Education Standards Quality Report & Education Improvement Plan 2025 ECSPB
Renfrewshire Council · 30 October 2025
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 30 October 2025 and its agenda
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To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 30 October 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Education Standards & Quality Report September 2025 Education Improvement Plan 2025/26 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Renfrewshire’s annual Education Standards & Quality Report (September 2025) and Education Improvement Plan (2025/26) have been developed through a collaborative and consultative process involving a broad range of stakeholders. 1.2 The report and associated improvement plan are fully aligned with the National Improvement Framework (NIF) for Scottish education. A robust process of self- evaluation, incorporating a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data, alongside feedback from external partners, has informed the evaluation of progress and impact against our improvement priorities for session 2024/25. This evidence base has also been used to identify and shape our strategic priorities for improvement for the 2025/26 session. 1.3 Significant progress was made during the 2024/25 academic session, as detailed in the Standards and Quality Report. The report outlines the extent to which improvement priorities have been met and highlights the positive impact of our work across Renfrewshire’s schools and early years settings. It showcases a broad spectrum of successes and achievements, reflecting the collective efforts of staff, learners, and partners. Importantly, the report reaffirms our unwavering commitment to raising attainment and achievement for all, while promoting equity and providing targeted support for our most vulnerable children, young people, and families. This includes our continued focus on delivering The Promise, demonstrating how policy and practice are being shaped to improve outcomes for Care Experienced children and young people. 1.4 The Education Improvement Plan sets out our strategic direction for improvement, informed by robust evidence on current performance. It identifies where we need to improve and outlines how we intend to achieve this. The plan is structured around six key priority areas: • Reducing child poverty in Renfrewshire and improving outcomes for children and families currently living in poverty.
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• Placing children and young people’s human rights at the heart of the planning and delivery of services that affect them. • Protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities, including children and young people who are at risk. • Supporting and nurturing our children, families and communities. • Creating the best possible learning estate to allow children and young people to thrive. • Raising attainment and enhancing learning and teaching within an inclusive environment. 1.5. In addition to these priorities, the plan is underpinned by a set of overarching features of highly effective practice that will continue to evolve in support of our improvement agenda. These include leadership development, data analysis, quality improvement processes, professional learning, partnership working, and the school estate management plan. 1.6. Delivery of the Education Improvement Plan continues to be driven through a portfolio planning approach. Three distinct portfolio plans have been developed by collaborative teams, each led by a Head of Service. These portfolios provide a focused framework for implementation and are detailed within the plan: • Inclusion • Families and Communities • Curriculum, learning, teaching and assessment 1.7. This approach ensures a coherent and collaborative delivery of improvement activity, aligned to strategic priorities and responsive to the needs of children, young people and families across Renfrewshire. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members of the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board are asked to note the content of the Education Standards & Quality Report (September 2025) Appendix 1 and Education Improvement Plan (2025/26) Appendix 2. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1. The ‘Statutory Guidance: Standards in Scotland etc. Act 2000’ covers a series of local authority planning and reporting duties which took effect from 1 August 2017. 3.2. This places a duty on education authorities to prepare and publish annual plans outlining the steps they intend to take during the planning period. In addition, education authorities are required to prepare and publish an annual report evaluating the progress and impact of the steps taken.
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3.3. The guidance states that both the plan and the report must seek to reduce inequalities of outcome experienced by pupils as a result of socio-economic disadvantage, in pursuance of the NIF for Scottish education. 3.4. Copies of the plan and report are required to be submitted to Scottish Government. _________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – No financial implications 2. HR & Organisational Development – No HR implications 3. Community/Council Planning – The priorities within the Education Improvement Plan support delivery of the priorities contained within Renfrewshire’s Community Plan, Council Plan and the Children’s Services Improvement Plan Economy Equipping all children and young people to achieve success in life Fair Creating inclusive and supportive learning environments for children and young people to attain and achieve Embedding children’s rights in our decision-making processes 4. Legal – no legal implications 5. Property/Assets – No risks to property/assets. 6. Information Technology – No information and technology risks. 7. Equality & Human Rights – The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – No negative impacts on health and safety. 9. Procurement – No procurement risks 10. Risk – No risks identified. 11. Privacy Impact – No impact on privacy. 12. Cosla Policy Position – N/A 13. Climate Risk – None.
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14. Children’s Rights – This links to, Article 12 (respect for the views of the child) Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously. This right applies at all times, for example during immigration proceedings, housing decisions or the child’s day-to-day home life. Article 28 (right to education) Every child has the right to an education. Primary education must be free and different forms of secondary education must be available to every child. Discipline in schools must respect children’s dignity and their rights. Richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this. Article 29 (goals of education) Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment. List of Background Papers – none MT/JO’N 6 October 2025 Author: Mairi Thomas, Education Manager, email - mairi.thomas@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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Education Standards and Quality Report Achieving Equity and Excellence in Renfrewshire September 2025
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 20252
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 3 Introduction ................................................4 About this report .........................................5 Renfrewshire Council Plan Strategic Outcomes .............................6 Our Values ...................................................7 Renfrewshire Children’s Services Vision ............................................8 Children’s Services Improvement Plan Priorities ........................9 Local Context ........................................... 10 Successes and Achievements .................... 11 National Thematic Inspection —Education Scotland ................................ 18 Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) ......................... 20 Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management ........................ 22 How well did we do? .................................. 23 Inclusion .....................................................24 Families and Communities ........................32 Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment ........................42 Performance Information ..........................62 Stretch Aims .............................................. 72 Appendix A .................................................74 National Thematic Inspection: Local authority approaches to supporting school improvement—Summarised Findings Appendix B ................................................ 88 Case Study: “Don’t judge me by the cover, ‘cause I’m a real good book.”, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Renfrewshire Appendix C ................................................ 92 Case Study: Young Leaders of Learning—Pupil Voice in Action Appendix D ................................................ 96 Case Study: Target Schools Programme Contents
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 20254 On behalf of Children’s Services, we are proud to present our annual Standards and Quality Report. This report celebrates the many and varied achievements of Renfrewshire’s children, young people, staff, and partners over the academic session 2024-25. Our unwavering commitment to delivering the highest quality of service for children, young people, and families continues to drive our work. This year’s report highlights progress and impact across our key themes: Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment; Inclusion; and Families and Communities. These priorities are underpinned by our shared commitment to equity and excellence, and our determination to close the poverty-related attainment gap whilst raising attainment for all. The ambition, creativity, and resilience shown by our learners and staff have been exceptional. Their efforts have ensured continued improvement and innovation across our services. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed to these successes. We hope this report provides a clear and inspiring insight into how we work collaboratively, set high expectations, and strive to deliver the best possible outcomes for all in Renfrewshire. Introduction Councillor Emma Rodden Convener Education and Children’s Services Janie O’Neill Director of Children’s Services
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 5 About this report Standards and Quality report This report outlines the progress made in delivering the priorities identified in our 2024/25 Education Improvement Plan, with a particular focus on the impact of our actions and interventions. How have we gathered evidence for the Standards and Quality report? A range of evidence and consultation with stakeholders including external partners, was used to measure our progress. This included: • Analysis of attainment and achievement data • School and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Standards and Quality reports and annual improvement plans • School and ELC self-evaluation returns on HGIOS/HGIOELC Quality Indicators 1.3, 2.3, 3.1 and 3.2 • Quality Improvement Visits to establishments and Education Manager reports • Development Officers’ impact reports • Attainment Adviser bi-annual reports • Academic partner impact reports • Survey information • Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland inspection reports • Professional learning evaluations • Consultation on a variety of topics with Heads of establishment, staff, children and young people and partners • Participation statistics related to aspiring leaders at all levels of the programme and analysis of their career progression • Accredited and internal award statistics Through robust and systematic self-evaluation, we identify both areas of strength and aspects requiring further development. This evidence- based approach enables us to strategically prioritise our improvement actions for the year ahead.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 20256 Renfrewshire Council Plan Strategic Outcomes We will encourage kind and connected communities—where our citizens take pride in their place, attracting others to move here and share in the opportunities Renfrewshire has to offer. We will support a strong and flexible local economy—with Renfrewshire able to adapt after the pandemic, building up resilience to support good green jobs and skills for all local people to enjoy the benefits of both living and working here. We want Renfrewshire to be a fair place— where all our people have the best chances to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives, to feel safe, supported and empowered to unlock the strength of our collective potential. We are working towards a greener future— taking responsibility for our impact on the planet and taking brave, bold steps to protect the natural environment that supports and benefits us all. We want our employees to feel proud to work for Renfrewshire Council because we are a values driven organisation, where we all understand and value our contributions, and we are passionate about making a difference for Renfrewshire. Cross cutting theme: Improving outcomes for children and families
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Our Values We are fair. We treat each other and everyone we deal with respectfully and work hard to build trust in Renfrewshire Council. We are helpful. We care about getting things right and are always approachable. We are great collaborators. We work as one team and with people who care about this place. We value learning to help us innovate, improve and deliver better services.
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Working together to get it right for children, families and communities—protecting, learning, achieving and nurturing. Renfrewshire Children’s Services Vision
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 9 Children’s Services Improvement Plan Priorities 5 National Improvement Framework (NIF) Priorities • Place the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education • Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy • Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people • Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing • Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school-leaver destinations for all young people This report outlines the progress made in advancing our strategic priorities and highlights the positive impact of this work on our children and young people. Our improvement priorities are closely aligned with the key outcomes and objectives set out in the National Improvement Framework (NIF), ensuring coherence with national policy and direction. Reduce child poverty in Renfrewshire and improve outcomes for children and families currently living in poverty Support and nurture our children, families and communities Place children and young people’s human rights at the heart of the planning and delivery of services that affect them Create the best possible learning estate to allow children and young people to thrive Protect the most vulnerable members of our communities, including children and young people who are at risk Raise attainment and enhance learning and teaching in an inclusive environment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202510 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) Across Renfrewshire, of the 225 data zones, one quarter are in the 20% most deprived areas. 66 datazones are within the 20% most deprived areas in the health domain. 56 datazones are within the 20% most deprived areas in the income domain. 58 datazones are within the 20% most deprived areas in the employment domain. 27,593 children and young people in early years, primary, secondary and additional secondary schools11 primary schools 50 early learning and childcare classes 9 of which are extended day and year provision and 1 class for children with additional support needs 23 early learning and childcare centres15 47 early learning and childcare funded providers; 36 nurseries and 9 childminders children’s houses and supported accommodation for young people leaving care.4 schools for children and young people with additional support needs2 Local Context
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 11 Successes and Achievements We are delighted and proud to recognise and celebrate the outstanding successes and wide-ranging achievements across Renfrewshire’s schools and early learning and childcare settings. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) articles are used to establish and protect the fundamental human rights of all children worldwide. These articles serve as a framework for ensuring that children are safe, healthy, educated, and have the opportunity to thrive, both as individuals and as members of their communities and are reflected in the successes and achievements of our children and young people. SEL Worldwide Model School Status (PATHS awards) 2024/25 in recognition of their outstanding commitment to social and emotional learning in their establishment. • Dargavel Early learning and Childcare Centre 13 primary schools and 5 early learning and childcare classes/centres have now achieved this status. Renfrewshire’s Nurturing Relationships Approach (RNRA) Schools’ and ELCCs’ Accreditation Awards (as of June 2025): Jade (Level1 ) 67 Ruby (Level 2) 35 Amethyst (Level 3) 15 Gold (Level 4) 10 Scottish Book Trust ‘Reading Schools’ Awards Schools across Renfrewshire continued to achieve Reading Schools accreditation at core level or upgraded their existing awards to silver or gold. Core Level 23 Primary and 7 Secondary Schools Silver Level 10 Primary Schools Gold Level 17 Primary and 4 Secondary Schools Scottish Book Trust Book Donation The Scottish Book Trust donated nearly 8000 books to Renfrewshire which were gifted to children and young people from 30 establishments across early years to secondary.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202512 Paisley Book Festival 2025 • 45 schools engaged with this year’s Paisley Book Festival schools programme. 2376 pupils and 119 staff participated with a choice of 18 different events involving well-known authors. • Over 40 pupils from 7 secondary schools took part in this year’s Janet Coats Memorial Prize poetry competition. Isla Thomson from Gryffe High School was the overall winner with her poem ‘Now It’s a Memory’. The Promise— National Awards Two Renfrewshire schools received national Corporate Parenting Awards in 2024 for inclusive practice and positive partnerships. Kirklandneuk Primary School Winners of the ‘Positive Partnership’ award for their work on physical exercise for Care Experienced pupils. St Peter’s Primary School winners of the ‘Changing the Narrative’ award for using positive language about Care Experiences. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Renfrewshire Council agreed permanent funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in March 2025 ensuring a sustainable programme for children across Renfrewshire. Over 3100 children receive a free book each month from the Imagination Library with more than 150,000 books gifted to date. Over 20 early years settings achieved 100% registration of pupils to the Imagination Library in session 24/25. The work of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Renfrewshire was shared with a presentation at the 30th anniversary ‘Homecoming’ conference to delegates from the UK, Ireland, America, Canada and Australia in June 2025. “ We love receiving our book every month. It’s so exciting to see which book it will be. I love that all the books help to teach my daughter something— kindness, compassion, friendships etc. The book choices are fantastic and great that they aren’t all really popular authors so we don’t already have the books gifted. An amazing initiative!” Parent More information is provided in a Case Study at Appendix B. Education Scotland Inspections 1 secondary school and 4 primary schools were inspected in session 24/25 and all inspections were positive. Gradings for all Quality Indicators inspected were either ‘Good’, ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’. 4 Early Learning and Childcare settings were visited by Education Scotland and all inspections were positive Successes and Achievements
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 13 PE, Physical Activity and Sport Sports Scotland School—Gold Awards • Arkleston Primary School • Barsail Primary School • Bishopton Primary School • Dargavel Primary School • Fordbank Primary School • Heriot Primary School • Newmains Primary School • Rashielea Primary School • St. Fillan’s Primary School • Wallace Primary School • Renfrew High School Sports Scotland School—Silver Awards • Paisley Grammar School • Lochfield Primary School • Bargarran Primary School • Arkleston Primary School Successes and Achievements Scottish Finest Woods Early Years Award In recognition of the work of early years settings in connecting children with nature through trees, woodlands, and forests. Winner— West Johnstone Early Learning and Childcare Centre Eco Schools Scotland Green Flag Awards • 5 Early Learning and Childcare establishments • 17 Primary schools • 1 Secondary school Climate Action Schools Young Reporters for the Environment Competition Renfrewshire’s Climate Change Champions won first place in the 15-18 video report category Pocket Garden design Competition Winner Houston Primary school Young Enterprise Scotland’s Company Programme— Regional Final Winners and National Final Runners Up Johnstone High School’s Food for Thought enterprise team impressed the judges to win in three categories: Social Impact, Best Business Report and People’s Choice.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202514 Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) STEM Nation Award Winners • Brediland Primary School • St. Margaret’s Primary School • Our Lady of Peace Primary School Our Lady of Peace hosted an Education Scotland STEM Nation Award Open Day to showcase their excellent work for practitioners across Scotland. Winner of Primary Science Teacher Award 2025 for innovative practice and exceptional dedication to primary science teaching - John McGoldrick, Our Lady of Peace Primary School. Royal Society Partnership Grants primary showcase—Glasgow Science Centre 3 Renfrewshire schools were invited to showcase their work on building ‘Goblin’ electric cars. • Fordbank Primary School • Wallace Primary School • Our Lady of Peace Primary School Glasgow Science Festival Young Engineer Competition—West of Scotland champions Howwood Primary School—two Primary 6 pupils—Lucy and Abbie Davis Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Early Learning Scheme 5 local authority centres and 4 funded providers are now fully accredited in this scheme that promotes a breastfeeding- friendly environment and supports families who breastfeed. • Moorpark Early Learning and Childcare Centre • St Margaret’s Early Learning and Childcare Class • Hugh Smiley Early Learning and Childcare Centre • St Mary’s Early Learning and Childcare Class • West Early Learning and Childcare Class • Carole’s Kiddies • Elaine Parkhill Childminding • Sharon’s Tiny Tots • Abbey Nursery Successes and Achievements GLEE choir—Regional winners Bridge of Weir Primary school – winners of the Regional Finals at Glasgow Concert Hall and then performed in the National Finals at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. A remarkable achievement in their first year of participation.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 15 Digital Schools Award Scotland 29 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 ASN school Digital Wellbeing Award 6 primary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 ASN school Digital Endorsement Award • Barsail Primary School • Rashielea Primary School Equitable Creative Coding Award • St. Catherine’s Primary School • Lochfield Primary School Get Safe Online Ambassadors A further 8 Primary staff achieved this status. 12 DigiLearnRen Days at Christmas Over 280 views of our videos on using Digital Tools for learning and teaching, with our overall YouTube Channel views reaching more than 2750 this session! Successes and Achievements Diversity 2025 Champions for Change prize by leading charity Nil by Mouth Glencoats and St Fergus primaries— in recognition of work aimed at raising awareness of different faiths and cultures and developing children’s awareness of equality, including anti-sectarianism, through joint community projects. Anti-racist education St James Primary School in Paisley— commended by the Scottish Parliament for their commitment to anti-racist education. UNICEF Rights Respecting School Awards 2024/25 Gold Awards • Arkleston Primary School— reaccreditation for 3rd time. • Rashielea Primary School Silver Awards • Barsail Primary School • Glencoats Primary School • Heriot Primary School • Kirklandneuk Primary School • Langcraigs Primary School • St. Anthony’s Primary School • St. Peter’s Primary School
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202516 Renfrewshire Schools’ Christmas Evening of Music and Spring concert series Four sell out concerts at Paisley Abbey involving over 340 young performers. Renfrewshire Schools Ensembles included: Junior and Senior String Ensembles; Concert and Symphonic Wind Bands; Jazz Band; Senior Ceilidh Group; Guitar Ensemble; Percussion Ensemble; Pipe Bands and the school choirs of Bishopton, Williamsburgh, East Fulton and Riverbrae. Scottish Concert Band Festival National Finals (Perth) Gold Award Renfrewshire Schools Symphonic Wind Band Scottish Young Musician National Final 2025 Ash Paton S5 (Trumpet player) from Park Mains High School—winner of Renfrewshire Schools’ Young Musician and represented Renfrewshire at the national final. Renfrewshire Schools’ Senior Pipe Band achieved success at various competitions including: 1st place—Cowal Games (Novice A), Gourock Games and Renfrew Pipe Band Competition (Juvenile and Grade 2) In April 2025, 38 members of the Renfrewshire Schools’ Pipe Band proudly represented Renfrewshire and Scotland at Tartan Day 2025 in New York. Successes and Achievements Renfrewshire’s Music Service The music service has delivered a vibrant and enriching programme throughout the session, showcasing pupils’ talents through a wide range of concerts, performances, and competitions that have celebrated musical excellence and fostered creativity across our learning communities.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 17 Successes and Achievements
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202518 In October 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Renfrewshire Council. During the visit, they talked to senior leaders, local authority officers, parents/carers, Head Teachers, teachers, representatives from professional associations and elected members. The purpose of the visit was to gather evidence about how Renfrewshire Council supports school improvement, with a focus on how we 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; and • universal and targeted support and challenge. Feedback from the inspection was overwhelmingly positive. Selected quotations from the report are highlighted below, and throughout this document, to illustrate key themes. For a comprehensive overview, the full Thematic Inspection Report is available at Appendix A. “ Local authority 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 direct strategic decisions about local authority priorities, requirements for professional learning, advice or more targeted support for schools. This is helping local authority officers to maintain existing high standards, and to secure further improvement in the quality of school education for children and young people in Renfrewshire.” National Thematic Inspection—Local Authority Approaches to supporting school improvement— Summarised Findings—March 2025 “ In Renfrewshire, the professional learning offer is highly effective and is enhancing the quality of education in schools. It is tailored to meet universal, targeted and bespoke needs of schools, identified through rigorous data analysis. Professional learning is aligned closely to the local authority’s improvement priorities.” National Thematic Inspection—Local Authority Approaches to supporting school improvement— Summarised Findings—March 2025 “ The local authority’s advice and support for schools on approaches to self-evaluation and quality assurance is very clear and highly effective. Renfrewshire Council sets out its embedded and highly effective approaches to school improvement in the Quality Improvement Framework (QIF). As part of the QIF, council officers provide comprehensive guidance that supports headteachers to improve the quality of education through robust school improvement planning (SIP) and standards and quality reporting (SQR). The guidance provides school leaders with clear expectations and a useful structure for creating these plans and reports.” National Thematic Inspection—Local Authority Approaches to supporting school improvement— Summarised Findings—March 2025 National Thematic Inspection—Education Scotland
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 19 National Thematic Inspection—Education Scotland “ Education Managers undertake a programme of school reviews each year to evaluate the quality and consistency of learning and teaching across the local authority. Headteachers and school staff welcome opportunities to participate in these collaborative review visits to other schools. School leaders find the school review model very helpful in supporting their ongoing improvement agenda. They acknowledge the strong collaborative working approaches to improve outcomes for all children and young people across Renfrewshire. Through these engagement visits, headteachers receive very helpful support and rigorous challenge, which improves and strengthens their self- evaluation and quality assurance processes.” National Thematic Inspection—Local Authority Approaches to supporting school improvement— Summarised Findings—March 2025
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202520 Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) is allocated directly to schools to support efforts in closing the poverty-related attainment gap and promoting equity in education. Renfrewshire has fostered a strong culture of school empowerment, enabling school leaders to make informed and innovative decisions about the use of PEF, grounded in robust self-evaluation. The local authority provides comprehensive guidance to schools, including a PEF planning template and clear expectations for reporting on impact. The introduction of a standalone PEF plan has enhanced the clarity of spending rationales, intended outcomes, and associated measures, whilst maintaining alignment with overall school improvement planning. Planning processes have also been streamlined to ensure more effective collaboration with procurement and finance teams. Annual guidance emphasises the importance of stakeholder engagement in the planning process. Schools are encouraged to adopt participatory budgeting (PB) approaches to meaningfully involve children and young people in decision-making around PEF spending. Schools are supported by the Data Analysis Team, the Attainment Advisor, and Education Managers to ensure PEF is fully invested in evidence-based, targeted interventions that improve outcomes for children and young people affected by poverty. A robust process is in place to review PEF planning and reporting across Renfrewshire schools. The Attainment Advisor plays a key role in this process, working collaboratively with Head Teachers, link Education Managers and Heads of Service. School plans and reports are evaluated against a range of quality criteria, including the clarity of intended outcomes, the robustness of associated measures and the use of data-informed rationales. This approach has contributed to an improvement in the quality of PEF planning. PEF planning and impact visits, involving the Attainment Advisor, are now embedded within the revised Quality Improvement Framework. These visits have strengthened the authority’s ability to identify both areas of effective practice and aspects requiring further development. There is a growing body of evidence highlighting the positive impact of targeted interventions on the attainment, achievement, and wellbeing of identified groups of learners. Many of these approaches have been shared through Head Teacher meetings and national platforms, including Education Scotland’s online professional learning events. In April 2025, Renfrewshire hosted an Equity Conference, themed “No Poverty of Ambition.” The event provided senior leaders with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of equity and explore sustainable approaches to PEF. Workshops, led by central officers and school leaders, showcased effective practice and explored key themes such as sustainability and transition. A key focus of the conference was also to promote the embedding of equity- driven approaches beyond discrete PEF-funded projects, supporting a more holistic Pupil Equity Funding (PEF)
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 21 and sustainable culture of equity across the system. Evidence from a sample of PEF impact visits indicates that most Head Teachers are now actively considering sustainable models, such as the ‘grow your own’ approach, to build long-term capacity. Since the introduction of Pupil Equity Funding, Renfrewshire has maintained robust financial governance arrangements to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective use of resources. Head Teachers receive clear and comprehensive guidance from central teams, including Human Resources and Procurement, covering financial management, procurement processes and staff deployment. These arrangements are further strengthened by the dedicated support of the PEF Coordinator, who provides strategic oversight of all PEF activity and supports the central coordination of funds across the authority. A PEF Governance Board meets regularly to oversee key aspects of the fund, including planning, reporting, staffing, and the procurement of services and goods. The Board also plays a critical role in identifying and mitigating risks associated with the use of PEF, ensuring that funding continues to be deployed effectively to support improved outcomes for children and young people affected by poverty. Pupil Equity Funding (PEF)
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202522 Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management A portfolio management approach is used to strengthen service improvement planning across Children’s Services. This model supports effective prioritisation, integration and joint planning, whilst reducing duplication and over-reporting. Three distinct portfolios are established, each led by a Head of Service: Each portfolio is responsible for developing and delivering a tailored portfolio plan aligned with our overarching service priorities. Whilst each plan addresses specific contextual needs, they are also interconnected through shared, cross-cutting actions that promote coherence and collaboration across the service. • Career Long Professional Learning Creating a collaborative culture where all staff are empowered to fully participate in career long professional learning. • Quality Improvement Framework Supporting and challenging establishments to improve standards and quality; collaborate, empower, improve. • Workforce Planning Maximising the potential of new and existing staff to build capacity and improve outcomes for children and young people. • School Estate Management Planning Providing innovative and creative learning environments which are welcoming to all; learner focused; supportive and inclusive; sustainable; and agile enough to support the needs and aspirations of all users. • Partnership working Capitalising on partnership working to achieve collective impact and added value. Inclusion Families and Communities Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment Dedicated planning teams were formed to support the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of each portfolio plan. These teams are also responsible for monitoring progress and reporting on impact at regular intervals throughout the year. Features of highly effective practice that underpin all portfolios include • Leadership Strong strategic leadership in Renfrewshire Council ensures that all decision-making and improvement planning is underpinned by the principles of empowerment. Current leaders and aspiring leaders are very well supported through high quality professional learning programmes. • Data Analysis Decision making and planning is centred around high-quality data and evidence. A data for improvement culture is embedded at all levels.
