Document Pack - ESC 24 06 26 (Bookmarked)
West Dunbartonshire Council · 24 June 2026
Back to Educational Services Committee — 24 June 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Agenda Educational Services Committee Date: Wednesday, 24 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Time: 10:00 ___________________________________________________________________ Format: Hybrid Meeting ___________________________________________________________________ Contact: Scott Kelly, Committee Officer Tel: 01389 737220. Email: scott.kelly@west-dunbarton.gov.uk committee.admin@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Dear Member Please attend a meeting of the Educational Services Committee as detailed above. Members will have the option to attend the meeting remotely or in person at the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton. The business is shown on the attached agenda. Yours faithfully PETER HESSETT Chief Executive Page 1
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Distribution: Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal Councillor Sophie Traynor Councillor David McBride Mrs Barbara Barnes Councillor Michelle McGinty (Chair) Miss Faith Bhardwaj MSYP Councillor John Millar (Vice Chair) Ms Kirsty Connolly Provost Karen Murray Conaghan Mr Gavin Corrigan Councillor Lawrence O’Neill Miss Ellen McBride Councillor Lauren Oxley Ms Joanne McLaren Councillor Martin Rooney Reverend Ian Miller Councillor William Rooney Miss Rebecca Ross MSYP Councillor Gordon Scanlan Ms Julia Strang Councillor Hazel Sorrell Vacancies x 2 All other Councillors for information Chief Education Officer Date of Issue: 11 June 2026 Audio Streaming Audio recordings of the meeting (including the attendance or contribution of any party participating or making a contribution) will be published on the Council’s website and the Council’s host’s webcast/audio stream platform. You should be aware that the Council is a Data Controller under the General Data Protection Regulation. Data collected during this audio stream will be retained in accordance with the Council’s Privacy Notice and Retention Schedules including, but not limited to, for the purpose of keeping historical records and making those records available via the Council’s internet site. Page 2
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EDUCATIONAL SERVICES COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, 24 JUNE 2026 AGENDA 1 STATEMENT BY CHAIR – AUDIO STREAMING The Chair will be heard in connection with the above. 2 APOLOGIES 3 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Members are invited to declare if they have an interest in any of the items of business on this agenda and the reasons for such declarations. 4 RECORDING OF VOTES The Committee is asked to agree that all votes taken during the meeting will be carried out by roll call vote to ensure an accurate record. 5 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING 7 – 11 Submit, for approval as a correct record, the Minutes of Meeting of the Educational Services Committee held on 18 March 2026. 6 LOCAL NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE FOR TEACHERS 13 – 14 Submit for information, and where necessary ratification, the Minutes of Meeting of the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers held on 17 March 2026. 7 OPEN FORUM The Committee is asked to note that no open forum questions have been submitted by members of the public. 8/ Page 3
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8 INCREASE SUSTAINABLE RATE PAID TO FUNDED EARLY 15 – 19 LEARNING AND CHILDCARE PROVIDERS Submit report by the Chief Education Officer detailing a proposal to increase the hourly rate paid by West Dunbartonshire Council to contracted private providers for funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC). 9 LEARNING ESTATE DEVELOPMENT To Follow Submit report by the Chief Education Officer providing an update on the status of the Learning Estate Strategy and seeking approval to commit staff resources to explore options for future provision. 10 PROCUREMENT OF ONLINE PAYMENTS SYSTEM 21 – 24 Submit report by the Chief Education Officer seeking approval to tender for the reprocurement of an online payments system for all establishments, enabling parents and carers to make online payments to their children’s schools, and requesting that authority be delegated to the Chief Education Officer to make a direct award. 11 SCHOOL TRANSPORT 25 – 35 Submit report by the Chief Education Officer providing details of the timetable for the processing of tenders for mainstream home-to-school contracts and for the transportation of pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN) from school session 2026/27 to session 2028/29. 12 STRATEGY FOR EXCELLENCE AND EQUITY 37 – 62 Submit report by the Chief Education Officer providing an update on the service improvement programme aimed at delivering improved outcomes in excellence and equity supported by Strategic Equity Funding. 13 EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE UPDATE 63 – 90 Submit report by the Chief Education Officer informing of progress made to provide high quality Early Learning and Childcare in West Dunbartonshire Council. 14/ Page 4
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14 SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND 91 – 191 FAMILIES UPDATE REPORT Submit report by the Chief Education Officer informing of progress on support to children, young people and families. 15 SENIOR PHASE UPDATE 193 – 203 Submit report by the Chief Education Officer providing an update on the work exploring timetable options and Reduced Class Contact Time (RCCT), and highlighting the breadth of courses on offer to our young people in our schools and with our partner providers. 16 EDUCATION DELIVERY PLAN 2026/27 205 – 231 Submit report by the Chief Education Officer setting out the Delivery Plan for 2026/27. Page 5
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EDUCATIONAL SERVICES COMMITTEE At a Hybrid Meeting of the Educational Services Committee held in the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton on Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at 10.01 a.m. Present: Provost Karen Murray Conaghan and Councillors Gurpreet Singh Johal, David McBride, Michelle McGinty, John Millar, Lawrence O’Neill, Martin Rooney, William Rooney, Gordon Scanlan, Hazel Sorrell and Sophie Traynor, and Mrs Barbara Barnes, Miss Faith Bhardwaj MSYP, Mr Gavin Corrigan, Miss Ellen McBride, Ms Joanne McLaren and Ms Julia Strang. Attending: Peter Hessett, Chief Executive; Gillian Hamilton, Chief Education Officer; Alison Bowers, Senior Education Officer – Early Learning and Attainment; Andrew Brown, Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources; Claire Cusick, Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People; Julie McGrogan, Senior Education Officer – Raising Attainment/Improving Learning; Michelle Lynn, Asset Manager; Joe Reilly, Business Unit Finance Partner (Education); Alan Douglas, Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration (Legal Officer); and Scott Kelly, Committee Officer. Apologies: Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillors Fiona Hennebry, Lauren Oxley and Clare Steel. Councillor Michelle McGinty in the Chair STATEMENT BY CHAIR – AUDIO STREAMING Councillor McGinty, Chair, advised that the meeting was being audio streamed and broadcast live to the internet and would be available for playback. DECLARATION OF INTEREST It was noted that there were no declarations of interest in any of the items of business on the agenda. RECORDING OF VOTES The Committee agreed that all votes taken during the meeting would be carried out by roll call vote to ensure an accurate record. ITEM 5 Page 7
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MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The Minutes of Meeting of the Educational Services Committee held on 26 November 2025 were submitted and approved as a correct record. OPEN FORUM The Committee noted that no open forum questions had been submitted by members of the public. LOCAL NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE FOR TEACHERS The Minutes of Meeting of the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers held on 2 December 2025 were submitted and all decisions contained therein were approved. OPEN FORUM The Committee noted that no open forum questions had been submitted by members of the public. STRATEGY FOR EXCELLENCE AND EQUITY A report was submitted by the Chief Education Officer providing, for information, an update on service priorities and the programme for schools and early learning centres arising from ongoing performance, evaluation and national education reform. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Raising Attainment/Improving Learning, the Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People, and the Chief Education Officer, in further explanation of the report and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the Delivery Plan Update Report for session 2025–26; (2) to note progress in relation to equity and attainment outcomes; and (3) to note the planning priorities for schools in readiness for Education Reform 2025-2031. EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE UPDATE A report was submitted by the Chief Education Officer informing of progress made to provide high quality Early Learning and Childcare in West Dunbartonshire Council. Page 8
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After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Early Learning and Attainment, and the Business Unit Finance Partner (Education), in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note the progress to deliver high quality Early Learning and Childcare. SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES UPDATE REPORT A report was submitted by the Chief Education Officer informing of progress on support to children, young people and families. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People, the Chief Education Officer and the Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources, in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note the progress on plans to continue developing and improving support to children and families. Note: Miss Bhardwaj left the meeting during consideration of this item. SENIOR PHASE UPDATE A report was submitted by the Chief Education Officer providing an update on the change in the national body providing qualifications, and our new policy supporting centres in investigating claims of malpractice in qualifications. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources, in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the national change from Scottish Qualifications Authority to Qualifications Scotland; and (2) to note the introduction of our malpractice policy which helps our secondary schools ensure that guidance is accurately followed, and guard against the submission of work that is not of a candidate’s making. INITIAL SCHOOL LEAVER DESTINATIONS A report was submitted by the Chief Education Officer providing an update on the Initial School Leaver Destinations of our young people who left school in summer 2025. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to commend the work of staff, parents, partner agencies and the young people themselves. Page 9
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DEVELOPING OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION A report was submitted by the Chief Education Officer providing an update on plans to develop our Digital Strategy for Education, and an opportunity to participate in gathering stakeholder views. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the plans to develop our Digital Strategy; and (2) to encourage participation in the gathering of views from stakeholders through the website. EDUCATION DELIVERY PLAN 2025/26 MID-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT A report was submitted by the Chief Education Officer setting out the mid-year progress of the Education Delivery Plan 2025/26. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Raising Attainment/Improving Learning and the Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People, in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note the progress achieved at mid-year. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORT 2025/26 TO 31 JANUARY 2026 (PERIOD 10) A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Resources providing an update on the financial performance of the Educational Services revenue budget to 31 January 2026 (Period 10) and the forecast position at 31 March 2026. Having heard the Finance Business Partner (Education) in further explanation, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the contents of the report which showed that the 2025/26 revenue account had a projected adverse revenue variance of £0.773m (0.56% of the total budget); and (2) to note the current projected use of earmarked reserves of £0.359m. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CAPITAL BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORT 2025/26 TO 31 JANUARY 2026 (PERIOD 10) A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Resources providing an update on the Educational Services capital programme to 31 January 2026 (Period 10). Page 10
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Having heard the Finance Business Partner (Education) in further explanation, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the current position of the 2025/26 Educational Services capital budget; and (2) to note the revised completion date in respect of one project detailed in Appendix 2 to the report. The meeting closed at 11.52 a.m. Page 11
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LOCAL NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE FOR TEACHERS At a Hybrid Meeting of the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers held in the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton on Tuesday, 17 March 2026 at 10.03 a.m. Present: Councillors Michelle McGinty, John Millar and Sophie Traynor; Gillian Hamilton, Chief Education Officer; Andrew Brown, Senior Education Officer; Alison Boyles, Head Teacher, Dumbarton Academy; Michael Dolan, Michael McCallion, Rebecca McCulloch, Christopher McGilchrist, Jennifer Ronald and Lysia Uney (all EIS); and Joe Keegan (SSTA). Attending: Lisa MacGregor, People and Change Partner; Kirsty Connor, Education Support Officer – Staffing; and Scott Kelly, Committee Officer. Apologies: Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillor Lauren Oxley and Gavin Corrigan (EIS). Councillor Michelle McGinty in the Chair DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST It was noted that there were no declarations of interest in any of the items of business on the agenda. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers held on 2 December 2025 were submitted and approved as a correct record, subject to, in the item under the heading ‘School Term Dates / Academic Calendar 2027/28’, the words ‘to fall mainly in the winter months’ being replaced with ‘and canvass teachers’ views on a number of models’. THE 35 HOUR WORKING WEEK AGREEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR 2026-2027 A report was submitted by the Joint Secretaries to the LNCT providing the proposed 35 hour Working Week Agreement (WTA) Framework for 2026-2027. After discussion and having heard both Sides, the Committee agreed:- ITEM 6 Page 13
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(1) with reference to Table 2 in Appendix 1 to the report that, while Trade Union meetings should ordinarily take place outwith the school day, it may be possible for them to sometimes be held during the school day or on in-service days, by agreement; (2) that a paragraph should be inserted into Appendix 1 to make it clear that the terms of the Framework and Guidance should also be applicable to senior managers in schools; (3) that the framework and supporting guidance be issued to schools/establishments for developing their Agreement for 2026-2027 and their collegiate calendar; (4) that the working group review and report findings be incorporated into the framework and supporting guidance issued to schools for 2026 – 2027; and (5) that a refresh of the framework and supporting guidance be communicated to Head Teachers to aid development of their Agreement for 2026 – 2027. RESPECT AT WORK POLICY A report was submitted by the Joint Secretaries to the LNCT informing of the Council’s Respect at Work Policy & Procedure and seeking approval for implementation for Teachers and those of SNCT terms and conditions. After discussion and having heard both Sides, the Committee agreed to approve the Respect at Work Policy and Procedure (Appendix 1 to the report) for implementation. PRIMARY SCHOOL FORWARD PLANNING A repost was submitted by the Joint Secretaries to the LNCT providing guidance on the approaches taken to forward planning in our primary schools. After discussion and having heard both Sides, and Officers in answer to Member’s questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) the guidance to assist establishments in the production of planning documentation; and (2) to promote the sharing of examples across establishments that all staff will have access to in order to reduce workload and duplication of planning activities. The meeting closed at 10.26 a.m. Page 14
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Education Officer Education Services Committee: Wednesday 24 June 2026 _______________________________________________________________ Subject: Increase Sustainable Rate paid to Funded Early Learning and Childcare Providers 1. Purpose 1.1 This report proposes an increase in the hourly rate paid by West Dunbartonshire Council to contracted private providers for funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC). 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Committee: (a) Refer to the guidance for setting sustainable rates contained in the ‘Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers – Guidance for setting sustainable rates for the delivery of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) in 2026-27’, published in March 2026, which recommends a minimal increase of 5.2%. (b) Agree an increase of 5.2% in the hourly rate paid to Early Learning and Childcare private providers, including childminders, for the provision of funded ELC, with 5.2% in line with the minimal increase outlined in the guidance. Age Current Rate 5.2% Increase 2-3 £6.74 £7.09 3-5 £6.59 £6.93 (c) Note the external factors influencing the sustainability of the hourly rates paid to contracted providers of funded ELC in West Dunbartonshire, including rising costs and to enable payment of the real Living Wage to those childcare workers delivering the funded entitlement. ITEM 8 Page 15
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3. Background 3.1 Approximately one quarter of children eligible for a funded Early Learning and Childcare place, access their place in the private sector in West Dunbartonshire Council. The Council is dependent on these places to fulfil its statutory duty. Therefore, settings in this sector need to remain financially viable and the Scottish Government requires Councils to establish and pay a rate that ensures this sustainability. 3.2 If a sustainable rate is not paid, there is a risk of services in the private sector closing which would incur capital and revenue costs for the Council and, would reduce choice and local provision for parents. The closure of services who also provide childcare which is paid for by the parents would have a negative impact on the local economy, with parents not being able to access work or training. 3.3 As a result of continuing concerns regarding financial sustainability by funded providers, the Scottish Government issued the Sustainable Rates Guidance, published in April 2019. The report highlighted that the rate should support delivery of a high quality ELC experience and should allow for investment in the setting in terms of staff, resources and the physical environment. It should also enable the payment of the real Living Wage for those childcare workers delivering the funded entitlement. 3.4 The updated guidance issued in March 2026, advises that councils should, ‘apply a minimum 5.2% uplift to 2025-26 rates to reflect the estimated increase in the average staff cost element of the sustainable rate required to meet the £13.45 per hour (real Living Wage) pay commitment in 2026-27’. This uplift reflects the estimated increase in the average staff cost element of the sustainable rate required to meet the real Living Wage uplift from April 2026. This reflects staffing costs accounting for, on average, 77% of the sustainable rate. It also noted that, ‘if sustainable rates for 2026-27 are set after April 2026, any payments that reflect the increased real Living Wage should be backdated to 1 April 2026’. 3.5 The guidance also stated that the ‘overall rates set must also be affordable for local authorities in terms of the budgets available. Given the challenging financial position for local authorities, it is recognised that not all will be able to provide an uplift beyond the 5.2%.’ 3.6 The paper, ‘Costs of Delivering Funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in Private, Third Sector and Childminding Settings’ provided information on a national data collection exercise which was commissioned by Scottish Government and carried out by the Diffley Partnership between May to August 2025. This stated, ‘the mean cost per hour of delivering funded ELC across all day care of children services was estimated at £6.42, with a median of £6.00. Costs varied by provider type, with third sector settings reporting the highest mean cost at £6.72, followed and private providers at £6.16. Meanwhile, an estimated mean cost of £6.39 was calculated for childminders. These figures reflect core operational costs but do not account for capital investment or enhancements to quality that providers might pursue if funding allowed.’ Page 16
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4. Current Position 4.1 The hourly rate paid by West Dunbartonshire Council to our funded private ELC providers, including childminders, to deliver an hour of funded ELC to eligible 2 year olds is currently £6.74 per hour and for all children aged from 3 years old to pre-school age it is currently £6.59 per hour. Last session the rate for children aged 3 and above was increased by 5% from £6.28 to £6.59 and the rate for eligible 2 year olds was increased by 5% from £6.42 to £6.74. 4.2 Across the West Partnership, from 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026, the rates are as undermentioned: Local Authority 2 year old hourly rate 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026 3 - 5 year old hourly rate 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026 East Dunbartonshire £7.92 £6.58 East Renfrewshire £7.46 £6.59 Glasgow £7.94 £6.70 Inverclyde £6.56 £6.56 North Lanarkshire £7.01 £6.78 Renfrewshire £8.88 £6.74 South Lanarkshire £7.29 £6.57 West Dunbartonshire £6.74 £6.59 4.3 The guidance for setting sustainable rates for session 2025-2026 recommended a minimum uplift of 3.75% and council made the decision to increase the rate by 5%, 1.25% above the minimum recommendation. This was at a cost of an additional £170,000 to the council. 4.3 The current hourly rate that West Dunbartonshire Council pay does not represent all of the other benefits of the partnership arrangement which we have with funded providers. These benefits include free access to all professional learning, involvement in working groups and annual mandatory training, leaders’ meetings, partner provider meetings, early stages teacher support, inclusion in the related educational psychology support meetings, guidance from the central Early Years team, including pre inspection support, and access to workforce development funding. 4.4 Improving outcomes for children and reducing the attainment gap is at the heart of ELC provision. Therefore, as well as meeting the requirements of the National Standard to pay staff the real Living Wage, settings in the private sector need to be able to recruit and retain staff, support staff training and invest in their services. Commitment to an increase would provide reassurance to providers, protect jobs and enable providers to invest in their services and to put effective business plans into place. The Scottish Government requires Councils to establish and pay a rate that ensures this sustainability. Page 17
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5. People Implications 5.1 A significant number of families in West Dunbartonshire Council access ELC at private providers. At the moment, this equates to approximately one quarter of children accessing ELC across West Dunbartonshire Council. Parents and carers rely on funded providers of their choice; to provide flexible childcare at funded provision to enable them to access work and training. If providers cease to be sustainable, there would be significant work and resource required to increase the number of local authority places to ensure that the Council meets its statutory duty. 6. Financial Implications 6.1 The hourly rate paid has increased over time to achieve the current rate of £6.74 for all eligible 2 year olds and £6.59 for all other eligible children. 6.2 The increase in the hourly rate paid to childcare providers can be increased by 5.2% met from existing budgets and the funding issued from Scottish Government. 6.3 The hourly increase does not include the £3.00 allocated per day, per child, for food and the £0.58 paid for each child, per session, as part of the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme. 6.4 This hourly rate proposal captures an increase in the Scottish Living Wage. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 The Key Risks: If the Council does not increase the hourly rate to a level that enables providers in the private and voluntary sectors to be sustainable, there is the risk that: • There will be insufficient places in West Dunbartonshire Council to enable parents to access their children’s funded ELC entitlement which will incur additional cost for the Council as it will need to expand existing services and/or open new services; • There will be a risk to the policy of Funding Follows the Child which is part of the National Standard and fulfilling the statutory duty; • There may be reputational damage to the Council if services close due to not being sustainable, leading to loss of local provision, choice and flexibility for families, loss of employment and community based services; • Providers in the private and voluntary sector may not be able to recruit and retain staff or meet the National Standard, if they are not able to pay the Real Living Wage; • Potential reduction in the quality of service provided if qualified and experienced staff cannot be recruited. Page 18
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8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 An Equalities Impact Assessment has not been undertaken for this report. The proposal to increase the hourly rates for funded ELC has no negative impact on people with protected characteristics but has the potential to impact positively on the ELC workforce, which is predominantly female. 9. Consultation 9.1 Regular consultation with funded providers. 9.2 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 aspiration that all West Dunbartonshire children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed. Families are supported in accessing education, learning and attainment opportunities and improved life chances for all children, young people and families. Gillian Hamilton Chief Education Officer 8 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Alison Bowers, Senior Education Officer, Education, Learning and Attainment Email: Alison.bowers@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Background Papers: Sustainable Rates Guidance Financial Sustainability Health Check Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard for ELC Providers: Interim Guidance Ipsos National Cost Collection Report Costs of Delivering Funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in Private, Third Sector and Childminding Settings Wards Affected: All Page 19
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by the Chief Education Officer Educational Services Committee: 24 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Procurement of Online Payments System 1. Purpose 1.1 This report seeks Members’ approval to tender for the reprocurement of an online payments system for all establishments, enabling parents and carers to make online payments to their children’s schools, and to grant the Chief Education Officer delegated authority to make a direct award. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Committee: a) Note the plan for the reprocurement of the online payment system for all establishments; b) Note that the cost of the system will be met from the existing budget for the current online payment systems being used in schools; and c) Agree to grant delegated authority for the Chief Education Officer to conclude, with the assistance of the Corporate Procurement Unit, a direct award using G-Cloud Crown Commercial Services framework. 3. Background 3.1 In June 2017, WDC approved the procurement of an online payments system for parents to allow establishments to received online payments direct to both the schools’ and Council bank accounts for meals, trips and other costs. The procurement of the system was part of the Council’s Digital Strategy to maximize the proportion of digital transactions and reduce the need for cash handling in schools. 3.2 Initially, the online payments system, which is provided by ParentPay, was an option for parents and carers to use. However, the effect of COVID-19 in 2020 required this option be reviewed in terms of safe cash handling and the potential spread of the virus. Consequently, a decision was taken to cease all cash handling and require all payments to schools to be made using ParentPay. The system has proved popular with parents and has resulted in a high take-up across the Authority. ITEM 10 Page 21
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3.3 In 2022, the Council undertook a second procurement exercise to procure a replacement system. At this time, Scotland Excel had developed a framework designed to assist Councils in the tender and purchase of online payments, cashless catering and kitchen management systems. In this exercise, ParentPay were again the successful bidder, and a second contract was put in place with them running from 2022 to 2026. At this time, it was hoped that we would also be able to award a contract for cashless catering and kitchen management systems, but this was not practically possible. 3.4 In 2025, a procurement exercise took place for cashless catering and kitchen management systems, with ParentPay proving successful for the provision of those services for the Council. 3.5 Our existing contract with ParentPay is due to come to an end in July 2026. 4. Main Issues 4.1 With the assistance of the Corporate Procurement Unit we have assessed routes to market to secure continuity of service provision. Using Crown and Commercial Services Government framework – G-Cloud, we would be able to direct award to ParentPay. This would provide continuity of service and user experience at this time. 4.2 In the years since the introduction of ParentPay, we have seen growth in our schools for a number of additional areas – Early Start Club payments, school trips, school uniform shops and fundraising activities. In 2024 we started to roll this out to our Early Years establishments, who are making use of the service for administration of funded places. 4.3 Using G-Cloud, we would be able to engage in a contract for 2 years, providing the following services: • Online Payments • Lunch Management • Clubs • Trips • Shops • Donations 4.3 In a separate exercise, we have started to undertake market research for the provision of a Management Information Service (MIS) to replace SEEMiS. In this initial market testing, it has become apparent that many of the companies providing MIS solutions, also provide online payment systems as part of their core product line. With this in mind, it is likely that future MIS solutions will remove our need to procure online payment systems separately, potentially realising a saving for the council. 4.4 Timescales for the national replacement of SEEMiS are approximately two years, so we will need provision of an online payment system for this period. Page 22
