations of recent primary inspections is evidence of this improvement. Some headteachers indicate that they would like support in how to conduct self-evaluation activities in school and would welcome sharing of effective practice in this area. QIOs undertake a series of termly visits to all secondary and identified primary schools across the local authority. They analyse attainment and performance data and undertake direct observation of learning and teaching with school leaders. Headteachers and QIOs say this is helping to moderate standards and expectations around high quality learning and teaching. QIOs indicate that it is also enhancing their understanding of the quality of learning and teaching and improvements being made across the local authority. This work is underpinned by the local authority’s Learning and Teaching Framework. QIOs meet with each other regularly to discuss quality assurance across schools. They indicate that this helps them to have a greater understanding of school improvement across the local authority. It also supports their moderation and understanding of school performance against national Benchmarks. QIOs produce quarterly reports on school improvement and self-evaluation which they present to local authority service managers and the Raising Attainment Board. Arrangements for self-evaluation and quality assurance have been updated in the last two years. Local authority officers have previously conducted Validated Self- Assessment (VSE) visits to all secondary schools. These focused on particular themes of school improvement or performance. Secondary headteachers, who have had a recent VSE were positive about the experience and report that it validated their improvement journey. Schools that have had a VSE followed by an inspection from Education Scotland, reported they felt better prepared for the inspection process. On the whole, headteachers report that the VSE improved their understanding of robust triangulation and evaluative language prior to their HMI inspection. As a result, the local authority is supporting headteachers to be more robust and accurate in their self-evaluation. Since introducing a risk-based approach to supporting school improvement, these have been replaced by a more responsive Quality Improvement Review (QIR) process. Schools are identified for a QIR based on a range of risk factors Page 113 of 120
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6 including proximity to inspection. Schools can also request a QIR as part of tailored support. The school’s QIO leads the review, and the team will consist of central staff, the school’s leadership team and may include senior leaders from partner schools. The visiting team works with school leaders to triangulate quality assurance evidence and validate the self-evaluation of the school. Through relevant support and challenge, strengths and next steps for the school are established to ensure continuous improvement. The visits have a particular focus on key areas within quality indicators from HGIOS4. Local authority staff indicate that QIRs support schools to identify the progress they have made in relation to their quality improvement plans and outline their capacity for continuous improvement. Elected members feel that they are right to scrutinise HMI inspection reports of individual schools following their inspection. However, they also think that the local press has a tendency to feature the schools where there have been issues rather than congratulating those who have had a positive outcome. They feel that the positive messages need to be more at the forefront and celebrate the success of schools. QIOs capture examples of good practice through their visits to schools and encourage staff to share these at meetings such as headteachers’ forums. Examples of this include sharing effective practice in learning and teaching and universal approaches to improving outcomes for children and young people. Headteachers say that sharing of effective practice happens at a local management group (LMG) level and also in school comparator groups. Teachers have benefitted from the ‘trios’ approach on a departmental level in secondary schools. Observation of learning and teaching in this context, along with feedback, has been particularly helpful for them. Primary teachers have also found feedback from observations helpful. Some have also benefitted from presentations on approaches from pupil support teachers. Staff are encouraged to visit other schools to observe practice. For example, teachers met colleagues in another school to look at learning through play. They feel empowered as individuals to see effective practice and take this back to their own school. Increasingly, schools are making links with schools in other authorities with similar criteria to themselves. The authority also makes links to national networks such as the social, emotional and behavioural needs network. This has helped officers to identify provisions which may be worth visiting to learn from. The Attainment Advisor provides clear support for the local authority in terms of effective planning to reduce the poverty related attainment gap. A Closing the Gap Toolkit details effective, evidence-based approaches and interventions. This is helping to ensure that Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) is used more appropriately to improve outcomes for children and young people. The ‘Closing the Gap Tool’ is visible to all schools, and everyone can see what others are doing through their use of PEF to meet particular needs. Elected members are aware that this is an important area. Effective practice is also shared with partner providers in early learning and childcare establishments. Page 114 of 120