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The following sections summarise how well we are doing in achieving the outcomes set out in each Portfolio Plan. The Appendices contain additional case studies/reports which have been developed to provide further evidence of progress and impact. How well did we do?
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202524 Inclusion The Promise Renfrewshire’s education services have demonstrated a strong and sustained commitment to The Promise, with a clear strategic focus on improving outcomes for Care Experienced children and young people. The work undertaken across schools aligns closely with the Education Improvement Plan 2024/25, particularly in relation to inclusion, wellbeing, and equity. The approach is underpinned by the principles of Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), the UNCRC, and the Whole Family Wellbeing framework. A key strength has been the effective delivery of projects funded by the Scottish Government’s ‘Keep The Promise’ Fund (administered by Corra), specifically at St Andrew’s Academy and Johnstone High School. At both schools, teams of Principal Teachers and Key Workers have led targeted interventions to support Care Experienced pupils, focusing on enhanced transitions, one-to-one wellbeing support, advocacy services and contextual safeguarding. At St Andrew’s Academy, a tailored transition programme has led to marked improvements in pupil engagement and wellbeing. Meanwhile, Johnstone High School has introduced a Wellbeing Tracker—based on SHANARRI indicators and shaped by pupil feedback—which enables staff to provide more responsive, data-informed support. Centralised data dashboards have been developed to systematically monitor the attendance, attainment, and wellbeing of Care-Experienced children and young people, enabling more targeted and responsive support. A range of evaluative tools—including surveys, feedback mechanisms, and focus groups—are utilised to inform ongoing self-evaluation and drive continuous improvement. A diverse range of innovative programmes and initiatives have been implemented to enrich the experiences of Care-Experienced children and young people. These include residential experiences through the Promise Champs initiative, youth clubs, creative arts projects, and the Paws for Progress pilot, which uses animal interaction to support emotional wellbeing and personal development. Strategic partnerships with the University of Glasgow, West College Scotland, and Ocean Youth Trust have enhanced post-school pathways and broadened opportunities for young people. These collaborations support progression into further and higher education, vocational training and personal development through experiential learning. There is strong evidence of impact across Renfrewshire, where 327 individuals currently serve as Promise Keepers—116 of whom are based in the Education sector. Promise Keepers work to raise awareness and improve services for Care Experienced children and young people. Their role is essential in ensuring that The Promise remains at the heart of how services are designed and delivered. All Promise Keepers receive tailored training to deepen their understanding of The Promise and are supported to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 25 Care Experienced children and young people have been actively involved in co-designing roles, policies, and activities, including Promise Charters, youth-led clubs and transition programmes. The creation of dedicated spaces such as “The Cove” at Johnstone High School and the use of creative projects like Lego animation at Fordbank Primary have fostered a sense of belonging and visibility. Staff have reported increased confidence in supporting Care Experienced children and young people and family engagement has improved through alternative meeting formats and the involvement of Parent/Carer Ambassador Groups. The Communities That Care programme, delivered in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland, has been instrumental in embedding Care Experience into the curriculum and wider school culture. The programme’s reach across all schools, including training for over 500 sector partners, has ensured a consistent and trauma-informed approach. All 63 schools in Renfrewshire have received Stage 1 “Care Aware” training through the Communities That Care programme, with 85% actively delivering care experience lessons by June 2025. Evaluation data from 783 secondary pupils across seven schools showed a significant increase in empathy, understanding, and readiness to support Care Experienced peers. Teacher feedback highlighted the accessibility and impact of the curriculum, with many noting increased classroom discussion, pupil engagement and a reduction in stigma. Two Renfrewshire schools received national Corporate Parenting Awards in 2024 for inclusive practice and positive partnerships. Kirklandneuk Primary School in Renfrew won the Positive Partnership award for their work with OneRen and Active Schools on physical exercise for Care Experienced children and young people. St Peter’s Primary in Paisley won the Changing the Narrative award for using positive language about Care Experiences. Strategic leadership has been a key enabler of progress. The integration of Promise-related actions into School Improvement Plans and the Education Quality Improvement Framework reflects a system-wide commitment. Regular reporting to the Promise Strategic Oversight Group and the use of the Promise Mapping Tool have ensured accountability and alignment with national priorities. “ Important to love yourself and to be your number one person, The Promise has allowed us to be heard and have the opportunity to speak up” Care-Experienced Pupil on Renfrewshire’s Champs Board “ I enjoyed this lesson learning about care experienced people and what they can be going through.” Pupil Inclusion
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202526 GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child) Renfrewshire’s Children’s Services planning partners remain firmly committed to improving outcomes for all children and young people, with a particular focus on those who are most vulnerable. The Renfrewshire Children’s Services Partnership promotes the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach, fostering a shared vision and collaborative action to support the wellbeing and development of every child. We are ambitious for all our children and young people. In line with this ambition, we are working to ensure that those with Additional Support Needs (ASN) have equitable access to the full range of experiences and opportunities available to their peers in mainstream settings. Staged Intervention Renfrewshire’s staged intervention approach is well-embedded across all sectors. Almost all educational establishments, including privately funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELCC) providers, consistently utilise Renfrewshire’s staged intervention documentation. This standardised approach ensures coherence across settings and contributes to the effectiveness of the Staged Intervention Support Panel (SISP) and the Education Support Resource Group (ESRG), both of which play a key role in coordinating and reviewing targeted support for children and young people. All Child’s plans and Team around the Child (TAC) minutes have captured the views of the child/young person and parents. Through the offer of universal and targeted training support, Child’s Plans are becoming more solution focussed; increasingly targets are based on robust assessment of need and interventions and supports are evaluated. Quality assurance processes allow for targeted support to be provided to the appropriate establishments. Analysis of the quality of plans as well as data from the ESRG ‘Requests for Assistance’ demonstrates that, through effective early intervention, the majority of children and young people are successfully supported in their own establishments within their locality. Robust triage processes ensure that referrals to the SISP and ESRG are reserved for the most vulnerable learners. All pupils referred through these Inclusion
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 27 panels receive enhanced, tailored support via the Flexible Learning Resource, ensuring that interventions are proportionate, needs-led, and impactful. Flexible Learning Resource As part of the ongoing review of Renfrewshire’s Flexible Learning Resource, we are further developing our tracking systems to capture the breadth of support delivered across localities and to robustly monitor its impact. This work will be strengthened by the introduction of a new Virtual Head Teacher role. Through detailed data analysis, this role will support the proportionate and strategic allocation of resources, with a focus on improving attainment and achievement for pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN). The role of coaching and modelling continues to evolve in response to the needs of children and young people. Triage and referrals to the SISP ensure that requests for coaching and modelling are consistently appropriate and targeted. Where implemented effectively, coaching and modelling strategies are clearly reflected in planning around the child, with almost all children supported being able to remain within their mainstream school setting. While stakeholder feedback acknowledges the positive impact of coaching and modelling in many cases, it also highlights some inconsistencies in delivery and outcomes. These findings will inform the ongoing review of the Flexible Learning Resource to ensure greater consistency and effectiveness. Data from coaching and modelling requests, alongside feedback from Head Teachers and support staff regarding training needs, has directly informed the development of the proposed central training programme for session 2025/26. A comprehensive training catalogue has been created, enabling support staff to access professional learning tailored to their individual development needs. Transition Policy The updated Transition Policy for children and young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN) was launched in April 2024 and has since been embedded across all educational establishments. This implementation was supported by centrally delivered training, co-facilitated by practitioners from both primary and secondary sectors. Targeted support for children transitioning from Early Years to Primary 1 was provided by the Inclusion Team through the Getting Ready for School programme, in collaboration with the Early Years Team. A transparent and robust process is in place for children referred to the ESRG for placement in ASN provision. This session, earlier identification of children requiring such placements enabled more effective planning and smoother transitions. Stakeholder feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the process as clear, robust, and child-centred. In partnership with our Parent Ambassador Group, a parent-friendly version of the Transition Policy has also been developed. A detailed timeline and process for children allocated placements in an ASN provision will be added to this document following final review and approval. Inclusion
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202528 Parent Ambassador Group During our Education Scotland local authority inspection in October 2024, the work of the Parent Ambassador group was identified as effective practice worth sharing. “ 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. These parents play a key role in advising education officers on 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. A recent 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 the bespoke arrangements and approaches that are required.” National Thematic Inspection—Local Authority Approaches to supporting school improvement— Summarised Findings—March 2025 Additional Support Needs Assistants The allocation of Additional Support Needs Assistant (ASNA) resource has become increasingly equitable, reflecting a more accurate understanding of the needs across establishments. We continue to refine our model to ensure it best supports both learners and schools. Establishments now record staged intervention levels on SEEMiS and this data—alongside other relevant indicators more closely aligned with current levels of need—is used to inform the fair distribution of core ASNA hours. A review of children and young people receiving complex support hours has further ensured that resources are directed to those with the highest levels of need. Clear criteria have now been developed for assessing requests for exceptional support hours. This will enable more consistent and needs-led decision-making moving forward. Additionally, the ongoing review of children and young people currently receiving complex hours will support the reallocation of resources, allowing for a more equitable distribution of core hours across all establishments. Violence and Aggression Policy Through centrally delivered training, senior leaders, teaching staff, and support staff have developed a shared understanding of Renfrewshire’s updated Violence and Aggression (V&A) Policy, as well as the universal and targeted supports available to establishments in responding to distressed behaviour. Inclusion
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 29 An increase in V&A incident recording, via Renfrewshire’s Business World system, indicates improved adherence to the recording process. Improved weekly monitoring of incidents by the Health and Safety team, Heads of Education and Education Managers ensures that patterns are recognised and addressed. This data has enabled the allocation of enhanced support in response to identified learner and staff needs. In addition, individualised planning and risk assessment support has been provided to establishments as required, ensuring a proactive and child-centred approach. Renfrewshire Skills Academy The Renfrewshire Skills Academy pilot has successfully increased SQA accreditation opportunities for young people whilst also supporting the development of essential life skills through pathways such as hairdressing, art, and outdoor education. These tailored experiences have contributed to improved attendance among individual young people and have positively influenced their confidence, motivation and aspirations. As a result, several learners have progressed to applying for college placements and work experience opportunities. Increased self-esteem and confidence have also led to greater social interaction with peers, which in turn has strengthened their overall engagement and investment in their educational placements. Education Officer— Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) The Education Officer (CAMHS) role continues to develop successfully, with over 1,000 referrals received since its inception. As the only role of its kind in Scotland, it remains a key innovation in strengthening communication and processes between Education and CAMHS. The Officer continues to provide bespoke advice and support to schools, families and clinicians. Stakeholder feedback indicates that the role has had a ‘high impact’ on learners, patients and their families, with almost all education and health professionals reporting that it has positively influenced their professional practice. In recognition of its effectiveness, the role has now been made permanent and is fully funded by Children’s Services. The remit of the Education Officer has expanded to include support for children and young people who are either open to, or on a waiting list for, the Neurodevelopmental (ND) Pathway. ‘ I found it hard to understand what schools could do [to help the young person]… to make school understand where he [the young person] was coming from and the help he needed. The CAMHS Education person made it easy and spoke to the school for us… things are much better now, at the moment.’ P6 Parent Looking ahead, further collaboration between CAMHS/ND Pathways and Education will be explored. This includes aligning Renfrewshire’s Staged Intervention model with referral processes for both pathways, progressing work on targeted neurodevelopmental assessments at Primary 4, and improving the referral process from Education to the ND Pathway. Inclusion
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202530 Renfrewshire Attendance—2024/25 The chart opposite shows that attendance across all sectors has shown modest but consistent improvement, which is encouraging against the national backdrop of stubbornly low post-pandemic attendance. Primary attendance rose by 0.6 percentage points to 93.5%, secondary by 0.8 to 87.7%, and ASN schools by 0.8 to 91.1%. These figures mark the second year of recovery. Inclusion 84% 85% 86% 87% 88% 89% 90% 91% 92% 93% 94% 93.5% 87.7% 91.1% Primary Secondary ASN
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 31 Educational Psychology Service Renfrewshire Educational Psychology Service (REPS) annually reports back on the 5 Whole Service Initiatives (WSI) and the Service Improvement Plan (SIP). The 5 WSIs are as follows: Non-Violent Resistance (NVR); Renfrewshire’s Nurturing Relationships Approach (RNRA); The Promise; Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) and Renfrewshire’s Inclusive Communication Environment. In addition to the report on the WSIs, the SIP is a focus of improvement within the service. The strands identified are Equalities; Self- Evaluation and Learning and Teaching. There is also an ongoing evaluation of the Locality Inclusion Support Network (LISN) and the Educational Psychology input into this forum as a major element to our service delivery. The standards and quality report which can be accessed here Standards and Quality Reports —Renfrewshire Educational Psychology Service outlines the work of the service in academic year 2024/25 and has identified next steps for the coming year 2025/26. Next Steps • Refresh Renfrewshire’s Vision for Inclusion to ensure a clear and shared understanding within Education services, and partners in Social Work and Health, of the presumption of mainstream; the profile of need of those who are most vulnerable and needs are most complex; the expanding ASN estate and the importance of multi-agency working. • Enhance resources to support children with additional support needs at Early Years as a key priority to ensure early intervention. • Improve speech, language and communication in the Early Years through collaborative pilot project involving Educational Psychology, Early Years Education staff, Speech and Language Therapy, Health Visiting and Health Improvement. • Appoint a Virtual Head Teacher to transform the operating model of our Secondary Flexible Learning Resources and to support Renfrewshire’s most vulnerable children and young people. • Improve attendance across Renfrewshire establishments with a focus on children and young people with ASN. • Improve the arrangements for children with ASN at the point of transition from primary to secondary schools. • Revise policies and processes in relation to Home Education. • Collaborate with key stakeholders, including the Parent Ambassador Group, to review and update Challenging Behaviour Risk Assessment processes, ensuring alignment with the language and principles of The Promise. • Develop a communication strategy to ensure parents are well informed about Renfrewshire’s Inclusion agenda, supports, and processes. Inclusion
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202532 Families and Communities Family Wellbeing Support Service Since its introduction in January 2024, the Family Wellbeing Service has made very good progress in delivering against key strategic priorities within the Education Improvement Plan. A Framework for Family Wellbeing Support (FFWS) that aligns with the GIRFEC staged intervention framework was developed and implemented. The framework clearly outlines which family wellbeing team supports each level of need, ensuring that requests for assistance are directed to the appropriate part of the service based on assessed family need. Regular locality referral meetings between the communities and schools’ family wellbeing leads ensure that an assessment of need is carried out before allocating support to a family. This collaborative approach enabled flexible, creative responses tailored to family needs, including joint working across teams and signposting to wider services where appropriate. The Fast Online Referral and Tracking (FORT) system is the information management system for the family wellbeing service. A successful pilot was undertaken of the FORT system and an evaluation showed that this tool was well embedded across the community family wellbeing teams and funded third sector organisations, providing an effective platform for agencies to share information about families with whom they were working. FORT data shows that from July 2024–June 2025 the community family wellbeing team, including funded third sector partners, have worked with 1030 families across Renfrewshire and provided early intervention and support. Data shows that the key reasons that families were either referred to, or sought help themselves, from the community family wellbeing team were due to issues with supporting their child’s behaviour, or issues with the mental health of either the child/young person or the parent. Interventions for families have included: 1-1 family support, NVR (Non-violent resistance), LIAM (Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management), EPEC (Empowering Parents Empowering Communities), Nurture input and support from third sector organisations. The Family Wellbeing service now organises the central referral list for the delivery of NVR to parents which has cut the central waiting list in half and is providing NVR support to 100 parents per term including the delivery of the first very successful NVR Dad’s group. There has been a notable increase in the number of EPEC groups delivered, including the successful facilitation of sessions by the first trained parent group leader. The Family Wellbeing service (FWS) has been widely promoted to key stakeholders through attendance at a wide range of single and multi-agency meetings; via Ren10 website; Council website; social media and headteacher newsletters. This has been effective, and partners have reported that the family wellbeing service has been responsive to Requests for Assistance and that the input that families have received has made a difference. Our Requests for Assistance have increased throughout the year and hit a peak in November/December 2024 just after the Family Wellbeing launches and engagement events. Four highly successful family wellbeing community engagement events attracted 559 parents/carers and children.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 33 Families and Communities “ NVR has made a significant and positive impact on our family life, so thanks for steering me in the right direction and also supporting my wife and I too. Your advice and direction is always well received.” Parent from Dad’s group “ Thank you very much for the course , I found it really useful to better understand my little ones and to find better strategies in dealing with difficult situations.” Parent from Dad’s group Our partnership with 15 third sector organisations (TSOs), funded through the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, was developed and enhanced through a series of joint training events. As well as the successful 3 TSO forum meetings where good practice was shared and networking undertaken, we had a whole service development day in March 2025 where family wellbeing teams, funded third sector organisations and other partners including parents, came together to review the work of the service over the previous year and to discuss priorities going forward. In addition, third sector partners have attended training in NVR, LIAM and EPEC, building capacity to deliver these evidence-based interventions to more parents in future. “ To meet others having the same family experience makes you feel much less isolated.” Parent from EPEC group Care-Experienced Children and Young People Education Psychology/ Social Work Project As part of our response to The Promise, a one-year project was taken forward by Renfrewshire’s Educational Psychology Service (REPS) which allowed time from the Depute Principal, and many of the team, to align at a granular level with the needs identified by Social Work teams of Care Experienced young people in relation to barriers to learning. In collaboration with the team supporting young people in Children’s Houses, a psycho- education training pathway was developed, covering topics such as loss, bereavement, neurodiversity, trauma and attachment. Thirty-two staff members completed 12 hours of small-group training, supported by linked visits to develop tailored support plans. All participants reported increased confidence, with 100% agreeing the training was relevant and applicable to their practice. Notably, 60% observed a reduction in the duration of distressed behaviour among children and young people. The group of people highlighted by the Kinship SW team as needing support, were the carers themselves. At a carer event, there was moving discussion about the ways families tried to integrate and respond to the losses they and their children experienced. A fantastic piece of joint work between REPs, social workers and schools resulted in the ‘Brew and Blether’ events where Kinship Carer attendees were supported to reflect on the impact of loss and then invited to a ‘Seasons For Growth’ event.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202534 For the Adoption and Fostering team, helping carers understand neurodiversity and the approach of schools was a highlighted area. A version of Renfrewshire’s Inclusive Communication Environments provided to schools was created by REPs, consulting with Speech, Language and Occupational Therapies. An in-person event was held with an online session provided and recorded with a plan to use it for both SW staff and Carers in an ongoing way. All participants rated the sessions between 7 and 10 for relevance with comments on helpfulness and increased clarity in their understanding and strategies they now had available. Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) remained our compassionate approach to supporting distressed behaviour, with a focus on Care Experienced children. Training uptake grew, particularly among social work staff, and Level 2 Practitioner Enquiry highlighted powerful stories of positive change. Case studies showed improved attendance and wellbeing among young people with long-term social work involvement. The team is committed to NVR, aiming for all staff to complete Level 2 training within the year. Hearts and Minds In April 2024, Aberlour’s Attain Mentoring Project became Hearts and Minds; a service that supports Care Experienced children and young people with Neurodivergent needs. The programme works with individuals who are awaiting assessment by CAMHS, are currently undergoing assessment, or have received a formal diagnosis. The work of Hearts and Minds focusses on reducing the significant variables in relation to exclusion, reducing isolation and improving the health and wellbeing at home, in the community and at school. Through tailored, person-centred support, the programme not only enhances outcomes for children and families but also contributes to reducing demand on wider health and social care services. Targeted support has led to demonstrable improvements in family relationships, enabling children and young people to remain safely at home. A total of 23 children and young people, along with their families, received support resulting in two young people successfully returning home from care. Notably, all children and young people supported, sustained their placements at home, with none entering the care system. The mentoring programme has had a measurable impact on re-engaging children and young people with education by fostering trusted relationships with adult mentors. This approach has contributed to improved attitudes towards school, raised aspirations and increased attendance and attainment. Notably, 72% (8 out of 11) of young people who were previously not attending school, or were on a reduced timetable, are now attending school full-time. “ Having a mentor has given me confidence to learn to trust in another adult again”. Young person Families and Communities
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 35 “ I wasn’t sure about having a mentor, but it has been great. I’ve had opportunities I wouldn’t have had and also built confidence I didn’t know I had, and also learnt how to cope in situations.” Young person The programme has demonstrated a positive impact on young people’s emotional wellbeing, with measurable improvements in self- confidence and problem-solving abilities. Among the eight young people who exited the service, there was an overall 29% increase in wellbeing scores. The most significant areas of improvement included a 40% increase in feeling confident and a 49% improvement in the ability to deal with problems well. Health and Wellbeing in Education Establishments Throughout this session we have continued to embed, develop and evaluate our curricular Health and Wellbeing programmes. Renfrewshire’s Alcohol and Substance Awareness Education Resource is being used across all sectors. An external evaluation of the resource was carried out in December 2024. Teachers agreed that the resource has successfully increased pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the potential risks and harms of using alcohol and substances. In September 2024, the Health and Wellbeing Development Officer was asked to share the success of the resource as part of a Scottish Government event, “Holyrood’s Health Inequalities in Scotland: The State of the Nation”. “ I really like the resources because we get to do groupwork. I’ve learned about how cigarettes can affect your body and how that can then affect your mental health.” P7 pupil The Education Manager (HWB) is an active member of a Tackling Vaping in Young People strategy group comprising members from across HSCP (Renfrewshire and NHSGGC) to develop board-wide strategies to tackle Vaping including education, policy development and support to quit. She has contributed to development of the NHSGGC’s new curricular vaping resource which will be promoted in schools next session. All of our schools successfully deliver Renfrewshire’s “It’s A Mental Health Thing”, our online programme which explores the impact of transition, relationships, social media and peer relationships on our wellbeing. 10 secondary schools are also working towards certification with our newly developed approach to the SQA Mental Health Award. Next session, this will be used across all secondary settings. “ Everyone has mental health but not everyone’s mental health is good which is why we should be aware of what we say to people.” S1 pupil The MVP (Mentors in Violence Prevention) Programme involves over 400 trained senior pupils as peer educators and is now being successfully implemented across all of our secondary schools. Feedback from the programme demonstrates increased awareness from both staff and pupils around the issues which affect relationships and how we can influence positive change in our schools and communities as active bystanders. 94% of pupils reported that, following training, they would be more likely to intervene in a situation which they felt was wrong. Families and Communities