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5. People Implications 5.1 There are no direct people implications resulting from this procurement. 6. Financial Implications 6.1 Presently, we have existing provision for online payments. A direct award to ParentPay for the services outlined in 4.3 above would cost the council £47,300 for a period of 2 years. The procurement of a new solution will be met by existing budget provision. 6.2 All procurement activity carried out by the Council in excess of £50K is subject to a contract strategy. The contract strategy for the online payments system has been produced by the Corporate Procurement Unit in close consultation with Education officers. The contract strategy shall include but may not be limited to; contract scope, service forward plan, the market, procurement model and routes – including existing frameworks such as Crown and Commerical Services Government G-Cloud, roles and responsibilities, risks, issues and opportunities and ongoing contract management. Further opportunities to maximise the positive social, economical and environmental impact for West Dunbartonshire through the contract will also be explored through the use of Community Benefit Clauses. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 Failure to review and modernize the processes involved in the receiving, handling and management of school funds poses the risk that the Council will not fulfil the requirements of its Digital Strategy. These changes will contribute directly to efficient and effective frontline roles and provide easy and convenient methods of payment to parents and carers. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 An equalities screening has been carried out for this report and there are no equalities issues identified. 9. Consultation 9.1 Legal Services and the Section 95 Officer have been consulted on the content of this report. Page 23
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10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 Promoting the best use of technology to provide easy to use services for our parents, this contributes to Outcome 4 ‘our council is inclusive and adaptable’ in our Strategic Plan. Gillian Hamilton Chief Education Officer Date: 8 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Andrew Brown Senior Education Officer Email: andrew.brown@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: None. Background Papers: None. Wards Affected: All wards Page 24
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Education Officer Education Services Committee - 24 June 2026 Subject: School Transport 1 Purpose 1.1 This report details for Members the timetable for the processing of tenders for mainstream home-to-school contracts and for the transportation of pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN) from school session 2026/27 to session 2208/29. Procurement of contracts is supported by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). 2 Recommendations 2.1 To meet statutory requirements and Council policy, it is necessary to secure contracts for school transport for session 2026/2027. The process requires to follow a tight timetable. Unfortunately, the change in date for this Education committee required us to take action outwith standard procedures. 2.2 Committee is asked to: i) Note that the Chief Education Officer, in consultation with the Corporate Procurement Unit, the Committee Chair, the Section 95 Officer and Chief Executive, authorised the necessary arrangements to commence and award tenders for the transport of children with Additional Support Needs for session 2026/2027 and beyond for contracts of up to 3 years duration with the option to extend for a further 12 months; ii) Note that the Chief Education Officer, in consultation with the Corporate Procurement Unit, the Committee Chair, the Section 95 Officer and Chief Executive, authorised the award of mainstream contracts for session 2026/2027 and beyond for contracts up to 3 years duration. 3 Background 3.1 The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 requires Education Authorities to make appropriate provision to assist pupils with accessing education. The Act requires that free transport be provided for all pupils up to the age of 8 who live more than 2 miles from their local school and to pupils over the age of 8 who live more than 3 miles from their local school. ITEM 11 Page 25
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3.2 The policy presently operated by West Dunbartonshire Council provides free home-to-school transport for primary school children who live more than 1 mile from their local school and for secondary school children who live more than 2 miles from their local school. 3.3 Presently, we also provide transport for young people in the Senior Phase attending courses offered by our partner providers – Colleges in Clydebank and Glasgow. SPT and Internal Transport assist in providing some transport for this service as well as some external resource for smaller individual contracts. 3.4 The Education Authority is also required to make provision for pupils with Additional Support Needs to attend a school to meet their requirements. Presently, our approach is that, following the outcome of a ‘Team Around the Child’ meeting, transport may be requested for a child to attend school. Depending on the needs of the child, this could take the form of shared transportation or individual transportation with or without an escort. 3.5 In recent years, meeting this provision has become increasingly problematic. The rise in the number of children requiring transport; the increase in challenges or needs of individuals; coupled with the reduction in the ability of the market to meet this provision presented significant problems. It became the norm to advertise contracts multiple times as there were no bidders through the existing framework. Where bids were received, costs were high, prompting the department to review options in order to achieve best value. Challenges remain with a further reduction in Contractors and a rise in the complexity of individual pupil circumstances. 3.6 For a small number of cases, it has not been possible to secure transport, resulting in parental expenses being offered to families to transport their child to school, whilst we continue to pursue suitable solutions and/or work with schools to reintegrate pupils into existing transport contracts. 3.7 Internal Transport currently provides transportation for children to Cunard School, Choices School, Kilpatrick School, Renton Leven Base, Riverside School, St Kessog’s Lomond Base and Vale of Leven Communication Base, in addition to a small number of ASN pupils to our high schools. Next session will see this increase to include St Joseph’s Rainbow Base and further increase in capacity to Renton Leven Base and Riverside School. Additionally, a further number of smaller individual routes are also being considered where availability allows and meets pupil needs. 3.8 Where Internal Transport cannot meet the service needs, only then providers on the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) are approached to bid for contracts. This allows the taxi resource to be best utilised where the need requires, or for our provision of children travelling outside the local authority for their school placement. Page 26
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3.9 With a reduction in central staffing, we needed to address the workload that provision of home to school transport entails. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport continues to assist WDC via their DPS procurement procedures, making it possible for SPT to undertake some of this work on our behalf. Local operators were advised in this regard. 3.10 Timing of work and demand can be problematic. By its very nature, workload can be subject to peaks and troughs that are not predictable. ‘Team Around the Child’ meetings take place throughout the session, and the needs of individual children change – on occasion, so too can the school they attend, resulting in change to contracts that are already established. We propose a more manageable approach, determining a timetable of procurement activity, with parental expenses being offered as an interim or in some cases, a longer term solution. A timetabled approach would bulk procurement tasks together within a framework meaning adverts would be placed monthly or termly based on quantity, helping the industry plan and adapt to our needs in a more timely manner, but ensuring parents were recompensed with expenses in the intervening time, where necessary, it took us to establish a transport provision should this be required. 4 Main Issues 4.1 To address the Council’s requirements, the following stages and timescales were required: a) May 2026 – Report to Educational Services Committee seeking appropriate approvals; and b) June 2026 – Contractors and SPT to be informed of the outcome of the tendering process, with families being informed of arrangements for the session 2026/27. 4.2 With the meeting of the Education committee moving from May to June, it was not possible to adhere to the timeline above. As such, delegated authority to deviate from Standing Orders and Financial Regulations was sought. After consultation with the Chief Officer Legal and Regulatory, the Section 95 Officer, the Chief Executive and the Convenor of Educational Services committee, the Chief Education Officer proceeded with the necessary arrangements to secure tenders for the transport of children with Additional Support Needs for session 2026/2027 and beyond for contracts of up to 3 years duration with the option to extend for a further 12 months. 4.3 In respect of mainstream contracts, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport act as agent for West Dunbartonshire Council in securing contracts. This provides transport for children and young people attending our mainstream secondary schools, and 8 of our primary schools where the home to school distance exceeds the safe walking distance. It should be further noted that the duration of mainstream contracts can vary from 1 year up to 3 years across all contracts. Page 27
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4.5 Due to the change in date for the Education Committee, it was not possible to adhere to the timeline shown above in section 4.1. As such, delegated authority to deviate from Standing Orders and Financial Regulations was sought. After consultation with the Chief Officer Legal and Regulatory, the Section 95 Officer, the Chief Executive and the Convenor of Educational Services committee, the Chief Education Officer proceeded with the necessary arrangements in liaison with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to renew any mainstream contracts for session 2026/2027 and beyond for contracts up to 3 years duration. 4.6 It is regrettable that it wasn’t possible to adhere to the timeline noted in 4.1 above. To prevent any potential reoccurrence in the future, Officers will bring transport procurement papers to an earlier committee meeting, to ensure adequate time for Council Officers and SPT to undertake activities. 5 People Implications 5.1 There are no direct people implications arising from this report. 6 Financial & Procurement Implications 6.1 For session 2026/2027, it will be necessary to secure ASN transportation contracts at an estimated cost of £1,533,422 per annum (split between WDC schools, and external day and residential provision) and Senior Phase school transport contracts at a further estimated cost of £23,000. This cost can be accommodated within the allocated budget. Costs for ASN transport will be split between Internal Transport provision and contracts awarded through a procurement framework. Within the above costs, approx. 30 ASN contracts are required to be sourced externally at a cost of £482,410k per annum. This covers a range of contracts with 1-to-3-year duration. One contract is to be readvertised where no bids have been received. There may also be subsequent mid-year requests for new transport arrangements for pupils that cannot be accommodated within existing contracts. 6.2 For session 2026/2027, the estimated cost received from SPT based on the current mainstream school contracts is £942,706 per annum. This cost is above our estimated budget of £816,356 by £126,350. Within these costs, 4 contracts are due for renewal at a cost of £108k per annum ranging from 2 to 3 year duration. Costs are higher than anticipated due to present market volatility relating to rising fuel costs and the impact of the war in the Middle East. 6.3 All procurement activity carried out by the Council in excess of £50,000 is subject to contract strategy. The contract strategy for Additional Support Needs Contracts was produced by the Corporate Procurement Unit in close consultation with Education Learning and Attainment. The contract strategy included but was not limited to; contract scope, service forward plan, the market, procurement model and routes – including existing delivery vehicles, roles and responsibilities, risks, issues and opportunities and on-going contract management. The contract strategy is provided as Appendix A. Page 28
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6.4 The Additional Support Needs Contracts will contribute to delivery of the Council strategic priorities through the development of a robust contract strategy which will explore the inclusion of possible community benefits. 6.5 Further opportunities to maximise the positive social, economic and environmental impact for West Dunbartonshire Council through the contract will also be explored, via the use of Community Benefit Clauses included within the tender. 7 Risk Analysis 7.1 If timescales for tendering are met, there is no identified risk to the service in relation to this issue. 7.2 Due to current market volatility, there is a risk that tenders may exceed current estimates due to projected fuel costs. We anticipate that future tender costs will be higher. 8 Equalities Impact Assessment 8.1 An Equalities Impact Assessment has been carried out. The assessment demonstrates that the school transport arrangements promote equality in terms of access to education for pupils. 9 Consultation 9.1 Procurement, Legal, Democratic and Regulatory Services and Section 95 Officer have been consulted on the content of this paper. 10 Strategic Assessment 10.1 High quality school transport contracts contribute to the Council’s strategic priority of our residents being supported to increase life and learning skills, as part of communities that are resilient and thriving. Chief Officer: Gillian Hamilton Service Area: Education Date: 9 June 2026 _____________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Andrew Brown andrew.brown@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: Appendix A - Contract Strategy Background Papers: None Wards Affected: All Page 29
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Contract Strategy SECTION ONE: Create By: Victoria Wilson Contract Name: ASN School Transport Requesting Service(s): Education, Learning & Attainment (ELA) PCS-T Project Number: SPT are publishing this tender. West Dunbartonshire Council (the Council) will be responsible for reviewing all costs, awarding and managing the contracts including all compliance requirements in line with their own T&Cs through PCS-T. Latest Date for Commencement of Contract: July 2026 Estimated Term of Contract (initial) Inclusive of VAT: 1 Year Estimate d Extensio ns to be Included N/A Estimated Value of Requirement: The amount spent on taxis varies each school session, based on the number of pupils being transported and their specific needs. The available budget is sufficient to cover requirements. Budget Amount: £940,509 annual budget (excluding VAT) Cost Centre(s): D0416, D0315, D0242 Revenue or Capital: Revenue Goods / Works / Services: Services Procurement Route: ☐ Route 1 ☒ Route 2 ☐ Route 3 Procurement Journey Estimated Date of Tendering Committee / Delegated Authority: June / July 2026 For ICT Procurement Only: N/A Budget Holder: Print Name: Andrew Brown Signature: Date: 18/02/2026 Committee Approval: Andrew Brown preparing committee paper for May 2026 committee. Appendix A Page 31
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Finance Business Partner (<£1M) / Chief Officer for Resources (>£1M): Print Name: Joe Reilly Signature: Date: 23/02/2026 Procurement Business Partner (<£1M) / PM (>£1M): Print Name: Angus Cameron Signature: Date: 25/02/2026 Procurement Fraud Assessment: Description Select Conclusion Estimated Value: 4 Less than £249,999.99 6 £250K to £999,999.99 10 X From £1M Conflict of Interest: 0 X No conflict of interest declared 2 Forms completed with minimal impact and no further action required 6 Forms completed however substantial declarations made 10 No forms completed Risk from an organised crime group (OCG): ‘At risk’ requirements may include: - construction - waste collection and disposal - transport - green-energy - security services 0 The requirement is not considered 'at risk' 10 X The requirement may be 'at risk' Score and Actions: 20 no referral to Internal Audit 20 or less: Low risk - no referral to Internal Audit More than 20: high risk - send this form to Internal Audit SECTION TWO: Requirement: Scope / Specification: A tendering exercise is required to secure services for non-scheduled and scheduled taxi journeys for the following requirements: ELA To make appropriate provisions to assist pupils with accessing education and for pupils with additional support needs and mainstream pupils to attend an educational establishment. Previous tenders were procured through the Corporate Taxi Framework, which included multiple pupils and routes. During a review, the Council managed to conclude a moderate amount of our routes using our internal transport team. The Council has at least 30 routes to procure which we have identified that Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) could be used. We have used SPT for 1 year and are looking to continue for another 1-year term, allowing us time to Page 32
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create our own framework to put in place a longer-term contract from 2027. The Council are also reviewing options for external schools to provide their own provision. The table below highlights the sustainability measures that will be mandated within the scope / specification as mandatory social, environmental or economic requirements: Reviewed and acted on in accordance with the Sustainability in Procurement Guidance - please see the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Procurement Tools: Employment scope / specification Communities scope / specification Equality scope / specification Fair work practices scope / specification Fairly and ethically traded scope / specification Health and safety scope / specification Security and crime prevention scope / specification Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes New or Existing Requirement: Existing If Applicable, the current Supplier(s) / Contractor(s) / Provider(s): Andrew Buist Broomhill Services Clydebank Taxis Community Transport Gladi8tor Taxis OK Taxi Group The Wright Taxi Co Titan Taxis Historical Spend or Income Information: Service Area: Total Expenditure (p.a.): Suppliers / Contractors / Providers: Comments: Education, Learning & Attainment (ELA) £1m Multiple contractors 2025/2026 Education, Learning & Attainment (ELA) £1.4m Multiple contractors SECTION THREE: Process To Be Adopted: Route to Market: A Framework Agreement (FA) is an agreement between one or more contracting authorities and one or more contractors, the purpose of which is to establish the terms governing contracts to be awarded during a given period, in particular with regard to price and, where appropriate, the quantity envisaged. A FA continues to play a role in public procurement including enabling Councils to work together through collaborative bodies. The FA offer a range of routes to market either by selecting a contractor by direct award or by conducting a mini competition Utilising. Option 1: Mini-Competition A framework allows for mini competition, whereby all contractors on the Lot that can service the Council’s area would be required to be invited to participate in the competition. The benefits with running a mini competition are, it can create multiple opportunities and increased competition from contractors, and it can save time when procuring works. Page 33
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Option 2: e-Auction E-Auctions are not possible while the current climate prices for fuel are always rising. Option 3: Direct Award(s) A Framework Agreement allows for a direct award procedure. The benefits with direct award are, it is a straightforward process which can reduce project timelines and offer a compliant route to market. It allows all parties to gain trust with one another and work collaboratively. The disadvantages are it can potentially remove the option to generate additional savings with removal of competition. While reviewing any possible frameworks with the client it was noted that the only available option for our requirement would be to procure through SPT DPS and invite our current taxi operators to join the DPS beforehand allowing them to have the opportunity to bid within the route to market. Option 4: Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) A Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is an agreement that allows the Council to call off from by conducting mini-competitions only and it allows for new suppliers to join at any time during their operation. Strathclyde Partnership Transport (SPT) Strathclyde Partnership Transport (SPT) currently have a DPS available to call off from for our ASN Taxi requirements. They will conduct a mini-competition on behalf of the Council, allowing all the current local Taxi companies to join prior to issuing out the tender. Recommendation: To utilise SPT DPS for 1 year due to our timescales then during this time look at creating our own framework which we can call off for a longer period. SPT Procurement are the only ones who can directly access DPS, as it’s embedded within the PCS-T system. The Council to provide a simple spreadsheet along with reviewed TCs direct to SPT Procurement for tendering which will be uploaded for bidders to provide a cost per contract which will be published via Axiom. Points to note: • WDC would be responsible for ensuring accuracy when providing their ASN requirements and T & C’s direct to Procurement. • After the Advert’s closing date, Procurement would provide WDC with the same spreadsheet with any operator’s costs added (this would be a different format from last year as the costs would not be through SPT Assessor). • WDC would be responsible for reviewing all costs, awarding and managing the contracts including all compliance requirements in line with their own T & C’s. Additional Social Benefits: The DPS has been let by Strathclyde Partnership Transport (SPT) and the Council will follow the guidance and principles contained within the terms of the DPS. Equalities: Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening completed by Service? Yes Carried out by Andrew Brown Full EIA required? No Full EIA completed? No Page 34
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Purchase to Pay: PECOS System: Yes • Punch-out: No • Catalogue order: No • Non catalogue order: No • E-Invoicing: No • Manual invoices: Yes • BACS: No • Embedded purchasing card: No • Faster payment options: No Full Corporate Procurement Card: Yes Terms and Conditions / Form of Contract: The terms and conditions will be those of the existing WDC ASN taxi framework. Legal Services amended and reviewed our previous T&C’s for the Council and we have issued these to be binding along side each individual contract through the call off. GDPR: The Council has client information that records and shares details internally with authorised personnel. This is GDPR compliant and regularly tested by West Dunbartonshire ICT security team and in line with Council’s retention procedures. In addition; the Council has a comprehensive set of documentation for gathering and sharing information. Our process ensures all appropriate permission levels are in place and service users are clear about why we gather information, what we use it for and who we will share it with. Award Criteria: Quality (Technical Evaluation) Criteria - 10%: Total Cost of Ownership / Price (Commercial) Criteria - 90%: Criteria applied to all school tenders under SPT SECTION FIVE: Planned Cashable Savings Target: If the value of the contract is below the budget for the same period, all savings will be retained as efficiencies. Page 35
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer – Gillian Hamilton Educational Services Committee: 24 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Strategy for Excellence and Equity 1. Purpose 1.1 To provide an update on the service improvement programme aimed at delivering improved outcomes in excellence and equity supported by Strategic Equity Funding. 1.2 This report is for noting. 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Committee is asked to note: (a) the range of improvement and development work delivered in the service to support delivery of quality education; and (b) the range of interventions implemented across primary and secondary schools to improve equity outcomes. 3. Background 3.1 The Strategy for Excellence and Equity, supported by Scottish Government Strategic Equity Funding since 2015, aims to drive continuous improvement across schools and early learning centres. It seeks to support children, young people and families to thrive through improved attainment and the narrowing of the poverty-related attainment gap. 3.2 West Dunbartonshire has received Scottish Government funding since 2015 This is a combination of Strategy Equity Funding allocated to the local authority and Pupil Equity Funding allocated directly to schools. 3.2.1 This funding has contributed to improved outcomes in wellbeing, engagement, attendance and attainment. These improvements have been achieved through high-quality improvement activity and a range of targeted interventions to support children and young people impacted by poverty. 3.2.2 The Committee has received regular reports on progress and practice in relation to the use of Strategic Equity Funding and information on the service exit strategy in advance of the funding ending in 2027. ITEM 12 Page 37
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3.3 The Service reports to Committee on performance in respect of attainment and equity outcomes in August and March each year. Further detail on the range and impact of these outcomes is provided within the Service Delivery Plan 2026/27. Key achievements for the current session are summarised below: • West Dunbartonshire has outperformed the national average within the Broad General Education (BGE) for three consecutive years in relation to attainment for children living in the most deprived areas; • Strong performance has been sustained against national measures, with West Dunbartonshire ranked 11th of 32 local authorities for literacy attainment in primary for the most deprived learners, and 7th for numeracy; • Primary 7 attainment in reading, writing and numeracy has improved; • S3 attainment in numeracy, and in fourth level attainment across reading, writing and numeracy, has improved; • Positive inspection outcomes have been achieved from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education at Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School, Clydemuir Primary School and Carleith Primary School, with evaluations ranging from good to excellent. Inspection activity this session has identified practice worth sharing to support system-wide improvement, including effective use of digital approaches to support learner reflection, strong learner participation in school improvement, and innovative approaches to curriculum design which respond to the needs, interests and contexts of learners • National recognition has been received for the quality of the Service Improvement Framework, identified by HM Inspectors as an example of best practice. 3.4 The strong performance of the service is supporting readiness for future change, with new national programmes already underway. The progress made by the service since 2015 has been enabled, in part, through additional Scottish Government funding. 3.4.1 At the March Committee meeting, members were advised of the indicative timeline for national education reform from 2025 to 2032, outlining phased changes across curriculum, assessment, qualifications, and system governance. Subsequent communication from Education Scotland confirms that draft curriculum design guidance and supporting materials will be published in June 2026, followed by draft models for all eight curriculum areas. Work to align curriculum and qualifications, alongside the development of a new assessment framework, will take place between sessions 2026 and 2028, ahead of full implementation from August 2028. 3.4.2 Through SNCT, COSLA, Scottish Government and Trade Unions have reached an agreement about the fully funded introduction of Reduced Class Contact Time (RCCT), reducing the amount of contact class teachers have with classes from 22½ hours to 21 hours. Teaching time for children and young people remains unchanged at 27½ hours. We will work to plan for the Page 38
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introduction of RCCT for Early Years, Primary and ASN in time for August 2027, and for Secondary for August 2029. Further updates on progress to implementation will be brought to committee. 4. Main Issues 4.1 The strong progress across the service is underpinned by effective collaboration between the central education team, schools and early learning and childcare centres. While improvements in outcomes and measures of excellence and equity are evident, the poverty-related attainment gap persists 4.2 The Strategic Equity Fund As reported to Committee since 2022, Strategic Equity Funding (SEF) has been subject to a tapered annual reduction, resulting in decreased income for Educational Services. 2026/27 is the final year of the fund with future funding arrangements as yet unconfirmed. The phased withdrawal of SEF has necessitated an ongoing annual reduction in staffing levels and interventions designed to support excellence and equity. This continued decline in funding is likely to impact future progress. Funding has reduced over time, decreasing from £2,043,815 in 2020/21 to £851,000 in this final year. 4.2.1 Funding has been used to appoint officers and release experienced school leaders to work as part of the central team. This has ensured that key improvement activity is appropriately resourced and has strengthened overall capacity to deliver sustained improvement across establishments. 4.2.2 A programme of termly monitoring visits has been delivered by education officers and two primary headteachers seconded to work centrally to support the ongoing delivery of improvement activity. This work aims to deliver the service aspiration of excellent learning in every classroom and playroom through support and challenge visits to all schools. 4.2.3 In session 2026/27 funding will release a secondary senior leader to lead a targeted improvement programme focused on senior phase attainment and school improvement. Over the past two sessions, the service has delivered a strengthened secondary attainment review process and evidence from this process has confirmed that, while our senior phase attainment is positive, targeted intervention and support should improve performance, increasing the life chances of our young people An Attainment Advisor from Education Scotland is supporting a review of the secondary curriculum offer and attainment targets across all secondary schools. This has enhanced the system’s understanding of attainment patterns and informed targeted improvement actions. Page 39
