Attainment and Achievement Summary 2023-2024
North Ayrshire Council · 3 June 2025
Back to Cabinet — 3 June 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 3 June 2025 Cabinet (Education) Title: Attainment and Achievement Summary 2023 / 2024 Purpose: To update Cabinet on: (i) Local early learning milestones data for Literacy and Numeracy for 2023-24;(ii) Curriculum for Excellence attainment levels in literacy and numeracy for 2023-24; and (iii) the overall performance of the 2023-24 North Ayrshire Council school leavers as highlighted in the INSIGHT benchmarking tool. Recommendation: That Cabinet: a) Notes the content of the report, including the progress being made by learners, specifically in literacy and numeracy. b) Notes the achievements of school leavers in SQA examinations in 2024; and c) Note the measures being taken to make further improvements to attainment and achievement levels across all educational establishments. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 North Ayrshire Council has high aspirations for all and is committed to securing improved educational outcomes for all children and young people. Two of the current five strategic priorities for the Education Directorate are directly linked to raising attainment: • Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy • Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people This report provides an update on local early learning milestones data 2023-24, ACEL data (published in December 2024) for 2023-24, and Insight School Leavers data (published in February 2025) for 2023-24. 1.2 Highlights include: • The overall achievement of a level of S3 learners has increased for Third and Fourth levels in Literacy and Numeracy. The achievement figures for all learners in Third level Numeracy are 7 percentage points higher than in 2021- 22 and by almost 5 % points higher than 2021-22 for Literacy. For Fourth level Literacy and Numeracy, the achievement figures are the highest since 2019, by 2 percentage points for Numeracy and by 12 percentage points for Literacy.
Page 2
• Comparing the attainment of S3 learners from SIMD Q1 with Q2-5, the poverty- related attainment gap has reduced by 10 percentage points in Third level Literacy and by 9 percentage points for Third Level Numeracy. • The most deprived (SIMD Quintile 1) lowest 20% and middle 60% attaining of all leavers’ complementary tariff points are both above the virtual, SWEIC and national comparators. • North Ayrshire school leavers continue to show high levels of positive destination figures over the past 5 years with 96% achieving an initial positive destination. • At 60%, the percentage of S5 leavers achieving Level 5 Numeracy is the highest in the last 5 years. • The lowest 20% of S4 school leavers have achieved the highest number of tariff points in the last 5 years and is above the Virtual Comparator. • NAC School leavers from almost every SIMD decile are exceeding the performance of school leavers from similar backgrounds nationally. 2. Background 2.1 The current cost of living crisis and other post-covid factors may have impacted young people’s decisions of when to leave school and their subsequent destinations and may continue to do so for a number of years. 2.2 All key benchmarking data is now available for schools and local authorities as they move into the improvement planning cycle and look ahead to session 2025-26. Improvement plans for next session will take full account of the messages found from analysing and reflecting upon ACEL and Insight data, with a view to seeking improvements in outcomes for children and young people annually until they leave school. 2.3 Attainment in Broad General Education – Attainment of Curriculum for Excellence Level (ACEL) in P1, P4, P7 and S3 (These highlights are supported by charts in Appendices 1, 2 2a and 2b) 2.3.1 In 2016, the Scottish Government began to collect statistics on the Curriculum for Excellence level achieved in Literacy (Listening and Talking, Reading, Writing) and Numeracy by learners in the Broad General Education stages P1, P4, P7 and S3. This is based on teacher judgement about each pupil’s achievement of expected level made at the end of June each session. This data collection by the Scottish Government was suspended in 2020 for all schools due to the impact of the pandemic. Data collection was resumed in 2021 for stages P1, P4 and P7 though not S3. In 2022 all stages were once again collected. Schools submit data for the following learner stages: • Primary 1 • Primary 4 • Primary 7 • Secondary 3
Page 3
The submitted school level data is aggregated by the Scottish Government to produce a Local Authority aggregate, and it is this dataset that forms the basis for this report. 2.3.2 For the purposes of this paper, *Primary data combines Primary 1, 4 and 7 CfE attainment. Expected levels, relevant to stage: - CfE Level Stage Description Early P1 The final two years of early learning and childcare before a child goes to school and P1, or later for some. First P4 To the end of P4, but earlier or later for some. Second P7 To the end of P7, but earlier or later for some. Third/Fourth S3 To the end of S3, but earlier or later for some. *Learners who have been entered as ‘Not Assessed’ are not included in the percentage calculations. Pupils recorded as ‘Pupils following Individual Milestones’ are included in the percentage calculations. 2.3.3 Achievement of CfE levels is based on a judgement of the holistic view of a child’s achievements by their teacher across a range of evidence throughout their journey through the level. As part of a school’s quality assurance process, teacher judgement levels are moderated internally and, in some cases, externally across school clusters, for example. 