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7 Theme 3: How do local authorities support schools to improve the quality of education through professional learning? • What professional learning does the local authority currently provide to support school improvement? • What is the impact of this on developing the skills and knowledge of school leaders and staff on school improvement? • What support systems (e.g., mentoring, networks of practice, peer support groups, cluster support) are available for school leaders and staff? How are these approaches improving school performance and outcomes for learners? • To what extent do senior leaders have opportunities to support improvement beyond their own establishment? What difference is this making? • How effectively does the local authority utilise Associate Assessors (if applicable) to support school improvement across establishments. • Does the local authority’s professional learning strategy draw on support from national organisations? The local authority makes effective use of the national model for professional learning and improvement science methodologies. In line with this, central staff have designed many of its learning programmes based on the key principles of provision, structure and nature of adult learning. Such an example is a programme to support vulnerable children and young people. This requires staff to share their learning with others and demonstrate impact of learning at the end of the course. Local authority officers have recently considered the breadth of their professional learning offer. They ensure a focus on improved outcomes based on impact, teacher motivation and teacher knowledge. The local authority has identified the need to scale up some programmes and to develop measures to track sustained impact of these. Training around improvement methodologies has been rolled out to all senior and middle leaders. This is delivered on a repetitive cycle to ensure all staff understand and can use improvement methodologies when planning for and measuring school improvement. Local authority officers have recently introduced reflective practice sessions. Staff indicate these afford time to reflect on and discuss how improvement can be sustained in key areas. The local authority offers a wide range of professional learning opportunities linked to their strategic improvement priorities. Staff report that these develop their knowledge and skills in key priority areas. Details of the professional learning offer are shared with headteachers at their protected improvement planning days. This is enabling them to support effectively their improvement Page 115 of 120
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8 priorities at school level. Professional learning is easily accessed by all staff through an online portal. The Learning, Teaching, Assessment and Moderation Framework sets out very clear expectations and recommendations for all schools. This framework underpins the learning and teaching toolkit which provides staff at all levels with examples of effective practice, self-evaluation tools and professional learning packs. These packs contain useful links to professional reading, national resources and in-depth tutorials. Local authority officers report that this is helping to ensure a consistent approach to self-evaluation and improvement. There are also similar professional learning packs to support improvement in literacy and numeracy. Local authority officers monitor the impact of their professional learning through a variety of different approaches. These include feedback through the learning hub, plenary sessions woven through programmes and observed impact through quality improvement visits. Where appropriate, baseline measures are taken, and improvement methodologies are used to measure the impact of professional learning. The authority is looking at more formal procedures to measure sustained impact of professional learning. Staff at all levels have access to support systems including a range of planned professional network groups. These are allowing staff to develop a shared understanding of improvement priorities and to share effective practice. LMGs and comparator school groupings allow headteachers to plan for continuous school improvement and facilitate a level of support and challenge across schools. Networks have also been developed across the Intensive Support Provisions (ISP). These are co-chaired by the principal teachers and allow for the sharing of ideas and areas of improvement. Teachers appreciate the range of networks which are available for them to share practice and understand standards for assessment. Staff report that schools are empowered to lead change and improvement. Class teachers are encouraged to lead professional learning in their own establishments. The Inspiring Schools Programme is based on teachers delivering professional learning in their own schools using a practitioner enquiry approach. Teachers involved in this work are developing their skills and confidence to support their journey as aspiring future school leaders. The educational psychology service (EPS) is also involved in promoting and evaluating different approaches in schools. For example, nurture as a whole school approach to supporting inclusion and learning. They are sharing practice through professional learning activities and action research. Leadership pathways have been developed at all levels. The headteacher leadership programme is aimed at headteachers new to the local authority or new to headship. This can also be accessed by headteachers who require either additional support or training in particular areas of improvement. Opportunities are available for headteachers to participate in programmes developing coaching and mentoring skills. Local authority officers and headteachers agree that this is building leadership capacity across the authority. Page 116 of 120
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9 New headteachers are provided with a peer mentor who supports them with quality assurance approaches for school improvement. Overall, this impacts positively on supporting new headteachers. However, headteachers face challenges in identifying time to meet with their mentor in order to engage in high-quality discussions. Senior leaders have a range of opportunities to support improvement beyond their own establishments. These include participation in validated self-evaluation and involvement in strategic decision making such as the Raising Attainment Board and LMGs. These opportunities enable school leaders to influence strategic direction and develop a shared understanding of standards. The local authority works effectively within national organisations to support professional learning. Professional learning offers from organisations such as Education Scotland are regularly shared with all staff. There is evidence of good uptake of courses such as Developing Middle Leaders. Involvement with Children and Young People’s Improvement Collaborative’s National Writing Programme is having a significant impact on improving writing in the middle stages of primary school as well as encouraging boys to write. The success and impact of this programme has been shared recently across the authority. Some staff access additional qualifications through partnership working with Dundee University. This includes, for example, principal teachers in support provisions who have been enabled to complete an additional qualification in inclusive education. Theme 4: How do local authorities deliver universal support and challenge for all schools, and/or targeted support for specific schools to improve the quality of education? • What is the universal offer of support and challenge for all schools? • How does the local authority use the data from individual school or cluster improvement plans and standards and quality reports, to provide targeted support? • What measures are used to identify the need for targeted support? • Is there targeted support for specific schools? What might that look like? (examples?) What action is taken if a review of a school concludes that a school is not performing satisfactorily and requires targeted support? • What support systems (for example: mentoring, networks of practice, peer support groups) are available for school leaders and staff? • What is the role of central staff in facilitating/contributing to collaborative approaches, which improve school performance and outcomes for learners? Page 117 of 120