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4.2.4 A new programme to improve writing attainment has increased the number of children achieving levels for their age and stage. The programme involves over 50% of primary schools applying a targeted, intensive approach to writing. Feedback has been very positive, with evidence from children indicating increased confidence in writing. Two experienced headteachers have been released on a part-time basis to lead this work across all primary schools. 4.2.5 An improvement group comprising senior leaders and class teachers from all sectors is developing a maths and numeracy improvement programme for next session. This builds on the programme of improved practice in learning, teaching, and assessment led by a primary headteacher over the past two sessions. It also reflects the authority’s success in improving attainment at the upper stages of primary and in S3. 4.2.6 The health development officer has strengthened the use of health / wellbeing data to plan interventions in the areas of: physical health, oral health, child obesity, sexual health, substance use, and mental health. Working groups are reviewing the current offer across all schools and early learning centres with officer support provided to deliver key workstreams. 4.2.7 Improvement Framework Evaluation 2025/2026: head teachers have evaluated the service framework identifying strengths, impact and areas for improvement. Feedback highlights strong collaborative practice between officers and schools, informed practice in self-evaluation, and improved data- informed improvement practices. 4.2.8 Progress in attainment and equity at Primary 1, Primary 4, Primary 7, and Secondary 3 has been monitored across all settings. Officers have undertaken ‘Areas of Focused Attention’ visits to evaluate the quality of assessment practice and the accuracy of teachers’ professional judgements of children’s achievement of attainment levels. This activity has been carried out in advance of the submission of data to the Scottish Government in June. A report on literacy and numeracy attainment for 2025–2026 will be presented to Committee in August. 4.3. Pupil Equity Fund In response to requests for further information on specific interventions supported through Pupil Equity Funding (PEF), a detailed report outlining high impact projects is provided at Appendix 1. Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) is allocated to schools based on free school meals entitlement. In academic session 2025/26, West Dunbartonshire Schools received £3.3million. Table 1 presents information on how PEF funding is being used in 2025/26. Page 40
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Table 1: Pupil Equity Fund 2025 PEF 2025/26 £ Teachers 1, 299, 537 Support Staff 568, 809 Transport 20, 355 Resources 348, 250 Payment to partners/ external providers 359, 244 TOTAL: 2, 596, 195 Schools are currently developing PEF plans for session 2026/27, to deliver targeted equity interventions while taking account of the ongoing uncertainty regarding PEF funding beyond 2027. 4.4. National Developments: The Curriculum Improvement Cycle Education leaders have engaged in professional learning in response to the national education reform programme to be implemented by 2028. Strong planning is evident across all schools, with a clear focus on staff engagement in training and development. The scale of forthcoming curriculum and qualifications reform in the Senior Phase will require sustained investment of time and financial resources to ensure staff are fully prepared for implementation. 5. People Implications 5.1 As previously reported to Committee the tapered reduction of Strategic Equity Funding (SEF) through to 2026/27 will result in a decrease from 41.5 funded posts to 12.0 posts. This includes roles such as central officers, attainment teachers, senior phase officers and community learning workers, while for the 2025/26 session the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) also supported additional teachers, learning assistants, pupil and family support workers, early years staff and senior school leaders. The service is proactively managing the annual reduction in staffing and is implementing a robust plan to phase out SEF/ PEF-funded posts by 2027. 5.2 This report highlights the range and scope of national developments for curriculum, assessment and qualifications. This programme will increase the need for sufficient provision of staff to facilitate staff development and adaptations in line with any new national expectations. 5.3 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 Page 41
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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. 5.4 The introduction of Reduced Class Contact Time will have an impact on the number of teachers we require. Early indications of modelling suggest that we will require approximately an additional 70 teachers, spread across sectors. Further detail will be brought to future committees. 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. 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. Page 42
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10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 This report reflects the Council’s overarching priority to support our communities to thrive. Gillian Hamilton Chief Education Officer 26 May 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Julie McGrogan, Senior Education Officer, Department of Education, Learning and Attainment, Council Offices, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton, G82 1QL Email: julie.mcgrogan@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendix: 1. Pupil Equity Fund – Interventions for Equity Background Papers: Equality Impact Assessment – March 2022 Wards Affected: All wards Page 43
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Appendix 1 Pupil Equity Fund Interventions for Equity West Dunbartonshire Council Education, Learning and Attainment Page 45
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PEF Impact 2025/2026 – Thematic Grouping Attainment (Literacy, Numeracy & Writing) Aitkenbar PS In Aitkenbar Primary School the raising attainment teacher has worked with 119 children across P2-7, to support developing their reading skills and building staff capacity through team teaching approaches. This has helped 28 children increase their attainment by 1 CfE phase, an increase of 23.5%. There are now 82 learners across P2-7 working at expected levels and beyond in reading, with an additional 15 children now on track because of this intervention, an increase of 12.6%. Children report they are enjoying reading more and staff have observed an increase in the volume of books pupils have been reading. Clydemuir PS In Clydemuir Primary School our support teacher has worked with 59 children across the school to develop and consolidate their reading and writing skills. In Primaries One – Three the focus has been on phonics and blending to develop confidence in writing and in Primary Four the focus has been on improving confidence in sentence writing. We have used a mixture of active approaches including digital learning programmes. Dumbarton Academy In Dumbarton Academy, 27 pupils are receiving targeted literacy support through a dyslexia support group led by a support teacher, using Wordshark Software to develop spelling, reading and typing skills through personalised learning activities. Following an initial assessment to identify starting levels, pupils progress through increasingly challenging levels at their own pace while receiving regular feedback on their progress. 20 of the 27 pupils have already progressed by at least one level, with the highest improvement being eight levels. In addition to improvements in literacy attainment, the small-group approach has had a positive impact on wellbeing and engagement, with 100% of pupils reporting that they enjoy attending the group and feel it supports their learning, highlighting the value of interactive learning and increased confidence in their literacy skills. Bonhill PS Intervention Context & Rationale Over the past three sessions, Bonhill Primary School has implemented a dual- approach intervention designed to improve learner wellbeing, attendance, and literacy attainment. Recognising that traditional classroom environments can sometimes act as a barrier for our most disengaged learners, we utilised the Forest School framework as a primary engagement tool, paired with targeted, consistent in- class reading support. Page 46
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Key Achievements & Impact • Breadth of Impact: The programme has successfully reached over 100 pupils, providing a high-quality outdoor learning experience that prioritizes mental wellbeing and emotional regulation as a foundation for academic success. • Closing the Attainment Gap: By aligning Forest School delivery with dedicated in- class reading support from the same staff members, we have observed a measurable rise in reading progress. The continuity of staff across both settings fostered stronger relationships and increased learner confidence. Enhanced Engagement: The outdoor setting reduced "learning anxiety," allowing children to develop the resilience and focus necessary for their subsequent indoor literacy tasks. Conclusion: The synergy between outdoor experiential learning and focused literacy intervention has proven effective in breaking down barriers to learning. This holistic approach has not only boosted core skills in reading but has also fostered a more inclusive environment where our most vulnerable learners feel motivated to attend and achieve. Braehead PS In Braehead Primary School, our Pupil Equity Funding has been used to fund additional teaching time for targeted groups of children, focusing on those not achieving or at risk of not achieving expected levels in writing across different cohorts. This targeted intervention has increased our attainment levels across these groups (for example P3 in August - writing attainment was at 53% on track to achieve, now 80% on track to achieve and sustaining being on track). Page 47
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Carleith PS and Goldenhill PS Pupil Equity Funding has been used to create the "Centurion Award". HMIE recently evaluated this in Carleith Primary School writing the following: "Children use ‘Centurion Awards’ exceptionally well to develop their ability to recognise and track their own personal, social and academic progress. These awards, designed and created by the school community, link children’s behaviours, actions and progress directly to their ‘learning powers’. Children use these awards to set their own targets for achievement, create their own support plan, seek feedback from others, and collect evidence of their progress. Children are rightly very proud of their achievements. They explain eloquently how working towards achieving their awards advances their ‘learning powers’.” Kilbowie PS In Kilbowie Primary our PEF funded principal teacher has been working with a group of First Level pupils to support their skills in writing. They have been using the ‘Writing Bundle’ from the National Improving Writing Programme. This has had a positive impact on our pupils' attainment as almost all of the pupils are more engaged with their writing and have made improvement in their writing scores. They have been working on improving Tools for Writing and have been successful in using their bespoke success criteria to make improvement. All children have made improvement in termly writing assessments since beginning the project. Page 48
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Levenvale PS In Levenvale school, the majority of P1-4 children have participated in the Read Write Inc Phonics Programme. PEF has supported this through the purchasing of resources, training and additional staffing for smaller group teaching and interventions. The data from this shows that 75% of children have moved up at least three levels this year. “I used to prefer typing my stories but I am getting better at writing and I like it more when we write in our jotters.” “I never used to like writing because I wasn’t very good at it. Now I am better at adding punctuation, adjectives and figurative language. I like writing every day and for 15 minutes.” “I prefer writing everyday for a shorter time. I like having the success criteria in my jotter and Mrs Hainan puts the numbers beside the parts of the SC so we know how many of each we are aiming for.” Page 49
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Our Holy Redeemer PS In Our Holy Redeemer Primary school the raising attainment teacher has worked with 12 P5 children and 10 P2 pupils to support their skills in writing. This has helped children increase their attainment and their ability to use data to inform their next steps in learning. P5 pupil “I now know what I have to focus on to make my writing better, when we learn something new it can be hard at first but then when I don’t give up it gets easier and I feel better!” Our Lady of Loretto PS 5 teachers provided 40 hours of additional literacy support to 34 children. This has helped children make greater progress in reading and achieve benchmarks in line with national expectations for their age and stage. St Ronan’s PS 106 children and 6 members of staff have engaged in Visible Learning to improve learning, teaching and assessment through enhanced feedback. 61 children engaged in whole class or target group interventions, and all have made progress in the way they use feedback to move their learning forward. All staff report that their practice has improved as a result of this programme. St Stephen’s PS A group of P5 pupils received a 1:1 numeracy intervention. This supported 100% of children to increase their attainment (evidenced by improved maths age), with 20% now working in line with national expectations. (2023/24). A group of P2 pupils received an early numeracy intervention. This resulted in 100% of children increasing their pace of learning, with 33% now working in line with national expectations. (2023/24). A group of P4 pupils engaged in an online digital platform intervention. This led to 67% of children increasing their pace of learning, with an average maths age improvement of 18 months over 10 months. (2024/25). A phonics intervention was delivered to 17 pupils across P4 and P5. The initiative resulted in an average reading age increase of 20 months over a five-month period. (2024/25). A visual phonics intervention supported 9 pupils across P1–P3 who were not on track with phonics acquisition. All participants demonstrated accelerated progress, with three pupils achieving national expectations in reading (2024/25). Vale of Leven Academy (VOLA) Since December PEF has been used to second three primary teachers from our link Local Learning Community Schools to work at VOLA. As well as enhancing the teaching of Maths and English in first and second year classes, primary staff have worked with groups of our pupils on reading. 25 pupils have been provided with enhanced support to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Page 50
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Feedback from one of the primary teachers 'I feel the weekly reading group sessions have increased pupil enjoyment of reading, encouraged reading for pleasure and have equipped pupils with the necessary skills to not only decode the text but to gain a deeper understanding of it, through predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarising of the text.' Whitecrook Primary School PEF funding at Whitecrook Primary School has enabled the deployment of a class teacher to deliver targeted literacy and numeracy interventions for 27 children working below expected levels, with a focus on accelerating progress and closing identified gaps. Across both areas, structured small-group teaching, consistent modelling and approaches such as multisensory literacy strategies, Concrete- Pitcorial-Abstract (CPA) methods and Number Talks are strengthening core skills including phonics, common word recognition, sentence construction, the four operations, rounding and problem-solving. A shared meta-cognitive emphasis on concentration, task-stamina and independent application is helping learners build confidence, accuracy and resilience in extended tasks. Early evidence from assessments, jotter monitoring and classroom observations shows that pupils are beginning to transfer strategies more independently, demonstrating improved fluency, accuracy and engagement. Ongoing assessment and close collaboration with class teachers will ensure that next steps remain responsive and that learners continue to make strong progress towards their end-of-session literacy and numeracy targets. Wellbeing, Emotional Support & Mental Health Balloch PS In Balloch Primary a Pupil Family Support Worker supported the wellbeing of 30 pupils through a variety of targeted interventions. Individual check ins supported emotional wellbeing, providing children with support strategies and the opportunity to talk. Friendship groups supported collaboration and communication while developing social emotional skills through art or games. Outdoor learning and partnership working, with Choices and Loch Lomond Community Pantry, targeted improving motivation and engagement with literacy and numeracy through a real life context, also leading to improved attendance for some. Page 51
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Clydebank HS In Clydebank High School, groups of young people in S1 and S2 work with our Nurture Specialist. This is having a positive and measurable impact on our their social, emotional, and academic development. We currently have 2 groups of Nurture which is delivered to eight S1 pupils 5 periods per week and ten S2 pupils twice per week. It is through consistent small group support our pupils are developing greater confidence, improved emotional regulation, strengthened relationships with both peers and staff. As a result, the pupils are now more engaged in their learning, better able to cope with transitions, improved timekeeping, and attendance. Kilpatrick School At Kilpatrick School, we use PEF to fund Rebound Therapy. We have used our funding to buy equipment and train 5 practitioners across our setting. We have seen many benefits for our young people, such as relaxation, increased communication, and increased muscular tone and mobility. This has allowed our pupils to be more ready to learn and has improved their general health and wellbeing. We have managed to have over 40 pupils access this intervention and have had great feedback from staff, pupils and families. Our Holy Redeemer PS In Our Holy Redeemer Primary school 8 children have worked with a Pupil and Family Support Worker and Y -Sort-it on an outdoor learning project which focussed on developing communication and co-operation skills as well as increased attendance. The children have told us “I loved planning for our outdoor days as I have a lot of good ideas that I can share with others”. “xx is loving the chance to be outdoors all day and is excited to come to school!” (P7 parent) Page 52
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St Joseph’s PS In St Joseph’s Primary School, 8 pupils have worked with a Play Therapist, for around 12 weeks to help them to understand and express their feelings and thoughts. Parents and staff have told us that their child is able use strategies they have learned, to manage their emotions and transitions. Two of our older pupil’s attendance has increased by more than 10% due to being able to manage their anxiety better after working with the Play Therapist. St Martin’s PS The Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) has had a significant positive impact on our small primary school. Funding a 0.5 Learning Assistant has allowed us to backfill staffing and provide targeted wellbeing support for three pupils at First Level. This has included tailored 1:1 support, enabling the children to access a personalised curriculum. Staff have observed the children and report increased levels of participation and confidence. Parents have shared that their children’s needs are being well met through this bespoke support, highlighting the value of PEF in improving outcomes for our learners. St Mary’s PS, Alexandria In St Mary’s PS, one teacher has been employed as additional staffing over one term to offer targeted wellbeing support to 12 pupils across first level. The intervention involved a "soft start" to the morning within a quiet, small-group setting and the use of social stories to help the children settle into the day. There were also afternoon sessions x 4 times a week which focused on developing a growth mindset, building positive attitudes and learning strategies to manage big emotions. All children who participated spoke positively about the intervention. They all said it had helped them to manage better when they have ’big’ feelings. The teachers of the children have noticed a more settled start to the day with almost all of the children ready to engage in learning. All parents who responded said they have noticed a positive difference in their child's general wellbeing and mood since they began attending the wellbeing sessions. They have also been aware of their child using different strategies to manage self-regulation at home. St Peter’s PS In St. Peter’s Primary school 30 children have worked with a Pupil and Family Support Worker on Lego and Resilience projects. The Lego group supports children to develop their communication and collaboration skills. The children can talk about the role they have for the group—such as the "Engineer" or the "Builder"—and that i helps them to develop their listening skills and to solve problems as a team, which directly strengthens their peer relationships. The focus of the resilience work is to help children overcome fears and to develop confidence to tackle unfamiliar situations. Page 53
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Attendance & Engagement Bonhill PS Targeted Attendance Improvement: The initiative specifically targeted a cohort of pupils for whom low attendance was a persistent barrier to progress. For these ‘target’ learners, the Forest School sessions acted as a vital "hook," leading to improved attendance rates and a more positive disposition toward the school day. Carleith PS Data showed an improvement in attendance across the school with average attendance improving by 0.8 % in 2024/25. However, through PEF funding children were identified for target attendance support. Strategies such as leadership roles in the School Pantry, transport assistance, and dedicated key staff supporting families we have seen an average improvement of 6.43% in attendance of the target group. Edinbarnet PS Attendance at Edinbarnet Primary School has increased for almost all pupils supported by targeted intervention delivered by our Pupil and Family Support Worker (PFSW) for example emotional support, transport to school, tuition and financial support. Ongoing targeted support from the PFSW has improved attendance and reduced unauthorised absences for some of our families identified as needing support. Gavinburn PS In Gavinburn PS a play therapist increased engagement and attendance for 5 children. Also in Gavinburn PS, supported study classes in p7 increased attainment for 67% of participants. Page 54
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Our Lady & St Patrick’s HS The ‘Pitchin’ In’ Programme at Our Lady & St Patrick’s High School engaged 35 S2 pupils and delivered strong, measurable benefits, with 100% reporting improved understanding of how their behaviour affects the community, Police Scotland and their own wellbeing. Attendance was positive (80–90%), with all pupils reporting they enjoyed the sessions and expressed interest in further opportunities. The programme significantly strengthened awareness of key social issues—including sectarianism, exploitation, domestic violence, positive relationships, addictions and mental health—with 75% of our young people noting a considerable increase in understanding. Pupils valued open discussion with peers and police officers, often using football-based scenarios to relate to the issues explored, and their feedback reflected increased empathy, improved communication and greater personal responsibility. Overall, the programme strengthened relationships with police partners, supported early intervention and equipped young people with the confidence and language needed to make safer, more informed choices. Our Lady of Loretto PS A group of 17 children worked with the Pupil Family Support Officer on an outdoor garden project in collaboration with community partners. With a focus on developing skills for learning, life and work, all children have shown improved engagement and attendance. St Peter the Apostle HS At St Peter the Apostle High School, PEF funded a teacher to work on developing our Pupil Parliament to ensure stronger representation across the school. This has led to the introduction of hybrid meetings (online and in person), increasing engagement to over 300 young people. The Pupil Parliament now plays a central role in school improvement, contributing to key decisions including planning our Activities Week, the purchase of a new card reader, development of the coffee cart scheme, review of the draft behaviour policy, and evaluation of learning and teaching. In addition, pupils have directly influenced the design of enhanced study support, with over 400 young people accessing Easter provision, study weekends and targeted one-to-one outreach learning, leading to notable improvements in both wellbeing and attainment. A further PEF-funded initiative has strengthened family engagement, with staff supporting families to prepare nutritious meals, develop budgeting skills, and take- home ingredients to replicate dishes independently. This has helped build confidence, reduce financial pressures, and promote healthier lifestyles, contributing positively to family wellbeing and resilience. Pupil feedback highlights increased confidence in expressing views and a strong sense of being listened to and empowered in meaningful decision-making. Page 55
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St Ronan’s PS 60 children from P4 - 7 engaged in outdoor learning experiences with Operation Play Outdoors. This programme focussed on developing team building and problem- solving skills. 3 members of teaching staff shadowed these sessions and reported that children were engaged and motivated during these experiences. Children have reported that these experiences were enjoyable, challenging and they would like to continue to be involved in similar activities in the future. Vale of Leven Academy A target group of 20 S1 and S3 girls have worked with a Pupil and Family Support Worker at VOLA to improve their attendance through target setting and rewards. 13 girls (65%) have already improved their attendance since the intervention started in January 2026. An S3 girl has told us ‘it’s good to see my attendance finally going up and now I am managing full weeks of school when I haven’t been able to’. Page 56
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Family Engagement & Community St Mary’s PS, Duntocher PEF Impact Example 1 – Forest School Family Sessions Over the past four years, more than 50 families at St Mary’s Primary, Duntocher have taken part in our Family Cooking Project, working with a Community Chef, Working 4 U and school staff to prepare healthy meals on a budget. Parents reported increased confidence in cooking and budgeting, with one sharing that they now “enjoy cooking as a family activity” and another saying “I can now cook together with confidence”. Children also developed practical skills and a willingness to try new foods, telling us “we made all different foods and tried things we didn’t normally like”. Many families continue to use the recipes at home, demonstrating sustained impact on wellbeing, healthy choices and positive family time. PEF Impact Example 2 – Forest School Family Sessions Across three blocks of Forest School Family sessions, 21 families have taken part in weekly outdoor learning designed to build confidence, resilience and communication skills. Children reported feeling more confident in managing risk and showed increased determination, persistence and improved listening and talking skills. Parents also noted positive changes, with many saying they felt “more confident to allow their child to engage in risky play” and that they enjoyed learning together in a way that felt more meaningful than homework. Several families shared that they planned to continue similar outdoor activities at weekends, showing the project’s wider impact on family wellbeing and engagement in learning. Page 57
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St Michael’s PS Our baby and tots after school group engages families in a nurturing, play-based environment focused on building strong early foundations for learning and wellbeing. One parent/carer has Bookbug training and is able to lead singing and rhyme. Supported by our pupil and family support worker, the group strengthens relationships, promotes early communication, healthy eating and supports positive parent–child interaction. This targeted early intervention helps develop confidence, belonging, and the key skills that underpin successful transitions into school. Page 58
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Equity / Cost of the School Day Christie Park PS This year, we allocated a portion of our Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) to minimise the 'cost of the school day' for some of our families. By subsidising school trips, experiences, and the P7 residential trip to Ardentinny, we have worked to remove financial barriers and ensure equity for all learners. Specifically, this funding enabled 34 out of 37 P7 pupils to attend their outdoor residential trip without causing financial hardship for their families. Gartocharn PS In Gartocharn Primary School, a modernised and high quality reading scheme has been purchased to benefit all first and second level children. Assessments within Numeracy and Maths have been enhanced through the introduction of digital assessments. School trips have been made more financially accessible to all. Page 59
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Wider Achievement & Enrichment Choices School A lot of our PEF budget has gone to the purchase and maintenance of a minibus for Choices school. This has allowed us to place an emphasis on outdoor learning and cultural trips for all our young people. This has been recognised by parents, young people and HMIE as having a positive impact on the educational experience offered. Page 60