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202536 This session, we were delighted to pilot new gender-based violence training in partnership with Education Scotland, reaching staff across 14 early years and primary establishments. MVP training was also delivered to a wide range of partners, including Police Scotland, Barnardo’s, Women and Children First, residential care staff, Social Work and the Health and Social Care Partnership. Our strong collaboration with Youth Services continued through the Young and Equally Safe in Renfrewshire project, extending school-based work into the wider community. “ I am better informed to help victims of gender-based violence and prevent further violence.” S6 pupil “ I now feel more confident to be able to challenge the behaviours I am witnessing within my school.” MVP secondary teacher In June 2025, Renfrewshire proudly hosted the national Action for Change Youth Assembly in partnership with Education Scotland. Held at Paisley Town Hall, the event welcomed over 200 young people from schools across Scotland. A highlight of the day was the keynote address by Jackson Katz, co-creator of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) programme. We continue to prioritise the development of staff skills and knowledge across educational settings through our comprehensive Health and Wellbeing (HWB) training offer. This session, the CEOP (Child Exploitation Online Protection) training team delivered highly-evaluated training to staff working with children and young people across Renfrewshire Council. Our ongoing focus on suicide prevention and self-harm awareness includes regular training and targeted support for school staff, informed by referral trends to The Exchange counselling service. This work has been nationally recognised, featuring as a “Pockets of Practice” case study by Suicide Prevention Scotland and in Public Health Scotland’s Creating Hope podcast series. “ As a Pastoral Care Teacher, the training I’ve attended over the last two years has been beneficial to my day-to-day practice. It has given me confidence in dealing with difficult concerns with pupil wellbeing and it has enhanced my communication skills.” Principal Teacher Last session, we introduced our Approaches to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) training for education staff. Feedback from nearly 200 staff from early years, primary and secondary sectors, indicates increased confidence and competence in using therapeutic approaches and language, with pupils reporting improved emotional regulation. “ The CBT training has had massive impact on how I have conversations with children in school and my own at home also. Focussing on thoughts is a useful way to help focus the children on what the issue actually is.” Depute Headteacher “ In our assemblies we learned how to calm ourselves down using finger breathing, box breathing and bubble breathing. It really helps you if you’re feeling stressed.” P7 pupil Families and Communities
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 37 All primary schools and most early learning and childcare centres use an evidence-based programme to deliver emotional literacy. To date, 38 Renfrewshire establishments have successfully engaged in the PATHs (Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills) programme. Information sessions for parents as part of the schools’ P1 induction programmes have ensured families have knowledge of the PATHs approaches to use at home. Pupil PATHS pre and post surveys highlight increased levels of social and emotional competence, in particular: reduced aggression/disruptive behaviour; increased concentration and attention; improved social and emotional competence; and improved empathy. Almost all teachers agree that children can use calming strategies, and almost all agree that children are demonstrating an improved ability to recognise and label their emotions. Commendably, there are now 13 primary schools and 5 early learning and childcare classes/centres that have achieved the PATHS award Worldwide Model School Status in recognition of their outstanding commitment to social and emotional learning in their establishment. As part of the Children’s Services Partnership Plan, a comprehensive audit of Physical Education (PE) curriculum planners and current practice was undertaken across Renfrewshire schools. The audit involved engagement with children and young people, teaching staff, and key strategic partners, including OneRen and Education Scotland. The findings highlighted gaps in the explicit teaching of PE skills and in the progression of these skills from Early to Third Level. In response, specialist PE teachers are leading the development of a structured skills framework, a targeted training programme and the identification of key resources to support consistent and progressive delivery of PE across all stages. Counselling services Both The Exchange and Place2Be continue to provide very good school-based counselling services to support children and young people across our primary, secondary and ASN schools. Evidence from quarterly reports shows that the counselling services are supporting improvements in the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, staff and families. In addition, the services have been flexible and responsive in providing emotional support to groups of children, young people and staff to cope with critical incidents in school communities. The top referral theme each quarter continues to be anxiety across secondary schools and emotional regulation in primary schools. In the April 2024—end March 2025 period, The Exchange supported over 1770 children and young people through 1-1 therapeutic counselling. Young People Clinical Outcome scores for the last quarter show that 83% of young people are less distressed post- counselling with all feeling better following support. 93% of parents of children accessing the primary service reported an improvement using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure. “ It’s been helpful to talk about it and offload (bereavement). It’s like I am putting the pieces together.” Secondary Pupil “ I have realised there are no benefits to worrying! I need to rest before something nerve-racking happens, instead of panicking.” Secondary Pupil Families and Communities
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202538 “ I feel that my daughter has really benefitted from her sessions and her worrying behaviours have almost completely stopped.” Parent Between April 2024 and March 2025, Place2Be provided targeted mental health and wellbeing support to over 350 children and young people across four partner schools. This included: 96 children and young people who engaged in one-to-one therapeutic counselling and 254 children and young people who accessed support through Place2Talk drop-in sessions. Post-intervention analysis using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) indicated that 85% of children and young people who received counselling demonstrated improved outcomes. In addition to direct pupil support: 81 parents and carers benefitted from Place2Be’s Parent Partnership services; and school staff were supported through over 100 Place2Think consultation sessions, promoting reflective practice and enhancing staff capacity to support pupil wellbeing. Supervision Support for Head Teachers During the 2024–25 academic session, 12 Heads of establishment from across all educational sectors engaged in monthly online supervision sessions designed to support personal wellbeing and professional learning. These sessions provided a structured space for reflection, peer dialogue and leadership development. Prior to participation, Heads completed questionnaires outlining their aspirations for the programme. Common themes included a desire to enhance reflective practice, improve work-life balance, share the often-unspoken challenges of headship, and strengthen leadership capacity while managing the pressures associated with the role. The supervision model contributed to a supportive professional environment, fostering resilience and promoting wellbeing among senior leaders. “ I am able to speak honestly and openly about work-related concerns. My supervisor helps me to unpick the issues and find solutions. She empowers me to find my own solutions and scaffolds this process.” Head Teacher Each participant was coached through 11 individual supervision sessions. Results from pre and post-supervision questionnaires indicated that all participants reported an increase in their understanding of what professional, external supervision is and the benefits of this space to their practice. Furthermore, all participants reported an increase in their confidence in participating in this approach. More than half of participants reported an increase in the importance they place on their own wellbeing in the workplace. “ Supervision is a key part to reminding myself of the capacity I have as a leader and how I am maximising this through prioritising my own wellbeing to ensure I am in the best place professionally and personally to lead the school.” Head Teacher Participants were asked to detail the impact of the supervision sessions at the end of the programme. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive with all participants stating that they would recommend supervision to their colleagues. Families and Communities
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 39 Health and Wellbeing Data Throughout the 2024–2025 session, Health and Wellbeing (HWB) data—including themes emerging from counselling referrals—has been used effectively to inform strategic improvement planning and to shape the professional learning and support offered to educational establishments. Capturing the views and experiences of children and young people remains a key priority in Renfrewshire. To ensure an up-to- date understanding of how young people are feeling, all young people from S1 to S6 were invited to complete the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) in March 2025—marking the fourth consecutive year of implementation. Analysis of the 2025 data indicates a positive trend in overall wellbeing. The average wellbeing score increased from 45.7% in 2022 to 48.6% in 2025, whilst the proportion of young people reporting low wellbeing scores decreased from 31% to 23.8% over the same period. School-level data has been analysed and individual reports are available to establishments via the Data Dashboard. This enables schools to identify specific wellbeing trends and use the information to inform improvement planning and targeted interventions Education Scotland Inspections All Renfrewshire schools inspected by Education Scotland over the last 3 academic sessions, have received positive gradings for Quality Indicator (QI) 3.1 Ensuring Wellbeing, Inclusion and Equality with 71% receiving a ‘Very Good’ grading and 29% receiving a ‘Good’. This far exceeds national averages. Schools’ self-evaluation gradings for QI 3.1 (April 2025) Very Good 48 schools Good 14 schools Satisfactory 1 school 98% of schools evaluate themselves as ‘Good’ or better with 76% grading themselves as ‘Very Good’ Families and Communities
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202540 Next Steps Family Wellbeing Service • Develop the NVR approach across communities that will be delivered by family wellbeing staff (including third sector) on a locality basis. • Promote the good practice of the Family Wellbeing Service through the development of a video, case studies and newsletters which will be widely shared with local and national partners. • Increase the voice of families in service development through a programme of self-evaluation family friendly events. • Increase the number of EPEC groups and number of parent group leaders. • Introduce a Pay to Play option for parents as part of the Easter and Summer ASN playscheme, to increase respite opportunities for families of children with complex needs. • Extend the use of the FORT (Fast Online Referral and Tracking) system to the interrupted learners team and the family wellbeing schools team, and provide guidance for whole service data reporting. • Following the review of the Family Wellbeing scale, through partnership with the data officer, implement improvements to its use across the community wellbeing team and third sector partners. • Develop stronger links with housing and homeless services to improve family support. Educational Psychology/ Social Work Collaboration • Extend Educational Psychology Service input within Social Work Services for an additional year to sustain and build on work with staff and carers, with a continued focus on inclusion and the wellbeing of Care Experienced children and young people. • Develop understanding and training of Life Story Narratives across Children’s Services to compassionately support children’s rights, identity and sense of hope in partnership with corporate parents. • Deliver tailored, intensive family support to improve school attendance for care-experienced young people with neurodivergent needs, in close collaboration with education and social services. Hearts and Minds Service • Strengthen family relationships to prevent crisis and rebuild relationships so that children and young people remain in their family unit. • Provide mentoring to reduce isolation by fostering positive, trusting relationships with adult role models. Families and Communities
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 41 Health and Wellbeing in Education Establishments • Deliver a comprehensive programme of HWB professional learning including targeted and bespoke interventions. • Develop National 4 and National 6 SQA Mental Health Awards. • Develop Mental Health Ambassador training to be delivered by senior phase pupils. • Implement a rigorous and consistent approach to pupil participation in Health and Wellbeing curricular planning and delivery. • In partnership with Iamme Scotland, NSPCC, Police Scotland, Health and Social Care Partnership, deliver an awareness-raising campaign on child sexual exploitation (CSE). • Through the NHSGGC board-wide Vaping strategy group, explore early intervention and prevention measures as well as board- wide policy development on Vaping for use in schools. • In line with the ADES commitments related to gender-based violence (GBV), provide support to secondary schools to implement Equally Safe at School (ESAS). • Involve all Renfrewshire secondary schools in 16 Days of Action with “Action for Change” projects supported by MVP school staff and Youth Services. • Provide training from YouthLink Scotland for Young and Equally Safe in Renfrewshire peer researchers to address issues raised at our youth assemblies. • Work in partnership with Women and Children First focussing on use of MVP to engage boys affected by domestic abuse. • Deliver online HWB sessions for parents on topics such as anxiety, internet safety, de-escalation/restorative approaches and self-harm. • Further develop our Approaches to CBT training offer to new cohorts and existing trained staff. • Provide bespoke/targeted support for schools in response to HWB data and quarterly reports from counselling services. • In partnership with Barnardo’s, extend the reach of evidence-based emotional literacy programme PATHs (Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills). • Continue to coordinate implementation of counselling services across all establishments to ensure that children and young people receive timeous wellbeing support. • Finalise Primary Physical Education skills framework and pilot in sample schools. Families and Communities
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202542 Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment We are dedicated to delivering high-quality professional learning opportunities that cater to all levels of the education system from senior leaders to classroom practitioners and support staff. This strategic focus has contributed to measurable improvements in outcomes for children and young people, particularly those living in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. All schools inspected by Education Scotland in the last 2 academic sessions have achieved a grading of either ‘Very Good’ or ‘Good’ for QI 2.3 Learning, Teaching and Assessment. Schools’ self-evaluation gradings for QI 2.3 Learning, Teaching and Assessment (April 2025) Excellent 1 school Very Good 24 schools Good 36 schools Satisfactory 2 schools 97% of schools evaluate themselves as ‘Good’ or better with 38% grading themselves as ‘Very Good’ Our Numeracy and Literacy Development Officers continue to play a pivotal role in supporting educational establishments by leading professional learning initiatives, driving curriculum development and providing tailored, bespoke support to target schools. “ Local authority Development Officers for numeracy, literacy, health and wellbeing, and the Digital Learning Manager, contribute to school improvement planning processes. They provide written guidance on aspects of their specialism. Where required, they also provide in-person support for identified schools. They use coaching and modelling approaches to help staff to plan in detail how they will raise attainment, and how they will measure success. This is building the confidence of school leaders and teachers and leading to better planning for improvement in these schools.” National Thematic Inspection: Local authority approaches to supporting school improvement – Renfrewshire Council Numeracy A comprehensive professional learning programme was implemented, combining both universal and bespoke training, to enhance learning and teaching in numeracy across all sectors. Universal training sessions were open to all practitioners and covered a variety of topics such as Playful SEAL, Maths Recovery, Maths and Data Talks, CPA (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) methods for teaching the four operations, and fractions, decimals, and percentages. Additionally, 30 bespoke training sessions were delivered across 18 establishments in response to specific school priorities. Training also supported newly qualified teachers and was featured in the Secondary Maths Learning Festival. Evaluation data indicates a highly positive response across all training, with over 98% of participants strongly agreeing/agreeing that the training improved their knowledge, skills, and confidence in teaching numeracy. 98% also strongly agreed/agreed it would have a positive impact on their learners. Most participants rated the training 10 out of 10.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 43 Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment “ Find the games and practical ideas for the classroom incredibly helpful.” Class Teacher “ This has made me excited to try out some new engaging tasks!” Class Teacher Further signs of impact are evident in attainment data. Renfrewshire’s June 2025 ACEL figures show a 1% increase in overall numeracy attainment across P1, P4, and P7 combined, with 85% of pupils now achieving the expected levels. The most prominent improvement occurred in P4, where attainment rose from 81% to 84% over the academic year. Notably, 11 of the bespoke training sessions focused on Number Talks, along with Engaging Maths and Data Talks, addressing requests to improve consistency, mental agility, and pupil engagement. Senior leaders from schools that participated in the Number/Maths and Data Talks training reported that adopting a consistent, whole school approach, including protected weekly time slots outside core lessons, has significantly enhanced both implementation and impact. A six month follow up survey confirmed sustained positive effects: almost all (95%) respondents felt extremely or somewhat confident in planning, delivering, and assessing pupil understanding through Number/Maths and Data Talks. Almost all (92%) teachers reported using this routine at least twice weekly, with 66 % running them 3-5 times per week—a significant increase from the 14 % rate noted immediately post training. “ Walking through the school, the level of engagement from the pupils and the buzz in the school is amazing to see.” Head Teacher “ Children are much more confident at using visual models … to describe their strategy in Number Talk sessions.” Class Teacher “ NumberTalks gave us better strategies we can use and understand better.” Pupil
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202544 Combined P1/4/7 ACEL data from schools that participated in the refreshed Number/ Maths Talks training this year was also very encouraging: a 4-percentage point increase from 77 % to 81 %. Where a school reported daily number/maths talks, the overall improvement reached 8%. Ten schools also benefited from the Targeted Schools Programme (TSP), which provided guidance on effective interventions, assessment strategies and targeted training for whole- school teams, specific year groups and support staff. Focus groups with pupils, teachers, and Head Teachers from TSP reported positive effects on attainment, wellbeing, and confidence. In the targeted schools that focused on numeracy support for Primary 1, 4 and 7, combined ACEL data rose by 4% this year. Overall, targeted schools that received numeracy training saw a 5% increase in their combined data. A “Grow Your Own” Maths Modelling and Coaching Officer (MCO) initiative was introduced this year to upskill four practitioners from three establishments. Through monthly coaching sessions with the Maths Development Officer, these practitioners were supported to become MCOs, with the aim of promoting and sustaining best-practice pedagogy within their own schools. Survey and focus group insights reveal that teachers serving as MCOs strongly agreed/ agreed that the programme deepened their understanding of effective numeracy pedagogy and boosted their confidence in disseminating best practices to colleagues. All were able to provide examples of maths pedagogical approaches they implemented with either pupils or staff this session that were positively received. Completed evaluations and qualitative feedback from teachers working with an in-house MCO demonstrate the positive impact of the initiative in improving teacher knowledge, skills, confidence and engagement, as well as the achievement of children in numeracy and mathematics. In a pupil focus group with children working with an MCO, 81% reported feeling more confident about maths now compared to the previous year. Numeracy Champion sessions continued to be well attended, with most schools sending at least one staff member. These sessions included training, collaboration, feedback and updates. Additionally, two primary schools received inspection support. Another school received support with a Family Games session, and a separate school received input on P1 Transition for parents. All sessions were well received. Modelling sessions were also delivered to several schools upon request, with positive anecdotal feedback. “ Games are fun, and we don’t notice we are learning.” Pupil “ I like finding out how to use Bar Models as I found it easier to work out calculations.” Pupil The MathsBURST project, delivered in partnership with Glasgow University, was a particular success. It provided spatial skills training to 24 Primary 4 and 5 classes across 13 Renfrewshire primary schools. Pupils in the experimental group made substantial gains in pre and post-assessments of mathematics, spatial reasoning, and computational thinking compared to control groups. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 45 Literacy A comprehensive programme of high quality, evidence-based professional learning has been delivered across all sectors linked to the GTCS Standards and informed by local and national priorities. In addition, effective targeted support has been provided to 10 schools as part of the Targeted Schools Programme. In focus groups, Head Teachers identified dedicated Development Officer support as a key benefit of being part of this programme. 37 bespoke career-long professional learning (CLPL) sessions have been delivered to 24 establishments during session 24/25 (3 early years settings, 19 primaries and 2 secondaries). These covered a wide range of areas including Talk for Writing, Jolly Phonics, Wraparound Spelling, using the Planning, Progression & Assessment Overviews, reading comprehension, the Primary Literacy Coaching Programme, Dive into Reading and more. CLPL continues to be provided to NQTs as part of their professional learning programme. In 98% of evaluations, practitioners agreed or strongly agreed that their knowledge and skill in teaching these aspects of literacy had increased. Talk for Writing In session 24/25, additional establishments joined the authority’s programme of Talk for Writing training for leaders and practitioners. Across Renfrewshire, most establishments now have staff trained in and actively using the approach including: • early years: 22 early years classes, 15 early years centres and 21 partner providers • primary: 43 schools • secondary: 2 schools • ASN: 2 schools A practice audit of the Talk for Writing ‘non- negotiables’ undertaken with primary Project Leads showed that participating schools had already embedded most key elements of the approach in their schools and had plans to implement the remainder during session 25/26. “ I used to hate writing and thought it was boring and hard. Now I get to write every day and we box up our writing so we’re doing a bit at a time. That means I don’t get as stressed out about it and actually enjoy it. My writing has definitely got better this year and I’m a lot more confident.” Pupil “ I’m a young leader of learning at school. Reading can open up the world and take you to a world of imagination where anything is possible.” Pupil Dedicated training for support staff was very positively received and evaluated with 100% of participants indicating that this had provided a good introduction to the Talk for Writing approach. “ I now understand the concept of Talk for Writing and feel more confident that I can actively help children to write creative and interesting stories.” Support Staff Data analysis demonstrates that Talk for Writing is continuing to have a significant impact on pupil attainment: • attainment in writing has consistently improved since the introduction of Talk for Writing in session 21/22 • attainment of pupils living in 30% most deprived areas has increased in both Talk for Writing cohorts, with an 11-percentage point increase in those that started in session 21/22. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202546 Renfrewshire Libraries (One Ren) School Library Service OneRen provides a professionally qualified librarian to 11 secondary schools in Renfrewshire. Pupils are signed up as joint school and public library members automatically as recommended in Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools, the national strategy for school libraries. This academic year, there were 190 visits to all 11 locations with 3,323 class visits, information literacy sessions and clubs taking place, 201 pupil hours were spent volunteering in libraries, 29,100 physical books were borrowed and 38 author events were held in school libraries with an additional 10 held as part of Paisley Book Festival and Will Eisner week. A Scottish Book Trust funded author residency was undertaken with poet, Simon Lamb, at St Andrew’s Academy Library which included publication of a poetry book. Johnstone High Library has been awarded an author residency for the 25/26 academic year being only one of 8 schools in Scotland awarded this. Future Paisley Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 47 and Live Literature funding allowed craft clubs, writing workshops, author events and comic book creation across many schools. Reading schools accreditation this year was awarded to Gryffe High, Johnstone High, Park Mains High–5 secondary schools are now at Gold level and 1 at core. Bookbug Bag Gifting Bookbug bags support families to read, sing and play with their little ones to give them the best start in life. Every child in Renfrewshire receives a bag at 4 key stages: 3-5 weeks (Baby Bag); 13-15 months (Toddler Bag); age 3 (Bookbug Explorer Bag); Primary 1 (Bookbug Primary 1 Family Bag). The library service distributed 1986 Explorer Bags to pre-5 establishments, and 1854 Primary 1 Bags. Summer Reading Challenge 2024 Marvellous Makers! Summer Reading Challenge 2024 was delivered by public libraries and the Skoobmobile in partnership with the Reading Agency and promoted to all primary schools. 1534 children signed up with 733 (48%) completing the Challenge reading 6 books or more or achieving their personal reading goal. St Fillan’s Primary won the overall trophy, and the best improver award went to Barsail Primary School who increased their participation and completion rates from 2023. 138 children signed up digitally with 69 completers which is well above the national average for digital participation and the highest digital participation in Scotland. Skoobmobile The Skoobmobile provides a programme of book borrowing, story times, online learning and creative activity to primary schools and pre-5 establishments. Regular after-school community stops provide access to good quality books and activities free of charge on the school doorstep or grounds. Nine primary schools were supported over the last twelve months and 2 bedtime reading sessions were delivered at Williamsburgh and St Charles primaries which were well received. Young Leaders of Learning The Young Leaders of Learning (YLL) programme, developed by Education Scotland, empowers children and young people to actively participate in improving their schools by engaging in reciprocal visits, sharing effective practices and promoting learner involvement in school improvement activities. Following staff training sessions in May/June 2024 and pupil training in August 2024, 34 primary schools and 6 secondaries signed up to participate in this programme. Throughout the session, identified young leaders took part in preparatory activities, including teambuilding with their partner school’s young leaders on how to use evaluative language and planning and preparing for the school visits. Ultimately, this led to an evaluative visit to a partner school to assess an identified area of focus. Almost all schools chose to focus on an aspect of Relationships from the How Good is Our School (HGIOURS) pupil evaluation document and a few focussed on an aspect of Learning and Teaching. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202548 A wide range of improvements were identified by the young leaders across all participating schools. These included enhancements to both relationships and learning and teaching. To support the implementation of these identified improvements, young leaders in each school have developed their own action plans. Many of these have been written by pupils and formally incorporated as priorities within the 2025–26 school improvement plans. A Case Study on Young Leaders of Learning can be found at Appendix C. Development of the Renfrewshire Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy—The Renfrewshire Way In collaboration with a cross-sectoral working group, alongside engagement with staff and pupils, Renfrewshire Council has developed and launched The Renfrewshire Way—our strategic approach to learning, teaching, and assessment. This framework was introduced to establishment leaders at the Equity Conference in April 2025, where it received 100% positive feedback. “ A truly excellent resource. The importance of shared definition and understanding of key concepts, and tracking cannot be understated.” Head Teacher “ Very impressed with the resource. This is a great tool to support school improvement and to be more efficient in any form of change.” Head Teacher The Renfrewshire Way is a supportive and practical toolkit structured around four key areas: • The Learning Environment • High-Quality Learning and Teaching • Effective Use of Assessment • Planning, Tracking and Monitoring Each area outlines clear expectations for all establishments and staff, supported by quality- assured guidance, sector-specific resources, and research for early years, primary and secondary education. To ensure accessibility, the Renfrewshire Way is available via desktop links across all council devices. A formal launch for all staff took place on the August 2025 in-service day, accompanied by a recorded presentation and materials developed by the working group. Following this, a programme of professional learning will be rolled out to support implementation and continuous improvement across all sectors. Assessment and Moderation A comprehensive audit was undertaken during this session to inform the next phase of Renfrewshire’s assessment and moderation strategy. This process involved meaningful engagement with senior leaders through surveys and focus groups, ensuring a broad and representative understanding of current practice and priorities. In addition, targeted consultation took place with secondary Curricular Network groups, focusing on ongoing assessment activity within subject areas and departments. This collaborative approach has provided valuable insights to guide future developments, strengthen consistency and enhance the validity of assessment across the authority. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 49 Key messages from the audit: Early Years and Primary • 96% of establishments engage in in-house moderation. Activities included moderation of Achievement of a Level and collaborative planning. • 72% of establishments engage in cluster moderation – there is a strong focus on Writing. • Additional training is required in Assessment for Learning (Formative Assessment), creating and using high-quality assessments, data literacy and standardised assessments. • Progression and consistency across the authority and cross-cluster working are areas for development. Secondary • Moderation is valued and impactful. Staff see tangible benefits, especially when working collaboratively. • Time is key. Dedicated space for moderation and reflection is essential to sustain this work. • Assessment is shaping curriculum. Departments are adapting their approaches based on moderation findings. • Broad General Education (BGE) needs more consistency. There is enthusiasm, but staff would welcome clearer authority-wide standards and expectations. • Support must be practical. Teachers are seeking shared tools and resources to support consistent practice. • Momentum exists. Staff are taking action based on moderation—this is a prime opportunity to build on that progress. RAMG (Renfrewshire’s Assessment and Moderation Group) will continue next session and will be involved in taking forward the next steps based on the feedback received through the audit. Early Years Over the past four years, Renfrewshire’s Early Level Progression Tool has been embedded across all Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings to provide a summative overview of children’s progress within the early level of Curriculum for Excellence. Designed to identify key developmental milestones, the tool supports consistent assessment of progress without altering individual settings’ approaches to tracking, observing, and documenting learning. Recent consultation with ELC leaders and practitioners indicates strong endorsement of the revised guidance, with 100% of respondents reporting that staff found the tool beneficial. Practitioners have demonstrated increased confidence in making professional judgements about children’s learning and development and are using data more effectively to identify barriers and gaps and plan for children’s next steps. Furthermore, data shows a rise in moderation activity across settings, contributing positively to the reliability and validity of assessment data. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202550 This reflects a growing culture of collaborative professional dialogue and shared standards in early years education. The progression tool data on children’s progress in Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing is providing us with robust information which is being used effectively to shape our workforce development programme enabling us to address areas where staff are lacking in confidence, knowledge and skill. ELC Heads and Managers are making increasing use of this data to inform improvement plans and ensure positive outcomes for children. Progression data collected in May 2025 indicates a positive trend in literacy attainment over the past three years. However, there has been a slight decline in attainment in both numeracy and health and wellbeing (HWB). When analysed by gender, these trends are largely consistent, with the notable exception of HWB among girls, which has shown an improvement of 4 percentage points over the same period. Analysis by deprivation levels reveals that for children residing in the 30% most deprived areas, attainment has declined across all three areas: literacy, numeracy, and HWB. For those in the 70% least deprived areas, literacy attainment has remained stable, whilst numeracy and HWB have both experienced decreases. These findings align with our Primary 1 data, where improvements in attainment have not mirrored those observed in other stages. This will be a key focus for targeted intervention and support in the upcoming academic session. Furthermore, analysis conducted by the data team has revealed a strong and consistent correlation between the Early Level Progression Tool data and Achievement of a Level (ACEL) judgements. The evidence clearly demonstrates that literacy and numeracy milestone scores are reliable predictors of attainment outcomes in Primary 1. This alignment reinforces the value of the progression tool in supporting early identification of learning needs and informing targeted interventions. Improved coordination of support across the early level has led to a significant increase in the implementation of evidence-based programmes and initiatives within the core curriculum areas of Literacy, Numeracy, and Health and Wellbeing. ELC settings are now benefitting from targeted support through high-impact approaches such as Talk for Writing, SEAL Maths, and the Jenny and the Bear programme. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 51 Training for middle leaders has been successful with Deputes, seniors, graduates and early years teachers participating in the CLPL offered. 100% of course participants have agreed or strongly agreed that they now have a deeper understanding of well-planned transitions and are more confident about leading transition approaches in practice. All staff who attended training on self-evaluation and improvement planning agreed or strongly agreed that their knowledge and understanding of self-evaluation for continuous improvement has increased and they are now confident about applying this learning to their practice. 84% of respondents stated that their knowledge of Realising the Ambition had increased by attending the series of bite size sessions offered between October 2024 and May 2025. These virtual twilight sessions enabled some staff teams to attend collectively, resulting in rich professional dialogue and shared understanding within individual settings. Primary colleagues also attended these sessions resulting in valuable conversations about effective pedagogy and practice across the early level. Two-part training sessions and the Forest Kindergarten Leader Course have been effective in ensuring that ELC staff are applying theory to practice to provide positive outcomes for children. In follow up sessions, all course participants have provided evidence of action taken to improve the quality of the learning environment and the documentation of children’s learning and development. A total of 11 early years practitioners have successfully achieved the SQA Forest Kindergarten Award at SCQF Level 7, demonstrating commendable commitment to professional learning and the promotion of high- quality outdoor experiences for young children. An initial scoping exercise has been undertaken on establishing a foundation for developing a Birth to 3 framework to support early years practitioners to adopt best practice for planning, assessment, recording and reporting. This included an outward research approach adopted in other councils, including Glasgow City, Highland and Falkirk councils. Through effective collaboration with Education Scotland, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Educational Psychology services—and following a comprehensive consultation with a wide range of leaders including headteachers, heads of centres and managers from funded provider settings—a coordinated and strategic plan has been developed to strengthen language and communication across Renfrewshire, including the early years sector. This plan is closely aligned with the national Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) Change Theory and reflects a strong local commitment to early intervention, inclusion and equity. It represents a shared vision and collective responsibility for improving outcomes in speech, language and communication development for all children. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202552 Digital Learning Our digital plan is bringing about improvements in digital pedagogy and resources. Good progress has been made in finalising our Assess, Build, Innovate plan as we move towards a new digital strategy that underpins The Renfrewshire Way and high-quality learning experiences for all. As part of the central refresh to improve infrastructure, our Flexible Learning Resource establishments were upgraded with both pupil and staff devices. In addition, establishments were given replacement devices as requested, additional Secondary labs for certification were purchased and 15 establishments received funding towards the cost of new Promethean Panels. A working party collaborated to develop Mobile Phone Guidance for schools, aimed at promoting consistent, respectful, and responsible use of mobile technology across educational settings. The guidance was formally approved by the Education Board, marking a significant step in supporting schools to positively embrace mobile technology to enhance learning now and, in the future, Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 53 whilst protecting staff, children and young people from the possible disruptive and harmful consequences of misuse. Digital Strategy There was a refresh of the Digital Learning Champions (DLC) with a minimum of 3 posts shared weekly on the DLC Team. This has resulted in over 2340 unique users visiting DigiLearnRen where all the information is stored. As part of the review process for the refreshed digital strategy, education staff were invited to complete a survey. In response to survey findings, a cross-sectoral Digital Strategy Working Party was established. The group analysed the survey results and developed a series of short, medium, and long-term actions to inform the refreshed strategy. This collaborative approach ensures the refreshed strategy Transform to Innovate Renfrewshire is shaped by practitioner insight and aligned with the evolving digital needs of learners and educators across Renfrewshire. Parents Portal is now live across all Renfrewshire schools, with 14,369 parents registered and 20,433 pupils linked, representing approximately 75% of the pupil population. The digital platform has significantly streamlined administrative processes, with over 5,000 Annual Data Checks completed electronically. Additionally, 48 schools have adopted the Parents Evening booking system, offering families greater flexibility and choice in scheduling appointments. Groupcall Messenger has now been successfully rolled out across all Renfrewshire educational establishments, replacing SEEMiS for text messaging. The platform enables schools and centres to send emails, text messages, and push notifications directly to both parents and staff, streamlining communication and improving efficiency. In Term 1 alone, a total of 201,441 emails were sent via the platform, resulting in a n estimated cost saving of approximately £7,000. Digital Schools Awards In October 2024, an information session was delivered to schools to introduce the new suite of digital awards and to showcase best practice from establishments that had recently achieved recognition. Presentations were shared by Rashielea Primary School (Digital Endorsement Award), Bargarran Primary School (Digital Wellbeing Award), and Langcraigs Primary School (Digital School Award), providing valuable insights and inspiration for other schools on their digital learning journeys. This session we ran a Professional Learning network in conjunction with Education Scotland, focusing on the new Digital ELC Award. All establishments who attended have registered for the Award and have indicated that they will apply this year. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202554 Glow Blogs Following a survey of establishments, 18 schools and centres requested support to enhance digital practice. To date, 10 have received tailored one-to-one support, while the remaining establishments have benefited from universal support, including access to training resources aimed at building staff confidence. In parallel, background work has been undertaken to improve the accessibility of digital platforms for parents and carers, ensuring more inclusive and effective engagement. Professional Learning A series of webinars and face-to-face sessions were held, along with individual support provided to a number of establishments, including advice on using tools to support learning and teaching and ‘how to’ guides. Just2Easy, a free digital tool available through Glow for Early Years and Primary settings, has gained positive traction following a series of professional learning webinars. The sessions have been viewed over 200 times, with participants rating them an average of 4.4 out of 5. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive: 99% of attendees found the course materials to be very or extremely useful and 100% indicated they would begin using Just2Easy within their establishment. The webinars on Adobe Express for Primary and Secondary staff focussed on how to use Adobe Express with learners. The recordings have been viewed over 130 times. Attendees rated the session overall 4.9 out of 5, with all agreeing their confidence had increased as a result of the session and they would implement the learning in class as well as sharing with colleagues. Some of our PL Wakelets were updated this session and a new one created for using Adobe Express, with over 100 views. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment We offered a series of Promethean drop- in sessions throughout 24/25, which were supported by our Promethean Trainers. We had around 20 staff benefitting from these hints and tips sessions. Two sessions were held in collaboration with Education Scotland on planning your digital strategy, with 20 schools and ELCs attending. Participants were offered the opportunity for a follow-up digital visit and 8 were visited to discuss their next steps, changes to practice and impact on learners. Two went on to achieve their Digital School Award. Attendees rated the usefulness of the materials provided at 4.75 out of 5 with a final rating of 4.44 out of 5 for impact on their confidence, knowledge and skills. All participants said they would share the information from the session with colleagues and implement the learning.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 55 Our Apple Regional Training Centre (RTC) held 9 face-to-face sessions focusing on accessibility tools, writing stimuli, coding, creativity and assessment with 72 attendees from 32 different schools. The feedback from attendees, both at the time and in the follow- up evaluation, demonstrated that 100% said that they could put into practice the learning gained and that they had made changes to their practice following the sessions. There has been an increased number of Apple Teacher certifications across Renfrewshire and the feedback has been used to identify next year’s professional learning sessions. In addition, the Winter Wonderland activities created by our very own RTC Facilitator, Ruth Burnett, were viewed over 1090 times. Renfrewshire’s Lending Library funded by Heritage Interactive was launched in March, with 3 schools benefitting so far from the kit, alongside the support provided by Ruth Burnett. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202556 The My Future Pathways programme continues to provide meaningful and targeted opportunities for young people aspiring to careers in the construction industry. As a result of their participation, six young people successfully achieved the industry- recognised CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) qualification, enhancing their employability and readiness for site- based work. In addition, a further five young people gained a Health & Safety qualification, equipping them with essential knowledge to work safely and confidently in construction environments. The first Renfrewshire Employability week successfully took place from 2nd – 7th September. The Local Employability Partnership supported the delivery of 200 engagements for Renfrewshire pupils from all sectors with a key focus on our most vulnerable young people. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment Developing the Young Workforce Multi-agency Future Pathways Meetings are now in place across all secondary schools to ensure robust planning processes for young people to access and sustain positive destinations. In 2023/24, the number of young people entering a positive destination after leaving school was 97.1%. This is a rise of 0.6% from the 2022/23 capture point. Of our care experienced leavers, 90% entered a positive destination which remains in line with previous sessions. The number of leavers from quintile 1 entering a positive destination was 95.2% an increase of 1% from 2022/23. Launched in September 2024, Renfrewshire’s Pathfinders Programme provides enhanced transition support for school leavers, offering direct pathways into West College Scotland courses, integrated work placements and access to a range of bespoke qualifications tailored to individual needs and aspirations. Through the school leaver follow-up process, 18 young people participated in the programme and have been successfully supported into positive destinations, including further education, training, and employment. All 13 Renfrewshire secondary schools have a Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) coordinator. DYW Coordinators play a crucial role in connecting education and the world of work, helping young people prepare for their future careers. A total of 16,226 DYW engagements have been recorded across our schools during session 2024/25. These included work placements, employer engagements and career events. A range of social values programmes have been developed to enhance young people’s readiness for future pathways, including a project-based learning initiative delivered in partnership with Canon and a group of 20 S3 pupils at Johnstone High School. This innovative collaboration provided young people with opportunities to develop key meta-skills such as creativity, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. These programmes continue to play a vital role in supporting all young people, including those most vulnerable, to build the transferable skills needed to access and sustain positive post-school destinations
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 57 In March 2025, the first cohort of six Career Ready students graduated from the programme at Park Mains High School, marking a significant milestone in Renfrewshire’s commitment to developing employability skills in young people. Building on this success, the programme has now been upscaled to include 4 secondary schools, with 27 young people currently participating in the two-year coaching and mentoring programme. Career Ready offers young people the opportunity to work with a dedicated mentor from the world of work, access to a series of skills-focused masterclasses, and a four-week paid internship during the summer holiday period. In July 2025, 12 students successfully completed internships with Renfrewshire Council, gaining valuable workplace experience and confidence. Feedback from both mentors and participants has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the programme’s impact on career readiness and aspiration. Plans are now in place to extend Career Ready to additional secondary schools in session 2025/26, further strengthening pathways to positive post-school destinations. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202558 Young People from Castlehead High School and Renfrew High School are now in year 2 of the DXC Digital Futures Academy. Twelve S3 pupils are working alongside industry experts and gain exposure to cutting edge technologies. The programme includes personal career planning, goal setting, action planning and decision making. Fifty-five girls from across all Renfrewshire secondary schools took part in the Barclays BTech DYW event in February 2025, an opportunity to visit the Barclay’s workspace and be inspired to become the next generation of technologists. 225 young people from Renfrewshire secondary schools accessed the Future Paisley Pathways Programme during February and March 2025. The programme was developed to inform young people about both further education routes and professional development opportunities in Renfrewshire’s cultural sector. Young people attended taster workshops with experienced professionals in technical theatre, events management, podcasting, tourism and performing arts. They were also given the opportunity to visit the newly refurbished Paisley Arts Centre to see performances from Paisley Opera, Right2Dance and West College Scotland’s performing arts students. Each performer talked about their experiences and journey into their creative field. Feedback from young people indicates the programme was successful in increasing awareness of opportunities in local creative industries and pathways available at both University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and West College Scotland (WCS) with a 92% satisfaction rating in the exit survey. Colleagues at Soft FM have developed a traineeship programme for Renfrewshire school leavers. Six trainees were recruited in December 2024 and are now on a pathway to secure permanent employment with Renfrewshire Council. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment Renfrewshire young people were among the first to replace a school day with a work shadowing experience as a Modern Apprentice. Try Something Different - Apprentice for a Day was delivered during Scottish Apprenticeship Week 3rd – 7th March 2025. 12 young people had the opportunity to explore industries that interest them but also to learn about the many benefits of work-based learning from real apprentices. Feedback from young people was very positive ‘Being an apprentice today has made me think about my future, it’s motivated me now. I’ve always wanted to be an engineer but I’ve never had any experience of it, so I wanted to come along today and have a try at it to see if I like it, and I have, so I think I’ll be applying soon’.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 59 Seventeen primary schools participated in the WCS school science programme with approximately 753 pupils having the opportunity to participate in STEM workshops delivered by key staff and ambassadors in this curricular area. Pupils had the opportunity to access experiments in fingerprint analysis, lung capacity and rockets. A Primary Poster Competition ‘When I Grow Up’ invited all primary age pupils to showcase their dream careers and the steps required to achieve it, winning posters were displayed in Invest Renfrewshire. Renfrewshire schools continue to demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental sustainability through active participation in national climate action initiatives. Both the Eco-Schools and Climate Action Schools programmes are empowering learners and educators to take meaningful action on climate change, biodiversity loss, litter and pollution—fostering a culture of environmental responsibility across the authority. Currently, 24 Renfrewshire establishments are engaged in the Eco-Schools programme and have successfully achieved the prestigious Green Flag Award, recognising their sustained efforts in promoting sustainability at a whole- school level. In addition: • 149 pupils from 6 classes have taken part in the Climate Ready Classrooms programme, building their knowledge and confidence to act on climate issues. • 8 teachers have completed Climate Ready Classrooms training, enhancing their capacity to lead climate education in their settings. • Renfrewshire’s Climate Change Champions represented the authority at the Keep Scotland Beautiful Youth Forum Networking Event, contributing to national dialogue and sharing local successes. Anti-Racist Education In collaboration with the West of Scotland Development Education Centre (WOSDEC), a comprehensive programme of CLPL was successfully designed and delivered during this session to support leaders at all levels in developing whole-school approaches to anti-racism. This included workshop-based training for senior leaders, facilitated by WOSDEC, which received highly positive feedback. Several Head Teachers have since initiated school-based activities to extend the learning across their staff teams. To support ongoing engagement, WOSDEC’s anti-racism resources have now been made available to all educational establishments for future use. Additionally, the Educational Psychology Service contributed to the development of a self-evaluation toolkit aimed at supporting practitioners in reflecting on their personal values and beliefs in relation to anti-racism. This toolkit is currently being piloted in two primary schools and one secondary school, with a view to informing wider implementation. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202560 Next Steps • Provide ongoing universal Literacy and Numeracy support across all sectors in line with individual establishment improvement plans through delivery of high quality, evidence-based CLPL. • Provide bespoke Literacy and Numeracy support to an increasing number of target schools as part of the Targeted Schools Programme (Phase 3) to raise attainment and close the poverty-related attainment gap. • Deliver the Maths Recovery course and develop a Secondary Maths Learning Festival in partnership with an external provider. • Establish a network of ELCC Numeracy Champions to share best practice and stay updated with research, developments, and trends. Continue to promote the Primary Numeracy Champions network. • Provide numeracy family engagement initiatives as part of the transition programmes from ELCC/P1. • Rollout Maths BURST Spatial Skills Programme from Primary 4 to Primary 7. • Continue to embed Talk for Writing in schools and early years settings currently using the approach and extend the programme to an increased number of establishments in session 25/26 with the provision of CLPL, resources and support. • Work in partnership with Talk for Writing to update the ‘Planning, Progression & Assessment’ overviews to include 3rd level and updated guidance in relation to non- fiction writing. • Continue to develop the use of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to support learning in early years settings and extend the programme to a greater number of children under 2. • Provide YLL pupil training in August 2025 for new cohorts supported by the Young Leaders trained in 2024-25. • Continue to quality assure the YLL process to maximise impact. • Provide a training programme to support implementation of the Renfrewshire Way. • Incorporate the work of the Assessment and Moderation working group into the Renfrewshire Way. • Create a new working group to support with quality assurance and further development of the Renfrewshire Way toolkit. • Provide authority guidelines and a pack of support materials for assessment. • Carry out Quality Improvement visits to primary schools and ELC establishments with a focus on assessment and moderation. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 61 • Devise and implement a cross-sector moderation project across 2 clusters with a specific focus on reading. • Provide a varied programme of CLPL for ELC settings to support effective curriculum delivery and the provision of a high-quality learning environment. • Promote the health and wellbeing of ELC leaders and staff through a targeted programme of support. • Launch the Early Years Position Statement to ensure key messages are effectively communicated and embedded across all ELC settings. • Collaborate with Education Scotland, NHS and Educational Psychology to implement the plan to improve language and communication across Renfrewshire, including in our Early Years establishments. • Continue the work to develop a new framework for Renfrewshire’s children aged 0-3 which will maximise their development and support staff in adopting best practice in planning, assessment, recording and reporting. • Implement a refreshed DYW Work Placement model across all secondary schools to support an enhanced curriculum offer. • Promote Foundation Apprenticeships in key employability areas. • Implement Renfrewshire Future Pathways as the authority employability strategy to deliver 100% positive destinations by 2028. • Continue to enhance the senior phase curricular offer to include a wide range of opportunities for achievement through the SCQF. • In partnership with WOSDEC, provide cross sector online anti-racism training for all staff. • Provide bespoke support and training to a cluster of establishments to support the development of an anti-racist curriculum. Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202562 Performance Information The Data Team provides highly effective analytical and evaluative support to both the central team and school leadership. Throughout the academic year, the team produces timely and insightful data summaries aligned with key milestones. These reports encompass a range of thematic areas, including Senior Phase (initial and leavers’ data), Broad General Education (BGE), attendance, exclusions, and comprehensive analyses of large-scale datasets such as Health and Wellbeing surveys. Their work plays a critical role in informing strategic planning, monitoring progress, and supporting evidence-based decision-making across the organisation. Data is utilised highly effectively to inform the strategic deployment of Scottish Equity Fund (SEF) resources and targeted interventions. Through a robust process of data-informed self-evaluation, specific areas of need were identified, leading to the implementation of tailored interventions. These were supported by centrally deployed expertise from Literacy, Numeracy, and Health and Wellbeing (HWB) Development Officers, ensuring a coordinated and evidence-based approach to closing the attainment gap. During our Education Scotland local authority inspection in October 2025, our Data Strategy was identified as effective practice worth sharing. “ 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.” National Thematic Inspection—Local Authority Approaches to supporting school improvement— Summarised Findings—March 2025
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 63 Performance Information Target Schools Programme Phase 2 of the Target Schools Programme was implemented with the strategic aim of raising attainment and closing the poverty-related attainment gap in literacy and numeracy for children living in SIMD 1 and 2 areas. Target schools within the primary sector were identified through detailed data analysis. The programme involved the deployment of additional staffing in these schools, alongside bespoke support and targeted CLPL opportunities. The primary evaluative measure for the programme was improvement in Curriculum for Excellence attainment. Supplementary data sources included GL assessment results and qualitative feedback gathered through focus groups with Head Teachers, class teachers, and pupils. Teachers working with targeted pupils had varying levels of pedagogical knowledge. Regular check-ins were implemented to provide tailored, responsive support, enabling more effective professional development and improved classroom practice. This engagement supported both the Development Officer (DO) and individual teachers to understand the specific needs of targeted pupils and supported moderation. Teachers valued the sessions for providing focused time to reflect on and discuss best-practice interventions. Although some staff were initially hesitant, most responded positively to the support and engaged openly with the DO. They also appreciated the opportunities to discuss pupil progress and intervention strategies with their peers. All pupils involved in the programme agreed that they felt more confident after receiving additional support. Of the 161 targeted pupils remaining in June 2025: • 93% achieved the expected level in listening & talking • 75% achieved the expected level in reading • 60% achieved the expected level in writing • 76% achieved the expected level in numeracy Across all curricular areas, the majority of P4 and P7 pupils who achieved the expected level had maintained attainment since the previous year. Further analysis of Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) data indicates clear progression in pupil attainment from Primary 3 to Primary 4 and from Primary 6 to Primary 7. Notable improvements have been observed across all measures, reflecting the positive impact of targeted interventions. More information on the Target Schools Programme can be found at Appendix D.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202564 Attainment in Literacy & Numeracy—SCQF Level 5 A ainment in Literacy & Numeracy –SCQF Level 5 Renfrewshire leavers consistently perform above na onal figures in literacy and numeracy 87 88 90 87 85 83 82 82 83 82 81 81 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Percentage of Leavers Achieving SCQF 5 Literacy Renfrewshire Na onal 76 78 80 77 75 76 69 71 73 71 71 72 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Percentage of Leavers Achieving SCQF 5 Numeracy Renfrewshire Na onal A ainment in Literacy & Numeracy –SCQF Level 5 Renfrewshire leavers consistently perform above na onal figures in literacy and numeracy 87 88 90 87 85 83 82 82 83 82 81 81 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Percentage of Leavers Achieving SCQF 5 Literacy Renfrewshire Na onal 76 78 80 77 75 76 69 71 73 71 71 72 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Percentage of Leavers Achieving SCQF 5 Numeracy Renfrewshire Na onal Percentage of Leavers Achieving SCQF 5 Literacy Renfrewshire leavers consistently perform above national figures in literacy and numeracy Percentage of Leavers Achieving SCQF 5 Numeracy Renfrewshire National Renfrewshire National
