Pupil Equity Funding in North Ayrshire – Progress Report - Cabinet 01092026 (final)
North Ayrshire Council · 1 September 2026
Back to Cabinet — 1 September 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 1 September 2026 Cabinet (Education) Title: Pupil Equity Funding in North Ayrshire – Progress Report Purpose: To provide an update on: • The use of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) in North Ayrshire during session 2025-26; and • The range of approaches used by schools to support learners impacted by poverty Recommendation: It is recommended that Cabinet notes: (a) the use of PEF investment to date; and (b) the positive impact PEF is having within school communities 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) continues to be used effectively across North Ayrshire schools to deliver targeted, additional support for children and young people impacted by poverty, with investment focused on literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing, inclusion and engagement, and aligned closely with national guidance and local priorities. 1.2 During session 2025-26, schools invested approximately £4m of PEF primarily on additional teaching and support staff and targeted resources, enabling schools to reduce barriers to learning, widen participation and improve attendance, engagement and attainment-related outcomes. 1.3 Evidence from school PEF impact reports, Education Scotland inspections and national case studies demonstrate some evidence of positive and sustained impact, with some North Ayrshire schools recognised for effective and innovative practice, and ongoing quality improvement activity ensuring robust monitoring, evaluation and sharing of effective approaches across the Service. 2. Background 2.1 The Scottish Attainment Challenge, launched in 2015, aims to reduce the poverty related attainment gap between children and young people from the most and least disadvantaged communities. It is supported by the Attainment Scotland Fund, which prioritises improvements in literacy, numeracy, and health and wellbeing to achieve excellence and equity in educational outcomes.
Page 2
2.2 The mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge is to use education to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty, with a focus on tackling the poverty-related attainment gap. 2.3 The Attainment Scotland Fund comprises two distribution models: Pupil Equity Funding (PEF), introduced in 2017, which goes directly to schools to support school-level interventions and Strategic Equity Funding (SEF), which goes to the education authority to support service-wide interventions. Both are primary drivers in reducing the poverty- related attainment gap across North Ayrshire schools, along with improved use of data across all aspects of the Service and supporting learners’ needs. 2.4 The Education Service’s senior leadership team works with schools to ensure that PEF and SEF activities are complementary, and duplication with other work funded or led centrally is minimised. Funding 2.5 Pupil Equity Funding provides funding of around £4.19 million per year directly to NAC schools, ranging across schools from £1225 to £350,000 per year. For every P1-S3 child that is registered for free school meals, the school receives £1,225 through PEF in addition to their normal core budget. 2.6 North Ayrshire Council Primary and Secondary schools have received PEF for nine years, details of which are outlined in the table below. The PEF relating to each individual school can be found at Appendix 1. Year PEF Funding 2017-18 £4.39m 2018-19 £4.41m 2019-20 £4.46m 2020-21 £4.30m 2021-22 £5.15m* 2022-23 £4.17m 2023-24 £4.19m 2024-25 £4.19m 2025-26 £4.19m 2026-27 £4.19m *In 2021–22, PEF allocations included a 15% Pupil Equity Fund Premium uplift, applied by the Scottish Government to support education recovery and reflect the national funding methodology. 2.7 The table below outlines the £4m spend in total for session 2025-26: Description PEF spend profile 2024-25 PEF spend profile 2025-26 Teaching Staff £1.5m £1.4m Support Staff £1.3m £1.4m Resources & Materials £1.0m £1.2m Totals £3.8m £4m
Page 3