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Positive Destinations & Outcomes Vale of Leven Academy At VOLA a S&FE Hub youth worker has engaged with over 150 young people with barriers to engagement and at risk of a negative destination in the future. This is through tailored programmes of youth work interventions and this work has had a pivotal role in supporting VOLA’s continued strong positive destination data. This session there are currently 100 young people who have accessed the Hive for interventions in Literacy, Numeracy and Health & Wellbeing, 12 are S4 pupils receiving targeted support for National 5 Maths and English. There are currently 17 groups running across the week. A pupil has said 'I would never have been able to complete an assessment like this before having you as my Hive teacher. I was much more confident and have done much better now than I would have before I started the Hive.' Parental feedback is ‘My son now engages better with school, he had very poor mental health and struggled with school, but is now thriving and a much happier person. His relationships with his peers has improved.’ VOLA’s on-going PEF strategy supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds: 96.58% of students in quintile 1 achieved a positive destination. This is 3.34% higher than the National average and 6.27% higher than the WDC average. The "Deprivation Gap" is 3.42%. Nationally, this gap is wider at 4.72%, indicating that VOLA is more effective at ensuring equitable outcomes for its students. 94.03% of FME students at VOLA had a positive destination. This significantly exceeds the performance of FME students across WDC (86.72%) and the National average (91.46%). A target group of 20 S1 and S3 girls have worked with a Pupil and Family Support Worker at VOLA to improve their attendance through target setting and rewards. 13 girls (65%) have already improved their attendance since the intervention started in January 2026. An S3 girl has told us ‘it’s good to see my attendance finally going up and now I am managing full weeks of school when I haven’t been able to’. Since December PEF has been used for Primary specialists to work at VOLA. As well as enhancing the teaching of Maths and English in BGE classes, primary staff have been taking reading groups. 25 pupils have been provided with enhanced support to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Page 61
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Primary Teacher feedback is 'I feel the weekly reading group sessions have increased pupil enjoyment of reading, encouraged reading for pleasure and have equipped pupils with the necessary skills to not only decode the text but to gain a deeper understanding of it, through predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarising of the text.' Page 62
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Education Officer Educational Services Committee: Wednesday 24 June 2026 _______________________________________________________________ Subject: Early Learning and Childcare Update 1. Purpose 1.1 This report provides an update on progress made to provide high quality Early Learning and Childcare in West Dunbartonshire Council. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Committee notes: (i) progress to deliver high quality Early Learning and Childcare. 3. Background 3.1 Early Learning and Childcare Within Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) we deliver, across all our settings, up to 1140 hours to eligible 2 year olds, and children aged from 3 to those not yet attending primary school. Places for children under the age of 2 are available in our partner settings and in some of our council run settings. These places support our eligible and vulnerable children and working families who require access to childcare. We also provide places with some childminders across the local authority. Overall children are very well supported, provided with exciting learning opportunities, and are nurtured by well trained staff. 3.2 Training We continue to offer a wide range of training to all our ELC providers through our Professional Learning Framework and our framework for this session aims to support the actions identified in our delivery plan, staff development needs and to support all children. ITEM 13 Page 63
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4. Main Issues 4.1 Children’s Progress Attendance continues to be robustly monitored on a monthly basis within our early years settings and training to staff has been provided to develop a more consistent approach. The attendance across West Dunbartonshire Council settings for April 2026 is 87.67%, which is an improvement in all other months since August this session. We continue to work in partnership with settings to highlight the importance of good attendance to ensure the best outcomes for all children. 4.2 Supporting Improvement As part of the continuous improvement journey the central team carry out supportive improvement visits to settings. These visits help leaders and settings to validate, or identify, their strengths and key next steps for focussed improvement. They also help them in their preparation for external inspection. This session, the central team have carried out 19 of these visits where the focus has been on the quality improvement aspects, children’s progress and nurturing, care and support. It also allows us to identify areas for focus within our strategic delivery plan, identify future training offers and where targeted support can be of help. Our ELC settings report that they find these visits beneficial and supportive. 4.3 ELC Inspections under the new Quality Improvement Framework Since the new framework was introduced in September 2025, a number of our settings have been inspected. Seven of our settings have been inspected by the Care Inspectorate and four by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education. Almost all grades received have been the same or better than previous inspections of these settings. 4.4 Early Years Assessment and Progression Framework We are currently reviewing our processes for assessing children’s progress across the early years and intend to implement a revised approach from August 2026. A working party has been established to evaluate and develop this new Early Years Assessment and Progression Framework which includes a range of representatives working across Early Years. The current progress records have been in place for some time and in light of the change to the HMIE and Care Inspectorate shared inspection framework, which has a new quality indicator with a focus on curriculum and the national practice guidance, ‘Realising the Ambition’, which outlines clear expectations that children should experience a holistic, play based curriculum in early years, this review is timely. Recent analysis has also shown that there are areas where we could improve our assessment and tracking of children’s progress across the wider curriculum. Through the revised approach we believe that we will be able to better support children’s learning and attainment holistically and in all curricular areas whilst also developing their skills. There will be a clear focus on ensuring that Getting it Right for Every Child and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are at the centre of this work. Page 64
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4.5 Literacy and Parental Engagement Project We are pleased to note, colleagues from Strathclyde University have secured funding to allow them to engage with three of our settings in a short term project which will focus on improving literacy and parental engagement. The project will also upskill staff knowledge in this aspect and build their capacity. Through the work it is anticipated that children’s attainment in literacy skills will improve and parents/carers will have a greater understanding of how best that they can support their children in this key area of development. 4.6 Clydebank Increased Registration The additional changing facilities work at Clydebank ELC has now been completed. This has allowed us to amend the registration for the service with the Care Inspectorate. We are now able to accommodate more eligible 2 year olds in the local area to access their 1140 entitlement at the service and better support the local community and families. 4.7 Thrive at Five For the next three years, West Dunbartonshire Council will be working in partnership with Thrive at Five. Thrive at Five is a UK based charity and community focused initiative which is aimed at ensuring children from birth to age five develop strong foundations for life and learning. The goal of this joint programme, which aims to reach up to 2500 of WDC children, is to achieve long term sustained improvements in children’s developmental outcomes and reduce the number of children starting school with developmental concerns. The programme will be externally evaluated by the Centre for Evidence and implementation. Thrive at Five have worked with local authorities in England to date, however, WDC will be the first Scottish local authority to work in partnership with them. This work will involve an investment of £500,000 per annum from Thrive at Five alongside repurposed monies to the value of £150,000 from the WDC education budget. It will take a joined up approach where all agencies working with families will work collaboratively with a key focus on improving children’s speech language and communication skills, supporting parents/carers and the home learning environment. This work will also involve the recruitment of a skilled local team of up to 10 people to deliver the programmes. (Please see attached appendix 1) 4.8 Deferrals Year Total number of school deferrals accessing another year of ELCC Number of Jan – Feb school deferrals accessing another year of ELCC Number of Aug – Dec school deferrals accessing another year of ELCC Delayed year 26- 27 152 79 73 0 25 - 26 140 60 80 1 24 - 25 156 94 62 1 23 - 24 126 81 45 2 22 - 23 92 55 37 0 Page 65
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Children whose birth date falls on or after the first date of the school term start date in August have an automatic entitlement to access a deferred year in ELC. The data above shows the current numbers of children accessing a deferred year. We are able to accommodate those families who wish to access a deferred year for their child within our existing service. The Scottish Government publication of ‘Funded Early Learning and Childcare Statistics 2025’ states that the number of deferred registrations for 2025 represented 35% of children eligible for a funded deferral place, which was an increase from 34% in 2024. In West Dunbartonshire, we don’t currently hold this information, however, we can confirm that in session 2024/2025 15% of the entire pre school role elected to defer and in session 2025/2026 16% of the entire pre school role elected to defer and access an additional year in their ELC setting. 4.9 Increase in Childminders in West Dunbartonshire This session we provided the Scottish Child Minding Association with funding to help them recruit and train more childminders within West Dunbartonshire Council. Through this funding they have successfully recruited three new childminders in WDC and supported them through the requirements which will allow them to offer childminding services to local families. We anticipate that they will be fully registered with the Care Inspectorate soon and will then be able to enter into partnership with us to offer eligible childcare to families. 5 People Implications 5.1 Support is provided for Early Learning and Childcare staff teams and leaders to enable effective delivery of the high quality ELC and the expectations of the statutory offer of 1140 hours for eligible 2 year olds and 3 year olds to pre school aged children. 5.2 Since 2021, we have supported 35 Modern Apprentices. 23 have completed their training, achieving a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) Level 3 within our Early Learning and Childcare settings and have been supported into employment with the council. At present three Modern Apprentices are working towards their qualification and two more are recruited to begin in August 2026. We will also look to recruit one more MA for August 2026. We also linked in with West College Scotland to offer interviews to newly qualified early learning and childcare practitioners and received five applications for our supply posts. All five who applied were successful at interview and will be added to our supply register as soon as their recruitment checks are completed. Ten members of staff working in ELC settings across the authority are currently working on their SVQ Level 2. We have received very positive feedback about this cohort from the college with all ten on track to gain this qualification by the summer. This group contains three upskillers, namely early years lunchtime assistants who with this qualification, could seek employment as a learning assistant and also seven learning assistants gaining the correct qualification to meet their SSSC conditions. We also have Page 66
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three members of staff, one Principal Officer and two Lead Officers in the final year of their Bachelor of Arts in Childhood Practice. . 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 There are no financial or procurement implications arising from this report. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 The Key Risks: • Maintaining high quality Early Learning and Childcare at all funded providers to ensure that they meet the National Standard Criteria. • Failure to deliver 1140 hours curriculum by confident, well trained Early Learning and Childcare staff teams. • Evaluations of good for environment by Care Inspectorate are at risk if Early Learning and Childcare building assets are not maintained. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment 8.1 There was no requirement to undertake another Equalities Impact Assessment for the purposes of this report as it is providing an update for Committee. 9. Consultation 9.1 Regular consultation with stakeholders including parents and carers, Early Learning and Childcare staff, Unions, Council partners and partner Early Learning and Childcare providers continues through the various Council fora and regular meetings. 9.2 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 aspiration to have resilient and thriving communities, a strong and flourishing economy and a council that is inclusive and adaptive. These are some of the strategic priorities for 2022-2027. Gillian Hamilton Chief Education Officer 8 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Page 67
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Person to Contact: Alison Bowers, Senior Education Officer, Education, Learning and Attainment Telephone No: 07813 534420 Email: alison.bowers@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices Appendix 1 – Thrive at Five WDC Summary – Joint Presentation Background Papers: none Wards Affected: All Page 68
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An Introduction to Thrive at Five & West Dunbartonshire’s Joint Early Years Programme May 2026 Appendix 1 Page 69
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1. Introduction to Thrive at Five Page 70
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Our vision is… a society where all children in their early years have the strong foundations they need for life and learning Our mission is… to bring together local communities, families and partners, and to join- up and strengthen early years systems to support children to thrive from pregnancy to five Page 71
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By age two a child’s brain is around 80% of its adult weight Almost 50% of the attainment gap at age 16 is already in place before children start school Why the early years? There is strong evidence that babies and children are shaped in their early years by the relationships, experiences and environment around them… …and that this a profound impact on their development and their future. Early spoken language is the most important factor affecting literacy at 11 Page 72
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Strong parent or carer-child relationships Good parental wellbeing Rich home learning environments Improved early communications and language development Quality early education and childcare Ultimate goal: Improved child development Interm ediate outcom es Our Theory of Change Parent outreach Strengthening the system Improving practiceEnabling work-stream s Page 73
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Existing programmes 32% lower super output areas (LSOA) in 10% most deprived nationally 24% LSOAs in 10% most deprived nationally Stoke-on-Trent Redcar & Cleveland RELATIVE LOW INCOME 40% 30% Middlesbrough We work with councils to identify local areas, aiming to reach ~2,500 children 40%49% LSOAs in 10% most deprived nationally Page 74
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Our approach in practice 5+year commitment supported by inward investment Cross system leadership and support, with local councils as our first partner A local “backbone” and parental outreach team (see next slide) Co-designing solutions and embedding evidence-based approaches Access to expertise and support through our Advisory Council and Impact team Evaluating our approach and consolidating learning into a “playbook” “Thrive at Five is the super glue.” Marie Proctor, Reception Teacher, Eaton Park (Stoke) Page 75
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Our local team Scotland Director Parent Engagement & Outreach Lead Parent Connector Parent Connector Parent Connector Parent Connector Early Years Development Lead 0-2 Development Lead Programme Support Officer Snr. Communications Officer We recruit a skilled local team of up to 10 people to deliver our programmes with our partners. We aim to recruit the post- holders shaded in green within 3-4 months so that we can co-design and start implementing local plans quickly. Local teams are supported by Thrive at Five’s central team, trustees and Advisory Council, bringing together specialist expertise, national insight and access to the latest research and best practice. Page 76
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The three step process In each place we work, Thrive at Five’s local team supports partners and stakeholders through a three-stage process that we test and adapt. Identifying the assets in a local community, what matters to local families and where there are gaps in support that need to be filled. We are designing our approach to ensure the voices of infants and children are heard. DISCOVER CO-DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT IMPROVE AND EMBED Using the data & insights from DISCOVERY to co-design local strategies. Supporting implementation with additional capacity, including expertise and funding. Partnering with an internal and external evaluation team to test, learn and refine our approach. Identifying sustainable ways to embed things that work. 1 2 3 Page 77
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Measuring Impact Our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of children starting school with developmental concerns. In West Dunbartonshire, we will rely on health visitor data to measure this impact over time. We assess impact across our five intermediate outcomes using a range of measures, including administrative datasets, our own quantitative measures and rich qualitative data. Our overall approach is being externally evaluated by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI). Page 78
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2. Overview of our joint West Dunbartonshire programme Page 79
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Why West Dunbartonshire & why now? 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Percentage of Children with Developm ental Concern (%) Developmental Concerns 4-5 Years West Dunbartonshire Scotland • Teenage pregnancy rate 36 per 1000 (Scotland 27.1%) • 13% of pregnant women reported smoking in 2024 (Scotland 8%) • 19% of babies exclusively breastfed at 6-8 weeks (Scotland 32%) • Highest level of looked after children in Scotland aged 0-4 years (2%) (Scotland 0.9%) • 21.4% of children aged 27-30m in West Dunbartonshire reported as having at least one developmental concern (Scotland 16.5%) 24/25 Page 80
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WDC - Further Context West Dunbartonshire Scotland Working age adults with low or no educational qualifications, 2019 16.3% 11.6% Drug crimes recorded, 2023-2024 (crude rates per 10,000) 23/24 75.7 46.2 Deaths from suicide 16+, 2020-2024, 5 year rolling average (rate per 100, 000) 44.9 16.8 Children looked after by the authority, 2024 (crude rates per 1,000) 27.9 11.6 Domestic Abuse, 2023-2024 (crude rates per 10,000) 152.9 116.3 The Scottish Public Health Observatory Page 81
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Local opportunities and strengths There are many strengths to build on locally, including a network of dedicated family hubs and high up-take of targeted Early Learning and Childcare for two year olds relative to the national average. West Dunbartonshire Council led the way as the first Scottish local authority to set up a multi-agency working group to support the National Early Language and Communication Project. In West Dunbartonshire, we think there is an opportunity to go further, bringingfamilies, local partners and services together to join up and strengthen early years systems to make a measurable and sustainable difference in children’s outcomes from pregnancy to five. Page 82
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Next Steps for WDC to support Early Language and Communication ● Work in partnership with Thrive at Five with a continued focus on Language and Communication. ● Share good practice across the authority and provide relevant CLPL for staff. ● Prioritise Parental Engagement within the WDC Early Years Strategic Delivery Plan and as part of the Thrive at Five focus. ● Roll out 0-3 Trackers across all WDC ELCCs and analyse the data to measure the impact and shape further improvement priorities. Page 83
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Tackling loneliness and supporting the home learning environment During Discovery we have often found that parents and carers are feeling isolated, have few places to go and want easier access to professionals. If we find similar issues in West Dunbartonshire, our local team could: • Help to grow the number of Parent, Baby and Toddler Groups (we have 5x the number of groups in our Stoke wards than when we started out) • Provide parents with access to trusted peers through our Parent Connectors, complementing wider family outreach work and providing ‘warm connections’ to other services where families need extra help • Support delivery of evidence-based interventions in the community like PEEP or Video Interactive Guidance Case StudyExample: what more could we do? Page 84
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Strengthening early language & communication Innovative practice (in Stoke) • Develop a cohesive local strategy for improving children’s speech and language • Rigorous implementation of the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) for children in P1 who needed language support (from 2022) • Piloted bringing in undergraduate education students and two peripatetic teachers to work across the seven schools, providing additional capacity and support. • Introduction of Talking Time into nurseries since 2023 (including twilight training & coaching) • Introduced PEEP to support improvements in a family’s home learning environment and SLC (from 2024) Results • The proportion of children with severe language delay fell from 39% in 2024 to 19% in 2025 • There was a 62% increase in children starting reception in 2025 where language was not a concern. • More than 100 organisations and 600 professionals became part of a shared early language network Example: What more could we do? SLC will be a priority for action in West Dunbartonshire and we will determine through this partnership what else we might test, learn and adapt within this area of focus. Page 85
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Creating space for shared learning • Bring partners together to align and act collectively - Creating space for collaboration and shared problem-solving • Connect local work to national insight and evidence - Bringing learning and best practice from across Thrive at Five places • Support ongoing facilitation and coordination - Ensuring shared priorities translate into action and sustained progress Example: what more could we do? During Discovery we often see services working hard but not always connected. If we find similar challenges in West Dunbartonshire, our local team could: Happy, Healthy and Ready to Learn Conference, Redcar & Cleveland We brought together over 100 partners across health, education and the community to focus on improving children’s speech, language and communication. Impact • Created a shared understanding of the scale of early language challenges locally and evidence on what works • Strengthened a shared early language agenda across organisations and how partners can act together to improve outcomes • Expanded a multi-agency network (100+ organisations / 600+ professionals) • Built momentum for coordinated action and more consistent support for children Page 86
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3. Next steps and our partnership Page 87
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Next steps – plan on a page Mar-26 Apr-26 May-26 Jun-26 Jul-26 Aug-26 Sep-26 Stakeholder engagement and governance Introductory meetings Establish Strategic Leadership Group – programme oversight and key decisions Presentation to Education Committee (tbc) 24/06 Communications planning & announcement TBC week commencing 24 June Discovery process Draws together local data, interviews with service-leads, VCS organisations and families to understand local strengths, assets, gaps and opportunities to inform co-design of local programme plan. Initial findings Prep final report Local team recruitment Recruit 3x key posts to local programme team Recruit Appoint Induction and programme set-up, aligned with end of discovery phase Fundraising (led by Thrive at Five) Finalise fundraising strategy Major funder deadlines Page 88
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What discovery involves Discovery is a collaborative process to build a shared understanding of the local early years system and develop a clear, evidence-based plan for action. Bringing together data, professional insight and lived experience 1 Mapping the current system of support for children and families 2 Identifying strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement 3 Ensuring the voices of children (0–5) and families shape priorities 4 Producing a shared evidence base to inform co-design of local plans 5 Page 89
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Contact details and further information • Eleanor Passmore, Scotland Director eleanor.passmore@thriveatfive.org.uk • Dr Chloe Rayner, Senior Research Manager chloe.rayner@thriveatfive.org.uk • Gillian Hamilton, Chief Education Officer (Programme SRO) • Alison Bowers, Senior Education officer Alison.Bowers@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Thrive at Five West Dunbartonshire Council Further information can also be found on Thrive at Five’s website: • Year 1 external evaluation from Stoke: Year 1 Evaluation Report Stoke-on-Trent - Thrive At Five • Internal evaluations: Early learning isn’t just about what we deliver, it’s how we deliver it - Thrive At Five • Scotland Advisory Group: Thrive at Five establishes Scotland Startup Group to guide first year of programme - Thrive At Five Page 90
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Education Officer Educational Services Committee: 24 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Services for Children, Young People and Families Update Report 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is: a) to inform the Educational Services Committee of progress on support to children, young people and families. 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members of the Educational Services Committee are asked to: a) Note progress on plans to continue developing and improving support to children and families. 3. Background 3.1 West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) is committed to ensuring all children and young people are enabled to progress through Early Learning and School with the support they need. When this support is more or different to what is generally provided for children and young people of the same age, then the child or young person is said to have additional needs. 3.2 The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 lists four interrelated factors which individually or jointly impact on ability to learn: ● Learning Environment ● Family Circumstances ● Disability or Health ● Social or Emotional Factors Additional support may be required throughout a child or young person’s educational journey: others may only require additional support for a short period. ITEM 14 Page 91
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4. Main Issues 4.1 There are currently 11 781 school pupils in West Dunbartonshire Council. 5470 Pupils have Additional Support Needs (ASN), supported mainly in mainstream schools. Approximately 280 pupils are supported in our specialist settings as they require a more specific learning environment. We also have a small percentage of our children and young people with additional support needs supported by day or residential providers in external placements. These often involve young people separated from their peers and their community and can be expensive in comparison to supporting in-house. These costs have increased significantly over the past few years due to increased salaries and increased charges from partner providers for the range of specialist support offered. This has resulted in budget overspends and it is anticipated that there might be mitigation of these to some extent by the ASN strategy implementation. The trajectory of ASN needs in WDC has increased over time (from 36.9% in 2013 to 46.4% in 2025) and has been supported by the investment in our ASN estate expansion. 4.2 In line with National Guidance, we have a presumption to mainstream and almost all children with additional support needs have them successfully met in mainstream settings. Our ASN Strategy identifies and addresses these issues with a focus on the four pillars of inclusive education in Scotland which are: present, participating, achieving and supported, in order that children meet their full potential. Mainstreaming is the ‘central pillar’ to this approach. Our strategy is successfully upskilling staff and building on consistent approaches to meeting learner needs across all settings, ensuring our legal obligations are being met. 4.3 Enhanced Local Learning Community An enhanced Local Learning Community (LLC) model of support has been established since school session 2024-25. It builds on inclusive practices and support the expectation of a presumption to mainstream schooling for all children. High quality child’s planning, support and professional learning is instrumental in this. A review of professional learning to support staff leading this model was undertaken between February and May 2026 and informed by dialogue with Headteachers, link Educational Psychologists and Officers supporting the schools. All teachers and leaders supporting the ESM were given access to the Social Communication, Emotional regulation and Transactional Support (SCERTS)Training modules. Psychologists provide consultation at a case by case level to support implementation. In addition, Speech and Language Therapists who link with each of the ESM schools for observation and assessment of the children used a SCERTS approach during this assessment and provide consultation and advice for each of the children, guided by the SCERTS framework. Page 92