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10 The authority’s universal offer of support and challenge is based around the annual risk profile which is completed for all schools. This includes data for a range of factors including attendance, absence, deprivation and attainment data. Quality improvement reviews (QIRs) also gather important data. The use of data helpfully depersonalises any action which may be identified and agreed following analysis by the school and authority officers. The central team uses a range of key factors to determine universal, tailored or intensive support for schools annually. They work with school leaders to assess the level of support and agree timeframes. The local authority’s universal offer includes improvement methodology support and senior leadership team support days. Schools can also request tailored support, which is responsive to local needs. Areas of focus include data analysis, self-evaluation, quality assurance or evaluative writing. Where intensive support is required, a formal action plan, clear goals, responsibilities and timeframes is agreed. This plan is led by the headteacher but can include the direct support from officers to form a team around the school approach. For example, a headteacher being appointed to a school which was due a further inspection visit. Support was provided by the QIO, education support officers and early learning and childcare staff. Parents have found this approach helpful and have seen a positive impact. QIOs implement the same levels of support across primary and secondary schools. QIOs also engage with secondary schools using a pre-planned termly approach. Headteachers indicate these visits are helpful in agreeing standards in learning and teaching. Visits are varied and may include focus groups of parents, young people and staff, as appropriate. There has also been further discussion about self-evaluation. Headteachers lead and provide the strategic overview of the termly visits, including data. QIOs use this information to populate the risk profile responsively. QIOs visit settings in the special sector, including intensive support provisions (ISPs), in the second term. Tailored support may involve specific professional learning or intervention to support staff to meet the changing needs of the children and young people in the provision. Overall, headteachers value the role of QIOs and their interventions. They appreciate the opportunity to receive informal support as well as the structured approach to school visits. QIOs ring fence time to visit schools weekly and participate in observations, learning rounds and other quality assurance activities. Teachers report that they are very visible and supportive of schools. There are many forums, approaches and programmes for staff to share examples of good practice and receive support. For example, secondary headteachers have taken part in validated self-evaluation (VSE) activities in trios. They feel that this involved collaboration, criticality and sharing of experiences. 5. Any other relevant information Page 118 of 120
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11 The local authority identified recruitment and retention of staff as a challenge which affects capacity for school improvement. This can have a particular and significant impact in more rural areas. Headteacher posts can be especially difficult to fill with some vacancies requiring subsequent advertisements to attract candidates. Local authority officers, headteachers, teachers and parents identified that recruitment to certain subjects in secondary school was a challenge. Subjects include mathematics, computing and home economics. Parents and some headteachers highlighted additional support needs and inclusion as a challenge for some schools. Headteachers indicate that they are having to do more with less. They note it can be difficult to provide the support required by some children and young people as resources come under increasing pressure. This can have significant impact on staff capacity for school improvement. 6. Effective practice worth sharing Elected members highlighted the local authority’s approach to engaging with parents after schools have been inspected. Headteachers hold open meetings for parents following the publication of school inspection reports. This provides a helpful opportunity for parents and elected members to hear from the school about key messages. This includes highlighting the key successes and also how staff in school are addressing or planning to address areas for improvement identified as the result of a school inspection. Local authority officers and headteachers identified the local authority’s approaches to school improvement are well developed and streamlined. The responsive and risk-based approach has been enabled by well-developed and considered systems and processes. The authority has developed a comprehensive risk matrix to determine the focus of officers’ work with schools. Staff across schools and the local authority are working together effectively to achieve common goals and improvement objectives. As a result, there is collaborative approach to school improvement. The local authority makes effective use of the National Model for Professional Learning and Improvement Science Methodologies. In line with this they have designed many of their learning programmes based on the key principles of provision, structure and nature of adult learning. The local authority offers a wide range of professional learning opportunities linked to their strategic improvement priorities. These allow for staff to develop their knowledge and skills in key priority areas. This is enabling them to support effectively their improvement priorities at school level. Page 119 of 120
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