2.8 For those schools with remaining unspent PEF at the end of academic session 2025- 26, this has been carried over into academic session 2026-27. Those schools’ Head Teachers will have discussed with their link Senior Manager their use of the funding to ensure effective monitoring of the remaining spend. Use of PEF 2.9 Pupil Equity Funding enables schools to deliver activities, approaches or resources which are clearly additional to funds devolved to them from the Council. 2.9 Scottish Government Pupil Equity Funding: national operational guidance 2026 stipulates that funding should be focused on appropriately targeted resources, activities and approaches for learners impacted by poverty, and which will lead to improvements in literacy, numeracy and support health and wellbeing. 2.10 Although the funding allocated is based on free school meal eligibility, Head Teachers can use their professional judgement to determine which pupils receive targeted interventions and/or support in order to best support their education journey and attainment. 2.11 Interventions and support funded by PEF are clearly outlined and described in each school’s Improvement Plan and are monitored and tracked for impact by school staff and Education Senior Managers. 2.12 In addition to activity and approaches funded by PEF, schools also work with their school community to decide how to invest PEF and are encouraged to use participatory budgeting approaches to help inform decision making. 2.13 From the national PEF guidance, use of PEF by schools should include consideration of improvement of the following five key indicators: • Attainment and Achievement • Attendance • Inclusion • Engagement • Participation 2.14 NAC schools continue to make steady progress in strengthening the use of PEF and effective targeted interventions and approaches are regularly shared widely across the Service. 2.15 Highly effective school leadership, high quality learning and teaching experiences and supports and interventions (which can involve and engage families and communities) continue to be recognised as useful organisers to consider when determining PEF spending to address the poverty-related attainment gap. 2.16 Across NAC schools, PEF can also be directed towards a range of approaches such as additional staffing, literacy and numeracy interventions, widening curriculum offers, partnership working, nurture approaches, outdoor learning, and health and wellbeing initiatives such as breakfast clubs and Cost of the School Day support.
Page 4
2.17 In addition to improving attainment and achievement, PEF also enables schools to support children and young people with enriched learning experiences, including subsidised trips, family learning, employability programmes and off-campus provision for disengaged learners. Reporting on use and impact of PEF 2.18 NAC schools report on the use of PEF to support learners affected by poverty through impact reports completed at the end of each academic session and are analysed by senior central Education officers (example in Appendix 2). 2.19 These reports show that in 2025-26, schools used PEF funding to provide a range of interventions and supports such as targeted literacy and numeracy support, enhanced play‑based learning, increased staffing for personalised and small‑group interventions, and the strengthening of nurture and wellbeing provision. 2.20 PEF also helped to reduce financial barriers and widen access to wider curriculum and extra-curriculum activities such as trips and residential experiences, thus ensuring greater access to a wider range of additional experiences and activities. 2.21 As illustrated by the case studies in Appendix 3, effective and targeted use of PEF can contribute to improvements in learning and teaching, increased learner engagement through interventions and curriculum content and offers, better emotional regulation and confidence, and improved attendance through targeted pastoral and nurture support. 2.22 HMIe inspection reports (Appendix 4) have regularly highlighted the effective use of PEF in NAC schools in supporting those learners most affected by poverty, with schools employing a range of approaches such as: • Additional Staffing (Teaching & Support Staff) • Targeted Literacy & Numeracy Interventions • Health & Wellbeing / Nurture Support • Removing Financial Barriers to Participation • Digital Support & Devices • Enhanced Learning Environments • Breakfast Clubs & Out‑of‑School Opportunities • Partnership Working & External Funding • Universal Supports to Reduce Inequity • Monitoring, Tracking & Evaluating Impact 2.23 As part of Education Scotland’s Pupil Equity Funding: 2025 report, Greenwood Academy, Cumbrae Primary School and St Matthew's Academy were selected for visits by Scottish Government to explore how they used their PEF impactfully and innovatively to support children and young people impacted by poverty. 2.24 Each school focused on different challenges, but all shared a commitment to equity and improving outcomes for their most vulnerable learners. For example, Greenwood Academy focused its PEF on targeted literacy and numeracy support and strengthened nurture provision; St Matthew’s Academy prioritised wellbeing, counselling and partnership programmes to boost engagement and Cumbrae Primary used PEF to enhance nurturing approaches, family engagement and support tailored to rural and