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Across settings, a range of staff have undertaken the following ongoing professional learning, which will continue to be offered next year. This has included and is not exclusive to the following and has varied according to school needs identified: ● SCERTS modules online ● Sensory supports, visuals, social stories and solution-focused conversations ● Class teachers, SLT and learning assistants have taken part in Tanya Tenant training - full day session ● Tanya Tenant Twilight Sessions - deepening understanding of autism, dysregulation, distressed behaviour, sensory processing and executive functioning ● Advanced Safety Interventions, Makaton training and Assistive Technology training ● Boardmaker symbol training Access to the above training is open to all staff in schools operating the model and managed by Headteachers in collaboration with their staff and reflecting needs identified at any given time. As the model progresses through the school, the need for more staff to engage with training will be managed, planned and met by Headteachers in liaison with providers. Analysis of pupil progress has taken place in all establishments, demonstrating that almost all pupils have achieved over 50% of set targets and most between 75% and 100% of targets set. Reviews with parents identified that almost all parents are pleased with and agree their child has made progress. The children supported are benefitting from the language rich social environments of the mainstream setting. This model will be expanded for session 2026-2027 to include our Lady Of Lorretto Primary School which will support 5 pupils. A further 3 pupils will be supported in St Mary’s. Appendix 1 Case Studies Enhanced Support Model 4.4 Supporting Care Experienced Children and Young People (CECYP) in West Dunbartonshire Our continuing commitment to our Corporate Parenting responsibilities, drives our aims to reduce gaps and improve attendance, attainment and engagement for care experienced learners. To do this we are providing bespoke and targeted 1-1 support to improve outcomes in Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing. This support is managed and led by a Principal teacher and class teacher aligned to the Collaborative Support Service and managed via a programme of Bids and support allocations. The team work in collaboration with Y-Sort-it who support our children and young people in the community via the Care Connections programme. Page 93
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Update on Support Intervention Period November 25 - March 26 ● 43 bids received for CE pupils across 22 primary and secondary settings ● Allocated targeted intervention from to 30 pupils across 18 schools. ● 15 young people continuing weekly 1-1 support sessions and access to group activities from Care Connections. This includes 9 pupils receiving support from both. Impact of targeted support for Care Experienced learners is: Attendance from cohorts November 2025 - March 2026 Collaborative Support Service Supported ● 54% of pupils attendance remained between 90% and 100% ● 25% of pupils attendance increased by an average of 14% ● 21% of pupils attendance decreased by an average of 12% Care Connections Service Supported ● 40% of pupils attendance remained between 87% and 100% ● 40% of pupils attendance increased by average of 9.5% ● 20% of pupils attendance decreased by an average of 42% Care Connections (Jan- March) ● 57% of pupils attendance remained between 90% and 100% ● 29% of pupils attendance increased by average of 4% ● 14% of pupils attendance decreased by average of 3% Engagement Data from Pre and Post Participation Scales completed in collaboration with pupil’s Class Teacher help identify pupil’s strengths and areas for development in relation to engagement and Health and Wellbeing: ● 70% of pupils showed an average increase in pointage of 8% with an increase in scores ranging from 2% to 22%. Attainment & Engagement- Planned Targeted Outcomes ● 71% of planned outcomes were achieved by the end of the intervention period. ● Good progress evidenced against 20% of planned outcomes. ● Limited progress made against 9% of planned outcomes New Intervention Period March-June 2026 ● 26 bids from 14 primary schools and 7 bids from 2 secondary schools ● 30 pupils allocated support from Collaborative Support Service ● 22 young people continuing support from Care Connections Page 94
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Keeping the Promise Award We continue to develop year 3 of the rollout of Keeping the Promise Award Programme via our Train the Trainer approach, with aims to: ● Reframe the narrative for care experienced children and young people to reduce the stigma. ● Support professional knowledge and understanding of the language surrounding the term ‘care experience’. ● Develop a shared understanding of our roles as educators and corporate parents in keeping the promise to children and young people. ● Work collaboratively to improve attendance, attainment and engagement for care experienced learners To date, 25 establishments across Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Specialist settings have achieved We Promise Award at establishment level and 12 additional establishments are currently engaging with the programme with a staff lead having gained initial I Promise certification. Impact is: ● 95% of staff who have completed the evaluations shared that as a result of the training, they have a greater understanding of the Promise and how they can meet the needs of CECYP in their settings. ● Attendance of care experienced pupils across all schools increased from 83.6% in 2023-2024 to 85.5% in 2024-2025. ● Attainment - ACEL data from 2023 to 2025 shows attainment gaps in reading reducing from 23% in 2023 to 16% in 2025, gaps in writing from 32% to 16% and gaps in numeracy reducing from 26% to 22%. 4.5 The Attendance Quality Improvement Programme in West Dunbartonshire West Dunbartonshire Educational Services has engaged in a quality improvement project focussing on school attendance, supported by Education Scotland. It is still in a pilot stage with a longer-term aim of developing the learning to support wider and longer term improvements in attendance and engagement. Background School attendance has continued to be a critical priority, locally and nationally, as the Scottish education system continues to address the longitudinal impacts of the pandemic. Prior to 2019, national attendance rates in Scotland remained stable at approximately 93%. Following the pandemic, national averages saw a significant decline, reaching a low of 90.2% in 2022/23. While recent 2024/25 data indicate a marginal recovery to 91.0%, attendance has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Page 95
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West Dunbartonshire also saw a decline in attendance rates following the pandemic and while there has been significant progress in addressing this, attendance rates remain below 2018-19 levels. Appendix 2 School Pupil Attendance Report The National Programme Education Scotland developed the National Attendance Quality Improvement programme (QIP) to support schools and local authorities to improve attendance. Schools learn to apply quality improvement methods to design, test and evaluate small, data-informed changes. The programme combines in- person and online learning and follows six stages: 1. Create the conditions for change 2. Understand the system through data and stakeholder engagement 3. Set improvement aims 4. Test and refine changes 5. Implement successful approaches 6. Share learning Three national cohorts have run to date, with West Dunbartonshire (WDC) participating in all. The programme in WDC Eight primary schools took part in cohorts 1 and 2, and two secondary schools are currently in cohort 3. Each school identified two leads (senior leader plus another staff member). Leads attended sessions and received ongoing support from Children’s Services and an Education Scotland attainment advisor, including help with data analysis, engagement, and measuring impact. A strong focus on detailed data analysis and meaningful engagement with pupils and families has been central. This has ensured that tailored interventions reflect lived experiences. Schools tested changes using run charts, adapting approaches based on impact. Successes have been shared across learning communities. The programme has improved attendance for individual pupils (see case studies) and participating schools: ● have a clearer understanding of attendance data and priority groups ● recognise the importance of engaging pupils and families ● can use quality improvement tools effectively ● understand the need for both universal and targeted approaches Learning has been shared locally, with further sharing planned. Page 96
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Next steps ● Evaluate the programme’s longer-term impact and potential for wider rollout ● Develop a toolkit and professional learning to spread effective practice ● Maintain a strong focus on attendance in school improvement plans Appendix 3: School Improvement Attendance Case Studies 4.6 The Collaborative Support Service (CSS) The CSS team is a centrally managed team of teaching and support staff who work across the Council to support children with additional support needs, help build capacity in schools and deliver professional support and learning to school staff. They collaborate with schools to agree targeted supports and plans for identified individual or groups of children and work with the school to support these. This team consists of: ● 3.6 teachers ● 9 Grade 5 Learning Assistants Support is allocated via a Bidding system twice per year and the activity overview for session ’25-’26 is as follows: ● Total bids: 168 (86 in Nov 25; 82 in March 26) ● Pupils referred: 402 (309 boys, 93 girls) ● Pupils supported: 302 (234 boys, 68 girls) Schools involved: 59 ● Dumbarton: 33 ● Clydebank: 26 Demand for CSS support remained high across both periods, with 168 bids covering 402 pupils. Around 75% of referred pupils received support, demonstrating strong capacity and effective deployment. There was a consistent gender pattern, with significantly more boys referred and supported. Engagement was broad, with 59 schools accessing support, indicating strong reach across both Dumbarton and Clydebank. Impact ● 98% (111 pupils) showed progress on collaborative plan targets ● 2% (2 pupils) showed no progress Page 97
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Target Outcomes ● 47% of targets fully achieved ● 46% showed clear progress ● 93% of targets demonstrated progress ● 7% showed no progress (targets under review) Targeted interventions have had a strong positive impact, with nearly all pupils showing progress and 93% of outcomes achieved or progressing. 4.7 Access to School Counselling Across West Dunbartonshire, pupils aged 12 and older have access to schools counselling as needed. This includes, in person, online, individual and group support and is offered from a range of providers to ensure there is support every day and all day to those looking for help. This dovetails with wider community planning supports for Mental Health and Wellbeing and broader wellbeing work taking place in schools, such as Mental Health First Aiders and Distress Brief Intervention training. The report at App.4 sets out the broader range of children and young people’s mental health supports and information on the wide range of reasons that children and young people have reported for using counselling services and the ways in which they have been supported by accessing school counselling services. Appendix 4 Children and Young People’s Mental Health Report April 2025 – March 2026 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no people implications as a direct result of this report. However, it should be noted that in line with the recommendations in the ASN Review we must ensure we have a well-trained, high-quality workforce who are equipped to support the range of needs and rights of our children and young people. 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 The projected additional funding required for the learning estate expansion has been approved and planned for in current and future budgets. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 If the Council is unable to ensure appropriate support to children and young people, we will not be meeting their needs under the terms of the Children and Young People Act 2014 (Equalities Act 2010). 7.2 If the Council is unable to ensure appropriate support for all children, young people and staff this could result in reputational damage. Page 98
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8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 As noted in the previously produced Equalities Impact Assessment, the ASN strategy and subsequent supports and guidance developed will enhance the quality of the service provided to all children, young people and staff and therefore can be seen to have a positive impact in terms of the equalities. 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 aspiration to reduce inequalities for the people of West Dunbartonshire. Gillian Hamilton Chief Education Officer 1 June 2026 ____________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Claire Cusick, Senior Education Officer Services for Children and Young People E-mail: claire.cusick@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Wards Affected: All Wards Appendices: Appendix 1 - Case Studies Enhanced Support Model Appendix 2 - School Pupil Attendance Report Appendix 3 - School Improvement Attendance Case Studies Appendix 4 - Children and Young People’s Mental Health Report April 2025 – March 2026 Page 99
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ASN Specialist Setting - SCERTS Case Study Learning Journey Problem of Practice : Establishment : 1 Primary School Stage of Pupil: Primary 2 Pupil Profile : Child A was diagnosed with ASD in 2023 having shown ASD traits from a young age. Child A came to school as a SCERTS Social Partner using limited learned words and phrases that they would repeat. They started School 1in P1 in August 2024 supported by our Enhanced Support Model and is now about to finish Primary 2 Pupil Target(s) & Desired Outcomes: (This should link to the pupils SCERTS Assessment and Support Plan) Language Partner SCERT Targets - To use single words and brief phrases to communicate - to share emotions (own feelings, feelings of others) - to regulate emotions (ask for help, protest) - to make social interactions (greet, take turns, ask for permission) - to share intentions (comments and requests) Academic Targets - To achieve Early Level in Reading - To achieve Early Level in Maths - Developing skills within Early Level in Writing - to further develop letter formation to enable him to write words and short sentences Appendix 1 Page 101
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Details of planned interventions or transactional supports in place for child/young person: - Developing an environment that has sensory and special interest activities to promote engagement. - Visual Timetable outlines daily expectations - Routines that support predictability (clear expectations of beginning and end) and offered a range of activities that provide opportunities to move as well as be sedentary - Repetitive language reinforcing co-regulation strategies and develops emotional literacy - use of songs and chants - Clear and repeated language cues such as Now, Then, Next, Stop, walk with me, your turn, garden time, lunch time etc. Process: Details of responsibilities and timescale. - Developing very positive relationships between staff and pupils and staff and families has been a key factor - The adults that support Child A will consistently and repetitively model language and coping strategies - Child A is encouraged when utilising self-regulation strategies - Clear and predictable routines are followed to promote boundaries and expectations - Where appropriate visual cues and timetables will be used to support understanding - - - Sensory circuits /outdoor play to develop gross motor skills - Practicing and role-playing in preparation for change and transitions e.g. practising being in a different playground or preparing to go on a school trip - Structured small group and 1-1 sessions to focus on academic goals adapting difficulty to support success - Integrated learning experiences with mainstream peers - Where appropriate providing visuals to support understanding although Child A is more motivated by language cues - Providing warnings and at times using timers to be clear about the ending of tasks/experiences - As language has developed an increased use of Social Stories - Dough disco for fine motor skills - Measures, Impact & Evidence (This section can include a variety of evidence e.g. BSquared Tracking Data, Pictures, Video, Pupil Voice, Parent Voice etc.) Pupil: Child A has made significant progress in communication to progress from Social to Language Partner and now developing as a Conversational Partner over the last 2 years. Child A now routinely engages in academic tasks sometimes with support but also at other times independently engaging in tasks. Child A has developed his skills to self- regulate relying less on adults to co-regulate his emotions. Child A can now communicate how he feels using language such as when he is hurt or needs help “look I am okay”, “I’m not ready yet”. Child A is beginning to initiate play with his peers and developing his skills in taking turns with support Parent: Through daily check-ins and more formal Team Around The Child Meetings the parents have shared how they have noticed a significant development in Child A’s language at home resulting in Child A being more calm as he can express more feelings, needs and wants using language. Page 102
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- Targets are reviewed every 6-8 weeks in relation to SCERT targets for social communication and milestone planners for academic targets Evaluation Child A can use a wider range of single words and brief phrases to communicate and share his feelings. He will ask for help and make requests. He is more likely now to choose to use language rather than a physical response such as hitting or screaming. Child A has moved from solely using repeated learned phrases with limited meaning to being able to share his views and opinions by answering questions such as “What is your favourite animal?” ‘My favourite animal is a parrot”. Child A can ask for help and can say when he wants to be left alone or be given more time. Child A is getting better at taking turns. He is a polite boy who uses “please and thank you” and will politely greet adults. Child A is now moving into the SCERTs Conversational Partner Skills Child A has also made great progress academically. He has a confident knowledge of P1 phonics but also has a good sight vocabulary due to his photographic memory. Child A does not just read words but can also comprehend and share the meaning at Early Level. He has achieved Early Level in Reading They are proud of Child A’s academic progress particularly in reading and numeracy. The parents have shared that they benefit from the daily sharing of information between the ESM staff and parents. The parents have stopped the tribunal process they began pre-school. Class Team: Class Teacher and Learning Assistants work together closely to review and plan next steps reflecting on progress daily and sharing progress more formally at TATC Meetings to review Support Plans. The BGE Toolkit is updated to track and analyse the attainment data at Tracking Meetings per learning block Partners: Our Educational Psychologist has played an integral role in the review of progress through TATC Meetings. We have had some interactions with Speech and Language and Occupational Therapist to provide generic advice Child A can understand numbers within 30 and add and subtract. He can even multiply and understands the value of numbers. He has achieved Early Level in Maths Child A has been developing his fine motor skills, and his letter formation has much improved. He finds it easier to write with his finger than with a pencil. He is developing his skills in writing simple sentences and is likely to achieve Early Level in Writing within the next few months. Child A will be moving onto targets from the Conversational Partner Stage in SCERTS. Child A is now moving on to First Level Phase 1 Targets in Reading and Numeracy. There will be focus on developing Child A’s fine motor skills as he moves into P3 Page 103
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1 School Pupil Attendance Report–Session 2025-26 – All Data Shown Is For Session So Far As At End April Primary Attendance ranges from 88.3% at Renton Primary School up to 95.1% at St Stephen's Primary School. In secondary schools the range is from 86.9% at Vale of Leven Academy up to 89.5% at St Peter the Apostle High School. Appendix 2 Page 105
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2 Month to Month Data for Context The average Attendance across all WDC schools for the month of April is 90.5%, down 0.3 percentage points on the March figure. This is better than the position we were in at the same point in time last session when our April Attendance level was 0.9 percentage points lower at 89.6%. The session rolling average Attendance figure (August to end of April) across all WDC schools (that’s the red line on the chart) has increased by 0.1 percentage points to 90.7% since the end of March. This is lower than the position we were in at the same point in time last session when our session average Attendance level was 0.2 percentage points higher at 90.9%. Page 106
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3 Authorised Absence in Primary ranges from 7.9% at St Michael's Primary School down to 3.5% at St Stephen's Primary School. In secondary schools the range is from 8.4% at Our Lady and St Patrick's High School down to 5.4% at St Peter the Apostle High School. Page 107
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4 Month to Month Data for Context Authorised Absence across all WDC schools for the month of April is 4.7%, down 0.7 percentage points on the March figure. This is better than the position we were in at the same point in time last session when our April Authorised Absence level was 0.5 percentage points higher at 5.2%. The session rolling average Authorised Absence figure (August to end of April) across all WDC schools (that’s the red line on the chart) has decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 5.8% since the end of March. This is higher than the position we were in at the same point in time last session when our session average Authorised Absence level was 0.3 percentage points lower at 5.5%. Page 108
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5 Unauthorised Absence in Primary ranges from 5.7% at Dalreoch Primary School down to 0.9% at St Peter's Primary School. In secondary schools the range is from 7% at Vale of Leven Academy down to 3.9% at Our Lady and St Patrick's High School. Page 109
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6 Month to Month Data for Context Unauthorised Absence across all WDC schools for the month of April is 4.8%, up 1.1 percentage points on the March figure. This is better than the position we were in at the same point in time last session when our April Unauthorised Absence level was 0.4 percentage points higher at 5.2%. The session rolling average Unauthorised Absence figure (August to end of April) across all WDC schools (that’s the red line on the chart) has increased by 0.1 percentage points to 3.6% since the end of March. This is the same as the position we were in at the same point in time last session when our session average Unauthorised Absence level was at 3.6%. Page 110
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8 May Focus Area: Local Learning Communities Combining Primary and Secondary sectors, attendance is highest in the Dumbarton LLC (91.2%) and Vale of Leven LLC is the lowest (89.7%). The Dumbarton LLC has the highest attendance level in the primary sector, but in secondary, St Peter the Apostle is highest. Vale of Leven LLC has the lowest attendance in both the primary and secondary sectors. Dumbarton LLC has the largest difference between its primary attendance and its secondary attendance. The difference is 5.7 percentage points. The smallest difference is at St Peter the Apostle LLC, where there is 3 percentage points between the primary attendance percentage and the secondary. Page 112
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9 Focus Area: Postcode Prefix A request was made to see data by area, so that has been provided here. G13 Yoker/Knightswood Area: G15 Drumchapel Area: G60 Bowling/Old Kilpatrick Area: G81 Clydebank Area: G82 Dumbarton Area: G83 Vale of Leven Area: G84 Helensburgh Area: (descriptions of areas covered by postcode prefixes are not official and are intended as a guide only) Page 113
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10 September Focus Area: % Attendance of P1/S1 Pupils Percentage Attendance of P1 pupils in primary ranges from 97.7% at St Martin's Primary School down to 89% at Renton Primary School. In secondary schools the range for S1 pupils is from 90.4% at Clydebank High School down to 88.6% at Vale of Leven Academy. The average P1 level across all WDC primary schools is 93.4% and S1 level across all WDC secondary schools is 89.4%. Page 114
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11 September Focus Area: Individual Attendance Codes: Focus on Specific Codes: ATF/FLX/VHL/SEP ATF - Adapted Timetable (Flexible Education) In the primary sector, this has been used by 16 schools, the highest being Carleith, where it accounts for 1.7% of possible attendance. In the secondary sector, it has been used by all schools and the rate ranges from 0.6% at Our Lady and St Patrick's High School up to 2.3% at St Peter the Apostle High School, of possible attendance. Page 115
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12 FLX - Flexible Learning In the primary sector, it has been used by 6 schools, the highest being Christie Park Primary, where the rate is around 0.4% of possible attendance. In the secondary sector, it has been used by 4 schools. The highest is St Peter the Apostle High School, where the rate is 4.3% of possible attendance. VHL - Virtual Home Learning In the primary sector, this has been used by 1 school, Levenvale Primary, where its level of use is less than 0.1% of possible attendance. This has not yet been used in secondary schools this session. Page 116
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13 ATF + FLX+ VHL – All Three Flexible Learning Codes Combined In the primary sector, flexible learning codes have been used by 19 schools. The school with the highest rate being Carleith, where they account for 1.7% of possible attendance. In the secondary sector, they have been used by all schools. The range is from 0.7% at both Clydebank & Our Lady and St Patrick's High Schools up to 6.6% at St Peter the Apostle High School, of possible attendance. Page 117
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14 SEP – Sickness With Educational Provision In the primary sector, it has been used by 7 schools, the highest being Lennox Primary, where the rate is 0.5% of possible attendance. In the secondary sector, it has been used by 3 schools, Vale of Leven Academy, where the rate is less than 0.1% of possible attendance, Dumbarton Academy, where it is around 0.6% and St Peter the Apostle High School, where the rate is around 1.5%. Page 118
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15 September Focus Area: Pupils with No, or Very Low, Attendance There were 13 primary school pupils with no attendance at all, August to April. There were 3 primary school pupils with 10% or less attendance, August to April. Page 119
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16 There were 45 secondary school pupils with no attendance at all, August to April. 34 of these individuals are of age to have already left school and all have been marked as leavers, although their leaving date, being during the current session, means they have possible attendance in this session and therefore must still be included in the attendance/absence statistics. Of the 11 not yet old enough to leave school, 2 are still current pupils. Eight have moved on to other schools and one has left the country. Again, their leaving dates, being during the current session, means they have possible attendance in this session and therefore must still be included in the attendance/absence statistics. There were 21 secondary school pupils with 10% or less attendance, August to April. 7 of these individuals are of age to have already left school and all have been marked as leavers, but their leaving date, being during the current session, means they have possible attendance in this session and therefore must still be included in the attendance/absence statistics. The remaining 14 are not yet old enough to leave school. Two have transferred to other schools and the other 12 remain on school rolls. Page 120
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17 October Focus Area: Care Experienced The care experienced cohort shows higher levels of Unauthorised and Authorised Absence than the non-care experienced cohort in all sectors. The Care Experienced cohort accounts for 3.2% of all possible attendance in primary, for 3.8% in secondary, 12.1% in special and 3.7% across all sectors. Page 121
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18 October Focus Area: Care Experienced Young Carers Compared to non Care Experienced Young Carers For Unauthorised Absence, the Care Experienced Young Carer cohort shows much higher levels than the non-Care Experienced Young Carer cohort in the secondary and special sectors. There is a much lower level of unauthorised absence for the Care Experienced Young Carer cohort in the primary sector. For Authorised Absence, the Care Experienced Young Carer cohort shows a lower level than the non-Care Experienced Young Carer cohort in the primary sector. In secondary it is similar and in the special sector it is higher. The Care Experienced Young Carer cohort accounts for 1.1% of all possible Young Carer attendance in primary, for 5.6% in secondary, 2.7% in special and 3.2% across all sectors. Page 122
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19 October Focus Area: Child Protection Registered The Child Protection Registered cohort shows higher levels of both Unauthorised and Authorised Absence than the non-Child Protection Registered cohort in all sectors. The Child Protection Registered cohort accounts for 0.8% of all possible attendance in primary, for 0.6% in secondary, 2.4% in special and 0.7% across all sectors. Page 123
