Item 08 - Strategy for Excellence and Equity
West Dunbartonshire Council · 18 March 2026
Back to Educational Services Committee — 18 March 2026 and its agenda
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Gillian Hamilton, Chief Education Officer Educational Services Committee: 18 March 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Strategy for Excellence and Equity 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to update the Education Committee on current service priorities and the programme for schools and early learning centres arising from ongoing performance, evaluation and national education reform. 1.2 This report is for noting. 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Educational Services Committee is asked to note: (a) the Delivery Plan Update Report for session 2025–26; (b) progress in relation to equity and attainment outcomes; and (c) planning priorities for schools in readiness for Education Reform 2025- 2031. 3. Background 3.1 The Chief Education Officer is committed to delivering excellent learning every day, in every classroom across West Dunbartonshire. This expectation provides the local framework through which progress on equity, excellence, and the national reform programme will be driven 3.2 To inform planning for delivery of this vision, a mid-year progress update is included at Appendix 1. It highlights progress against local and national priorities, key findings from self-evaluation, and is shaping the next set of improvement priorities for the service. The service improvement plan for next session will be brought to Committee in May. 3.3 To build capacity for service improvement, senior officers are engaged in collaborative improvement activity using the Quality Framework for local authorities developed by the Association of Directors of Education (ADES). This framework provides a nationally aligned structure for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of education services across Scotland’s 32 local authorities. ITEM 8
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3.4 In December 2025, the Scottish Government published the 2024/25 Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) statistics. These provide national performance information in literacy and numeracy for pupils in Primary 1, Primary 4, Primary 7 and Secondary 3, as well as for pupils in special schools and units. This release forms part of the wider annual statistical publication for Scottish Education. 3.5 National Reform Key Updates At the December Committee meeting, members were advised of the indicative timeline for Education Reform from 2025 to 2031, outlining phased national changes across curriculum, assessment and system governance. Recent developments include: Qualifications Scotland has assumed its statutory functions, replacing the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and reinforcing a renewed focus on placing learners and teachers at the centre of qualifications and assessment. Education Scotland and His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education are being established as separate public bodies, with Education Scotland’s remit refocused toward a more curriculum-orientated organisation. Ruth Binks has been appointed as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland, leading the new independent inspectorate created under the Education (Scotland) Act, which now has greater autonomy over the frequency and focus of inspections. The Scottish Government has appointed an Independent Professional Adviser (IPA) for Education and launched a national Call for Views on the Future of School Reform to gather evidence that will inform the next phase of reform. 3.6 The service remains focused on setting streamlined expectations and priorities for schools, ensuring clarity and coherence during this period of national change. 4. Main Issues 4.1 Scottish Government Statistics- Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) Overall attainment in West Dunbartonshire remains in line with, or just below, national performance. Notably, attainment for children living in the most deprived areas has been higher than the national performance for three consecutive years. A summary analysis of the Council’s key successes and challenges in literacy and numeracy at P1, P4, P7 and S3 is provided, with a fuller analysis available at Appendix 2.
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4.1.1 Table 1 presents attainment in literacy and numeracy for primary (P1, P4 and P7 combined) and S3. In 2024/25, West Dunbartonshire’s primary results are 1–2 percentage points below the national figures for all components, except writing, which is 3 percentage points lower. For S3 (Third Level+), West Dunbartonshire’s results match or exceed national figures in reading, listening and talking, and numeracy, but are 1 percentage point below in writing. Table 1: ACEL achievement at primary and secondary for Scotland and West Dunbartonshire data in 2024/25: ACEL (primary) Literacy Numeracy P1/4/7 WDC 75% 79% National 80% 80% ACEL (secondary) S3 L3 WDC 89% 91% National 90% 91% 4.1.2 Table 2 presents attainment for children residing in Quintile 1 (SIMD 1 & 2) in 2024/25 compared with Scotland. Achievement for West Dunbartonshire’s most deprived pupils is higher than the national performance in literacy and numeracy, with the exception of P4 listening and talking, where attainment is in line with Scotland. The percentage of Quintile 1 primary pupils (P1, P4 and P7 combined) achieving the expected level has increased by 1 percentage point in literacy (to 69%) and by 2 percentage points in numeracy (to). For Quintile 1 secondary pupils (S3, Third Level+), attainment has decreased in literacy by 4 percentage points (to 88%) but has increased in numeracy by 7 percentage points (to 89%) Table 2: WDC Quintile 1 ACEL attainment for 2024/25 compared to Scotland 4.1.3 This performance data informs service planning and decision-making to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities for children and young people. Quintile 1 Attainment Reading Writing Listening & Talking Literacy Numeracy National WDC National WDC National WDC National WDC National WDC P1, P4 and P7 combined 73 76 68 71 82 83 66 69 72 77 P1 - Early Level 72 76 70 73 81 83 67 71 78 81 P4 - First Level 71 73 65 68 82 82 63 65 69 71 P7 - Second Level 75 79 68 73 83 85 67 71 71 77 S3 - Third Level + 86 90 86 88 87 91 84 88 85 89 S3 - Fourth Level 54 65 52 64 55 66 49 54 53 57