Page 5
island challenges. Indeed, the example from Cumbrae Primary was included in this Scottish Government PEF 2025 report under “PEF in Rural and Island Communities.” 2.25 Leadership of change and leadership of learning are proven to be key HMIe quality indicators leading to improvements in outcomes for learners, and as a result, teacher and pupil leadership opportunities have helped to strengthen the approaches to using PEF to improve attainment and achievement. Evidence and data 2.26 As part of data analysis for improving outcomes, teachers and senior leaders in schools and in the Education Service regularly interrogate a range of data to identify areas and groups to focus on for targeted interventions and support. 2.27 The Service has a range of stretch aims (core and additional, and on which it reports through its Standards and Quality Report) which provide targets, including those to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap. 2.28 The Standards and Quality report for 2025-26 highlights the attainment, attendance and annual participation measure of children and young people in North Ayrshire Council schools, including the measure of SIMD Quintile 1 pupils against those from SIMD Quintiles 2-5. 2.29 These measures show that there has been some reducing of poverty-related gaps for the percentage of school leavers in June 2025 with at least one qualification at SCQF level 6 (the gap decreasing by 5 percentage points since 2020) and for the annual participation measure of 16–19-year-olds (the gap having decreased by almost 4 percentage points since 2021). 2.30 For the other attainment measures and for overall Primary and Secondary attendance, we have seen the gap widen in the past year, albeit for most with less than a 2- percentage points increase. 2.31 These measures highlight that there remains work to be done on reducing gaps related to poverty and they also reinforce the Service’s continuing need to focus on the effective and robust use, analysis and interrogation of data for improvement as a priority for school staff and central officers alike. Next steps 2.31 In the Service Improvement Plan for session 2026-27, there is a continued focus on the use of PEF in schools to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap, raise attainment and support schools’ use of evidence to demonstrate improvements in these areas. 2.32 For session 2026-27, the Service will build on established opportunities for professional dialogue and learning regarding the most impactful uses of PEF by providing targeted and focused activity on PEF national policy and guidance. 2.33 The Service continues to work closely with Education Scotland to help shape any future developments of Scottish Attainment Challenge funding, including the future of PEF, to
Page 6
ensure all learners in NAC who are impacted by poverty can benefit from specific measures and interventions. 3. Proposals 3.1 It is recommended that Cabinet notes: (a) the use of PEF investment to date; (b) the positive impact PEF is having within school communities 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 Pupil Equity Funding is external funding, provided annually by the Scottish Government as a grant. There are no financial implications to be considered in relation to this funding at present. Human Resources 4.2 All staff funded through the Scottish Government’s Attainment Scotland Fund are employed on fixed-term contracts. A workforce planning group has been established to assess and manage the workforce implications associated with this funding situation. Legal 4.3 None. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 PEF is utilised to reduce the poverty related attainment gap through providing targeted support to children, young people, and their families by improving literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Improving the attainment and achievement of learners positively impacts the number of school leavers who engage in further education or employment. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 None. Key Priorities 4.6 Council priorities: The focus of the Education Service is to align with the Council Plan 2023-28 strategic aim to ‘transition to a wellbeing economy, delivering prosperity, wellbeing and resilience for local people’ and more specifically ‘improving educational attainment and achievement and closing the attainment gap’ activities. The extent to which this is achieved will be further developed through improved approaches to support those learners impacted by poverty.
Page 7