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20 October Focus Area: Individual Attendance Codes: Focus on Specific Codes: OAT OAT - Other Attendance Out of School (e.g. pupil on a day release to a college). In the primary sector, this has been used by 20 schools. The school with the highest rate being St Patrick’s where it accounts for around 0.3% of possible attendance. In the secondary sector, it has been used by all schools where the rate ranges from 1.7% at Clydebank High School to 4.1% at Dumbarton Academy, of possible attendance. The 2023-24 Local Authority working group on Attendance Coding provided additional guidance on circumstances where this code could be used and these suggestions are provided below to give a bit of context to the use of this code: • Pupils on a day release to a College or other learning provider • Interviews and visits relating to further and higher education or careers events • Debates, sports, musical or drama activities in conjunction with the school • Educational excursions, visits, or field trips organised by the school • Day and residential visits to outdoor centres • Pupils receiving tuition via outreach teaching services • Activities in connection with psychological services, learning or behaviour support. Page 124
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21 November Focus Area: Comparison of Attendance Levels by Sex The female cohort shows a higher level of Unauthorised Absence than the male cohort in the secondary sector. In the Primary and Special sectors the levels are very similar. The female cohort shows higher levels of Authorised Absence than the male cohort in the special sector. In the primary sector the male cohort is higher. Secondary is very similar. There is a near 50/50 split between the two cohorts in primary and secondary and across all sectors, but the male cohort is larger in the special sector (the split being near 70%/30%). Page 125
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22 November Focus Area: Individual Attendance Codes: Focus on Specific Codes: RFS/PTH/PTX RFS - Refusal to Attend In the primary sector, this has been used by 15 schools. The school with the highest rate being St Ronan’s where it accounts for 0.7% of possible attendance. In the secondary sector, it has been used by all schools where the rate ranges from 0.1% at St Peter the Apostle High School up to 1.1% at Our Lady & St Patrick’s High School, of possible attendance. Page 126
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23 PTH - Part Time Timetable (health related) In the primary sector, this has been used by 7 schools, the school with the highest rate being Lennox, where it accounts for around 0.4% of possible attendance. In the secondary sector, it has been used by 4 schools. The rate is less than 0.1% at Our Lady and St Patrick's, St Peter the Apostle, Dumbarton Academy & Clydebank High School, of possible attendance. PTX - Part Time TimeTable (exclusion related) This has not yet been used in primary schools this session. In the secondary sector, it has been used by 1 school, Clydebank High School, where its level of use is negligible. Page 127
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24 December Focus Area: Additional Support Needs The ASN cohort shows higher levels of both Authorised and Unauthorised Absence than the non-ASN cohort in both primary and secondary sectors. The ASN cohort accounts for 42.3% of all possible attendance in primary, for 51.3% in secondary, 100% in special, and 47.8% across all sectors. Page 128
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25 January Focus Area: Attendance of Stage S3 Pupils Looking across all stages, Unauthorised Absence shows a generally increasing trend by stage in the primary sector, P1-P5 then dropping off again in P6/P7, although the changes between stages are pretty small. P2 stands out as unusually high at 2.3%. In secondary the increase is from around 3.8% of all possible attendance in S1 to 6.5% in S4. S5 & S6 are a little lower at 4.6/5.2%. Page 129
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27 A request was made to see the year stage data also broken down by sex, so that has been provided here. Page 131
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28 Looking at S3, the cohort identified for specific focus in January, this year/stage is the one with the lowest level of attendance at 86%. Its absence is mostly made up of authorised absence, which accounts for 7.8% of possible attendance (the highest of all the stages) while the unauthorised portion (at 6.1%) is 2nd highest, behind S4 (at 6.5%). Page 132
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29 There is a 3 percentage point difference between female and male attendance in S3, with Female being at 84.5% and Male at 87.5%. Authorised Absence, for Females in S3 is at 8.3%, which is 1 percentage points higher than S3 Males at 7.3%. For unauthorised, Females are at 7.2%, which is 2.1 percentage points higher than S3 males at 5.1 %. Page 133
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30 Across the secondary schools, the attendance rate for S3 pupils ranges from 87.4% at Dumbarton Academy down to 84.9% at Vale of Leven Academy. The S3 level across all WDC secondary schools is 86%. Page 134
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31 The biggest difference between Female and Male S3 attendance is at Vale of Leven Academy where the Female attendance is 7.4 percentage points lower than Males. The smallest is at Clydebank High where it is 0 percentage points. The biggest differential in Authorised Absence is at Dumbarton (4.4), while in Unauthorised Absence it is at Vale of Leven Academy (5.1). Page 135
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32 February Focus Area: Percentage of Pupils With Less than 90% Attendance The measurement of pupils with less than 90% attendance is restricted to only those who have also been on the roll for more than 4 weeks. This is to prevent pupils who are new to the school and who have also had a period of sickness soon after joining, falling into this category unfairly. Percentage of Pupils With Less than 90% Attendance in Primary ranges from 39.2% at Lennox Primary School down to 10.9% at St Stephen's Primary School. In secondary schools the range is from 41.9% at Vale of Leven Academy down to 36% at St Peter the Apostle High School. The average level across all WDC schools is 30.2%. Page 136
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33 Looking at the primary school data by stage, it is generally increasing from P1 to P6, with P7 then slightly lower. P2 is an outlier in this trend. In secondary it is increasing from S1 to S3 then decreasing to S6. Special sector data is provided for information, but there are very small numbers in this sector and therefore individual pupils with specific issues are likely to be heavily influencing the percentages. Page 137
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34 Looking at the primary, secondary and all sectors’ data by SIMD 2020 Quintile, it is generally decreasing from Q1 to Q5, although in primary, Q5 is higher than Q4. Special sector data is provided for information, but there are very small numbers in this sector and therefore individual pupils with specific issues are likely to be heavily influencing the percentages. Page 138
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35 February Focus Area: Percentage of Pupils With Less than 80% Attendance The measurement of pupils with less than 80% attendance is restricted to only those who have also been on the roll for more than 4 weeks. This is to prevent pupils who are new to the school and who have also had a period of sickness soon after joining, falling into this category unfairly. Percentage of Pupils With Less than 80% Attendance in Primary ranges from 19.7% at Dalreoch Primary School down to 0.7% at Goldenhill Primary School. In secondary schools the range is from 19.2% at Vale of Leven Academy down to 11.6% at St Peter the Apostle High School. The average level across all WDC schools is 10.8%. Page 139
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36 Looking at the primary school data by stage, it ranges between 4.1-8.4% with P4, P6 and P7 being the stages with the highest rates. In secondary it rises from 12.1% in S1 to about 20% in S3 then declines to around 12% in S5/S6. Special sector data is provided for information, but there are very small numbers in this sector and therefore individual pupils with specific issues are likely to be heavily influencing the percentages. Page 140
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37 Looking at the primary, secondary, special and all sectors’ data by SIMD 2020 Quintile, it is generally decreasing from Q1 to Q4. Quintile 5 then has the same or a higher level than Quintile 4. However, again we must be wary of small numbers, in primary this represents only 10 individuals out of 305 total primary pupils in SIMD Quintile 5. Special sector data is provided for information, but there are again very small numbers in this sector and therefore individual pupils with specific issues are likely to be heavily influencing the percentages. Page 141
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38 March Focus Area: SIMD 2020 Quintiles Comparison For both Unauthorised and Authorised Absence in primary and secondary sectors there appears to be a trend of higher absence for the more deprived quintiles to lower absence for the least deprived quintiles, although Q5 Unauthorised in primary, secondary and all sectors is higher than Q4. There is more variation in the special sector, but this is likely related to small numbers in the various cohorts. Quintiles 1 and 2 account for 71% of all possible attendance, with Quintiles 3, 4 and 5 and unknowns all together accounting for just 29%. Page 142
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39 March Focus Area: Free Meal Entitlement (via Deprivation Criteria only) The FSM cohort shows higher levels of both Unauthorised and Authorised Absence than the non-FSM cohort in all sectors. The FSM cohort accounts for 35.3% of all possible attendance in the primary sector, for 25.6% in secondary, 51.3% in special, and 31.3% across all sectors. Page 143
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40 April Focus Area: English as an Additional Language The EAL cohort shows lower levels of both Unauthorised and Authorised Absence than the non-EAL cohort in all sectors. The EAL cohort accounts for 4.9% of all possible attendance in the primary sector, for 5.3% in secondary, 2.5% in special, and 5% across all sectors. Page 144
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41 Focus Area: Individual Attendance Codes: List of Codes SEEMiS code Attendance Code Description SEEMiS code Authorised Absence Code Description --- Present ABS Other authorised Absence ATF Adapted Timetable (Flexible Education) DCA Exceptional domestic circumstances (auth) FLD Field Trip LT2 Late (arrives after mid-point) FLX Flexible Learning MED Medically Certified LAT Late (arrives before mid-point) NIM Notifiable illness (medically certified) MIS Missing NIS Notifiable illness (self certified) OAT Other attendance out of school PHL Authorised Parental Holiday PER Medical or Dental Appointment PTH Part Time Timetable (health related) SCH In school but not in class PTX Part Time Timetable (exclusion related) SEP Sickness with educational provision SEL Self Certified STY Study Leave VHL Virtual Home Learning VIS School Visit WRK Work Placement SEEMiS code Unauthorised Absence Code Description DCU Exceptional domestic circumstances (unauth) OUA Other unauthorised absence RFS Refusal to attend TBC To be Confirmed UNA Truancy or Unexplained Absence UPH Parental Holiday If no chart is shown below for a code that appears in this table, then there is negligible attendance data assigned to that code so far this session. Page 145
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The Attendance Quality Improvement Programme in West Dunbartonshire This brief details the progress of WDC Educational Services quality improvement project around school attendance, supported by Education Scotland. In its infancy, it is still in the localised pilot stage with a longer term aim of developing the learning to a longer term approach designed to secure wider/long term improvements in attendance, engagement as well as those “unintended benefits.” Background School attendance has continued to be a critical priority, locally and nationally, as the Scottish education system continues to address the longitudinal impacts of the pandemic. ● Prior to 2019, national attendance rates in Scotland remained stable at approximately 93%. ● Following the pandemic, national averages saw a significant decline, reaching a low of 90.2% in 2022/23. While recent 2024/25 data indicates a marginal recovery to 91.0%, attendance has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. West Dunbartonshire also saw a decline in attendance rates1 following the pandemic and while there has been significant progress in addressing this, attendance rates1 remain below 2018-19 levels. 1 Not special schools Current Attendance overview School Pupil Attendance Report 2025-26 Jan.docx School Pupil Attendance Report 2025-26 Feb.docx School Pupil Attendance Report 2025-26 Mar.docx The National Programme Education Scotland developed a national programme, the National Attendance Quality Improvement Programme (QIP), to support schools and local authorities in their work to improve attendance. Participating schools learn how to use quality improvement methodology to develop, test and evaluate small scale, data-informed approaches. The programme is delivered through a mix of in-person and online sessions. It is built around the 6 stages of the quality improvement journey: 1. Creating the conditions - building will and conditions for change Appendix 3 Page 179
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2. Understanding the system - deep analysis of data and engagement with stakeholders to understand the issues and identify opportunities for improvement 3. Developing aims - setting out expected levels improvement 4. Testing changes - identifying changes and trying these out while closely monitoring the impact and refining as required 5. Implementation - implement successful approaches 6. Spread - share learning To date, there have been three national cohorts of the programme. West Dunbartonshire has participated in all three. The programme in WDC Eight primary schools participated in cohorts 1 and 2 of the programme with 2 secondary schools currently participating in cohort 3. In each school, 2 leads were identified: the head teacher or a depute head teacher and other member of staff. In some schools this was another member of the leadership team, in others a teacher or pupil and family support worker. School leads attended the Education Scotland sessions and have been supported on an ongoing basis by a member of the local authority’s Children's Services team and the link Education Scotland attainment advisor. This has included support with data analysis, setting aims, engagement with young people and parents, using quality improvement tools and understanding impact. Effective data analysis, to really understand the picture of attendance and absence across the school, and high quality engagement with young people and their parents, to better understand the issues contributing to absence, have been crucial elements of the work. The schools’ commitment to engaging with their key stakeholders and the range of approaches used to ensure this is done effectively, have ensured the lived experiences of young people and their families have directly informed the change ideas (interventions) identified. Following identification of the, sometimes very bespoke, change ideas, schools tested these using run charts to track the impact on attendance, refining, changing or adding to change ideas according to the progress being made. Schools have seen a number of successes as a result of the QIP work and have shared this work and learning from it across learning communities. Impact so far Participation in the programme has impacted positively on the attendance of individual pupils. The accompanying case studies provide examples of this. In addition, participating schools: ● have a greater understanding of their attendance data and priority cohorts ● understand the importance engaging with young people and their parents to improve attendance Page 180
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● are able to use a range of quality improvement tools to support data analysis, engagement with young people and parents, and measurement of impact ● are aware of the need for both universal and targeted/bespoke approaches to improve attendance. Learning from cohorts 1 and 2 has been shared with local learning communities and there are plans for cohort 3 schools to share their learning at the Children’s Services Coordinators meeting in June. Next steps ● Evaluate the efficacy and long-term viability of the initial project to determine the potential for further cohorts/authority-wide implementation ● Develop a toolkit/briefing/programme of CLPL to disseminate evidence-based practices and empower schools to adopt and adapt successful attendance interventions ● Continued the well-embedded focus on attendance within school improvement plans (driven by national guidance and aims) Case studies WDC Attendance QIP - Edinbarnet PS.pptx WDC Attendance QIP - Lennox PS.pptx Page 181
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Children and Young People’s Mental Health Report April 2025 – March 2026 School Counselling and Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Please return the completed template by 30th April 2026 to CYPCommunityMentalHealth@gov.scot (cc Hannah.Axon@cosla.gov.uk) Name of Local Authority West Dunbartonshire Council School Counselling The data provided below will inform on use of the access to counsellors in schools service as well as the outcomes for children and young people accessing counselling through schools. Your return should relate to counselling provision made, including not yet completed, in the period from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026. Please reply to all tables using numbers rather than percentages. Access and Outcomes Erskine Crisis Lifelink Child & Adolescent Therapist Togetherall *Togetherall is a 16+ service therefore age ranges below are n/a Total Total number of children accessing counsellors 146 418 55 35 new registrations 48 active members 702 Number of female pupils accessing counsellors* 89 274 34 16 413 Number of male pupils accessing counsellors* 57 135 21 12 225 Number of Non- binary pupils accessing counsellors* - 3 - - 3 Number of pupils accessing counsellors that prefer not to say* - 4 - - 4 Other - 0 - 7 7 Appendix 4 Page 183
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Number of children in P5 accessing counsellors - - 2 n/a 2 Number of children in P6 accessing counsellors 50 0 4 n/a 54 Number of children in P7 accessing counsellors 31 0 5 n/a 36 Number of children in S1 accessing counsellors 13 112 9 n/a 134 Number of children in S2 accessing counsellors 17 106 6 n/a 129 Number of children in S3 accessing counsellors 14 82 11 n/a 107 Number of children in S4 accessing counsellors 16 66 6 n/a 88 Number of children in S5 accessing counsellors 5 44 1 11 61 Number of children in S6 accessing counsellors - 8 6 14 School leavers/ college - - 5 24 29 Number of children who have reported an improved outcome following access to a counsellor By an appointed counsellor using a Young Person Clinical outcomes in Routine Evaluation (YP-CORE) or a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) or another measure 52 to date. Therapy still in progress and 19 non engagement. 20 new start with no feedback data yet. 373 improved YP-CORE score 32 78% stated Togetherall was helpful for their mental health. Togetherall is not a treatment model service therefore, outcome measures cannot be gathered. Togetherall capture a helpfulness rating from members. 457 (Togetherall not included) Page 184
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Reasons for Presenting Exam Stress / School Issues 28 Self-Harm 56 Trauma 40 Depression / Low Mood 125 Bereavement 57 Anxiety /Stress 362 Gender Identity / Sexuality 24 Emotional / Behavioural Difficulties 39 Substance Use by Self or Family 3 Body Image / Eating Concerns 31 Distress 20 Anger 71 Isolation / Loneliness 19 Family Relationships / Home Issues 98 Emotional Literacy 10 Self-Esteem / Confidence 78 Social Interaction / Peer Relationships 79 Resilience 6 Physical Health 15 Bullying 39 Support for Parents 24 Poverty / Homelessness - Cognitive / Learning 8 Routine / Boundaries 10 Neurodevelopmental 44 Suicidal Thoughts/self harm 14 Sleep 94 Violence / Abuse 27 Fears / Phobias 5 Social Media Bullying 6 Living & Welfare - OCD 10 Personality Problems 3 Other 5 Erskine 23 Lifelink ** This is the information which is reported to the counsellor or service as the reason(s) for accessing counselling services. It is not intended to imply or reflect diagnosis of mental health condition or needs. Instead, it is to be used to understand the reasons why pupils are seeking support from counselling services. Multiple reasons can be recorded for each individual accessing services. The summary reports set out information on the wide range of reasons that children and young people have reported for using counselling services. It would be helpful if these could be used consistently – as indicated above, please add rows to include those reasons or new reasons which have not previously been reported. Any Additional Information If there is any additional information that you wish to report, please provide it here. This may include particular themes, patterns or information not able to be captured above. For example, reflections on demand / capacity or any additional training requirements. Erskine Crisis In this period there has been a significant rise in Primary 6 and 7 pupil particularly affected by social media chat groups, promoting coercion and exclusions thus impacting self-esteem, confidence and communication. It has been identified by referrer or through wider interaction with parents and guardians, that in some cases young people provide a more caring role within the family than the adults do due to working patterns, family and financial pressures, physical and mental health capacity. When these concerns have been identified by school at referral point, we monitor presenting and potential risk factors, assess additional and appropriate support needs and overall impact on the young person. We support improvements in, communication, functioning of roles and Page 185
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responsibilities that benefit all, whist focusing on overall wellbeing indicators to help pupils. We continue our focus on early interventions, tailored therapeutic support, family collaboration and inclusion in goal setting and change development. This session there have been 42 parent/carer/ family members accessing the support. These result in improvements in family system, communication and functioning as a healthy system that benefits all whist focusing on overall wellbeing indicators. There has been a significant drop in referrals relating to gender issues this year but increase on the negative impact of unmonitored social media and chat groups in the P6 and P7 groups in particular. There was a negative uptake in 19 referrals, mainly due to parent limited co-operation and many referrals just started, so there is no accurate reporting data to date. There is marked improvements showing for those who have benefitted from early access. This is recorded via feedback by school, parent, young person and on YP Core10. In this period, 2 were transferred over to CAMHS as there had been pre-existing referral on waitlist and one to Social Work Disability Team, due to increased risk to child welfare and child protection in place. There is also a reduction in exam stress mainly due to support given by schools in helping young people in achievement, including collaboration with services like ours to re-engage young people in school and enhancing attainment. Erskine Crisis provide 300 hours of counselling annually to West Dunbartonshire Educational Services. Lifelink Across the reporting year, the number of young people who engaged in counselling with more than 2 sessions decreased from 489 in 2024–25 to 418 in 2025–26. Despite this reduction in engagement numbers, total referrals remained consistent year on year; 450 compared with 449, suggesting continued demand for the service. Age distribution of clients remained consistent to what we have seen during previous reporting years, with the highest referrals occurring among 12–15-year- olds. Gender patterns showed female referrals continued to account for the majority of presentations, although there was a slight increase in male referrals in 2025–26 from 129 during the previous year to 148. Referrals recorded as “other/unknown” remained low with 2.2% of all referrals. Outcome data demonstrates consistent and slightly improved impact during the last reporting year. Average starting CORE scores decreased marginally from 17.6 in 2024–25 to 17.0 in 2025–26, indicating a slightly lower level of distress at referral stage. Average ending CORE scores also improved year on year (from 11.6 to 10.7). As a result, the average CORE improvement during reporting year Apr25 – Mar26 increased from 6.0 to 6.3, so the service continued to deliver strong and measurable improvements in emotional wellbeing. Anxiety and stress have remained the most prevalent presenting issue. Depression, self-esteem, self-harm, and sleep issues all showed slight year-on- year decreases. There were small increases in certain lower volume presenting issues, including eating disorders, addiction, and witnessed violence/aggression. Page 186
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Measuring Outcomes – Core Improvement As per contract obligations, Lifelink deliver 11.5 days counselling service per week across the 5 West Dunbartonshire Secondary schools and Choices Programme. This works out at 2.3FTE. Child & Adolescent Therapist Many young people presented with multiple overlapping reasons for attending CAMHS. The total number of young people who engaged in a therapeutic intervention across a number of sessions (3-23 sessions in the given period, which sometimes included an initial Choice assessment) was 29. The 26 other young people attended the service for 1- 2 sessions either for an urgent Choice assessment or because they did not require therapeutic intervention for another reason (i.e. natural improvement of symptoms/ improved outcome following brief intervention). Togetherall Togetherall is a clinically governed, 24/7 digital mental-health service that allows young people to access support anonymously whenever they need it. It extends the reach of local services by offering a safe, regulated online space for those who may not engage with traditional support. As an on-demand, point-of-need resource, Togetherall empowers members to use peer support and clinically developed tools to manage their wellbeing early and proactively. The service also provides a vital safety net through continuous moderation, clinical oversight, and established risk-management processes. Togetherall maintains a duty of care to respond to crisis presentations on the platform, with dedicated risk and case-management pathways agreed with West Dunbartonshire at implementation. Togetherall gives members flexible, personalised support through a range of clinically designed tools — including peer support, self-assessments, evidence-based courses, journaling, visual expression, and access to clinicians — helping them better understand and manage their mental health. The service is available 24/7, ensuring support is accessible outside regular hours and at times when vulnerable groups may need it most. Togetherall is not a treatment service therefore data metrics align to early intervention/prevention by providing anonymised reporting on uptake, usage patterns, and population-level insights. Below is a snapshot of how the service is being used in West Dunbartonshire across the 16-25 year old age bracket only, the issues members are presenting with, and the resources they are engaging with: • 35 new registrations to the services in the reported time frame, 48 returning users from West Dunbartonshire (returning users – a member that has previously registered outside the reporting time frame but used the platform within the reported time frame) • 15 young people disclosed at point of registration they had experienced thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Page 187
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• 91% of young people in West Dunbartonshire rated their own mental health as poor or very poor at point of registration. • 21 young people were not accessing any other form of mental health support at point of registration to Togetherall – 1 would rather not say. • 56% of West Dunbartonshire members received direct support from a licensed and registered Togetherall clinician. • 1 x external escalation required – a young person presenting in serious risk on the platform (immediate risk to self) and was escalated to the appropriate crisis services by Togetherall’s Senior Clinical team. • 4 members were living alone or as a single parent. • 4 identified as a student, 10 unemployed or unable to work due to disability. • 66% of access occurred outside traditional hours (9-5pm) when other services are limited. • Average number of completed activities per member – 27. A high engagement in multiple clinical tools on the platform, helping to demonstrate the desire and need for young people to access tools to support their own mental health, even in just one log in to the platform. • 86% of members logging in twice or more, demonstrating a desire for more long term supports. • 78% of West Dunbartonshire members found Togetherall helpful for their mental health. Togetherall’s core service is to provide peer to peer support via online community, moderated by registered and licensed professionals 24hours a day, 7days per week and 365 days per year. Each post created by a member is categorised. The data below evidences the topics discussed to understand what West Dunbartonshire young people are help seeking for: Togetherall provides evidence based, online courses based on CBT principals.9 courses had been enrolled on, including: Page 188
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In summary, Togetherall data shows Togetherall is reaching young people in West Dunbartonshire who are experiencing significant mental-health challenges, many of whom are not accessing any other form of support, engaging those at higher risk and providing an essential early-intervention pathway. Togetherall is reaching those young people who may be socially isolated or facing additional vulnerabilities, including those living alone, single parents, unemployed young people, and outside education support mechanisms. Importantly, 66% of all activity occurs outside traditional service hours, demonstrating Togetherall’s role in providing safe, clinically moderated support at times when no other services are available. Page 189
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Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services The tables below refer to supports and services provided in whole or in part through the funding your local authority has received in relation to Children and Young People’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services. Your return should relate to supports and services delivered in the period from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026. Please reply to all tables using numbers rather than percentages. Numbers accessing supports and services Number of children and young people accessing Gender of children and young people accessing Male Female Other Age of children and young people accessing Primary Secondary Post-school Number of family members and carers accessing Outcomes after using supports and services Number of people reporting an improved outcome Reasons for Presenting*** Exam Stress / School Issues Self-Harm Trauma Depression / Low Mood Bereavement Anxiety Gender Identity / Sexuality Emotional / Behavioural Difficulties Substance Use by Self or Family Body Image / Eating Concerns Distress Anger Isolation / Loneliness Family Relationships / Home Issues Emotional Literacy Self-Esteem / Confidence Social Interaction / Peer Relationships Resilience Physical Health Bullying Support for Parents Poverty / Homelessness Learning Support Routine / Boundaries Neurodevelopmental Suicidal Thoughts Sleep Violence / Abuse Fears / Phobias Other (please specify if possible) *** This is what is reported to the service as the reason for accessing support. It is not intended to imply or reflect diagnosis of a mental health condition or need. Instead, it is to be used to understand why people are seeking support. Multiple reasons can be recorded for each individual accessing a service. Any Additional Information Page 190