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 65 Average Total Tariff 655 712 738 720 670 671 1232 1327 1366 1326 1229 1293 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Renfrewshire Leavers- Average Total Tariff by SIMD Quintile SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) 46% 45% 46%46% 47% 923 981 1094 984 933 942 889 943 993 944 914 916 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Average Total Tariff Points- All Leavers Renfrewshire National 48% 655 712 738 720 670 671 1232 1327 1366 1326 1229 1293 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Renfrewshire Leavers- Average Total Tariff by SIMD Quintile SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) 46% 45% 46%46% 47% 923 981 1094 984 933 942 889 943 993 944 914 916 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Average Total Tariff Points- All Leavers Renfrewshire National 48% The average total tariff measures school leaver’s attainment across all subjects and qualifications. Renfrewshire leavers consistently have a higher average tariff than national, indicating that our pupils achieve more qualifications and at higher grades than their counterparts across the country. Attainment gaps between pupils living in most and least deprived areas have remained consistent over the previous 6 years. The latest data shows improvement in attainment of those living in SIMD 20% most deprived areas. Average Total Tariff Points—All Leavers Renfrewshire Leavers—Average Total Tariff by SIMD Quintile Renfrewshire National SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived)% Gap
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202566 School Leaver Destinations 92.5 90.3 91.8 93.9 92.8 95.2 96.9 97.2 99.8 98.8 98.1 98.7 65.0 70.0 75.0 80.0 85.0 90.0 95.0 100.0 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Percentage of Renfrewshire School Leavers in Positive Initial Destination- SIMD Quintile 1 & 5 SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) Linear (SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived)) Linear (SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived)) -4pp -7pp -8pp -5pp -5pp 95.0 94.0 96.5 96.6 96.4 97.1 95.1 93.4 95.5 95.7 95.9 95.7 65.0 70.0 75.0 80.0 85.0 90.0 95.0 100.0 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Percentage of School Leavers in Positive Initial Destination Renfrewshire National -3pp 92.5 90.3 91.8 93.9 92.8 95.2 96.9 97.2 99.8 98.8 98.1 98.7 65.0 70.0 75.0 80.0 85.0 90.0 95.0 100.0 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Percentage of Renfrewshire School Leavers in Positive Initial Destination- SIMD Quintile 1 & 5 SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) Linear (SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived)) Linear (SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived)) -4pp -7pp -8pp -5pp -5pp 95.0 94.0 96.5 96.6 96.4 97.1 95.1 93.4 95.5 95.7 95.9 95.7 65.0 70.0 75.0 80.0 85.0 90.0 95.0 100.0 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Percentage of School Leavers in Positive Initial Destination Renfrewshire National -3pp Percentage of School Leavers in Positive Initial Destination Percentage of Renfrewshire School Leavers in Positive Initial Destination—SIMD Quintile 1 & 5 Renfrewshire National The percentage of Renfrewshire school leavers in a positive initial destination has increased on previous years and remains ahead of national figures. The gap between leavers from most and least deprived areas has decreased and is now at the lowest point in the previous 6 years. SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) Linear (SIMD Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) Linear (SIMD Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) Percentage Point Gap
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 67 Destinations by Care Experience 96% 94% 97% 97% 97% 98% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100% 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Percentage of Renfrewshire School Leavers in Positive Initial Destination- Care Experience Leavers with Care Experience Leavers with No Care Experience Destinations by Care Experience -14pp The percentage of care-experienced leavers entering a positive destination has increased over 5 years and the size of the gap is lower than in 2018/19. -7pp -9pp -10pp -7pp -8pp 81% 86% 90% 87% 90% 90% Percentage of Renfrewshire School Leavers in Positive Initial Destination— Care Experience The percentage of care-experienced leavers entering a positive destination has increased over 5 years and the size of the gap is lower than in 2018/19. Leavers with Care Experience Leavers with No Care Experience Percentage Point Gap
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202568 Primary Attainment in Literacy & Numeracy Primary attainment in literacy and numeracy continues to increase and is now beyond pre-pandemic levels. Primary Literacy- Percentage Achieved Expected Level Primary Numeracy- Percentage Achieved Expected Level Primary Attainment in Literacy & Numeracy Primary attainment in literacy and numeracy continues to increase and is now beyond pre-pandemic levels. 76% 70% 72% 74% 76% 78% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Primary Literacy- Percentage Achieved Expected Level 84% 80% 81% 83% 84% 85% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Primary Numeracy- Percentage Achieved Expected Level Primary Attainment in Literacy & Numeracy Primary attainment in literacy and numeracy continues to increase and is now beyond pre-pandemic levels. 76% 70% 72% 74% 76% 78% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Primary Literacy- Percentage Achieved Expected Level 84% 80% 81% 83% 84% 85% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Primary Numeracy- Percentage Achieved Expected Level
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 69 SIMD Attainment Gaps Pupils in most deprived areas were most significantly affected by the pandemic causing gaps to widen. These have now begun to reduce and in both literacy and numeracy are lower than pre-pandemic levels. Primary Literacy—Percentage Achieved Expected CfE Level by SIMD Quintile Primary Numeracy—Percentage Achieved Expected CfE Level by SIMD Quintile 76% 67% 72% 74% 74% 77% 93% 92% 91% 92% 93% 92% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Primary Numeracy- Percentage Achieved Expected CfE Level by SIMD Quintile Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) 67% 55% 61% 60% 64% 68% 86% 85% 82% 87% 88% 87% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Primary Literacy- Percentage Achieved Expected CfE Level by SIMD Quintile Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) SIMD Attainment Gaps Pupils in most deprived areas were most significantly affected by the pandemic causing gaps to widen. These have now begun to reduce and in both literacy and numeracy are lower than pre-pandemic levels. -25pp -27pp-21pp-30pp -19pp-19pp-19pp-24pp-17pp -19pp-20pp -15pp 76% 67% 72% 74% 74% 77% 93% 92% 91% 92% 93% 92% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Primary Numeracy- Percentage Achieved Expected CfE Level by SIMD Quintile Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) 67% 55% 61% 60% 64% 68% 86% 85% 82% 87% 88% 87% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Primary Literacy- Percentage Achieved Expected CfE Level by SIMD Quintile Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) SIMD Attainment Gaps Pupils in most deprived areas were most significantly affected by the pandemic causing gaps to widen. These have now begun to reduce and in both literacy and numeracy are lower than pre-pandemic levels. -25pp -27pp-21pp-30pp -19pp-19pp-19pp-24pp-17pp -19pp-20pp -15pp Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived) Quintile 1 (20% Most Deprived) Quintile 5 (20% Least Deprived)Percentage Point Gap Percentage Point Gap
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202570 S3 Attainment Attainment in S3 has been on an increasing trend over the previous 4 years. The largest increases have been in attainment at Fourth Level. S3 Literacy Attainment S3 Numeracy Attainment S3 Attainment Attainment in S3 has been on an increasing trend over the previous 4 years. The largest increases have been in attainment at Fourth Level. 95% 85% 90% 92% 92% 61% 60% 67% 72% 74% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 S3 Literacy Attainment Achieved 3rd Level or Above Achieved Fourth Level 95% 93% 93% 96% 94% 68% 73% 76% 80% 79% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 S3 Numeracy Attainment Achieved 3rd Level or Above Achieved Fourth Level S3 Attainment Attainment in S3 has been on an increasing trend over the previous 4 years. The largest increases have been in attainment at Fourth Level. 95% 85% 90% 92% 92% 61% 60% 67% 72% 74% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 S3 Literacy Attainment Achieved 3rd Level or Above Achieved Fourth Level 95% 93% 93% 96% 94% 68% 73% 76% 80% 79% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2018-19 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 S3 Numeracy Attainment Achieved 3rd Level or Above Achieved Fourth Level Achieved 3rd Level or Above Achieved 4th Level Achieved 3rd Level or Above Achieved 4th Level
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 71 Attainment & Exclusions Attendance across all sectors has increased on the previous year following a decrease since the pandemic. Exclusion rates in secondary are lower than the pandemic peak but remain high. Rates in ASN schools have decreased consistently since 2019-20. Attendance Rates by Sector Exclusion Rate per 1000 Pupils by SectorAttainment & Exclusions Attendance across all sectors has increased on the previous year following a decrease since the pandemic. Exclusion rates in secondary are lower than the pandemic peak but remain high. Rates in ASN schools have decreased consistently since 2019-20. 94.9 90.1 91.1 95.4 91.5 91.192.8 87.0 90.2 92.8 86.9 89.793.1 86.8 89.6 93.5 87.7 91.1 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 100.0 Primary Secondary ASN Attendance Rates by Sector 2019-20* 2020-21* 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 8.1 39.6 49.5 2.9 43.1 43.6 3.8 72.9 25.8 4.5 60.3 20.8 5.0 39.5 5.16.1 48.9 2.5 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 Primary Secondary ASN Exclusion Rate per 1000 Pupils by Sector 2019-20* 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Attainment & Exclusions Attendance across all sectors has increased on the previous year following a decrease since the pandemic. Exclusion rates in secondary are lower than the pandemic peak but remain high. Rates in ASN schools have decreased consistently since 2019-20. 94.9 90.1 91.1 95.4 91.5 91.192.8 87.0 90.2 92.8 86.9 89.793.1 86.8 89.6 93.5 87.7 91.1 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 100.0 Primary Secondary ASN Attendance Rates by Sector 2019-20* 2020-21* 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 8.1 39.6 49.5 2.9 43.1 43.6 3.8 72.9 25.8 4.5 60.3 20.8 5.0 39.5 5.16.1 48.9 2.5 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 Primary Secondary ASN Exclusion Rate per 1000 Pupils by Sector 2019-20* 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2019-20* 2020-21* 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-252019-20* 2020-21* 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202572 Stretch Aims The local authority’s approach to setting stretch aims is strategically focused on both recovery and acceleration. Initially, the emphasis was placed on restoring attainment levels to those observed prior to the pandemic, followed by a sustained effort to exceed those benchmarks. Schools were guided to set attainment targets aligned with this rationale. These annual school targets are intended to ensure that the approach is pupil-centred and should lead to more effective tracking of progress across the broad general education. Core plus aims are centred on Writing across the broad general education (BGE). This is a key improvement area for the authority and was selected based on performance at each stage. Evidence-based interventions are being used to support schools with improving Writing. Additional aims are included which focus on attainment of pupils living in SIMD most deprived and least deprived areas. This provides a rich set of data to inform future planning. Within the Quality Improvement Framework, bi-annual secondary school attainment visits have been renamed as ‘Improving outcomes for young people’ meetings. This change reflects the focus of the meetings moving beyond a discussion of SQA attainment to include all SCQF awards as well as work around improving outcomes. The revised agenda for these meetings, created in partnership with secondary Head Teachers, includes discussion of the local authority stretch aims and individual schools’ performance alongside them.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 73 Measure Type 2017/ 2018 2018/ 2019 2019/ 2020 2020/ 2021 2021/ 2022 (Baseline) 2022/ 2023 2023/ 2024 2023/ 2024 Target- 2024/ 2025 Difference to Target Difference to Baseline % primary pupils achieving expected level in literacy Core 76% 76% - 70% 72% 74% 76% 78% 79% -1.4% 6% % primary pupils achieving expected level in numeracy Core 83% 84% - 80% 81% 83% 84% 85% 87% -2.1% 4% % P1 pupils achieving expected level in writing Core + 83% 83% - 78% 81% 81% 83% 82% 85% -2.9% 1% % P4 pupils achieving expected level in writing Core + 77% 76% - 70% 69% 74% 76% 77% 79% -1.6% 8% % P7 pupils achieving expected level in writing Core + 76% 76% - 70% 73% 74% 77% 79% 78% 0.7% 5% % 16-19 olds participating in education, employment or training Core 91.6% 91.7% 92.4% 93.0% 93.3% 92.8% - - 95.2% - - % leavers achieving 1 or more pass at SCQF level 5 (All SCQF) Core 90.0% 91.4% 92.6% 93.4% 91.5% 90.9% - - 93.3% - - % leavers achieving 1 or more pass at SCQF level 6 (All SCQF) Core 69.1% 69.7% 71.4% 77.1% 72.9% 70.5% - - 75.0% - - Stretch Aims—2024/25 Update Whilst we have not yet met all our targets, attainment has improved across every measure since the baseline year. Stretch Aims
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Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 75 In October 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Renfrewshire 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 Renfrewshire 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 Renfrewshire Council is an urban local authority in the west of Scotland. It is the tenth largest council in Scotland in terms of population. Renfrewshire Council covers a relatively small geographical area (261 km²), including the towns of Paisley, Renfrew, Erskine and Bishopton. Twenty-six 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 26% of children in primary schools and 39% of young people in secondary schools have been assessed as requiring additional support with their learning. The average attendance in 2022/2023 was 90.2%. The national average is 90.2%. In 2023/2024 in Renfrewshire Council, children and young people are educated across 50 primary schools, 11 secondary schools, two specialist schools and 14 supported learning centres within mainstream schools. One school provides Gàidhlig (Gaelic) Medium Education. The service leadership structure is the Director of Children’s Services; two Heads of Education; a Service Improvement Manager; nine Education Managers; a team of five Development Officers and Education Officers. The Director was appointed in December 2023. One Head of Education was appointed in July 2024. The second Head of Education is in an acting post, and a permanent Head of Education is due to take up post in November 2024. National Thematic Inspection: Local authority approaches to supporting school improvement—Summarised Findings
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202576 Renfrewshire Council sets out its embedded and highly effective approaches to school improvement in the Quality Improvement Framework (QIF). As part of the QIF, council officers provide comprehensive guidance that supports headteachers to improve the quality of education through robust school improvement planning (SIP) and standards and quality reporting (SQR). The guidance provides school leaders with clear expectations and a useful structure for creating these plans and reports. Headteachers appreciate the degree of flexibility to reflect their school community and context within the format of standards 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? and quality reports. For example, a few headteachers use an interactive, digital format for standards and quality reporting. They use a multimedia approach to illustrate their school’s improvement journey and outcomes in a dynamic and user-friendly way. The Education Scotland Attainment Advisor provides bespoke advice and support for individual schools on the quality of their annual Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) plans. This helps to ensure that the targets that school leaders set are specific and measurable. Each school cluster has a link Education Manager who works directly with the schools within that area. This enables Education Managers to develop strong relationships with individual schools. Education Managers provide headteachers with evaluative written feedback on draft school improvement plans and standards and quality reports. Education Managers and Heads of Education moderate the quality of this feedback to ensure there is consistency in approach. As a result, school leaders feel that there is a sense of equity, as well as rigour, across the authority. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 77 Local authority Development Officers for numeracy, literacy, health and wellbeing, and the Digital Learning Manager, contribute to school improvement planning processes. They provide written guidance on aspects of their specialism. Where required, they also provide in-person support for identified schools. They use coaching and modelling approaches to help staff to plan in detail how they will raise attainment, and how they will measure success. This is building the confidence of school leaders and teachers and leading to better planning for improvement in these schools. 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. These parents play a key role in advising education managers on 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. A recent 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 the bespoke arrangements and approaches that are required. The local authority’s guidance is clear that headteachers are expected to collaborate with and involve parents and learners as part of their approaches to self-evaluation and school improvement planning. Parents who met with HM Inspectors felt they had a good understanding of the priorities for improvement in their child’s school. They receive regular updates from headteachers at Parent Council meetings, and more widely through school newsletters. Parents were less aware of the local authority’s priorities for improvement. During COVID 19, Parent Council forum meetings were held online. Authority-wide Parent Council forum meetings have recently been re-instated, and the Director plans to build on this approach. Parents appreciate workshops and information sessions that are organised by schools. They suggested that more sessions on topics such as mental health and wellbeing and coping with children’s anxiety would be beneficial. In the 2024/2025 education plan, the local authority outlines a clear commitment to continue to roll-out and embed the national ‘Young Leaders of Learning’ programme. This has the potential to increase the voice of learners in authority-wide improvements, such as in the creation of the new Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy. Local authority 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 direct strategic decisions about local authority priorities, requirements for professional learning, advice or more targeted support for schools. This is helping local authority officers to maintain existing high standards, and to secure further improvement in the quality of school education for children and young people in Renfrewshire. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202578 The local authority has a range of effective strategies to evaluate school performance. Education Managers co-design these strategies with headteachers and other stakeholders. Collaboration is a strong feature of the local authority’s approaches to self-evaluation for self-improvement. This is ensuring staff have confidence that they are playing a full part in the local authority’s aspirations and delivery of improved outcomes for all learners. 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 advice and support for schools on approaches to self-evaluation and quality assurance is very clear and highly effective. Managers have produced a suite of documents to provide templates, guidance and helpful exemplars to support self- evaluation. Overall, headteachers indicate that the approaches and documents are streamlined, coherent and support high quality self-evaluation using robust evidence and triangulation. The Education Scotland Attainment Advisor has supported headteachers to measure impact more accurately and develop evaluative writing through self-evaluation for continuous improvement sessions. There is strength across the authority in individual headteachers’ capacity, confidence and experience to lead self-evaluation effectively and accurately. This is reflected in the concordance of individual school’s self- evaluation and evaluative gradings from HM Inspectors in school inspections over recent years. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 79 All headteachers engage in regular, high- quality dialogue about attainment with Heads of Education, Education Managers and peer headteachers. They welcome the level of challenge and interrogation they receive. Senior leaders have developed a strong culture of data literacy at all levels of the education system. Education Managers, headteachers and, increasingly, class teachers are skilled in their understanding and use of data. The Management Information Officer provides a comprehensive data dashboard for all schools. The Attainment Advisor supports staff very effectively to use data for improvement. This has successfully developed headteachers’ confidence and capability to measure and evidence improvements in outcomes for learners. In turn, this has been developed well across schools to support teachers’ use of data to plan and evaluate improvements and outcomes for children and young people. As a result, staff analysis and use of data across the local authority is strong, as is the overall reliability and validity of attainment data. This strong focus on data, and its clear use to inform improvement, has led to sustained, positive improvement trends in attainment across the broad general education and senior phase. Education Managers undertake a programme of school reviews each year to evaluate the quality and consistency of learning and teaching across the local authority. Headteachers and school staff welcome opportunities to participate in these collaborative review visits to other schools. School leaders find the school review model very helpful in supporting their ongoing improvement agenda. They acknowledge the strong collaborative working approaches to improve outcomes for all children and young people across Renfrewshire. Through these engagement visits, headteachers receive very helpful support and rigorous challenge, which improves and strengthens their self-evaluation and quality assurance processes. School leaders have a strategic approach to support focused evaluation to inform continuous improvement which includes capturing the views of stakeholders. This includes, importantly, learners voice through pupil focus groups, parents’ views through parent forum meetings and teachers’ professional associations. Overall, the local authority is proactive and responsive in its approach to securing improvement. This is driven by high quality and reliable data and intelligence about school performance. Education Managers and other central staff engage with schools very positively. Headteachers report there is consistency in the approach taken by members of the central team. Teachers’ professional association representatives who met with inspectors report positive and open relationships with senior education officers, who they feel are responsive to feedback. There is a strong culture of trust and openness among central staff and headteachers. Education Managers work together to moderate the quality of feedback they provide to schools on their SIP and SQR. In addition, they liaise with each other and engage in peer visits to moderate their work in schools. Peer headteachers accompany Heads of Education and Education Managers to all attainment visits, school reviews and learning observations. This helps to moderate and strengthen capacity for improvement by sharing agreed standards across schools and the wider local authority. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202580 Headteachers engage in rigorous self-evaluation with Education Managers around PEF plans, interventions and impact. The Attainment Advisor also supports this work very well. Staff in schools and clusters are working more closely together to use PEF resources more collaboratively. This approach is helping to maximise the impact of interventions and help to plan for sustainability of approaches. The local authority has many networks where school staff can share, and hear about, effective practice and the impact on children and young people. Headteacher meetings are held four times throughout the year. Central staff use their well-informed knowledge of individual schools to identify headteachers to present emerging or effective practice with their peers. Headteachers value these opportunities to hear about the implementation and impact of new initiatives and effective and embedded practice. Headteachers work across locality clusters and quartile groups of schools with similar contexts and profiles of deprivation. These networks provide further opportunities to share more specific approaches to school improvement and learn about effective practice from peers. This is encouraging cross-cluster collaboration and is strengthening subject networks very well across the secondary sector. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 81 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’s provision of professional learning for staff at all levels is embedded within the QIF. In Renfrewshire, the professional learning offer is highly effective and is enhancing the quality of education in schools. Development officers play a key role in designing and delivering a broad range of learning opportunities, which contribute significantly to improved educational outcomes. Managers and headteachers state that the support from Education Managers and the Attainment Advisor has been particularly valuable in addressing poverty-related attainment gaps, through universal and tailored professional learning. Overall, education staff are very well supported and strongly encouraged to engage in career- long professional development, promoting continual improvement in practice. The professional learning offer provided by the local authority is both proactive and responsive to the needs of staff. It is tailored to meet universal, targeted and bespoke needs of schools, identified through rigorous data analysis. Professional learning is aligned closely to the local authority’s improvement priorities. There are examples of bespoke professional learning for literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing and inclusion that have resulted in improved outcomes in various schools. As part of the local authority’s Data Strategy, specific training is offered for staff at all levels on using data to drive improvement. This training has focused on skills development to build confidence in staff with the interpretation and evaluation of data. This has been developed and embedded over several years, beginning with leaders, and now for class teachers and support staff. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202582 The local authority is currently developing a professional learning offer to align with the development of the new Learning, Teaching and Assessment strategy. This professional learning offer is being planned by a short-life working group of staff from schools and central officers. Senior leaders have benefitted from a worthwhile programme of professional learning focussing on self-evaluation for continuous improvement. This was delivered in collaboration with Education Scotland staff and HM Inspectors. All senior leaders evaluated this positively in terms of impact on improvements within school improvement planning. An online directory of professional learning for staff at every level, including support staff, is shared annually and updated throughout the session. Education Managers and Development Officers know their schools very well and deliver bespoke professional learning that is relevant to individual schools’ identified areas for improvement. In addition to this, staff identify their own areas for development through the Professional Review and Development process at school level. This approach ensures that school leaders and staff are developing the appropriate skills and knowledge for self- evaluation and driving improvement within their schools. Engagement and feedback from staff on professional learning is tracked and evaluated centrally by Education Managers and Development Officers. Schools who have received targeted support are revisited by officers to evaluate impact in more depth. The well-planned offer of professional learning, that is shared annually with all staff, is informed by feedback from the previous year. This allows staff to access professional learning which directly supports their school improvement priorities and individual professional learning needs. This wide range of impactful professional learning is improving the quality of experiences for children and young people and enhancing the capacity of all staff to lead and promote continuous improvement. Development officers work directly in schools with senior leadership teams and school champions for literacy, numeracy, digital learning, Developing the Young Workforce, and health and wellbeing. Within secondary schools, subject forums support staff within curricular areas. Staff involved in these networks are effectively supported by local authority officers through high-quality professional learning which is building capacity for improvement within school teams. The regular network meetings create valuable opportunities for collaboration, knowledge and skills development, as well as the sharing of best practice. This nurtures a culture of continuous improvement. A “train the trainer” model is actively supporting 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. Development officers provide practical support to class teachers through coaching and modelling of practice. This is a very successful way to deliver targeted support. The local authority is now developing the role of ‘modelling and coaching’ officers within school staff teams in a more consistent and universal way. This has the potential to further drive improvements at classroom level. This approach also supports the local authority’s aim to embed a practitioner inquiry into professional learning. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 83 Headteachers attend regular meetings where central officers provide input on local and national education priorities. They benefit from the peer support opportunities that are a key feature of the QIF. Additionally, middle leaders benefit from a variety of well-structured aspiring programmes, which are facilitated by experienced senior leaders from both schools and the central team. The range of aspiring leadership programmes, from principal teacher to headteacher, are very successful in encouraging participants to apply for promoted posts and to undertake the ‘Into Headship’ qualification. This is building leadership capacity within the council’s own workforce. A tailored professional learning programme for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) offers core and optional elements to support professional development. Led by an Education Manager and Development Officer, it aligns with the Standard for Full Registration, ensuring it is relevance and robust. This programme is responsive to the needs of schools through engagement with senior leaders and annual evaluations from NQTs themselves. Additionally, the local authority’s collaboration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland on a pilot programme for Early Career Teachers reflects a proactive approach to supporting new staff, promoting an environment where they feel valued, heard, and equipped to deliver high-quality education to children and young people. This comprehensive support system demonstrates a strong commitment to professional learning. The local authority draws on the skills and experience of the senior leaders within schools to support professional learning. This happens within clusters, quartiles and wider within the West Partnership. Professional learning programmes that were delivered through collaboration with the West Partnership, ‘Improving our School’ and ‘Improving our Classroom’ were spoken very highly of by staff who had participated within the programmes. Guidance and support from Associate Assessors from within the local authority supports wider moderation and a shared understanding of national standards. Collaboration with external organisations within healthcare and further/higher education further enhances the comprehensive professional learning package provided by the local authority. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202584 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? Renfrewshire Council’s QIF sets out clearly the local authority’s approach to supporting schools, including arrangements for universal and targeted support. Its highly effective programme for universal and targeted support for schools is embedded and understood well across the system. Over the last three years, managers have reviewed and further refined the established systems and approaches to support and challenge to ensure they are further responsive to need. The local authority offers three levels of support and challenge to schools: universal, bespoke and targeted. The universal level applies to all schools and comprises pastoral support, scrutiny of improvement plans and self-evaluation returns, analysis of attainment/ achievement data, school reviews and a comprehensive professional learning offer. The bespoke offer is a nuanced and responsive approach to support and challenge, in addition to the universal offer. It provides headteachers with autonomy to request support on particular aspects of provision to meet the needs of the school. The targeted programme is an intensive improvement model for schools that require additional help to secure improvement in attainment. Schools on this programme are identified through quality reports; attainment data being lower than anticipated; local contextual information; or following external inspections. Renfrewshire Council have very few schools that require this level of support. Managers have recently revised the format of headteacher meetings as part of the universal offer to all schools. These termly meetings Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 85 include school leaders from all sectors. Managers have considered the purpose of these meeting in collaboration with headteachers. There is now a strong emphasis on strategic improvement and supporting collaboration among headteachers to support and challenge each other. This is helping to build capacity for improvement very well across the education service. Headteacher meetings also provide a valuable opportunity for officers and headteachers to share effective practice. Headteachers find this opportunity to learn from each other particularly beneficial to inform and influence change and improvement. In addition, there are sectoral headteacher meetings and cluster meetings planned throughout the year. Education Managers facilitate and support these meetings well. The local authority uses a wide range of high-quality data and information to monitor the performance of schools. This includes, for example, attainment, attendance and exclusions data and outcomes of, or proximity to, national inspection activity. Education Managers also gather a range of information relating to schools’ improvement planning and evaluation by reviewing school documentation and through a blend of planned and responsive visits to schools. They collate this information into a data dashboard of all schools. They update this regularly and use this information to plan their engagement with and monitor the progress of individual schools. As a result, the local authority has a broad and reliable range of information about the performance of schools and identify which schools are included in the targeted support programme. The data dashboard helpfully informs the work of officers. It also supports officers to have rigorous and robust discussions with headteachers about outcomes for children and young people. Managers identify the level of support required by schools using the data dashboard and intelligence collected by engaging regularly with the system. Headteachers provide evaluations of performance to managers, using triangulation of evidence to justify their identified priorities for improvement. Headteachers feel that the quality of support for schools is strong. Local authority managers and officers know their schools very well and provide well-considered and responsive levels challenge and support. Schools in the targeted programme are not on track in two or more ACEL measures across P1, P4 or P7, because of the proportion of children in SIMD 1 and 2 and school rolls. Where a school requires targeted support due to concerns around performance or outcomes, local authority managers and officers implement a range of different actions. This is responsive and proportionate to individual need and can include, for example, temporary additional staffing, coaching for senior leaders, and increased frequency of education manager engagement with schools. Schools requiring targeted support are required to have an action plan with baseline measures which is monitored regularly. These targeted actions have led to specific improvements in areas such as attainment in literacy and numeracy and leadership capacity. The local authority also provides individual schools with a bespoke programme of support. Education Managers and headteachers draw on a skilled and knowledgeable team of development officers, modelling and coaching officers and peer headteachers to provide specific support. Such examples of support can include modelling and coaching, working directly with pupils, supporting teachers to develop resources and materials and delivering professional learning. This bespoke approach is effective in bringing about improvements Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202586 in school performance in specific ways, which are responsive to individual school needs. Headteachers value this approach and speak highly of the impact colleagues with specific remits have. For example, primary headteachers identify the role played by development officers in writing and numeracy. This is leading to improved attainment for specific groups of children. Headteachers benefit from networks of support at local authority, cluster, and school levels. Local authority officers work together very effectively to promote a culture of ongoing improvement in the quality of education. Officers are linked to key groups and networks to provide universal support and challenge to schools. All newly appointed headteachers are given a mentor to support them in their understanding of operational deliverance and strategic school improvement. Headteachers speak highly of this approach and the high- quality coaching conversations on which the mentoring is based. 5. Any other relevant information Elected members who met with HM Inspectors felt that they had positive relationships with the Director and senior officers and had confidence in their leadership of education provision in Renfrewshire. They identified that education staff’s use of data to inform improvement, and the comprehensive professional learning offer as key strengths. They feel they are supported well by senior officers. They receive comprehensive briefings and reports in advance of committee meetings. These tend to focus on schools that have been recently inspected. A few elected members suggested that they would like more frequent updates on how well all individual schools were performing, in addition to inspection information. They suggest this could be achieved by way of briefing papers or having a few schools as a ‘spotlight’ feature during committee meetings. This is worthy of consideration by senior education officers. 6. Effective practice worth sharing • 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. Appendix A
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 87 • 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. These parents play a key role in advising education officers on 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. A recent 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 the bespoke arrangements and approaches that are required. Appendix A
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Appendix B
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 89 Case Study: “Don’t judge me by the cover, ‘cause I’m a real good book.”, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Renfrewshire Programme Overview Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) is a universal book gifting programme that aims to foster a love of reading in children by providing them with high-quality, age-appropriate books through the post each month. In March 2021, Renfrewshire Council became the first local authority in Scotland to offer the programme universally to all children aged 2–5, extending an initiative which had already been in place for care-experienced children since 2011. Books are selected by a panel of literacy experts and delivered directly to each child, addressed in their own name. which an approach that makes the experience of reading feel personal, special, and consistent. The rationale for investing in DPIL is rooted in the strong body of evidence linking early reading to improved language development, emotional wellbeing, and long-term educational attainment. Local implementation of the programme is not simply about distributing books, it is integrated into early years pedagogy, community events, and intergenerational learning activities, and has become a valued part of Renfrewshire’s literacy and equity offer. What Has Been Done Since 2020, Renfrewshire has scaled DPIL into a core part of its early years and family learning offer. The programme operates through a network of over 100 ambassadors across council, partnership, and private nurseries, who champion its benefits and embed books into everyday practice. Children hear the books read aloud in nurseries, enabling even those who are not read to at home to engage with them. Staff use DPIL books as contexts for learning, supporting early literacy through “stay and play” sessions, outdoor reading events, and family engagement activities. The programme has also expanded to include senior secondary pupils who volunteer as ‘reading role models’ in nurseries, and some intergenerational events where older adults read to young children (and vice versa!) in social care settings. Registration has been promoted through libraries, health visitors, and community partners, with particular focus on ensuring equitable access regardless of socio-economic background.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202590 Impact To date, over 162,000 books have been gifted to children in Renfrewshire. As of early 2025, 3,300 children are currently registered - representing 64% of the eligible 2–5 population. Parents, carers, and educators consistently report wide- ranging benefits: • 96% of parents say they read more often with their child as a result of receiving the books • 83% report that their child is more excited about books and reading • 71% feel the programme is helping prepare their child for school • 99% say their child is reading a wider variety of books • 100% of surveyed early years settings read the monthly book aloud and use it to support wider learning • 95% of settings say the programme has increased interest in reading for pleasure Beyond these figures, parents speak powerfully about the emotional impact including the excitement of receiving post in a child’s name, the value of shared routines at bedtime, and the confidence DPIL has given them to engage in reading, even among those who themselves had previously struggled with literacy. Next Steps DPIL in Renfrewshire is now a core part of the Children’s Services offer, with funding secured and integration embedded across early years The Council will continue to monitor and evaluate the programme’s impact, strengthen outreach to under-represented groups (such as families of two-year-olds not yet accessing services), and promote universal equity in early literacy, one book, one child, one month at a time. Appendix B
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 91 Appendix B
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Appendix C
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 93 Case Study: Young Leaders of Learning—Pupil Voice in Action There is now considerable evidence from research that supports the view that addressing learner participation in all aspects of a school makes for effective policy making, enhances school life and improves a range of outcomes for learners. The Young Leaders of Learning (YLL) Programme was developed by Education Scotland to further support learner participation in Scotland’s schools and give children and young people a bigger say in their education and their schools. Programme Overview The YLL programme empowers children and young people to take an active role in school improvement by participating in reciprocal visits between partner schools, identifying strengths and areas for development within an agreed shared theme, and providing constructive feedback to their school to inspire change. The programme is built on the principles of learner participation, collaboration, and children’s rights (UNCRC Articles 12 and 13). It promotes meaningful pupil voice and helps schools better understand the learner experience from the perspective of young people themselves. Renfrewshire’s engagement with the YLL programme began with two pilot projects (2023- 24), one in primary and one in secondary, before launching a full programme that is now entering its second full year. It has grown quickly, with high levels of voluntary participation across schools. Each participating establishment identifies a team of pupils, ideally a mix of confidence levels and diverse academic strengths, who are then trained in giving feedback, exploring themes from How Good is Our School? (pupil version) and planning school visits. What Has Been Done In 2024/25, 34 primary and 6 secondary schools from across Renfrewshire worked in pairs to explore a shared theme. Each school received staff training, followed by a pupil training day led by the local authority. The heart of the programme lies in reciprocal visits, where young leaders tour each other’s schools, conduct interviews, observe practice (without visiting live lessons), and then present their reflections and action points to senior leaders. The collaboration at the heart of the YLL programme is one of its greatest strengths for staff, school leaders, and pupils alike. YLL fosters a culture of reflection, self-evaluation and improvement that goes beyond individual classrooms. Impact Across both primary and secondary, the programme has had clear benefits for young people, staff, and schools. Pupils consistently reported feeling that their voice was heard and valued, and described increased confidence, leadership, and interpersonal skills. Feedback from primary pupils included reflections on the excitement of having “an important job,” getting to “interview staff” and “writing our improvement plan”. For pupils with a quieter disposition, the programme offered structured ways to contribute, such as note-taking or observation, with many building confidence over time. The experience of seeing another school and recognising both similarities and differences helped to build pride in the pupils’
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202594 own schools while developing critical thinking and the ability to makes links and connections in the ideas that they had for their own school. Staff also reflected positively, describing strong professional learning opportunities, deeper insight into pupil perspectives, and strengthened links across schools. The most meaningful change occurred when young people were given genuine ownership of the programme. The young leaders from session 2024-25 will now go on to support the training of the next cohort, building sustainability and developing peer leadership. While the overall model was successful, there was some variability in impact across school partnerships. Where schools invested significant time in preparation and planning, pupils were able to move beyond surface-level improvement suggestions to more strategic improvement ideas. Examples include: • Improving the consistency of learning language used across all classrooms • Introduction of whole-school, skills-based learning days that encourage collaboration across different stages • Clarifying procedures for addressing incidents of bullying to ensure they are more easily understood by pupils. Pupils and staff also reported wanting more opportunities to meet their partner schools, making the sharing events more interactive, and have felt the benefit of having the space and time for collaboration with another school. “ I built my confidence by having to mingle with others and stepping out of my comfort zone.” Secondary young leader “ It was good to see behind the scenes of the school and make suggestions for how they could improve it.” Secondary young leader “ Being a YLL means we can change our school in a positive way.” Primary young leader “ We made friends, became more confident and got our voices heard.” Primary young leader Next Steps The YLL programme is now embedded as a core participation offer in Renfrewshire and will expand further in 2025/26. Eight additional schools have joined the programme, and partnerships for the new year will be based on shared improvement themes from How Good is Our School? (pupil version). This expansion means that almost all of our schools are now engaged in the programme, which empowers pupils to drive positive change within their school communities. In addition, the sharing events will be restructured into more interactive formats, and schools are being encouraged to make use of their existing young leaders to support peer training. To see how two schools have collaborated to bring the Young Leaders of Learning programme to life, watch this short and inspiring video: https://youtu.be/aeFYu9sv2FE?si=4pTS_ m9rNRCwREQZ Appendix C
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Appendix D
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 97 Case Study: Target Schools Programme Programme Overview The Target Schools Programme (TSP) was developed in response to persistent and uneven patterns in attainment, particularly stemming from recovery following the pandemic. School data revealed that, while some schools were returning to pre-pandemic performance levels, others, particularly those serving more deprived communities, were experiencing slower progress or continued stagnation in primary school attainment. These trends mirrored national concerns but prompted a local response in Renfrewshire that moved beyond generic deprivation measures. Rather than targeting the schools with the highest levels of deprivation alone, the approach focused on identifying those individual pupils where comparative data showed they could and should be experiencing better attainment with the correct support in place to meet their needs. The programme’s design was deliberately strategic, combining historic attainment data, pupil numbers, and SIMD analysis to identify schools where resources could have the greatest impact on children. This more refined targeting aimed not only to close the poverty-related attainment gap but also to raise attainment across the authority. What Has Been Done In 2024/25, ten primary schools took part in Phase 2 of the programme. Each school was supported to identify pupils in P1, P4, and P7 who were not meeting expected Curriculum for Excellence levels, or were at risk of not doing so, but who did not have a formal additional support needs. The premise was to support those who might otherwise have less access to additional support. To enable this, each school received additional staffing, most commonly in the form of supply cover, which allotted time for class teachers or principal teachers to work intensively with target groups. Small-group teaching formed the core of the intervention model, creating space for individualised support. Schools employed slightly different models to match their context and best meet the needs of their pupils. For example. in some schools, this was led by the class teacher and in others, experienced staff such as PTs or NQTs were leading the programme. Development Officers provided bespoke support to each school, offering literacy-focused CLPL, moderation opportunities, and access to assessment tools. These professionals played a key role in embedding consistent practice, building staff confidence, and responding to and supporting with challenges. In many cases, support staff were also included in professional learning, helping to embed consistency of approach and making the interventions more sustainable. Impact Both quantitative and qualitative evaluation data point to a strong and positive impact. Teachers discussed greater clarity of progress, and increased engagement. The use of small groups enabled deeper diagnostic assessment and targeted instruction, particularly benefiting those who were unlikely to raise concerns in a full class setting. Pupils reported improved confidence, engagement with learning, and an enjoyment of the small-group settings.
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 202598 Appendix D Headteachers noted that the biggest difference was often in pupil confidence and teacher judgement. Focus groups also highlighted the relational nature of the work: pupils benefitted not only from the academic input but from being supported by adults who already knew them and understood their needs, and getting to work closely with their classmates. Next Steps Building on the success of Phase 2, the programme is now expanding significantly. In 2025/26, it will support 30 primary schools. The next phase will retain the core elements of staffing, development officer support, and targeted small-group teaching but will introduce several refinements. Percentage Increase in ACEL Stage Attainment—2023–24 to 2024–25 Percentage of Pupils Achieving Expected Level in Target Area by Stage 11% 2% 4% 11% 1% 5% 2% 5% 1% 0% 1% 0% 2% 2% 1% 1% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% Listening & Talking Reading Writing Numeracy Listening & Talking Reading Writing Numeracy P4 P7 Percentage Increase in ACEL Stage Attainment- 2023-24 to 2024-25 Target School Non-target School 80% 50% 88% 0% 50% 100% Reading Writing Numeracy Percentage of Pupils Achieving Expected Level in Target Area by Stage P4 P7 Target School Non-target School 11% 2% 4% 11% 1% 5% 2% 5% 1% 0% 1% 0% 2% 2% 1% 1% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% Listening & Talking Reading Writing Numeracy Listening & Talking Reading Writing Numeracy P4 P7 Percentage Increase in ACEL Stage Attainment- 2023-24 to 2024-25 Target School Non-target School 80% 50% 88% 0% 50% 100% Reading Writing Numeracy Percentage of Pupils Achieving Expected Level in Target Area by Stage P4 P7 P4 P7
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Education Standards and Quality Report September 2025 99 Appendix D
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For further information, please contact Children’s Services Renfrewshire Council Email: education@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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Education Improvement Plan 2025/26
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Education Improvement Plan September 20252 Contents Introduction ............................................................................3 Renfrewshire’s Education Improvement Plan ......................4 Renfrewshire Council Plan Strategic Outcomes ....................5 Our Values ...............................................................................6 Renfrewshire Children’s Services Vision ................................7 Education Improvement Plan Priorities ...............................8 Stretch aims ............................................................................9 Inclusion ...............................................................................10 Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment ..............30 Families and Communities—Health and Wellbeing ..........46 Appendix ...............................................................................56 Appendix 1—Stretch aims ..............................................57
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 3 Welcome to Renfrewshire Council’s Education Improvement Plan for the school session 2025/26. This plan is informed by robust self-evaluation and evidence gathered by the Central Team, enabling us to identify meaningful next steps to enhance the learning experiences of all our children and young people. Rooted in the Council’s values—Fair, Helpful, Collaborative, Learning—this plan outlines how we will deliver on both local priorities and the national priorities set out in the National Improvement Framework. Our plan focuses on three main themes, and the document itself is structured around these themes: • Inclusion. • Families and Communities. • Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment. We remain ambitious for every child and young person in Renfrewshire. While we aim to raise attainment for all, we maintain a sharp focus on narrowing and closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Through a blend of universal and targeted approaches, we will ensure that every learner is supported to succeed— both in school and in life beyond. This plan represents our proactive and systematic approach to continuous improvement. We warmly invite parents, carers, and all our partners to work alongside our Early Learning and Childcare settings, schools, and services to help realise the outcomes and impacts we have identified within the plan. Introduction Councillor Emma Rodden Convener Education and Children’s Services Janie O’Neill Director of Children’s Services
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Education Improvement Plan September 20254 This Education Improvement Plan supports the delivery of the priorities contained within key plans such as Renfrewshire Council’s Plan, Children’s Services Partnership Plan and Children’s Services Improvement Plan. It also allows us to deliver on the National Improvement Priorities for education as well as other relevant strategic and policy drivers such as: • ‘Delivering Excellence and Equity in Scottish Education: A Delivery Plan for Scotland’. • Scottish Equity Framework. • Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). • Whole Family Wellbeing. • The Promise Scotland—findings of the Independent Care Review. • Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education— Professor Ken Muir. • Additional Support for Learning Review— ‘Support for learning: all our children and all their potential’. • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. • General Teaching Council for Scotland Professional Standards 2021. • Developing the Young Workforce. • The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland. • OECD report on ‘Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence’. • Mental Health Strategy 2017–2027. Renfrewshire’s Education Improvement Plan
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 5 Renfrewshire Council Plan Strategic Outcomes We will encourage kind and connected communities—where our citizens take pride in their place, attracting others to move here and share in the opportunities Renfrewshire has to offer. We will support a strong and flexible local economy—with Renfrewshire able to adapt after the pandemic, building up resilience to support good green jobs and skills for all local people to enjoy the benefits of both living and working here. We want Renfrewshire to be a fair place— where all our people have the best chances to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives, to feel safe, supported and empowered to unlock the strength of our collective potential. We are working towards a greener future— taking responsibility for our impact on the planet and taking brave, bold steps to protect the natural environment that supports and benefits us all. We want our employees to feel proud to work for Renfrewshire Council because we are a values driven organisation, where we all understand and value our contributions, and we are passionate about making a difference for Renfrewshire. Cross cutting theme: Improving outcomes for children and families
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Education Improvement Plan September 20256 Our Values We are fair. We treat each other and everyone we deal with respectfully and work hard to build trust in Renfrewshire Council. We are helpful. We care about getting things right and are always approachable. We are great collaborators. We work as one team and with people who care about this place. We value learning to help us innovate, improve and deliver better services.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 7 Working together to get it right for children, families and communities—protecting, learning, achieving and nurturing. Renfrewshire Children’s Services Vision
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Education Improvement Plan September 20258 Education Improvement Plan Priorities 5 National Improvement Framework (NIF) Priorities • Place the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education. • Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy. • Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people. • Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing. • Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school-leaver destinations for all young people. This report outlines the progress made in advancing our strategic priorities and highlights the positive impact of this work on our children and young people. Our improvement priorities are closely aligned with the key outcomes and objectives set out in the National Improvement Framework (NIF), ensuring coherence with national policy and direction. Reduce child poverty in Renfrewshire and improving outcomes for children and families currently living in poverty Support and nurture our children, families and communities Place children and young people’s human rights at the heart of the planning and delivery of services that affect them Create the best possible learning estate to allow children and young people to thrive Protect the most vulnerable members of our communities, including children and young people who are at risk Raise attainment and enhance learning and teaching in an inclusive environment
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 9 Stretch aims The local authority’s approach to setting stretch aims is based on recovery and acceleration: recovery to pre-pandemic levels of attainment and then increase attainment beyond pre- pandemic levels from 2024 onwards. Local authority stretch aims have been set for 2025/26, with interim annual targets each year. To support this approach, schools set their own attainment targets following the same rationale. These annual school targets are intended to ensure that the approach is pupil centred and should lead to more effective tracking of progress across the broad general education. Core plus aims are centred on writing across the broad general education (BGE). This is a key improvement area for the authority and was selected based on performance at each stage. We continue to use evidence-based interventions to support schools with improving writing. Additional stretch aims relating to attendance, exclusions and pupil wellbeing have also been included at local authority level. Across all measures, additional stretch aims have been identified for attainment gaps, measured using SIMD, as well as for all pupils. This is to maintain the joint focus of raising attainment for all and closing the poverty related attainment gap.