Community Wealth Building 4.7 Pupil Equity Funding improves the attainment and achievement of learners which positively impacts on the number of school leavers engaging in further education or employment locally. A reduction in the poverty related attainment gap ensures wider access to local economic and employment opportunities for all North Ayrshire residents. Pupil Equity Funding also provides considerable opportunities to invest in the local community through providing employment and also has the potential to lead to procurement of resources from local suppliers within North Ayrshire. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 None. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 The use of PEF by schools to reduce the impact of poverty on our learners from the most deprived communities demonstrates our commitment to Children’s Rights and our continued work to ensure children’s rights are being met. Consumer Duty 4.10 None. 5. Consultation 5.1 At school level, there is regular consultation and evaluation from parents/carers, partners and staff which is collected and evaluated by schools on an on-going basis to support future programme improvements and development. 5.2 Participatory budgeting approaches are encouraged at school-level to involve pupils and parents/carers in the use of PEF to help reduce the poverty-related attainment gap. Andrew McClelland Head of Service (Education) and Chief Education Officer For further information please contact Kathleen McCormick, Executive Manager (Education), on 01294 324418. Background Papers 0
Page 8
Appendix 1 – PEF allocations 2022-2027 * For schools where revealing the allocation level may be disclosive to individuals, their results have been redacted and replaced with an asterisk. Stage School 2022/23 Allocation 2023/24 Allocation 2024/25 Allocation 2025/26 Allocation 2026/2027 Allocation Primary Abbey Primary School 90,650 90,650 90,650 90,650 90,650 Primary Annick Primary School 78,400 78,400 78,400 78,400 78,400 Primary Ardeer Primary School 74,725 74,725 74,725 74,725 74,725 Primary Beith Primary School 75,950 75,950 75,950 75,950 75,950 Primary Blacklands Primary School 59,400 59,400 59,400 59,400 59,400 Primary Brodick Primary School 6,125 6,125 6,125 6,125 6,125 Primary Caledonia Primary School 84,525 84,525 84,525 84,525 84,525 Primary Castlepark Primary School 237,650 237,650 237,650 237,650 237,650 Primary Corrie Primary School * * * * * Primary Corsehill Primary School 69,120 69,120 69,120 69,120 69,120 Primary Cumbrae Primary School 11,025 11,025 11,025 11,025 11,025 Primary Dalry Primary School 95,040 95,040 95,040 95,040 95,040 Primary Dreghorn Primary School 74,725 74,725 74,725 74,725 74,725 Primary Dykesmains Primary School 73,440 73,440 73,440 73,440 73,440 Primary Elderbank Primary School 155,575 155,575 155,575 155,575 155,575 Primary Fairlie Primary School 6,480 6,480 6,480 6,480 6,480 Primary Garnock Community Campu 34,560 34,560 34,560 34,560 34,560 Primary Gateside Primary School * * * * * Primary Glebe Primary School 80,850 80,850 80,850 80,850 80,850 Primary Glencairn Primary School 96,775 96,775 96,775 96,775 96,775 Primary Hayocks Primary School 139,650 139,650 139,650 139,650 139,650 Primary Kilmory Primary School * * * * * Primary Lamlash Primary School 6,125 6,125 6,125 6,125 6,125 Primary Largs Primary School (Opene 72,275 72,275 72,275 72,275 72,275 Primary Lawthorn Primary School 48,600 48,600 48,600 48,600 48,600 Primary Loudoun-Montgomery Prim 72,275 72,275 72,275 72,275 72,275 Primary Mayfield Primary School 76,680 76,680 76,680 76,680 76,680 Primary Montgomerie Park Primary S 0 0 24,500 24,500 24,500 Primary Moorpark Primary School 54,000 54,000 54,000 54,000 54,000 Primary Pennyburn Primary School 101,675 101,675 101,675 101,675 101,675 Primary Pirnmill Primary School * * * * * Primary Skelmorlie Primary School 8,575 8,575 8,575 8,575 8,575 Primary Springside Primary School 44,280 44,280 44,280 44,280 44,280 Primary St Anthony's Primary School 71,050 71,050 71,050 71,050 71,050 Primary St Bridget's Primary School 80,850 80,850 80,850 80,850 80,850 Primary St John Ogilvie Primary Scho 66,150 66,150 66,150 66,150 66,150 Primary St John's Primary School 31,850 31,850 31,850 31,850 31,850 Primary St Luke's Primary School 42,120 42,120 42,120 42,120 42,120 Primary St Mark's Primary School 97,200 97,200 97,200 97,200 97,200 Primary St Mary's Primary School 14,040 14,040 14,040 14,040 14,040 Primary St Palladius' Primary School 23,275 23,275 23,275 23,275 23,275 Primary St Peter's Primary School 44,100 44,100 44,100 44,100 44,100 Primary St Winning's Primary School 47,775 47,775 47,775 47,775 47,775 Primary Stanley Primary School 144,550 144,550 144,550 144,550 144,550 Primary