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Frequently Asked Questions Who should be counted in the data? - People who are accessing or have accessed services funded through the above streams over the data collection period. - It is recognised that some people may have accessed support during both this reporting period and the last. Please include them in the reporting for this period so that any outcomes achieved can be understood. - Where people are accessing or have accessed both school counselling and community services during the data collection period, please ensure they are included in both counts. - Where funding has been used to enhance a service (this is particularly relevant to the community services), please provide your best estimate as to how many people have been able to access this service as a result of the additional funding. - If a person has not provided all the data requested, they should still be included in the totals where possible. - An unwillingness or inability of a service user to provide information should not impact their access to support. What outcomes do I report? - It is recognised that different systems will be in place to measure outcomes with the tools used being appropriate to the locality, service and individual. Please include the number of people who have reported outcomes according to the system used locally. Data Usage - Collation of the local authority reports will be used by the Scottish Government and COSLA to understand progress in the area of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Aggregate data may be published (see summary reports). Page 191
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by the Chief Education Officer Educational Services Committee: 24 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Senior Phase Update 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to update members on the work exploring timetable options and Reduced Class Contact Time (RCCT), and to highlight the breadth of courses on offer to our young people in our schools and with our partner providers. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Committee: a) Note the progress made with timetabling options, and Reduced Class Contact Time (RCCT); and b) Note the breadth of offer for our young people in the courses and awards on offer in our schools and with our partner providers. 3. Background 3.1 In 2025 we undertook a consultation considering changing the existing 32 period asymmetric week our mainstream secondary schools to a 33 period week model. Feedback received in the consultation and at committee prompted Officers to consider other potential models, and to involve a wider stakeholder group in collaboration. 3.2 During this same timeframe, the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) reached an agreement between COSLA, Scottish Government and Trade Unions on the timescale and funding for Reduced Class Contact Time (RCCT). It is expected that Councils will implement RCCT in Early Years, Primary and ASN sectors in time for August 2027, and the Secondary sector in time for August 2029. 3.3 Each year we work across schools and our partner providers to maximise the offer of courses for our young people in the Senior Phase. Each school has their own provision of courses in house, and work together to provide a consortium offer, where classes are composed of students from a number of schools, but hosted by one of them. We also work in partnership with other learning providers, such as Working4U, local colleges (West College Scotland, City of Glasgow College and Glasgow Clyde College) and the ITEM 15 Page 193
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Widening Participation teams across our local universities (University of Glasgow, Strathclyde University, Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of the West of Scotland). For the second year running, we have been working with employers directly in the curriculum, with courses co- constructed with BAE Systems and Babcock Engineering, providing qualifications and a direct route into employment. 4. Main Issues 4.1 We have reconvened our Reduced Class Contact Time Working Group, with membership drawn from Management and Trade Unions. Report on progress with plans to implement RCCT will be brought to both Education Committee and LNCT. 4.2 We have continued to meet with our secondary school timetablers, gathering intelligence on the deployment of staff and beginning work on drawing up timetable models that could best fit RCCT. This group will become a formal sub-group of the RCCT Working Group, and will bring forward models for consultation during session 2026/27. 4.3 Consultation on models developed would take place in summer and autumn of 2027, timed so that the outcome of consultation can be implemented ahead of course options ahead of the 2028/29 timetable. This would make transition to RCCT in session 2029/30 more straightforward. 4.3 On offer for our young people in 2026/27 are 20 National 3 courses, 38 National 4 courses, 48 National 5 courses, 43 Higher courses, 15 Advanced Higher courses, 33 National Progression Awards, 9 Skills for Work courses, 8 Foundation Apprenticeships and 10 other courses. Appendix 1 shows the course offer across each of our schools. 4.4 Our schools have worked hard to explore the wider qualifications catalogue, and each year reflect on the offer made in each school, considering their ongoing commitment to courses they have offered for many years, and whether they are able to introduce new courses for their students. 4.5 For session 2026/27 we have worked with each school to identify where courses would only have a small number of students enrolled, and encouraged schools to offer these are part of our consortium offer. This has a two-fold impact – it better deploys teaching staff across schools and helps to ensure a more equitable offer of courses across our schools. 4.6 Whilst the consortium offer helps address the equity of course provision, sadly it hasn’t solved the scale of the equity issue. No course of the 21 on offer at level 3 is offered across all of our schools. 16 of the 47 courses at level 4 are offered across all schools, with 35 of 71 courses on offer at level 5 being offered across all schools. 33 of our 67 courses at level 6 are available in all of our schools, with 7 of the 20 courses on offer at level 7 available in all schools. Appendix 1 shows this in greater detail. Page 194
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4.7 Our work to standardise a Senior Phase timetable across all of our schools will address this equity issue, ensuring that the school you attend shouldn’t adversely affect the availability of subject choices. 4.8 In our planning for session 2027/28, we will standardise the dates schools undertake their course options choice process for S4 to S6. This will ensure that viability of courses is determined across schools, rather than by each school individually. It will also help prepare our schools for greater collaborative working for future sessions. 4.9 Standardising the dates will have a positive impact on the choices our young people are presented with and will help teaching staff where they wish to introduce new courses. Previously, each school would put a new course on their options choice form and individually decide whether it would have enough students interested in taking it to make it viable. Often, a new course may not attract a high number of students in one school alone, potentially making it seem less viable for a school to deliver it. By doing this together, the number of potential students would be pooled across schools, increasing the chances of the course running with a bigger number of students drawn from across schools. This is a key step in alignment to our wider objective of a common Senior Phase timetable. 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no direct people implications resulting from this report. 6. Financial & Procurement Implications 6.1 It presently costs £700k per annum to deliver Qualifications Scotland courses and awards. 6.2 There are no procurement implications associated with this report. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 Failure to develop models to implement Reduced Class Contact Time in our secondary schools could see us struggle to be ready to implement this change. 7.2 Failure to ensure that all courses are on offer across our schools to all senior Phase students would result in an inequitable offer for some of our students and could impact negatively on their progression to chosen careers or further study post-school. Page 195
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8. Environmental Sustainability 8.1 Whilst the provision of a common timetable across our schools would lead to a more efficient use of resource and provide greater opportunity for learners to choose from a wider offer of courses, this offer would also increase the number of young people travelling between establishments. A greater analysis of the impact of this would need to be done as part of the consultation on new timetable models. 9. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 An Equalities Impact Assessment would be undertaken in relation to the proposed timetable models. 9. Consultation 9.1 Consultation has been undertaken with relevant services including Finance and Legal to ensure that the proposed approach is aligned with financial and governance requirements. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 Having a Senior Phase curriculum that provides best value and is fit for purpose contributes directly to strategic priority 1 – our communities are resilient and thriving and strategic priority 4 – our council is inclusive and adaptable. Gillian Hamilton Chief Education Officer Date: 8 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Person(s) to Contact: Andrew Brown Senior Education Officer Email: andrew.brown@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: Appendix 1 - 2026/27 Senior Phase Offer Background Papers: None Wards Affected: All wards Page 196
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SCQF 3 Courses by Partner 21 Unique courses at SCQF 3 2 5 12 15 1 0 Course Title CHS DA OLSP SPTA VoLA Partners Administration & Information Technology (N3) ✓ Administration (N3) ✓ Applications of Mathematics (N3) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Art & Design (N3) ✓ Biology (N3) ✓ ✓ ✓ Business (N3) ✓ ✓ Chemistry (N3) ✓ Computing Science (N3) ✓ ✓ Drama (N3) ✓ English (N3) ✓ ✓ Enterprise & Employability (NPA) ✓ Fashion & Textile (N3) ✓ Geography (N3) ✓ Health & Food Technology (N3) ✓ History (N3) ✓ ✓ Italian (N3) ✓ Modern Studies (N3) ✓ ✓ Music (N3) ✓ ✓ Physical Education (N3) ✓ ✓ Practical Cookery (N3) ✓ ✓ ✓ Spanish (N3) ✓ Courses by School Appendix 1 Page 197
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SCQF 4 Courses by Partner 47 Unique courses at SCQF 4 16 23 22 22 18 12 Course Title CHS DA OLSP SPTA VoLA Partners Administration & Information Technology (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Administration (N4) ✓ Applications of Mathematics (N4) ✓ ✓ Art & Design (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ Automotive Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) GCC Bakery (N4) ✓ ✓ Beauty with Hairstyling (NPA) WCS Biology (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Business (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Chemistry (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Computer Games Development (N4) ✓ Computer Refurbishment (NPA) GCC Computing Science (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ Design & Manufacture (N4) ✓ ✓ Drama (N4) ✓ ✓ Early Education and Childcare (SfW) ✓ WCS English (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ English as a Second Language (N4) ✓ Fashion & Textile (N4) ✓ French (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ Geography (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Graphic Communication (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Health & Food Technology (N4) ✓ History (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Introduction to Barbering (N4) CofG Italian (N4) ✓ Make Up Artistry with Media Make Up (SfW) WCS Mathematics (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Mental Health and Wellbeing Award (N4) ✓ Modern Studies (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Motor Vehicle Engineering (IMI) WCS Music (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Music Technology (N4) ✓ Painting & Decorating (City & Guild) GCC Physical Education (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Physics (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ Practical Cookery (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Practical Electronics (N4) ✓ Practical Metalworking (N4) ✓ ✓ Practical Woodworking (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Professional Cookery (NPA) WCS Professional Bakery (NPA) WCS Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies (N4) ✓ ✓ Science (N4) ✓ Scottish Studies (N4) ✓ Spanish (N4) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Uniformed & Emergency Services (N4) CofG Courses by School Page 198
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SCQF 5 Courses by Partner 71 Unique courses at SCQF 5 36 27 27 31 31 20 Course Title CHS DA OLSP SPTA VoLA Partners Accounting (N5) ✓ Administration & IT (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Applications of Mathematics (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Applied Sciences (NPA) ✓ Art & Design (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Big Data (NPA) WCS Biology (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Business & Marketing (N5) ✓ Business Management (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Chemistry (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Computing Science (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Construction Crafts (NPA) WCS Creative Industries (SfW) WCS Criminology (NPA) WCS Dance (N5) ✓ Design & Manufacture (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ Drama (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ E-SPORTS (N5) ✓ Early Education and Childcare (SfW) ✓ WCS Energy Sector (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ Engineering Skills (SfW) WCS Engineering with Babcock International (NPA) WCS Engineering with BAE Systems (NPA) WCS English (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ English as a Second Language (N5) ✓ ✓ English Media (N5) ✓ Fashion & Textile (N5) ✓ ✓ French (N5) ✓ ✓ Furniture Making (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ Game Design (N5) ✓ Geography (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Graphic Communication (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hairdressing (SfW) WCS Courses by School Page 199
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Health & Food Technology (N5) ✓ Health Sector (SfW) ✓ ✓ ✓ History (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hospitality (N5) ✓ Introduction to British Sign Language (NPA) CofG Introduction to Graphic Design (NPA) CofG Introduction to Midwifery and Childrens Nursing (SfW) WCS Introduction to Plumbing (SfW) WCS Italian (N5) ✓ Jewellery Arts and Technology (NPA) CofG Joinery (SfW) WCS Lab Skills (N5) ✓ Mathematics (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Mental Health & Wellbeing (NPA) ✓ Modern Studies (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Music (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Music Technology (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ Sports Coaching (NPA) ✓ Personal Development (N5) ✓ Photography (N5) ✓ Physical Education (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Physics (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Practical Cake Craft (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ Practical Cookery (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Practical Electronics (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ Practical Furniture Making (N5) ✓ Practical Metalworking (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Practical Woodworking (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Psychology (N5) ✓ ✓ Radio Broadcasting (NPA) CofG Religious Moral and Philosophical Studies (N5) ✓ ✓ Scottish Studies (N5) ✓ ✓ Sound Production (N5) ✓ Spanish (N5) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Sport & Fitness Team Sport (NPA) WCS Sports Coaching (N5) ✓ ✓ Television Production (NPA) CofG Travel with Employability (NPA) WCS Page 200
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SCQF 6 Courses by Partner 67 Unique courses at SCQF 6 31 27 21 22 24 22 Course Title CHS DA OLSP SPTA VoLA Partners Accounting (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Accounting (NPA) CofG Administration (Higher) ✓ ✓ Administration & IT (Higher) ✓ ✓ Applications of Mathematics (Higher) ✓ Art & Design (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Business (Higher) ✓ ✓ Business Management (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Business Skills Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) W4U Business with Information Technology (Higher) ✓ Chemistry (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Civil Engineering Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) W4U Computer Games Development (NPA) GCC Computing Science (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ Computing Studies (Higher) ✓ Construction Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) W4U Criminology (Higher) ✓ Criminology (NPA) CofG Cyber Security (NPA) CofG Dance (Higher) ✓ ✓ Design Engineering & Planning for Construction (NQ) CofG Design & Manufacture (Higher) ✓ ✓ Drama (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ English (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ English as a Second Language (Higher) ✓ E-sport (NPA) CofG Exercise and Fitness Leadership (Higher) ✓ Fashion Retail Branding (NPA) CofG Financial Services Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) CofG Financial Services (NPA) CofG French (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ Games Design (Higher) ✓ Geography (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Courses by School Page 201
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Graphic Communication (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ History (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hospitality (Higher) ✓ Human Biology (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ International Events and Enterprise (NPA) CofG Introduction to Teacher Education Strathclyde University Italian (Higher) ✓ Leadership (Higher) ✓ ✓ Legal Studies (NPA) CofG Literacy & Communication (Higher) ✓ Mathematics (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Mental Health & Wellbeing (NPA) CofG Modern Studies (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Music (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Music Business (Higher) ✓ Music Business (NPA) ✓ Music Technology (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ Social Sciences (NC) ✓ Sports Coaching (NPA) ✓ Physical Education (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Photography (Higher) ✓ ✓ Physics (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Politics (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ Psychology (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ CofG Religious Moral & Philosophical Studies (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Scientific Technologies (Higher) ✓ Set Design, Prop & Model Making for Film & TV (NQ) CofG Social Services: Healthcare Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) W4U Social Services: Children & Young People Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) W4U Spanish (Higher) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Sports Coaching (Higher) ✓ ✓ Travel & Tourism (Higher) ✓ Women Into Construction Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) W4U Youthwork (NPA) CofG Page 202
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SCQF 7 Courses by Partner 20 Unique courses at SCQF 7 7 15 9 10 10 2 Course Title CHS DA OLSP SPTA VoLA Partners Advanced Biology (AH) ✓ Art & Design - Design (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Art & Design - Expressive (AH) ✓ Biology (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ Business (HNC) CofG Chemistry (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Computing Science (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Drama (AH) ✓ English (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ French (AH) ✓ ✓ Graphic Communication (AH) ✓ ✓ History (AH) ✓ Mathematics (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Music (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Music Business for Musicians (NQ) ✓ Physics (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Psychology (PDA) GCC Referee Development Award (PDA) ✓ ✓ Science Baccalaureate ✓ Spanish (AH) ✓ ✓ ✓ Courses by School Page 203
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Education Officer Committee: Educational Services Committee 24 June 2026 Subject: Education Delivery Plan 2026/27 1 Purpose 1.1 This report sets out the Education Delivery Plan for 2026/27. 2 Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Committee notes the new Plan. 3 Background 3.1 In line with the Strategic Planning & Performance Framework, each Chief Officer develops an annual Delivery Plan which sets out actions to help deliver the Strategic Plan and address the performance challenges and service priorities identified in the planning process. The Plan also provides an overview of services and resources, including employees and budgets, sets out the performance indicators (PIs) for monitoring progress and considers the relevant risks. 4 Main Issues 4.1 The new Plan is set out at Appendix 1. 4.2 It outlines the key achievements and challenges over the past year, as well as the priorities for the year ahead. These include: • placing the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education • improving children and young people’s health and wellbeing • narrowing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people • improving attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy • improving skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people ITEM 16 Page 205
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• developing and implementing our workforce plan to support the effective and efficient delivery of these key priorities and ensure a resilient, skilled, and diverse workforce. 4.3 Implementation of the Plan will be monitored by the Education Leadership Team with mid-year and year-end progress reported to Educational Services Committee around March 2027 and September 2027 respectively, in line with an academic year. 5 People Implications 5.1 There are no direct people implications arising from this report. 6 Financial & Procurement Implications 6.1 There are no direct financial or procurement implications arising from this report. 7 Risk Analysis 7.1 Failure to deliver on the actions assigned to Education may have a direct impact on the delivery of the Council’s Strategic Plan. It is essential that remedial action is taken to ensure strategic delivery plans achieve the commitments detailed 8 Equalities Impact Assessment 8.1 Screening and impact assessments will be carried out on specific activities as required. 9 Consultation 9.1 The delivery plans were developed through consultation with officers from the strategic service areas. 10 Strategic Assessment 10.1 The delivery plans set out actions to support the successful delivery of the strategic priorities and objectives of the Council. Chief Officer: Gillian Hamilton Service Area: Education Date: 25 May 2026 _____________________________________________________________ Page 206
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Person to Contact: Julie McGrogan julie.mcgrogan@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: Appendix 1: Education Delivery Plan 2026/27 Background Papers: Strategic Planning & Performance Framework 2022/27 Wards Affected: All Page 207
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2026/27 EDUCATION Appendix 1: Education Delivery Plan 2026/27 Page 209
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1 Contents` 1. Introduction ................................................................ 2 2. Performance Review .................................................. 2 3. Strategic Assessment ................................................ 6 4. Resources ................................................................ 12 Page 210
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2 1. Introduction Education comprises a wide range of services covering: 29 Early Learning & Childcare Centres, 32 Primary Schools, 5 Secondary Schools and 8 Specialist Settings. In addition, the Council also works in partnership with 12 private providers to support additional early years provision. The service also includes responsibility for Early Years, Excellence and Equity, Policy, Performance and Resource, Services for Children and Young People and Educational Psychology. It is one of seven strategic areas responsible for delivering the Council’s Strategic Plan. Key actions to help achieve that are set out in this Delivery Plan, together with actions to address any performance issues and service priorities identified in the planning process. The progress of this Plan will be monitored and managed by the Education Leadership Team and reported to Educational Services Committee twice yearly, at the mid-point and end of the academic year. 2. Performance Review The Education Leadership Team completed a detailed review of 2025/26 performance, focusing on the following: • 2025/26 Delivery Plan mid-year progress • National Improvement Framework and Benchmarking report • Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) comparative data • Citizens’ Panel feedback • Complaints • Education Improvement Framework Reports • Service Evaluation Reports (How Good is Our Local Authority) • Continuous Improvement • West Partnership Critical Indicators. This review highlighted our key achievements in 2025/26 as well as the challenges to be addressed in 2026/27. These are summarised below. Page 211
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3 Key Achievements in 2025/26 Listed below are some of the major achievements under each of the service outcomes and priorities in 2025/26. Raising Attainment and Achievement and Narrowing the Attainment Gap • Outperformed the national average in the Broad General Education for three consecutive years for attainment for children living in our most deprived areas, ranking11th out of 32 local authorities for literacy attainment in primary for our most deprived learners, and 7th for numeracy. • Sustained improvement in Early Learning and Childcare attainment in numeracy for five consecutive years, and literacy for four consecutive years. • Delivered positive His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) school inspections: Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School, Clydemuir Primary School, Choices School, Carleith Primary School • Recognised at a national level for the high quality of our Service Improvement Framework, identified by HMIE Inspectors as a model of best practice. • Delivered positive Care Inspectorate Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) inspections: Dalmuir ELC, Renton ELC, Lennox (Faifley) ELC, Villa Kindergarten, Gartocharn, Carousel (Dumbarton), Great Start and Ferryfield and from HMIE the following settings received positive inspections: Children’s Hour, Brookland and Carleith ELC. Since 2022/23, the proportion of funded early years provision which is graded good or better is higher in West Dunbartonshire compared to the national figure and to agreed comparator. Wellbeing, Equity and Inclusion in All Settings • Increased number of schools achieving Rights Respecting Schools Awards rising from 1 to 23 in one year; and established Young Leaders of Learning in almost all schools. • Adult satisfaction with local schools remains consistently higher in West Dunbartonshire than both the national average and comparator authorities. • Improved overall school attendance to 91%, in line with national levels, and reduced rates of persistent non-attendance through a high- profile strategic focus and a robust programme of targeted interventions and monitoring. Achieved significant progress in attendance rates for care experienced children, with 45% increasing their attendance by an average of 10%. • Extended our Enhanced Support Model into 4 mainstream primary schools providing education to 23 children. • All schools embedding Year 3 of the Child Inclusive Research into Curriculum Learning Education (CIRCLE). Page 212
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4 • 22 schools achieved the ‘We Promise Award’, with a further 12 engaged in the programme aligned to the national Promise commitment for care experienced children and young people. • 230 teaching and support staff completed training on understanding autism, recognising and reducing anxiety, and building emotional resilience, enhancing capacity to meet a wider range of learner needs. • Established Inclusion Support Model across Early Years, positively impacting children’s experiences and strengthening staff knowledge and confidence in inclusive practice. • Increased Seasons for Growth Companions with 29 trained this session, including six practitioners from a third-sector partner - supported 125 children and young people affected by bereavement and loss. • All local authority and partnership nurseries have completed training in ‘Up, Up and Away’ and are now embedding and extending practice to further support children’s language and communication development Creativity and Employability • Opened Faifley Community Campus (October 2025), bringing together two primary schools, an early years centre and a specialist support base within a single, integrated community campus; and opened Riverside Additional Support Needs Secondary School (August 2025), providing a fully accessible, rights-based learning environment for young people with complex needs. • Since 2022, 26 Modern Apprentices have been supported within our Early Years provision. To date, 21 have achieved their SVQ Level 3 and secured employment with the Council. Alongside this, we have delivered a fully funded career changers programme through Skills Development Scotland and remain committed to promoting this route to qualifications and employment. • Our Senior Concert band were awarded a Gold Award at the Scottish Concert Band Festival in March 2026, for the 5th consecutive year. • Increased attendance at careers events with over 1000 pupils and their families attending careers events in all secondary schools supported by 80 partners including local businesses, national employers, colleges, universities and training providers. • Delivered a comprehensive programme of almost 500 professional learning sessions and networks, combined with strong engagement in research-informed enquiry, including 100 secondary staff completing Osiris Collective Leadership programmes, over 250 primary teachers participating in Visible Learning, and six teachers achieving Master’s-level accreditation, improving practice across nearly all schools. Page 213