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Inclusion
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 11 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Review of Renfrewshire’s Vision for Inclusion Restatement of Renfrewshire’s Vision for Inclusion to ensure a clear understanding of the presumption of mainstream; the profile of need of those who are most vulnerable, and needs are most complex; the expanding ASN estate and the importance of multi-agency working. Develop a shared understanding of Renfrewshire’s Vision for Inclusion with partners e.g. Social Work and Health. By June 2026: All children and young people will benefit from an ethos and culture of inclusive learning and teaching practices and relationships through: • Strong leadership. • Empowered staff who will use their knowledge of the children and young people to drive inclusive practice. Through thematic establishment reviews evaluate the following: • Monitoring and tracking systems which reflect early intervention supports to ensure they are robust. • The assessment systems used to identify the needs of learners. • The strong leadership and distributed leadership driving inclusion. • Audit the flexible curriculum pathways for learners.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202512 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Review of Renfrewshire’s Vision for Inclusion (continued) Build capacity in those working with Renfrewshire’s children and young people by working with partners to deliver joint training and services. All children and young people will be supported to overcome barriers to learning and achieve their full potential through: • Early intervention. • Regular communication with children and young people, parents and carers to review learning. • Effective assessment systems which identify the diverse needs of children and young people. • Flexible learning pathways. By June 2026, the Flexible Learning Resource (FLR) will be structured to allow bespoke support to be provided in relation to the following needs: Attendance and Emotionally Based School Avoidance, interrupted learners, Social and Emotional needs, learners at risk of exclusion, social and communication needs. Locality Education Officers will quality assure Child’s plans through the Education Support Resource Group (ESRG) process this will include plans which require joint planning between base school and FLR. Moderation of Multi Agency plans will show that they are of a high standard and reflect joint planning. Termly analysis of attendance data will show an upwards trend across establishments. Attendance data in relation to children accessing support from the FLR will show an increase in attendance. An audit of reduced timetables recorded through ESRG will show that: • Reduced timetables are being used appropriately to support children and young people to increase time in school. • Reduced timetables are being regularly reviewed at school level.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 13 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Review of Renfrewshire’s Vision for Inclusion (continued) Partners, including Social Work and Health will be kept updated in relation to Renfrewshire’s ASN estate and processes in place to support children and young people in our education establishments. Termly analysis of exclusion data will show a reduction in exclusion rates across all sectors. Exclusion data in relation to children accessing support from the FLR will show a decrease in number of exclusions. Achievement and attainment levels will improve for children and young people with ASN. Qualitative feedback from children and young people receiving support from FLR will be gathered to evaluate the effectiveness of support provided. Monitoring and tracking systems in our Flexible Learning Resource will show that the needs of learners are being met within this provision.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202514 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Early Years Create an early years Flexible Learning Resource to support children with additional support needs. Bespoke packages of support will be accessed through ESRG process. By June 2026: The Early Years FLR will support the implementation of universal and targeted supports within Renfrewshire’s ELC. Audit of ESRG information across establishments will provide information on impact of early intervention. Qualitative feedback from practitioners will be gathered via Forms and focus groups to evaluate effectiveness of EY FLR. Tracking and monitoring data from FLR will illustrate impact of early intervention. The Early Years data will be drawn from the 13–15 month; 27–30 month and 4–5 year ASQs. This data will show a reduction of developmental concerns over time. This is in line with the national aims. A multi-agency plan for improving speech, language, and communication in the early years across Renfrewshire will be developed and piloted for 2–3 year olds. The pilot will explore: • CLPL for education and health practitioners. • Effective play spaces and resources. • Tracking and monitoring progress. • Targeted support and early intervention. • Parental involvement and community supports. • Mapping of community supports to develop intelligence to determine what families can already access and understand gaps in supports. There will be an increase in support for Children and young people with language and communication needs. Improvements in workforce development and knowledge of early language and communication, how to identify needs and how to meet these needs.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 15 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Early Years (continued) To launch the Early Years position statement in order that key messages are shared and embedded into practice across all ELC services. ELC staff will be clear of the expectations in relation to providing high quality early learning provision in Renfrewshire. On quality visits Education Managers/ Development Officers will gather information on the quality of provision. Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland inspection grades. To promote the health and wellbeing of ELC leaders and staff through a target programme of support. By June 2026: ELC leaders and practitioners will have increased resilience and capacity to support them in their roles. Improved attendance across the ELC workforce. Pre and post training evaluations of ELC staff and leaders. Staff attendance levels.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202516 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Early Years (continued) Continue the work to develop a new framework for Renfrewshire’s children aged 0-3 which will maximise their development and support staff in adopting best practice in planning, assessment, recording and reporting. By June 2026: Children are making very good progress in every aspect of their development. A revised framework will provide best guidance to staff supporting the overall development of children aged 0 to 3 years. On quality visits Education Managers/ Development Officers will gather information on the quality of provision on: • the effectiveness of interactions and engagement to support the overall development of children aged 0 to 3 years. • planning, assessment, and tracking data for children aged 0 to 3 gathered at an individual establish level. Engagement and consultation with ELC staff on the effectiveness of the Framework in supporting practice. Care Inspectorate grades.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 17 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Virtual Head Teacher/Skills Academy A newly created Virtual Head Teacher post will work closely with establishments to provide support to: • Children and young people who are experiencing attendance and emotionally based school attendance issues. • Children and young people at risk of or currently excluded. • Children and young people that require a Flexible Learning Placement. • Care experienced children and young people. The Virtual Head will support all learners to engage in an appropriate learning pathway by supporting the continuity of their wellbeing and learning to achieve aspirational education outcomes. By June 2026: There will be a shared vision statement in relation to the FLR. Support will be equitably distributed across the FLR resource through VHT chairing the Staged intervention Support Panel. The needs of children and young people will be met as support packages will be tracked and monitored through a robust system. Regular review and evaluation of support packages will ensure the quality assurance of Child’s plans and supports. There will be improved communication between base schools and FLR resource. A shared understanding of the FLR role will be evident through an audit of Education Support Resource Group (ESRG) requests taken to Staged Intervention Support Panel. An audit of SISP tracker will demonstrate equitable distribution of resource and provide data in relation to the support needs of the children and young people supported through FLR. Locality Education Officers/Virtual Head Teacher will quality assure plans of children being supported through FLR resource. FLR data will show an increased number of children reengaging with base school.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202518 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Virtual Head Teacher/Skills Academy (continued) This post will be a single point of contact for all Primary and Secondary FLR Principal Teachers. Children and young people placed in FLR will have the opportunity to access a wide and varied curriculum and have achievement opportunities. Children and young people attending FLR have access to base school transition supports, wider achievement opportunities and community links. Monitoring and tracking of FLR data will show: • An increase in children and young people attendance. • A decrease in incidents leading to exclusion • Improvements in achievement and attainment. • Positive and sustained destinations for school leavers. • Increase in HWB scores. An audit of FLR curriculum will show an increase in curricular and wider achievement opportunities for children and young people.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 19 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Review of Coaching and Modelling—all sectors A short life working party of practitioners in FLR and mainstream will: • Provide a clear vision for the role of coaching and modelling officers. This will be clearly defined and shared with establishments. The resource will aim to build capacity in staff across establishments and a clear process to access this resource will be created. By August 2026: A target group of practitioners will provide feedback on the impact of coaching and modelling, and this will shape next steps for the working party. Coaching and modelling staff will provide a consistent service appropriate to sector. Almost all referrals for coaching and modelling input will allow children and young people YP to remain in their base school. This early intervention will reduce number of referrals to SISP for FLR intervention. Practitioners across Renfrewshire establishments will be upskilled to allow the majority of pupil needs to be met in their mainstream establishment. A shared vision statement will be created and there will be a shared understanding of the role of coaching and modelling officers across sectors. Impact data will report that children and young people remain at staged intervention 2 and remain in base school following a period of coaching and modelling. Audit of referrals to ESRG following period of coaching and modelling will illustrate impact of early intervention through coaching and modelling approach. Quality assurance of Child’s plans will show that coaching and modelling strategies are embedded in base school practice. Qualitative feedback from practitioners will be gathered via Forms and focus groups to evaluate effectiveness of coaching and modelling.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202520 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Prioritise Attendance and Exclusion 4 weekly and termly reports with a focus on the attendance/exclusions of those with Additional Support Need will be produced and monitored. This will inform the Target School Programme (CLTA). Link with colleagues at Educational Psychology Service working with our 5 pilot schools to: • Support their embedded EBSA cases. • Improve their recording and use of SEEMIS coding. • Create and implement consistent non- attendance processes and • Strengthen supports during transitions. The Renfrewshire attendance and EBSA guidance will be updated in partnership with the steering group, the five pilot schools and Educational Psychology Service. By June 2026: Attendance and late coming data will show an upward positive trend. Exclusions will be monitored and reduced, with a specific focus on those young people who are care experienced. When implemented, part-time timetables will be appropriately and strategically implemented to help improve attendance among children and young people. EBSA pilot school data and good practice will be shared and disseminated amongst establishments. Data on attendance and exclusions gathered termly including: Attendance gap monitored: • Difference in percentage attendance between 20% most. • Deprived and 20% least deprived. • % lost to unauthorised absence will decrease. • % lost to truancy or unexplained absence will decrease. • % lost to self-certified will decrease. • Number of late comings (arrives before mid-opening). • Number/Percentage of schools who have • Improved on the previous year. Audit of part time timetables submitted to ESRG will show that all have clear review dates. Sample of Child’s plans will show: • That establishments have robust plans to increase child or young person’s time in school. • That the views of the child or young person and parent have been captured.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 21 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Update Transition Arrangements Improved transition arrangements will be created for Primary 6/7 into S1. Transition arrangements are being reviewed for children accessing Riverbrae ELCC. Training will be delivered in relation to the updated timelines. By June 2026: A consistent transition process will be followed by all establishments and as a result children and young people will be better supported during transition. Consistent transition arrangements will ensure robust information is provided by establishments to inform ESRG decisions regarding ASN placements. There will be a clear process for children accessing Riverbrae ELCC for a period of assessment and to support transition back to base ELCC. All children and young people are placed appropriately and supported through enhanced transition. Qualitative data from evaluation of Early Years into P1 process will show that stakeholders find the process transparent and consistent. Review of pilot timeline for P6/7 into S1 will show an improvement in consistency. Review of pilot process to access Riverbrae ELCC will show an improvement in consistency across locality. An audit of complaint numbers regarding communication and transparency of ASN placements will highlight improved arrangements. Audit of training evaluations will show increased understanding of transition processes and policy.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202522 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Revise Home Education Process In line with revised guidance in relation to Home Education we will: • Revise process to ensure that it is in line with updated guidance – focus on opportunity for relationship building and collaboration. • Clear guidance will be provided to LA staff who will be identified as point of contact for HE requests. This will ensure a consistent response and clear process. • Ensure consistent responses to what support is offered to parents/carers. • Review record keeping process with a focus on children/young people who do not require consent. By June 2026: The revised Home Education Policy will be fair, clear, transparent and provide clear guidance in line with updated guidance. Clear guidance and process will be shared with relevant staff and available online to parents/ carers so they have improved knowledge and awareness. The process will promote collaborative relationships with home educating families by informing families about what support may be available to them, and to signpost to practical support and resources as set out in the updated guidance. A draft policy will be produced and shared with stakeholders for review. A clear central process will be implemented and evaluated. Quality assurance measures will be in place across Locality Education Officer team. There will be a central tracking system of requests which will show consistent recording of annual checks with families.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 23 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Policy Updates The current Children’s Behaviour Risk Assessment will be refreshed in partnership with key stakeholders including the Parent Ambassador Group and aligned with the language of the Promise. By August 2026: Our Children’s Behaviour Risk Assessment will be child centred and align with policy updates Included, Engaged and Involved. Feedback from Parents Ambassador group will show that the Children’s Behaviour Risk assessment is inclusive in its design taking in to account the needs of children and young people with additional support needs and care experienced. This will enhance the current processes for supporting children and young people with dysregulated behaviour. Feedback from practitioners will show that the Children’s Behaviour Risk assessment is user friendly and aligns with Renfrewshire’s staged intervention approach. We will continue to update key local policies based on national updates, guidance and local need. Clear policies will be in place to support establishments and provide consistency across Renfrewshire. Feedback from practitioners will show a greater understanding of policy and guidance in relation to ASN. Additional Support Needs Assistant (ASNA) Contracts A proportion of contracts will be made permanent across Renfrewshire establishments to ensure consistency of support. Distribution of permanent ASNA support will be equitably distributed across establishments. Support staff will feel part of their school community and secure in their workplace. There will be an equitable approach to the deployment of support. There will be a reduction in number of temporary contracts. Feedback from senior leaders will show that workforce is more stable.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202524 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Communication Strategy for Parents An audit will be carried out of the information available to parents and what information stakeholders find valuable. An online central place where parents can access information and support will be created by June 2026. The information will be easily accessible to parents. Practitioners across establishments will be aware of this resource and will signpost parents to it for information. By June 2026: The audit will provide data on information available to parents/carers. This will allow us to identify gaps in information and ensure information is correct and current. Questionnaire feedback will provide data on the information stakeholders would find useful to ensure the proposed information to be shared in the central space algins with feedback from stakeholders. Audit of multiagency supports will provide live links to resources for parents/carers. Gaps in information will be clearly identified. All links to resources will be live and relevant. We will have a clear vision of what information stakeholders find useful and would like access to.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 25 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? CAMHS Education Advisor There will be a single point of contact between CAMHS and Education. This role will also support wider collaboration across Specialist Children’s Services (CAMHS and Neurodevelopmental Services) and Children’s Services more broadly, including Education and Social Work. Termly neurodevelopmental training will be delivered as part of the universal and targeted offer. This will include personalised support for teachers, support staff, and senior leadership teams across a range of topics, delivered in collaboration with SCS clinicians. By June 2026, there will be significantly improved partnership working expanding to all areas within and across Children’s Services and Specialist Children’s Service. Improved information sharing and improved expedience in support to families and schools (virtual school/HS) either directly or via signposting. Improved understanding of supporting Neurodivergence in the mainstream classroom- and development of individualised strategies to support specific individual cases. Feedback from services supported by the Education Advisor role will highlight improvements in target children and young people’s: • Engagement. • Attainment. • Attendance. • Wellbeing. • Capacity to self regulate. Practitioners will demonstrate increased confidence in delivering targeted interventions and creating inclusive environments, as evidenced by self-assessment surveys and feedback, and observed practice.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202526 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? CAMHS Education Advisor (continued) The partnership between Education and the Neurodevelopmental (ND) Assessment Process will be strengthened through the streamlining of the ND Pathway referral process which will align the CAMHS referral criteria and staged intervention levels. Schools will have access to, and be supported with, implementation of Discharge Plans. Schools are active partners in the ND assessment process, attending multi-agency meetings and using ND resources effectively and at the earliest opportunity to support children and young people. Improved transition process as a result of wider ND understanding. ND Assessment of all children in Renfrewshire who require it by P4. Increased education access to clinicians. Improved quality of ‘next steps’ planning alongside families, clinicians and schools —post diagnosis. Improved quality and accuracy in Neurodevelopmental referrals from Children’s Services. Appropriate support provided at the earliest opportunity. Improved understanding of how to support children and young people’s mental health needs within school environment. Improved communication with parents. Improved attainment from assessed children P4 onwards. Reduced requirement for ND referrals in early secondary. ND Data on school assessment. Feedback from establishments on ND assessment process. Reduced volume of declined referrals from Children’s Services due to lack of information. Increased signposting to third sector partners. Feedback from establishments. Feedback from establishments. CAMHS re-referral data.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 27 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? CAMHS Education Advisor (continued) Decline in avoidable re-referrals to CAMHS. CAMHS EO will Chair Principal Teacher Support for Learning monthly LISN meeting. Creating monthly opportunity to share good practice, building resilience and capacity within schools. Feedback from establishments. Feedback from Principal Teacher Support for Learning. Participation in Transition Planning group. Provide in-clinic Family Advice/Advocacy. Improved awareness/consideration at point of transition of children and young people on SCS Pathways. Improved transition for P7 children on SCS Pathways. Improved advocacy for families seeking school support in the clinical setting- improving their understanding of school supports and possible ‘home based’ strategies. Feedback from parents will show an improvement in: • Feeling understood/listened to • Understanding of appropriate education support. • Understanding of appropriate 3rd Sector supports. • Feedback from establishments will show improved parental communication.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202528 Inclusion Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? CAMHS Education Advisor (continued) Work within the Partnership Working for Children with Disabilities WFWB 3rd Sector/ Neurodivergence and their Families, Steering Group. Improved communication between home and school. Ensuring an overview of all 3rd Sector support to: • Support discharge planning. • Supporting waitlisted children and young. people on both pathways. • Appropriate early intervention. • Improved understanding of the needs of families with children and young people with ASN. Increased 3rd Sector referrals. Feedback from families, children and young people. There will be an ongoing partnership with the Whole Family Wellbeing school team in supporting children and young people around key areas such as attendance, attainment and health and wellbeing. By June 2026: Through partnership working, children, young people and families get the right support at the right time. Improved family wellbeing which has a positive impact on areas such as attendance, attainment and health and wellbeing. Inappropriate referrals decrease as a result of streamlined referral processes and improved partnership working. Ongoing monitoring of the following data: • Referral data. • Family Wellbeing Scale outcomes. • Qualitative case studies from children, young people and families accessing support. • Attainment data. • Attendance data. • Health and wellbeing data.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 29
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Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment
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Education Improvement Plan September 2024 31 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? The Renfrewshire Way, Renfrewshire’s Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy. Provide CLPL programme for staff at all levels to support aspects of the new toolkit including: • Setting up an appropriate learning environment. • Using features of highly effective practice in learning and teaching such as retrieval practice and adaptive teaching. • Developing the Young Workforce in action. • Gathering and using class data. • Developing an enquiry approach. Development of ‘Renfrewshire Way Practice on a Page’ overviews for each of the areas identified within the toolkit. Create new cross sectoral working group of teachers and practitioners across all levels, with a passion for Learning and Teaching, to support the continued development and growth of the new online Toolkit: By June 2026: All staff (individually or in groups) will use The Renfrewshire Way to implement our vision for highly effective learning, teaching and assessment. All staff are empowered and supported to strengthen their practice through collaboration and CLPL. Almost all children and young people’s experiences improve as the vision for highly effective practice is implemented in each establishment. Features of highly effective learning, teaching and assessment are evident in almost all classes visited as part of Renfrewshire’s Quality Improvement Framework. Establishment standards and quality reports June 2026 highlight that use of the Renfrewshire Way has led to sustained change and positive impact in the classroom. CLPL evaluations will demonstrate that for almost all participants they have: • Increased confidence in how to successfully apply their new skills, knowledge and understanding in their teaching. • Increased confidence in evaluating the impact of this teaching on children and young people’s progress and using this to inform next steps in learning. Ongoing development of The Renfrewshire Way through submission of resources created by schools and individual staff.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202532 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? The Renfrewshire Way, Renfrewshire’s Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy. (continued) • Addition of appropriate resources and removal of those which become outdated. • Develop future CLPL opportunities as the resource develops. • Link with Assessment and Moderation working group to incorporate resources created by them into The Renfrewshire Way. • Creation of bi-annual Renfrewshire Way newsletter to keep all informed on: • Additions to the toolkit. • Progress of the Renfrewshire Way Working Group. • Feedback from CLPL opportunities. • Best practice within and beyond the authority. Develop and distribute Renfrewshire Way baseline evaluation to all establishments. This will be followed up one year later to measure the success of the toolkit and improvements to Learning and Teaching. Almost all QIF and external evaluations of HIGIOS Quality indicator 2.3 Learning, Teaching and Assessment are Good or better. The Renfrewshire Way evaluation (baseline & follow up) will demonstrate the success of the toolkit and improvements to Learning & Teaching.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 33 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Targeted Schools Programme Introduce and implement Target School Programme (Phase 3) to raise attainment and close the poverty related attainment gap across all literacy and numeracy measures for children in SIMD 1 and 2. This will include; • Identifying 17 target schools in primary sector through interrogation of data. • Deployment of additional staff in primary schools through the use of SAC funding. • Providing bespoke support to target schools and CLPL to staff through the engagement of Development Officers, and staff with specialist skills. • Monitoring the implementation of baseline assessment and interventions through Development Officer support. By September 2025: The sharing of experiences and good practice in phase 1 and 2 will inform best practice in moving into phase 3. All leaders will identify the targeted groups of individuals using TSP criteria to ensure maximum support for the children and young people. By June 2026: The poverty gap will have narrowed from 24.6 to 22.6 percentage points in literacy and from 15.1 to 14.5 percentage points in numeracy. All class teachers in P1, P4 and P7 will demonstrate increased confidence in the implementation of both reading and maths recovery programmes including assessment. All schools will have access to additional support with regards to improving literacy and numeracy in P1,P4 and P7 bespoke to identified groups of children. strengthened approach to implementing GL standardised assessment approaches in literacy and numeracy will contribute to improvements in almost all children’s experiences and progress. Attainment and tracking data will show that almost all targeted children are making progress in literacy and numeracy with a trend towards closing identified attainment gaps. Overall attainment for literacy will improve to 80%. Overall Attainment for numeracy will improve to 87 %. Baseline assessment and post support assessment for individual targeted children will show improvement in attainment across literacy and numeracy. Qualitative feedback from children and all staff involved will be gathered via focus groups to evaluate effectiveness of the programme and will evidence their awareness of improvement in attainment.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202534 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Assessment and moderation Improving attainment is a regular feature in School Improvement Plans, and therefore improving our assessment and moderation practice is vital in achieving this. • Clear assessment and moderation guidance for all sectors through a short life working group will be created. • A cross cluster approach to assessment and moderation in reading will be piloted. By January 2026: Clear guidelines and resource materials will be accessed through the learning and teaching resource ensuring a consistent approach across the authority. By May 2026: All curricular networks will be familiar with the new guidelines to support consistent approaches in assessment and moderation. By June 2026: Early years practitioners and teachers from two clusters will be working together through professional discussion, sharing pedagogical approaches, resources and assessments in reading. This will support the improvement of teacher professional judgment across the levels. Attainment and tracking data will show that almost all targeted children are making progress in literacy and numeracy with a trend towards closing identified attainment gaps. Overall attainment for literacy will improve to 80%. Overall Attainment for numeracy will improve to 87 %. Baseline assessment and post support assessment for individual targeted children will show improvement in attainment across literacy and numeracy. Qualitative feedback from children and all staff involved will be gathered via focus groups to evaluate effectiveness of the programme and will evidence their awareness of improvement in attainment.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 35 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Curriculum Reform Education Scotland has now begun work on the review of the Scottish curriculum also known as the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC). Work with senior leadership and middle leadership teams to ensure the curriculum remains up to date and relevant for all children and young people. Tests of change to be supported across secondary schools in line with the share, learn and adopt model as identified in the CIC. Renfrewshire colleagues will engage with the SDS My World of Work Profiling Tool National co-design group to ensure access to ongoing developments in this key area of curriculum development. Staff will have access to high quality CLPL from SDS on Meta-skills and progression pathways. By June 2026: Relaunch secondary curricular networks to build staff capacity to lead and deliver curriculum improvement with a clear rationale to support improvement. There will be an increased focus on staff CLPL on IDL/PBL to ensure Renfrewshire’s children and young people have high quality curricular-linked learning experiences. Children and young people from P5–S6 will have access to the new national approach to learner profiles and will be supported to make natural links between the skills they are developing through their current learning, and possible future career paths. There will be enhanced middle leadership and practitioner agency across all curricular areas and a greater understanding of the Know, Do, Understand model and technical frameworks as they are released by Education Scotland. Provide consistent opportunities for children and young people to access high quality interdisciplinary learning by developing capacity with identified secondary colleagues. Children and young people will feel empowered to make informed, confident decisions about their future and have a better understanding of the impact of wider achievement on their skills development. This will be reflected in positive, sustained destination figures.