West Kilbride Primary Schoo 49,000 49,000 49,000 49,000 49,000 Primary Whitehirst Park Primary 30,625 30,625 30,625 30,625 30,625 Primary Whiting Bay Primary School * * * * * Primary Winton Primary School 62,475 62,475 62,475 62,475 62,475 Primary Woodlands Primary School 170,275 170,275 170,275 170,275 170,275 Primary Total 3,021,555 3,021,555 3,046,055 3,046,055 3,046,055 Secondary Ardrossan Academy 140,875 140,875 140,875 140,875 140,875 Secondary Arran High School 8,575 8,575 8,575 8,575 8,575 Secondary Auchenharvie Academy 139,650 139,650 139,650 139,650 139,650 Secondary Garnock Community Campu 122,040 122,040 122,040 122,040 122,040 Secondary Greenwood Academy 160,475 160,475 160,475 160,475 160,475 Secondary Irvine Royal Academy 145,775 145,775 145,775 145,775 145,775 Secondary Kilwinning Academy 108,000 108,000 108,000 108,000 108,000 Secondary Largs Academy 59,400 59,400 59,400 59,400 59,400 Secondary St Matthew's Academy 164,160 164,160 164,160 164,160 164,160 Secondary Total 1,048,950 1,048,950 1,048,950 1,048,950 1,048,950 Special Lockhart Campus 101,675 101,675 101,675 101,675 101,675 Special Total 101,675 101,675 101,675 101,675 101,675 Grand Total 4,172,180 4,172,180 4,196,680 4,196,680 4,196,680
Page 9
Appendix 2 – Example of 2025-26 PEF impact report - Greenwood Academy Overall PEF impact Total Allocation Total Spend Carry Forward Overall Impact £166,751 £163,899 £2,852 PEF funding supported targeted interventions that improved attainment, attendance, engagement and inclusion while reducing financial barriers to participation. Pupils demonstrated improved outcomes in literacy and numeracy, school attendance increased, exclusions reduced, family engagement strengthened and more young people were able to access wider achievement opportunities. PEF programmes/areas of focus Priority Area Amount Spent Description of Activity Rationale Impact Raising Attainment through Targeted Literacy and Numeracy Interventions £67,350 Funded a Principal Teacher of Raising Attainment; implemented a BGE Tracking Tool; delivered Literacy Boost, That Reading Thing (TRT) and Numeracy Boost interventions; trained Pupil Support Assistants; purchased Accelerated Reader resources, library books and literacy texts; provided MathsPad and numeracy resources. To identify learning needs early, provide targeted literacy and numeracy support, improve attainment and confidence, and reduce the poverty-related attainment gap. Significant improvements in literacy and numeracy attainment across S1 and S2. S1 literacy at Second Level increased from 72.2% to 96% and S1 numeracy at Second Level increased from 75.6% to 96.3%. Pupils receiving targeted support demonstrated improved confidence, engagement and progress. Reducing the Cost of the School Day and Strengthening Family Learning £69,800 Provided school uniforms, footwear, clothing, equipment and learning materials; supported educational visits, transport and wider To remove financial barriers to participation, increase equity of access to learning and Pupils were able to participate fully in school life regardless of financial circumstances. Family
Page 10
Priority Area Amount Spent Description of Activity Rationale Impact achievement opportunities; funded practical subject resources; delivered community cooking programmes, family learning activities and literacy/numeracy engagement events. wider experiences, and strengthen families' ability to support learning at home. engagement increased, parents reported greater confidence supporting learning at home, and relationships between home and school were strengthened. High participation from families living in SIMD 1-4 communities demonstrated successful targeting of support. Improving Pupil Attendance and Engagement £26,749 Supported the Secondary Transition Resource (STR); provided alternative curriculum pathways through Townend Community Centre and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service; funded two Principal Teachers of Inclusion; supported partnership working with third- sector organisations; funded Campus Police Officer activities, John Muir Award programmes, holiday provision and youth work support. To improve attendance, engagement, wellbeing and inclusion for pupils experiencing significant barriers to learning and ensure young people remain connected to education. 71% of pupils supported through STR improved attendance and engagement. Exclusions reduced significantly across targeted groups, with some cohorts achieving zero exclusions. Overall school attendance increased from 87.13% to 88.21%, and attendance among SIMD 1-2 pupils increased from 83.57% to 85.10%. Pupils demonstrated improved confidence, resilience and engagement in learning.