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5 Key Challenges in 2025/26 • Implementing national reform during financial uncertainty The scale of national Education Reform, combined with ongoing financial uncertainty, presents significant challenges. Reduced resources impact both short- and long-term planning and constrain the service’s ability to prepare effectively for forthcoming changes in curriculum, assessment and qualifications. This has led to increased expectations from our workforce to streamline priorities and reduce the number of concurrent workstreams. Accommodating this is complex, given the breadth of national policy directives, external inspection requirements and the diverse needs of individual schools and early learning centres. • Resilience The service has implemented a range of change programmes in response to budget savings and the wider modernisation agenda, resulting in a reduction in frontline staffing. The reduced capacity is placing additional pressure on the workforce and contributing to longer response times. • Responding to increase in Additional Support Needs (ASN) The educational context in Scotland is continually evolving; however, at the heart of this change remains the central importance of the relationship between teachers, the wider education workforce and the children and young people they support. Education services are facing increasing challenges, including a significant rise in the number of children with additional support needs (ASN). In West Dunbartonshire, the proportion of learners with ASN has grown steadily from 36.9% in 2013 to 46.4% in 2025. While investment in expanding the ASN estate has provided essential additional capacity, demand continues to rise. Increased costs from partner providers for specialist support further underline the need for local solutions to ensure that the needs of all learners are met. In addition, new national policy directives will require a review of current policy and practice, further increasing the scale of change initiatives and stakeholder expectation. • Addressing persistent equity challenges Maintaining high levels of attainment for our children and young people most affected by poverty is challenging, with evidence that our performance is slightly below the national performance in key areas of attainment and achievement. In addition, current budget constraints, a reduced funding model and uncertainty regarding future Strategic Equity Funding from the Scottish Government could impact negatively on sustained improvement in future academic sessions. Page 214
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6 • Sustaining high-quality digital infrastructure Maintaining and renewing sufficient, high-quality technology for learning and teaching (e.g. pupil devices and interactive teaching boards) remains an ongoing financial and operational challenge. Maximising the potential of artificial intelligence to reduce teacher and administrative workload, while enhancing learning and teaching, is a key priority. • Growing Demand / Increased Expectations In line with national evidence there is increasing demand on local authorities and education services to respond rapidly to service-user expectations and concerns, provide clear and effective communication, and deliver bespoke, individualised provision within short timescales. This is placing additional pressure on services to meet rising parental expectations, heightened communication needs and frequent requests for support, with a growing proportion of resources diverted towards reactive activity. This reactive workload is stretching the capacity of the service while it continues to maintain its commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes monitored and reported through national agencies and benchmarked national frameworks. 3. Strategic Assessment The Education leadership team completed a strategic assessment to determine the major influences on service delivery and priorities in 2026/27 and beyond. The key factors are summarised below. Key Factors Financial Challenges The entire public sector is continuing to face significant financial challenges due to a range of factors including inflationary cost increases, pay awards not being fully funded by the Scottish Government and insufficient overall funding to support the delivery of front line and back-office services. The Council is currently faced with an estimated cumulative funding gap in 2027/28 of £10.905m rising to £44.028m by 2030/31. We will continue to monitor the overall financial position of the Council and updates on estimated future budget gaps will be reported to Elected Members throughout 2026/27. Page 215
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7 These challenges require further action to balance our budget and protect services for residents. This will mean available funding will be reduced over time and we will need to reconfigure how we work, what we do, where we work, and potentially reduce the number of people employed. In this context, we will aim to continue to provide a sustainable, quality service to children and young people, their families, internal clients and the public. In Education, identifying opportunities for budget reductions is always a significant area of challenge, as we are tasked with maintaining teacher numbers, which accounts for approximately 57% of our annual spend. The Council’s per pupil education costs exceed both comparator authorities and the national average, in part because a number of schools operate with small rolls in buildings designed for larger pupil numbers. 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 provide the range of supports and interventions targeted at raising attainment, achievement and narrowing the poverty related attainment gap, as well as prepare for forthcoming changes in curriculum, assessment and qualifications. Budget Sensitivity Analysis In reviewing the service budget projections, consideration has been given to the sensitivity of these budgets, in particular for higher risk/ higher value budgets which may have a significant impact on budgetary control and future budget projections. The analysis has considered sensitivity around demand, costs and charges, and income levels. Two particular areas were identified as set out in the table below: Budget Sensitivity Area Rationale Teacher cover costs Considerable pressure on headquarters supply cover budgets from maternity leave and longer-term absences. Pressure on maintaining Scottish Government target for teacher numbers, continued uncertainty on funding allocations and milestones for implementation of Reduced Class Contact Time, in primary by August 2027 and in secondary by August 2029. Additional Support Needs placements Given the high annual cost for such placements (an average in excess of £300k per annum for residential and £43k per annum for day placements) a small increase in the number of external placements can lead to a considerable overspend. Increasing number of references to ASN tribunal with possible outcomes in favour of unplanned placements can lead to increased costs of staffing and / or school placements Page 216
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8 Place the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education Analysis of available evidence, policy drivers and service intelligence highlights inter-related strategic needs that must be addressed to improve outcomes for children and families. To deliver on our commitment as educators to promote positive values that enable our children and young people to thrive as 21st-century global citizens, the education system must remain proactive in ensuring we are actively anti-racist and value diversity. We need to be responsive to the change in pupil population, for example in the increasing number of new Scots living in West Dunbartonshire. In 2026/27 we will: • Ensure workforce planning takes account of projected and actual changes in the population • Progress the authority’s strategic approach to Additional Support Needs, building on existing priorities and commitments • Champion and embed children’s rights across services, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child • Strengthen inclusive practice within Early Learning and Childcare settings, with a clear focus on language and communication development; and align multi-agency approaches to early language development • Embed a whole-system approach to relationships and behaviour, reflecting national Respect Me guidance • Deliver improved child development outcomes through the implementation of the Thrive at Five programme, championing the role of parents and strengthening joined-up services to enhance early support. Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people Addressing persistent equity challenges remains with the majority of children in West Dunbartonshire residing in our most deprived areas. The challenge of addressing the impact of poverty on attainment and achievement outcomes is well documented locally and nationally with a steadfast commitment by the service to ensure provision of quality experiences to deliver improved outcomes for all children and young people. Whilst progress has been made towards our stretch aims for equity, a plateauing of performance and declining rates are beginning to emerge. In 2026/27 we will: • Engage in robust support and challenge approaches at school / ELC level focussing on attainment, achievement and attendance • Introduce a revised Early Years Assessment and Progression Framework which will ensure staff have a wider knowledge of children’s attainment in all curricular areas and skills • Deliver strengthened secondary and primary attainment strategies to sustain and improve performance • Drive outcome-focused improvement through the implementation of the service performance and improvement programme, led by high-performing school leaders and strengthened through Leadership Pathways, Coaching / Modelling, Enabling Leaders, Improving Our Schools/Departments/Classrooms, Collective Leadership, School/ELCC Improvement Partnerships Page 217
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9 • Deliver consistently high-quality learning and teaching across all classrooms and playrooms through the strategic use of agreed approaches: Visible Learning, play-pedagogy, West Dunbartonshire Competencies for Learning and Meta skills, digital technologies, adaptive teaching the National Improving Writing Programme, Concrete Pictorial Abstract mathematics, and Circle Framework. Improve Attainment and Achievement National reform is reshaping the wider education landscape; however, the core functions of key national bodies remain: HMIE continues to lead on inspection; Education Scotland on curriculum support; Qualifications Scotland on assessment, awarding and qualifications design; the General Teaching Council of Scotland in Professional Standards and Registration; and the Care Inspectorate on ELC regulation. In 2026/27 we will: • Refresh the Service Improvement Framework to ensure alignment with emerging national expectations and deliver national priorities for quality in education • Develop and implement an agile learning, teaching, and curriculum strategy that responds to advances in technology, including the effective and ethical use of artificial intelligence • Develop a learning estate strategy to deliver a ‘fit for future’ model of educational provision • Evaluate the devolved Local Learning Community model, ensuring an approach that supports effective implementation, shared accountability and sustainable improvement • Implement system models which deliver streamlined expectations, reduce bureaucracy and workload. Improve skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people Significant system change will be required to meet the expectations of the Scottish Government’s Education Reform programme 2025– 2032, including adjustments to curriculum, assessment, qualifications and wider system accountability. Headteachers have emphasised the importance of ensuring that change is manageable, with clear consideration of staff workload and strong opportunities for collaboration across schools. We need to rapidly respond to change in technology ensuring our children and young people are being supported as responsible users of technology. Maintaining and replacing high-quality and sufficient technology for learning and teaching (e.g., pupil devices, interactive teaching boards) remains an ongoing financial and operational challenge. Long term planning is in place to support provision. In 2026/27 we will: Page 218
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10 • Prepare for the implementation of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle to ensure education equips young people to be active citizens, and that learning both supports and celebrates diversity while being proactively anti-racist • Build system-wide capacity to ensure readiness for national reform to curriculum, assessment, and qualifications, strengthening practitioner expertise, curriculum design, and assessment literacy to improve outcomes for all learners • Implement phase 2 of digital learning strategy and produce a refreshed social media policy. Highly Skilled workforce equipped to support the range of needs and rights of our children and young people The Scottish Government expect local authorities to maintain teacher numbers at the pre-determined level held in 2023. This is particularly challenging within the context of school roll reductions, reduction in the number of probationer teachers being allocated to West Dunbartonshire, and budget savings. The introduction of Reduced Class Contact Time (RCCT) has been agreed by Scottish Government and COSLA and is expected to in place by August 2027 for Primary and August 2029 for Secondary. It has been agreed that increased staffing levels will be required to accommodate the reduction in class contact time and will be fully funded, although specific funding allocations are not yet available. Early timing of recruitment to ensure we can secure the number of additional teachers required to deliver the RCCT is crucial to successful implementation. The Scottish Government expect local authorities to support Diversity in Teaching specifically through collaborative involvement across local authorities to support, contribute and implement the Diversity in Teaching Action Plan. Our work in this area will contribute to the WDC People First Strategy and preferred employer status. The Scottish Negotiation Committee for Teachers have agreed changes to the Job Sizing Toolkit with specific reference to the case loads of pastoral support posts. Fuller consideration is required to understand the impact of implementing the changes regarding Principal Teacher pastoral caseloads; however, it is expected that an additional number of pastoral support posts will need to be established for which there is no additional funding provided by Scottish Government. Existing posts must be reviewed no later than 1 June 2028, in readiness for implementation from 1 August 2028. In 2026/27 we will: • Develop and implement employee life cycle plans in line with the People First Strategy to attract and retain the education workforce • Develop and implement a Diversity in Teaching Action Plan • Develop and implement a plan to deliver the job sizing review of pastoral support roles • Implement second phase of clerical and support staff reviews. Page 219
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11 These actions form our key workforce activities for the year ahead and will be monitored and reported under the following broader workforce actions that are set out in Appendix 1: • Develop and implement wellbeing, employee engagement, equality and learning and development plans to enable capabilities, improve resilience and promotion of a diverse workforce • Develop and implement employee life cycle plans in line with the People First Strategy to attract and retain the workforce • Implement service review process including role design, use of new technology and new ways of working to add resilience, address gaps, and establish opportunities for efficiencies • Develop and implement learning and development plans and development opportunities to improve capabilities and resilience within the workforce. Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement is central to all that we do. The actions set out in this section, as well as those at an operational level not included in this Delivery Plan, demonstrate our commitment to continuous improvement and take account of the wider Best Value focus on vision and leadership; governance and accountability; effective use of resources; partnerships and collaborative working; working with communities; sustainability; and fairness and equality. Action Plan The challenges identified in Section 2 and the key factors identified in Section 3 have informed Education priorities for 2026/27. Appendix 1 sets out the action plan to address them. It also includes: • performance indicators that will enable progress to be monitored and reported to stakeholders • strategic workforce actions to address workforce issues identified in the planning process • strategic and/or service risks. In relation to the latter, strategic risks represent the potential for the Council to take advantage of opportunities or fail to meet stated strategic objectives and those that require strategic leadership. Service risks relate to service delivery and represent the potential for impact on individual services, or the experience of those who work within the services, i.e. employees, partners, contractors and volunteers, or service users and clients in receipt of the services provided. In identifying the relevant risks for 2026/27 and actions to mitigate them, we aim to improve or maintain the current position (i.e. the current risk score) set out in the Appendix. Page 220
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12 4. Resources Finance Education has a net revenue budget of £139.270m and a capital budget of £4.721m in 2026/27. A breakdown by service area is set out below. We will make the best use of the resources available to deliver our key priorities. Service Area Gross Expenditure 2026/27 (£m) Gross Income 2026/27 (£m) Net Expenditure 2026/27 (£m) Capital Budget 2026/27 (£m) (Figures subject to ongoing verification) Primary 36.426 0.326 36.100 1.867 Secondary 37.572 0.983 36.588 2.754 Special 25.454 0.237 25.217 0 Psychological 0.911 0.100 0.812 0 Sports Development / Active Schools 0.627 0 0.627 0 Early Learning and Childcare 21.042 0.350 20.692 0 Creative Arts 0.810 0.124 0.687 0 Public Private Partnerships 18.489 4.329 14.160 0 Curriculum Development 0.072 0 0.072 0 Central Administration 1.011 0.068 0.943 0 Workforce / Continuous Professional Development 0.329 0 0.329 0 Performance & Improvement 0.558 0.039 0.519 0 Education Development 2.760 0.235 2.524 0.100 Scottish Attainment Challenge 0.852 0.852 0.000 0 Pupil Equity Fund 3.381 3.381 0.000 0 Pupil Equity Fund – Looked After & Accommodated Children 0.393 0.393 0.000 0 Total 150.686 11.416 139.270 4.721 Page 221
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13 Employees Employee Numbers The headcount and full-time equivalent of support staff in each service area derived from the HR Console (as of 31st March 2026) and the headcount and full-time equivalent of teachers in each service area is derived from the Teacher Census (as of 8 September 2025, published December 2025) and is as follows: Service Area – Support Staff Headcount FTE Central Additional Support Needs Support Service 27 19.76 Children and Young People 4 3.6 Early Years 501 366.9 Education Central Management 5 5 Education Development 25 20.1 Music Service 18 12.4 Performance and Improvement 4 4 Primary Schools 240 159.7 Psychological Services 11 9.5 Schools - Peripatetic 41 0 Secondary Schools 185 82.1 Special Schools and Units 143 106.9 Technician Services 22 18 Workforce Continuous Professional Development 9 6.6 Total – Support Staff 1235 814.56 Service Area – Teachers Headcount FTE Page 222
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14 Employee Absence The 2025/26 quarterly absence figures for Education are shown below, together with the Council average for the same periods for comparison. 2025/26 Absence Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Annual FTE days lost per FTE employee Education – Support Staff 6.14% 3.76% 7.26% 7.88% 14.44 Teachers 2.39% 1.61% 5.06% 5.77% 8.59 Council wide Total 6.17% 5.39% 7.2% 7.65% 14.38 ASN 67 60.8 Primary Schools 453 401.8 Secondary Schools 443 402 HQ 16 15.2 Early Stages 13 10.4 ELCCs/PTs/Excellence 7 6 Early Years HT Pointages 4.2 4.2 Total – Teachers 999 900.48 Grand Total 2234 1715.04 Page 223
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15 Appendix 1: Action Plan Please note, all 2026/27 targets are indicative until year-end data for 2025/26 is available. Our communities Our neighbourhoods are safe, resilient and inclusive Performance Indicator 2026/27 Owner Target Cases of exclusion per 1,000 school pupils 20 Claire Cusick Percentage points difference between male and female pupils attaining national levels in literacy in Secondary school 3 Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage points difference between male and female pupils attaining national levels in literacy in Primary school 10 Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage points difference between male and female pupils attaining national levels in Numeracy in Secondary school 0 Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage points difference between male and female pupils attaining national levels in numeracy in Primary school 1 Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of schools with the Keeping the Promise Award 100% Claire Cusick Percentage of schools with Child Inclusion: Research into Curriculum, Learning and Education (CIRCLE) Champions 100% Claire Cusick Percentage of schools who have achieved Right Respecting Schools (RRS) Award (Gold, Silver & Bronze) 80% Claire Cusick School Attendance Rates (per 100 pupils) 90% Claire Cusick Page 224
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16 Performance Indicator 2026/27 Owner Target School Attendance Rates for Looked After Children (per 100 Looked After Children) 85% Claire Cusick School Exclusion Rates (per 1000 pupils) 20 Claire Cusick School Exclusion Rates for Looked After Children (per 1000 looked after children) 75.5 Claire Cusick Action Due Date Owner Place the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education 30-Jun-2027 Claire Cusick Risk Description Current Assessment Target Assessment Owner Failure to place the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education This risk concerns the delivery of UNCRC and ensuring these are integral to the planning, experiences and supports we offer children, young people and their families. Claire Cusick Our residents’ health and wellbeing remains a priority Performance Indicator 2026/27 Owner Target Number of ‘Mentors in Violence Prevention’ trainers in schools 14 Claire Cusick Number of mentors in 'Mentors in Violence Prevention' programme 30 Claire Cusick Number of schools with Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Support (SCERTS) leads Claire Cusick Page 225
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17 Action Due Date Owner Improve children and young people's health and well being 30-Jun-2027 Claire Cusick Risk Description Current Assessment Target Assessment Owner Failure to improve children and young people's health and wellbeing This risk concerns our ability to develop curriculum, opportunities and supports in collaboration with key stakeholders which will meet the wellbeing needs of our children, young people and families. Claire Cusick Our residents are supported to increase life and learning skills Performance Indicator 2026/27 Owner Target Percentage of young people with Additional Support Needs in a positive destination 91% Claire Cusick Percentage of establishments delivering good or very good high-quality learning & teaching (Outcome of Improvement Framework) 93% Julie McGrogan Percentage of school attendance 90% Andrew Brown Percentage of 3- & 4-year-old children at ELC achieving the benchmark in literacy 59% Alison Bowers Percentage of 3- & 4-year-old children at ELC achieving the benchmark in numeracy 39% Alison Bowers Percentage of ELC settings meeting the National Standard Criteria of good and above 100% Alison Bowers Percentage of pupils gaining 1+ awards at SCQF level 5 85% Andrew Brown Percentage of pupils gaining 1+ awards at SCQF level 6 60% Andrew Brown Page 226
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18 Performance Indicator 2026/27 Owner Target Percentage of educational establishments receiving positive inspection reports 100% Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P1 who have achieved Early level for reading on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P4 who have achieved First level for reading on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P7 who have achieved Second level for reading on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of young people in S3 who have achieved Third or Fourth level for reading on, or before, the ACEL census date 90% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P1 who have achieved Early level for writing on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P4 who have achieved First level for writing on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P7 who have achieved Second level for writing on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of young people in S3 who have achieved Third or Fourth level for writing on, or before, the ACEL census date 90% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P1 who have achieved Early level for numeracy on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P4 who have achieved First level for numeracy on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of children in P7 who have achieved Second level for numeracy on, or before, the ACEL census date 85% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Page 227
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19 Performance Indicator 2026/27 Owner Target Percentage of young people in S3 who have achieved Third or Fourth level for numeracy on, or before, the ACEL census date 90% Katherine Forbes; Julie McGrogan Percentage of young women going to positive destinations 91% Andrew Brown Percentage of pupils gaining 5 + awards at level 5 60% Andrew Brown Percentage of pupils gaining 5+ awards at level 6 30% Andrew Brown Percentage pupils in 20% most deprived areas getting 5+ awards at level 5 50% Andrew Brown Percentage pupils in 20% most deprived areas getting 5+ awards at level 6 22% Andrew Brown Overall Average Total Tariff 790 Derek McGlynn Percentage of P1, P4 and P7 pupils combined achieving expected CFE Level in Literacy 73.5% Julie McGrogan Percentage of P1, P4 and P7 pupils combined achieving expected CFE Level in Numeracy 80.2% Julie McGrogan Literacy Attainment Gap (P1,4,7 Combined) - percentage point gap between the least deprived and most deprived pupils 11.5 Julie McGrogan Numeracy Attainment Gap (P1,4,7 Combined) - percentage point gap between the least deprived and most deprived pupils 13.8 Julie McGrogan Percentage of pupils achieving expected levels in Writing by P7 75% Julie McGrogan Percentage of funded Early Years Provision which is graded good or better 100% Alison Bowers Action Due Date Owner Close the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people 30-Jun-2027 Julie McGrogan Improve attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy 30-Jun-2027 Julie McGrogan Page 228
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20 Risk Description Current Assessment Target Assessment Owner Failure to narrow the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people This risk concerns the delivery of the key areas within the Scottish Government Strategic Equity Fund. This risk concerns the delivery of approaches to address the equalities gap and those with protected characteristics. This risk concerns the delivery of approaches to address the poverty related equity gap in all sectors. This risk concerns our ability to work successfully to collaboratively plan with a range of partners for successful delivery. Claire Cusick Failure to improve attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy This risk concerns the successful implementation of the four dimensions of the revised West Dunbartonshire Improvement Framework; 1. Collaborative Improvement 2. Enhanced Support 3. Enhanced Scrutiny and Support 4. Leadership Development. This risk concerns our ability to develop of the literacy and numeracy curriculum, opportunities and supports in collaboration with key stakeholders which will meet the needs of our children, young people and families. Julie McGrogan Challenges in implementing broad- ranging school improvement to raise attainment and achievement This risk concerns delivering excellence and equity for children and young people. National and local indicators have been set to monitor progress with outcomes relating to attainment and achievement with a key focus on making progress to narrow the poverty related attainment gap. Scottish Equity funding devolved to local authorities aims to deliver on priorities between 2023-26. This funding will end in 2026. Julie McGrogan Our Economy Page 229
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21 Our residents are supported to access employment and training opportunities Performance Indicator 2026/27 Owner Target Percentage of young people entering a positive destination 97% Andrew Brown Participation rate for 16–19-year-olds (per 100) 91.5% Andrew Brown Action Due Date Owner Improve skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people 30-Jun-2027 Andrew Brown Risk Description Current Assessment Target Assessment Owner Failure to improve skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people This risk concerns the ability to expand course provision and revised learner pathways in the Senior Phase leading including for those young people with Additional Support Needs. This risk concerns our ability to work successfully to collaboratively plan with a range of partners for successful delivery. This risk concerns the development of a skills-based approach to the curriculum within the BGE and Senior Phase. Andrew Brown; Julie McGrogan Our Council Our workforce is resilient and skilled where digital technology supports service delivery for our residents Page 230
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22 Action Due Date Owner Develop and implement wellbeing, employee engagement, equality and learning and development plans to enable capabilities, improve resilience and promotion of a diverse workforce 31-Mar-2027 Andrew Brown Develop and implement employee life cycle plans in line with the People First Strategy to attract and retain the workforce 31-Mar-2027 Andrew Brown Implement service review process including role design, use of new technology and new ways of working to add resilience, address gaps, and establish opportunities for efficiencies 31-Mar-2027 Andrew Brown Develop and implement learning and development plans and development opportunities to improve capabilities and resilience within the workforce. 31-Mar-2027 Claire Cusick Page 231