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4.1.4 A programme of primary and secondary attainment reviews are underway with officers engaged in dialogue with senior school leaders about their attainment facts, the background story and the actions in place to continue with progress and make improvements. Headteachers advise this programme is both robust and supportive. 4.2 Education Reform – Local Developments To enable readiness for future change the service is engaged in consultation, collaboration and development : 4.2.1 The Curriculum Improvement Cycle Our education leaders’ conference in February included a keynote input from Education Scotland, as the national lead for delivering the Curriculum Improvement Cycle. The session provided headteachers and officers with the opportunity to plan together the actions that early learning centres, schools and local learning communities will need to prioritise next session to support change across curriculum, learning, teaching and assessment. 4.2.2 Headteacher consultations Headteachers have emphasised the need to make change manageable, with clear consideration of workload and opportunities for collaboration across schools. The following priorities will be reflected in service and school improvement planning: Continued engagement with parents/carers, children and young people, partners and practitioners on how teaching, learning and assessment will evolve. Support, training and system-level trust to enable confident professional judgement. Strengthened transitions and improved curricular alignment, particularly between primary and secondary. A refreshed focus on skills development, supported by staff training and professional learning. Review of curriculum rationale and mapping to ensure alignment with skills development 4.2.3 National ‘Call for Views’ – Future School Reform Survey West Dunbartonshire’s submission to the national survey (Appendix 3) sets out the authority’s position across the three survey areas: School Improvement School Funding School Governance
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The survey asked local authorities to share views on processes, practice and to provide examples from local experience. In summary, West Dunbartonshire’s response highlights the authority’s strong, nationally recognised work on school improvement, its collaborative approach with headteachers and schools, processes for budget-related decision-making, and the value of devolved school management and meaningful stakeholder involvement in decisions about schools. 4.2.4 Inter- authority collaboration West Dunbartonshire is working with Inverclyde, East Ayrshire and the Western Isles as a QUAD using the ADES Collaborative Improvement Framework. This partnership strengthens self-evaluation, benchmarking and peer review. As part of this work, colleagues visited the Faifley Campus for two days of external evaluation focused on service quality, leadership and governance. 5. People Implications 5.1 The report highlights the range and scope of developments underway to achieve Education Reform. This programme will increase the need for sufficient provision of staff to facilitate staff development and adaptations in line with any new national expectations. 5.2 In June 2025, the Committee was informed of findings from the national thematic inspection of local authorities (March 2025), which underscored the pivotal role of staffing in local authorities ensuring that schools can meet the evolving needs of children and young people. The inspection highlighted that reductions in teacher and support staff numbers risk compromising the delivery of inclusive, high-quality education—particularly as demand increases for Additional Support Needs provision and as the Council continues to navigate higher-than-average poverty levels. Inspectors affirmed the value of retaining skilled personnel and maintaining strong, in-person engagement with schools. Continued investment in officers and peer colleagues to facilitate improvement visits and direct support remains essential to sustaining progress and ensuring equity. 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 The Education Committee will be aware that funding from the Scottish Government underpins the Strategy for Excellence and Equity. Following the announcement of a tapered reduction in Strategic Equity Funding in 2022, West Dunbartonshire has experienced a decrease in annual income. This reduction has directly impacted the service’s capacity to deliver key strategic priorities aligned with excellence and equity. 6.2 While the Scottish Government has committed to continuing Strategic Equity Funding into the first year of the next parliamentary term, the specific allocation for West Dunbartonshire has not yet been confirmed. This uncertainty impacts future planning and the service’s capacity to prepare for forthcoming changes in curriculum, assessment and qualifications.
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7. Risk Analysis 7.1 Current budget constraints and the reduced funding model could impact negatively on sustained improvement in future academic sessions. However, we will continue to monitor this closely to inform future planning. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment 8.1 A full Equality Impact Assessment was submitted to Committee in March 2022 and identified that the decrease in funding will reduce capacity. Scope exists to mitigate impact with the development of the Strategy for Excellence and Equity 2023-2027. 9. Consultation 9.1 Legal Services and the Section 95 Officer have been consulted in relation to the content of this report. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 This report reflects the Council’s overarching priority to support our communities to thrive. Gillian Hamilton Chief Education Officer 20 February 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Julie McGrogan, Senior Education Officer, Department of Education, Learning and Attainment, Council Offices, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton, G82 1QL Telephone No: 01389 737316 Email: julie.mcgrogan@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendix: 1. Update Report – Jan 2026 2. Scottish Statistical Analysis WDC ACEL 3. Call for Views WDC Survey Submission Background Papers: Equality Impact Assessment – March 2022 Wards Affected: All wards