Page 11
Appendix 3 – PEF case studies Pennyburn Primary School Rationale A high proportion of children reside in SIMD deciles 1–2, with many entering school without secure literacy and numeracy foundations. Gaps in background knowledge, inconsistent attendance and engagement, and developing staff confidence in data use were identified. PEF was targeted to address these barriers, raise attainment and reduce the poverty-related attainment gap. Description PEF was strategically invested to develop sustainable, whole-school approaches to improving outcomes and reducing inequity. Key actions included: • Professional learning for teaching staff to strengthen pedagogy, particularly explicit instruction and in literacy • Targeted interventions delivered by trained pupil support staff • Robust tracking systems and use of a wide range of data to inform planning, monitor progress and evaluate impact • Wider learning experiences to build cultural capital, vocabulary and context • Alternative learning environments and personalised pathways to improve engagement and attendance • Enhanced family support through an Area Inclusion Worker • Collegiate self-evaluation and stakeholder engagement, embedding consistently high expectations across the school. Impact PEF investment has led to measurable improvements in attainment, engagement and wellbeing, with clear evidence of accelerated progress for targeted learners. Key impacts include: • Improved attainment, particularly in literacy, with reading increasing by 20% over four years • Reduction in additional support needs, with fewer children requiring targeted support • Strong progress over time, with most learners’ meeting or exceeding individual targets • Increased engagement and participation, including high uptake in wider achievement opportunities • Improved attendance, with 28% of previously persistent non-attenders now above 90% • Enhanced wellbeing and inclusion, with children more settled, regulated and ready to learn • Improved confidence, vocabulary and writing, reflecting stronger background knowledge and learning experiences • Narrowing of poverty-related attainment gaps, through targeted and universal approaches
Page 12
Auchenharvie Academy Rationale Analysis of literacy attainment data, reading assessments and teacher professional judgement identified a gap in reading attainment for some S1 and S2 pupils affected by poverty. PEF funding was therefore targeted to provide structured reading support aimed at improving engagement, comprehension and confidence. Description PEF funding supported the delivery of weekly Reciprocal Literacy Circles for S1 and S2 pupils during session 2025/26, including: • Weekly 50-minute small-group sessions for targeted S1 and S2 pupils • Focus on reading, discussion and collaborative analysis of texts • Discussion of texts to develop comprehension, vocabulary and reading confidence • Structured roles and tasks to support participation • Opportunities for practice, feedback and peer discussion • Targeted support for pupils most affected by poverty • Consistent weekly participation to reinforce learning Impact What difference did PEF make? Pupils who had previously been reluctant to take part in reading aloud and other reading activities showed increased motivation, confidence and willingness to engage. They became more comfortable reading aloud in small groups and contributed more readily to group discussions. Other benefits included: • Improved progress in reading comprehension • Positive pupil feedback and increased enjoyment of reading Impact was measured through reading assessments, tracking data, pupil voice and teacher observations. Most participating pupils showed improved engagement with reading and increased confidence when discussing and analysing texts. Most learners also demonstrated progress in reading comprehension over the course of the intervention. Pupil voice highlighted greater enjoyment of reading and increased participation in literacy activities.