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202536 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL)—Universal and Targeted offers Deliver a comprehensive core programme of CLPL across sectors linked to professional standards and informed by local/national priorities. By June 2026: Our strengthened approach to CLPL will better equip leaders and practitioners with the knowledge, skills and confidence to effect positive change for all children and young people. Almost all leaders and participants in CLPL will have a greater understanding of conditions required for successful implementation of learning and teaching approaches/interventions. Evaluations post training will demonstrate that for almost all participants the training has: • Increased confidence in how to successfully apply their new skills, knowledge and understanding in their teaching and • Increased confidence in evaluating the impact of this teaching on children and young people’s progress and using this to inform next steps in learning. A strengthened approach to implementing approaches /targeted interventions in literacy and numeracy will contribute to improvements in almost all children and young people’s experiences and progress. Attainment and tracking data shows that almost all targeted children and young people are making progress in literacy and numeracy with a trend towards closing identified attainment gaps.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 37 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Senior Phase—Consortium Continue to enhance the senior phase curricular offer to include a wide range of opportunities for achievement through the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). By June 2026: A strengthened senior phase curriculum will equip all young people with the confidence, knowledge, skills and experience to achieve their full potential and the widest range of curriculum pathways. SCQF Ambassador Programme promoted across all Renfrewshire secondary schools. Young people will have access to a wide range of vocational learning opportunities, experiences and qualifications linked to growth employment sectors and those with predicted skills shortages. Evidence of increased awareness, availability and forward planning of vocational learning opportunities and bespoke pathways gathered through QIF visit and Improving Outcomes Meetings. We will increase the range of awards and qualifications available in the senior phase to ensure a valuable learning experience for all young people. Career Ready Programme will continue to be upscaled to include young people from 4 secondary schools across Renfrewshire with a total of 25 young people engaging in the programme. Increase awareness and uptake of Foundation Apprenticeships among pupils, parents, schools, and employers. Continue to strengthen partnerships with colleges, employers, and SDS to ensure Foundation Apprenticeship offerings are in line with local labour market needs and growth sectors. Young people will access and successfully complete Foundation Apprenticeships in key employability areas. Foundation Apprenticeships will be promoted as a high-value pathway for senior-phase pupils supporting equity & employability. The tracking of Foundation Apprenticeship will show increased uptake, completion, and progression to employment or further study. SDS data and feedback from young people and employers will be used to refine delivery and report on progress and best practices.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202538 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Developing Young Work Force Implement a refreshed DYW Work Placement model across all secondary schools to include meaningful school/employer partnerships to support an enhanced curriculum offer. By June 2026: All young people in Quintile 1 will have access to suitable work placement opportunities aligned with their chosen career pathways and will receive the necessary support to secure and maintain a positive post-school destination. Business partnerships to support young people with employability skills. Work placement data on RUBI and WorkIT will be evaluated to evidence improved engagement with relevant opportunities. Mapping exercise completed to ensure employer links are robust across all secondary schools. Employability Month (Sept 2025) will evidence an increased level of engagement with local employers in target sectors. DYW Ambassador Programme embedded across all Renfrewshire Secondary schools. Implement Renfrewshire Future Pathways as the authority employability strategy to deliver 100% positive destinations by 2028. All secondary schools will have identified business/employer links who are making valuable contributions to the curriculum. There will be structured systems and processes in all schools to support positive destinations as per the Future Pathways Meetings guidelines. 100% of young people will enter a positive destination. Increased % of young people from quintile 1 will achieve a positive destination. 100% of care experienced young people will achieve a positive destination.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 39 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Developing Young Work Force (continued) Widening access strategies to support young people from Quintile 1 to access higher and further education. 16-19 participation measure—95% of young people will sustain positive destination. Young people will benefit from accessing employability programs funded and coordinated by the Local Employability Partnership (LEP). Improved levels of scrutiny and support are demonstrated in the quality of tracking and monitoring data related to school leavers and destinations. Collaboration with SDS and Invest in Renfrewshire will ensure all young people are supported to enter and sustain positive destinations. Monthly SDS data checks and use of the Participation Portal to evidence supports/ interventions in place for senior phase young people and their intended post school pathway. Young Leaders of Learning (YLL) Programme Engage a second cohort of Young Leaders in the programme, and an increased number of establishments, to support learner participation in school improvement activity across primary and secondary establishments. This programme will include the below from the local authority: • CLPL for staff and pupils if required—schools can choose to train their next cohort of YLLs using YLLs from session 2024–25. By June 2026: An ever-improving structure for the inclusion of learner voice into our self-evaluation processes is in place. Young Leaders from session 2024-25 and 2025- 26 have an improved range of skills including teamwork, collaboration, organisation, leadership, evaluation and planning. School staff and children and young people’s pre & post YLL programme evaluation: • shows improvement in a range of skills and use of evaluative language. • shows improvement in collaboration and sharing good practice with other schools. • demonstrates increased learner participation in school improvement activity. Development and progress in school action plans following reciprocal visits.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202540 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Young Leaders of Learning (YLL) Programme (continued) • Provision of an appropriate partner school, looking at a similar theme from HIGIOURS – majority have identified Learning and Teaching as the overarching theme for session 2025–26. • Quality assurance of school visits—link Education Manager (EM) will join a sample. • Ongoing support for and liaison with establishments during session 2025–26. • Facilitation of a Sharing Showcase in June 2026 for all taking part. • Following feedback from those involved in session 2024-25, provision of YLL badges and certificates to all participants. In each establishment, YLLs from session 2024- 25 will use their leadership skills to deliver improvement through their formal action plans. Establish a Teams page for partner schools to share resources created as a result of participation in the programme. They will develop personal confidence, build relationships and friendships and will drive forward improvement in their own school through YLL Action Plans. Young Leaders are confident to share practice in their school and are more familiar with the language and processes of school improvement. Enhanced relationships between partner schools will allow for further collaboration. Participating schools will have access to resources created by other YLLs—enhancing their own YLL action plan/school improvement plan. YLLs will develop relationships and friendships sustained beyond the programme. Progress reported by YLLs in June 2026 school Standards & Quality reports. School Improvement Plans 2026-27 detail how YLL programme will be further developed in each participating school – this information should be provided by the YLL themselves. Progress and impact of 2024-25 action plans gathered in October 2025 demonstrates most identified improvements have been completed by YLLs. This will be almost all by March 2026.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 41 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Anti- Racism Education Deliver a programme of online CLPL in partnership with WOSDEC for leaders at all levels to increase confidence in the implementation of whole establishment approaches to anti racism. By June 2026: All participants will have increased confidence and understanding in delivering an anti-racist curriculum through a whole school approach. Qualitative data from participants, including post evaluations, will be collated to demonstrate impact of training. Three establishments will be involved in implementing the self-evaluation toolkit designed by EPS to engage staff across those establishments in bespoke anti racist activity. Participants will have carried out self-evaluation and will have a deeper understanding and reflection of their values and approaches to diversity and inclusion across the establishment. Establishments involved will measure success through school improvement planning and self-evaluation. A cluster of establishments will be developing a training programme for staff in partnership with WOSDEC. This will involve exploring generic anti-racist principles, along with focussed small group/stage or level specific discussion of and practice in the new national anti-racist resource. All staff in participating schools will have developed an understanding of anti-racism through a number of planned discussions, activities and events. Pre and post CLPL statements will demonstrate that all staff have increased knowledge and confidence and will be acknowledged through establishment self-evaluation.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 43 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Create and develop a Renfrewshire Digital Learning Strategy Following our self-evaluation of digital learning requirements across the education estate, throughout session 2025–26 time will be prioritised to ensure the development of a digital learning strategy with a view to implementation and evaluation throughout session 2026–27. “Transform to Innovate Renfrewshire” will focus on Transformation, Capacity Building and Innovation. This will include; • Further developing cross sector working groups to support the creation of this strategy. • Developing a calendar of Professional Learning for leaders at all levels alongside relevant support materials and including Professional Learning Networks for sharing practice. • Alignment with both the wider Council Digital Strategy and “The Renfrewshire Way”, enhancing and enriching understanding of the features of highly effective practice using digital to support implementation. By June 2026: All staff understand the vision for “Transform to Innovate Renfrewshire” including expectations in delivering highly effective digital practice. All staff are empowered and supported to strengthen their digital practice through collaboration and professional learning. Features of highly effective digital learning are evident in almost all classes visited as part of Renfrewshire’s Quality Improvement Framework, with the ongoing device refresh contributing to these improvements. School standards and quality reports highlight that high quality digital professional learning has led to sustained change and positive impact in the classroom. Evaluations post training and at regular intervals will demonstrate that for almost all participants the training has: • Increased confidence in how to successfully apply their new skills, knowledge and understanding in their teaching. • Increased confidence in evaluating the impact of using these digital tools with learners. We will see an increase in the number of staff certifications in using digital tools effectively, such as Apple Teacher, Google and Adobe Express Educators, alongside an increasing number of staff “sharing their digital learning” and accessing DigiLearnRen.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202544 Curriculum Learning, Teaching and Assessment Action Plan What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Create and develop a Renfrewshire Digital Learning Strategy (continued) • Continued refresh of staff and learner devices to ensure access to high quality devices to allow access to appropriate digital tools, including new Promethean panels • Investigation and development of a business case linked to 1-2-1 devices • Ensure a consistent approach to communication across establishments, including core content for websites, guidance for social media use and support for additional tools available via Parents’ Portal and Groupcall, including absence reporting • Alignment of digital strategy with relevant CIC emerging technologies guidance • Development of operational guidance around key digital areas to ensure a consistent approach across establishments By June 2026: 95% of families will be registered for Groupcall and Parents Portal, making use of the range of communications tools available to them, leading to a reduction in print costs linked to the print strategy. The Professional Learning networks will realise a 5% increase in the number of establishments applying for Digital Awards meaning almost all learners’ experiences improve as the vision for highly effective digital practice is realised in each establishment. Analysis of refresh data in relation to number of devices, including Promethean panels which have been refreshed this session. The operational guidance which will form part of the digital learning strategy will be tested with a focus group of staff from across schools and a cross-sector group of senior leaders.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 45
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Families and Communities— Health and Wellbeing
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 47 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Informed by local and national priorities, develop and deliver a comprehensive programme of universal, targeted and bespoke professional learning to support effective delivery of Health and Wellbeing across all sectors. Topics will include: • Understanding self-harm and suicide • Relationships & sexual health including LGBTI education. • Alcohol & Substance Awareness • Online safety. • Themes emerging from surveys, counselling statistics and feedback from children, young people and schools/centres. By June 2026: Almost all children and young people (CYP) have increased knowledge and understanding of the health and wellbeing supports available to them and access these as required to improve mental health and wellbeing. Almost all participants have improved knowledge, confidence and practice across a range of health and wellbeing topics. Almost all participants understand and are clear about how to respond to the distressed behaviour of CYP. There will be an ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) trained member of staff in all secondary schools. Pupil Support teams who are better-equipped to respond to young people and others presenting with suicidal ideation. All establishments engaging with Education Scotland’s LGBT Inclusive Education have an improved knowledge, confidence and skills in how to create a welcoming and equitable learning environment. LGBT young people feel included and see themselves reflected in their learning and are protected from discrimination and harm. Qualitative feedback from young people will be gathered via Forms and focus groups to evaluate effectiveness of HWB programmes and will evidence their awareness of available supports and how these are being accessed and used. Number of hits of the Renfrewshire digital signposting resources indicate that CYP, staff and parents/carers know where to access support information. Professional learning pre and post evaluations and focus groups demonstrate improved scores in knowledge and confidence. A target group of practitioners will provide feedback on the longer-term impact of their CLPL on CYP and case studies will be developed to evidence this. CLPL participation statistics highlight the reach of the training across Renfrewshire. Case Studies evidence the longer-term impact of CLPL on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of CYP.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202548 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Deliver safeTALK suicide prevention training for young people aged 16 and over and staff as requested by establishments. Young people and staff participating in safeTALK have an improved knowledge and confidence around the topic of suicide prevention. Number of schools engaging with LGBT Inclusive Education across the curriculum. CLPL feedback from Public Health Scotland in relation to safeTALK, demonstrates improved scores of knowledge and confidence. Develop robust approaches to improve learner voice in relation to Personal and Social Education (PSE) courses within secondary settings—aligns to wider work of Children’s Services Partnership. By June 2026: All secondary schools have participated in activities in relation to learner voice included in the delivery and development of the PSE curriculum. Developed resources are based on the Lundy Model of Child Participation. There is a consistent approach to gathering the views of young people across all secondaries. Young people know and understand what action has been taken as a result of their feedback. Audit of learner voice responses from all secondary schools will provide qualitative data for improvement of the PSE curriculum. Improvements will be reflected in school PSE plans. Support schools to deliver an appropriate level of SQA Mental Health Award as part of their curricular Mental, Emotional, Social and Physical Wellbeing approaches. Participating schools expand their delivery of the SQA Mental Health Award to include levels 4, 5 and 6 where appropriate to increase the opportunities and attainment of young people. Audit of schools will demonstrate an increased number of young people completing SQA Mental Health Award units. Young people have improved skills and knowledge about mental health and develop positive coping strategies to address mental health concerns. SQA data will show an increased number of schools and young people gaining SQA Mental Health Award accreditation.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 49 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? In partnership with Barnardo’s, additional Early Years and Primary establishments will be supported to implement evidence- based emotional literacy programme PATHs (Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills). By June 2026: PATHS is embedded across participating establishments to support the teaching of emotional literacy from Early Years–P7. Consistent approaches are evident across participating establishments. All children from participating establishments have strategies to manage and regulate their emotions enabling them to make more positive choices. PATHS quarterly reports and impact reports show high levels of engagement in the programme and improved scores for targeted children. Further promote and enhance Renfrewshire’s Alcohol and Substance Awareness Education Programme, to assess its reach and impact. Collaborate with partners in NHSGGC and I am Me Scotland to support its implementation across the wider health board and to address any gaps. Through the NHSGGC board-wide Vaping strategy group and Renfrewshire’s Vaping and Young People group (including HSCP, Trading Standards and Youth services), explore early intervention and prevention measures as well as board-wide policy development on Vaping, contextualised for implementation in Renfrewshire schools. By March 2026: The programme has been reviewed and gaps addressed to reflect Scottish Government Vaping legislation, current research and key information from partners. By June 2026: All establishments are embedding the programme into the PSE curriculum and CYP have increased knowledge and understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy in relation to alcohol and substances. Almost all participants in CLPL have improved knowledge and understanding and are confident to teach the programme in their classes. NHSGGC reports will demonstrate the impact of the board-wide work in tackling Vaping in YP. Audit information across all establishments provides evidence that the resource is embedded in HWB/PSE programmes. Platform analytics provide information about reach as well as feedback from users – practitioners and CYP. CLPL feedback from staff demonstrates an increased knowledge in relation to alcohol, substances and vaping.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202550 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? A Renfrewshire schools’ policy on Vaping, aligned to NHSGGC board-wide policy, has been disseminated to schools ensuring consistent approaches to tackling Vaping. Fewer young people are Vaping in schools and there is less disruption to learning and teaching thus improving the school environment. Feedback from children and young people demonstrates an increased knowledge around topics in relation to alcohol, substances and vaping. Audit of Vaping use in schools pre and post implementation of policy will evidence improvements. Create and deliver a series of online parent/carer sessions alongside bespoke in-person training for individual establishments as required. Topics will include: • Understanding anxiety. • Harmful behaviour including self-harm. • Restorative approaches. • De-escalation techniques for parents/carers. • Keeping your child safe online. By June 2026: Parents/carers are more knowledgeable and confident in supporting their child’s wellbeing. Online courses have been developed for target audiences. Pre and post evaluation data from parent/carers demonstrates improvement in knowledge, understanding and confidence.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 51 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Conduct a HWB survey (WEMWBS) across all establishments with all CYP from S1–S6, providing us with this data set for a 5th year. Analyse results/trends at authority and school level to identify actions/strategic priorities. In partnership with the data team and Educational Psychology team, support schools to make effective use of HWB data to identify priorities and bring about improvement. By June 2026: Analysis of survey results has led to identification of strengths and areas for improvement to be actioned. By October 2026: Almost all schools have engaged with HWB datasets to identify school priorities. By June 2026: Improvements in ensuring wellbeing, equity and inclusion are such that all schools evaluate QI 3.1 as ‘Good’ or better and an increasing number of schools evaluate QI 3.1 as ‘Very Good’ or better from the June 2025 figure. WEMWBS survey scores for 2026 show that wellbeing is improving. Average wellbeing scores will increase from the 2025 figure and the % of young people S1-6 falling into the low wellbeing score will decrease from the 2025 figure. (Average wellbeing scores improved from 45.7% in 2022 to 48.6% in 2025. The % of young people S1-6 falling into the low wellbeing score has decreased from 31.3% in 2022 to 23.8% in 2025). Schools’ self-evaluation gradings for QI 3.1 at June 2026 compared to the June 2025 gradings: 76% (48 schools) VG. 22% (14 schools) Good. 1 school Satisfactory. All Education Scotland inspections grade QI 3.1 as ‘Good’ or better. Through QI Visits and scrutiny of school improvement plans it is evident that the rationale for HWB improvements is based on sound self-evaluation including use of data.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202552 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Facilitate implementation of The Exchange counselling service to all establishments and Place2Be counselling service in targeted schools. By June 2026: All CYP requiring specialist Counselling, receive timeous support to cope with issues and build resilience. Staff benefit from consultancy support where required e.g. advice, guidance and strategies in relation to supporting targeted CYP as required. Counselling service termly reports provide referral data and qualitative information to highlight the positive impact of the service on CYP’s mental health and wellbeing. 100% CYP access counselling screening appointment within 5 days of referral. More than 83% secondary YP show clinical improvement post counselling. More than 88% primary children show clinical improvement post counselling Improved attendance at appointments greater than 80% in secondary and greater than 94% in primary. In partnership with an accredited CBT therapist, provide a 5-week professional learning course to a further 2 cohorts of teachers on skills and knowledge around Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). Offer a universal ‘Introduction to CBT’ session for all education staff to promote a consistent use of language across establishments. Teachers participating in the CBT training demonstrate more confidence and skills in supporting young people in one-to-one discussion and benefit from the structure CBT provides. All participants have basic skills in CBT language and can support CYP through having an effective CBT conversation. Qualitative data from CBT participants, including pre and post questionnaires, will be collated to demonstrate impact with an additional follow up impact questionnaire 6 months post training.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 53 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? Provide the training and resources to build on Gender Based Violence (GBV) work and Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) programme across all mainstream secondary schools. Training will focus on building capacity in existing and newly trained schools. In line with the ADES commitments in relation to GBV, provide support to secondary schools implementing Equally Safe at School (ESAS) to take a whole-school approach to address GBV. By June 2026: All secondary schools are implementing the MVP programme/GBV prevention approaches. All participating practitioners have an enhanced knowledge and understanding of the MVP programme and are better prepared for conversations/teaching relating to GBV. Almost all participating young people are empowered and have the skills to challenge abusive, bullying, and discriminatory behaviours which affect relationships within our schools and communities. By April 2026: Key staff complete the ESAS e-learn module to enable them to effectively lead GBV prevention work in their schools. All ADES commitments related to GBV will have been overtaken. Pre and post CLPL evaluations demonstrate that all staff have increased knowledge and confidence. Focus groups of mentors and mentees evidence that young people confidently deliver lessons to their peers. Pre and post evaluations demonstrate an improvement in knowledge and confidence of young people in relation to GBV. Observation of MVP in action in a sample of schools by Renfrewshire training team at agreed points in the academic year. Number of MVP and ESAS schools show that all secondaries are participating and committed to tackling GBV. Renfrewshire’s peer education offer in schools will be developed and enhanced to include a Mental Health Ambassador Programme. By June 2026: Key teachers are trained to deliver the Renfrewshire Mental Health Ambassador Programme to pupils within the senior phase. The peer education model improves young people’s knowledge and ability to recognise issues related to mental health and wellbeing. Number of schools participating in the Mental Health Ambassador Programme. Pre and post evaluations from staff and young people.
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Education Improvement Plan September 202554 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? In partnership with I Am Me Scotland, NSPCC and partners in health, youth services and Police Scotland, Renfrewshire schools will take part in a local campaign focussing on exploitation. By June 2026: All secondary schools are implementing the MVP programme/GBV prevention approaches. All participating practitioners have an enhanced knowledge and understanding of the MVP programme and are better prepared for conversations/teaching relating to GBV. Almost all participating young people are empowered and have the skills to challenge abusive, bullying, and discriminatory behaviours which affect relationships within our schools and communities. By April 2026: Key staff complete the ESAS e-learn module to enable them to effectively lead GBV prevention work in their schools. All ADES commitments related to GBV will have been overtaken. Pre and post CLPL evaluations demonstrate that all staff have increased knowledge and confidence. Focus groups of mentors and mentees evidence that young people confidently deliver lessons to their peers. Pre and post evaluations demonstrate an improvement in knowledge and confidence of young people in relation to GBV. Observation of MVP in action in a sample of schools by Renfrewshire training team at agreed points in the academic year. Number of MVP and ESAS schools show that all secondaries are participating and committed to tackling GBV. Renfrewshire’s peer education offer in schools will be developed and enhanced to include a Mental Health Ambassador Programme. By June 2026: Key teachers are trained to deliver the Renfrewshire Mental Health Ambassador Programme to pupils within the senior phase. The peer education model improves young people’s knowledge and ability to recognise issues related to mental health and wellbeing. Number of schools participating in the Mental Health Ambassador Programme. Pre and post evaluations from staff and young people.
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 55 Families and Communities: Health and Wellbeing What will we do collectively? What difference will we make? How will we measure success? In partnership with I Am Me Scotland, NSPCC and partners in health, youth services and Police Scotland, Renfrewshire schools will take part in a local campaign focussing on exploitation. By October 2025: A group of young people in S2 have produced materials to be used in campaign work and workshops to be delivered across all Renfrewshire secondary schools. A group of young people in S2 in targeted schools have participated in a play and workshops focussing on exploitation. By March 2026: Young people in S2 pupils across all secondary schools have participated in workshops focussing on exploitation. All young people have increased awareness of how to recognise, resist and report exploitation helping them stay safe and make informed choices in their lives. Pre and post evaluations demonstrate an improved shift in knowledge of young people in relation to exploitation. Using the audit information gathered, finalise the Primary Physical Education skills framework and pilot in sample schools. In partnership with OneRen, provide professional learning for teachers on the teaching of key skills in PE. By December 2025: A draft skills framework for Curriculum for Excellence Early-Second Level has been developed. By June 2026: The skills framework has been piloted across a sample of establishments and user data gathered to inform refinement of the framework. Teachers participating in CLPL are more knowledgeable about, and confident in teaching the key skills in PE. Feedback from schools (teachers and children) and key partners demonstrates that the final skills framework reflects user views. Audit across pilot primary schools demonstrates the positive impact of the skills framework on learning and teaching. Pre and post CLPL evaluations show increased knowledge and confidence of teachers.
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Appendix
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Education Improvement Plan September 2025 57 Appendix 1 Stretch aims Measure Type 2017/ 2018 2018/ 2019 2019/ 2020 2020/ 2021 2021/ 2022 (Baseline) 2022/ 2023 2023/ 2024 2023/ 2024 Target- 2024/ 2025 Difference to Target Difference to Baseline % primary pupils achieving expected level in literacy Core 76% 76% - 70% 72% 74% 76% 78% 79% -1.4% 6% % primary pupils achieving expected level in numeracy Core 83% 84% - 80% 81% 83% 84% 85% 87% -2.1% 4% % P1 pupils achieving expected level in writing Core + 83% 83% - 78% 81% 81% 83% 82% 85% -2.9% 1% % P4 pupils achieving expected level in writing Core + 77% 76% - 70% 69% 74% 76% 77% 79% -1.6% 8% % P7 pupils achieving expected level in writing Core + 76% 76% - 70% 73% 74% 77% 79% 78% 0.7% 5% % 16-19 olds participating in education, employment or training Core 91.6% 91.7% 92.4% 93.0% 93.3% 92.8% - - 95.2% - - % leavers achieving 1 or more pass at SCQF level 5 (All SCQF) Core 90.0% 91.4% 92.6% 93.4% 91.5% 90.9% - - 93.3% - - % leavers achieving 1 or more pass at SCQF level 6 (All SCQF) Core 69.1% 69.7% 71.4% 77.1% 72.9% 70.5% - - 75.0% - -
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For further information, please contact Children’s Services Renfrewshire Council Email: education@renfrewshire.gov.uk