Page 13
Springside Primary School Rationale A significant number of children presented with dysregulated behaviour, anxiety and challenging home circumstances. Assessment data, professional observations and family engagement identified the need for targeted Health and Wellbeing and nurture support. PEF funding was strategically allocated to provide early intervention, improve wellbeing outcomes and help reduce the poverty-related attainment gap. Description PEF funding supported a dedicated HWB teacher (1 day per week) delivering one-to-one and group support. • Targeted one-to-one and group interventions including bereavement, nurture and growth mindset. • Nurture “Breakfast Buddies” group to support transitions at the start of the week. • Flexible, responsive timetable allowing timely support for emerging needs. • Strong communication and partnership with parents/carers. • Staff professional learning (LIAM and LYLA) to support a range of needs, including neurodiversity Impact • Pre- and post-intervention assessments (My World Triangle, SHANARRI and LIAM) demonstrate measurable improvements in pupils’ wellbeing. • Staff report enhanced emotional regulation, resilience and confidence among participating children. • Increased engagement in learning and improved readiness to learn have been observed. • Parents, carers and staff have provided positive feedback regarding improvements in wellbeing and overall engagement. • Children report feeling safe, supported, valued and cared for within the school environment
Page 14
Appendix 4 – extracts from HMIe inspection reports on ‘How Good is Our School?’ (Education Scotland) Quality Indicator 3.2: raising attainment and achievement which highlight the effective use of PEF in NAC schools Cumbrae Primary School (24/04/2024) The headteacher plans carefully for the most effective use of resources to ensure all children have opportunities to achieve and improve their attainment. She places high value on ensuring all children have a rich and joyful learning experience. Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) is currently used by staff, in part, to support children to access a wide variety of trips and events. The headteacher also accesses grants and local partnerships to make learning meaningful. These opportunities successfully enhance children’s learning and provide a wide variety of motivating experiences. The headteacher has detailed plans for the use of PEF. Currently there is no poverty related attainment gap for learners. Due to the small number of children, many interventions are universal. They target children’s wellbeing and improvement in literacy as well as equity of opportunity. These include, for example, digital resources to support children for whom English is an additional language, to access and enhance learning. The headteacher should now ensure the impact of PEF for children with specific gaps in learning is evidenced more clearly and demonstrates accelerated progress in closing gaps in learning. Gateside Primary School (28/05/2024) The headteacher includes plans for the use of PEF within the overall school improvement plan. This ensures that PEF raises attainment for children who are impacted by factors relating to poverty and benefits all children within the school. As a result of this cohesive approach, there is evidence of the positive impact of school improvement priorities on children’s attainment and achievement. The headteacher uses PEF well to plan targeted interventions to support children with identified gaps in learning and to deliver universal support for all children. She consults the Parent Council on the use of PEF whilst being discrete about sharing children’s information within a small school. Senior leaders and staff review a range of data effectively to measure the impact of PEF on gaps in children’s learning and attainment. There is evidence that the use of PEF is closing identified gaps and raising attainment for all. Blacklands Primary School (04/02/2025) Senior leaders use PEF effectively to help to improve children’s wellbeing. Identified children who require additional support with their wellbeing are developing their readiness to learn through helpful interventions in health and wellbeing, such as nurture support. All staff are aware of the cost of the school day. They take steps to minimise potential barriers that might limit children’s participation and achievement in school activities. The headteacher secures funding to support activities beyond the classroom. This includes fully funding annual trips and after school activities which give children access to real life contexts for learning. All children benefit from free access to healthy snacks, outdoor clothing, and school uniform.
Page 15
St Anthony’s Primary School (24/06/2025) Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) is used to enhance staffing and resource targeted interventions for children who require additional support learning in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Staff use effective monitoring and evaluation to demonstrate the positive impact of these interventions. As a result, good progress is being made towards improving outcomes and accelerating progress in learning to close attainment gaps for identified children Pennyburn Primary School (16/09/2025) The headteacher has a clear and strategic plan for the use of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF). She has allocated PEF creatively to provide a range of universal and targeted interventions to support improved outcomes for children across the school. This includes additional staffing and resources to support interventions to improve children’s attainment in literacy and numeracy. In addition, staff use funds to support all children to take part in cultural experiences beyond the local environment. This is helping children to engage successfully in aspects of learning such as imaginative writing. Staff gather reliable data about these interventions. This is a strength of the school. This data demonstrates very well that the chosen approaches are supporting children to close gaps and accelerate progress in learning. Whitehirst Park Primary School (28/10/2025) Senior leaders and teachers monitor closely the progress of individuals and groups of children. This includes those who may require additional support, such as those who are disadvantaged by poverty or those who require additional support for learning. They have used PEF to support children’s wellbeing, to improve attainment in literacy and numeracy and to purchase accessibility learning tools. Staff plan targeted interventions to help close identified attainment gaps and measure progress towards closing these gaps. As a result of these interventions, the school’s data is showing improvement for almost all identified children. Springside Primary School (24/02/2026) The headteacher has a clear rationale for the use of PEF. She uses PEF appropriately to enhance staffing following analysis of data and wellbeing needs. Staff employed through PEF deliver highly effective targeted approaches to improve attainment and engagement in learning. Senior leaders, track and effectively monitor the impact of these interventions. School data indicates that targeted interventions are beginning to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap in literacy and accelerating progress for most identified learners.