2.3.4 Raising attainment is an ongoing priority for the Education Directorate with a number of initiatives already in place to support schools. During session 2023-24, schools were supported through the offer of professional learning in key areas to support raising attainment in literacy and numeracy. Improvement projects included: • The Education Service is committed to improving attainment for all and narrowing the poverty-related attainment gap. This session the strategic leadership team has shared consistent messages with all senior leaders across the authority during headteacher meetings, in order to reinforce this continued commitment. • Following a review of the Professional Learning Academy (PLA) last session, a refreshed delivery model was designed and implemented for session 2023-24. The new model includes PLA teachers becoming embedded within partner schools for a term and working alongside school staff on an agreed aspect of learning, teaching and assessment identified from their school improvement plans to improve practice and have a positive impact on learning outcomes. In 2023/24, the PLA worked in this way with 25 primary schools and 3 secondary schools for at least one term on targeted interventions across a range of curricular areas, including literacy, numeracy, play pedagogy and digital learning. • In a number of Primary schools, additional Raising Attainment class teachers were deployed to support identified learners and groups of learners with targeted interventions. By providing appropriate pace and challenge, the Raising Attainment teachers could support the work of the class teachers and enhance the learning experiences further for identified children. • Working collaboratively across Primary and Secondary sectors with teaching representatives, a new tracking and monitoring tool for the Broad General Education (P1-S3) was launched which allows schools to track attainment in literacy and
Page 4
numeracy and provide a level of consistency of approaches to data usage across the authority. • A focus on stretch aims across all sectors at establishment and local authority levels provided opportunity for regular data analysis and professional dialogue around attainment of learners in North Ayrshire schools and Early Years establishments. • A focus on improving data literacy skills in teachers with regular professional dialogue opportunities and training • Working in partnership across the local authority, SWEIC and national networks to support sharing of highly effective practice that reduces the poverty related attainment gap. • The new Power BI Progress and Achievement Analysis tool for Broad General Education (BGE) for literacy and numeracy supports robust and regular analysis of attainment of Literacy organisers and Numeracy at school and central levels • Support provided to targeted schools by the Attainment Advisor on data for improvement • A learner pathways tool has been developed around the Ayrshire Growth Deal to support curriculum planning and the development of employability skills • The NAC Education Directorate’s 2-18 Digital Learning Strategy was launched which aims to support the effective use of digital technology to raise attainment 2.3.5 Summary of results The following paragraphs provide an overview of attainment at each stage in each of the Literacy components and in Numeracy (and Health & Wellbeing for Early Years), for the past 5 years minus 2020 which was not recorded. 2.3.6 Early Years Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing • Based on local early learning milestones, which have been used consistently across the service for a number of years, in 2024, overall 78.5% of all children achieved their early learning milestones in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, which is in line with the previous 2 years. The levels of achievement can be broken down into their constituent parts as follows: • Literacy: 75.5% have achieved their literacy milestones which is down 3 percentage points since 2023. • Numeracy: 75.9% have achieved their Numeracy milestones which is broadly in line with the previous two years. • Health and Wellbeing: 87.6% have achieved their H&WB milestones this year which is down less than 3 percentage points on 2023 2.3.7 Primary Literacy (see Appendices 1-3) • In 2024, 69% of children in North Ayrshire Council achieved the appropriate attainment level in Literacy. This is 1 percentage point higher than in 2023 and 10 percentage points higher than in 2021. • At national level, 74% of children achieved the appropriate level of Literacy in 2024, which is an increase of 1 percentage point since 2023 and 7 percentage points since 2021. • Overall attainment data over time shows that local authorities with the highest levels of poverty / deprivation generally experienced a steeper drop in primary school
Page 5
attainment during Covid and a slower rate of recovery to pre-pandemic levels compared to the rest of the country. • The poverty related attainment gap (between the most and least deprived) in primary literacy in North Ayrshire remains at 19 percentage points in 2024, which is 3 percentage points smaller than in 2021. • The poverty related attainment gap in literacy across Scotland is 20 percentage points in 2024, which is 4 percentage points smaller than in 2021. 2.3.8 Primary Numeracy • In 2024, 76% of children in North Ayrshire Council achieved the appropriate attainment level in Numeracy, which is in line with the performance in 2023 and is 9 percentage points higher than in 2021. • At national level, 80% of children achieved the appropriate attainment level in Numeracy in 2024, which is in line with the performance in 2023 and 5 percentage points higher than in 2021. • The poverty related attainment gap (between the most and least deprived) in primary numeracy in North Ayrshire remains at 16 percentage points in 2024, which is 8 percentage points smaller than in 2021. • The poverty related attainment gap in numeracy across Scotland is 17 percentage points in 2024, which is 5 percentage points smaller than in 2021. 2.3.9 Secondary Literacy (by S3) (Appendices 4-6) • In 2024, 90% of young people in North Ayrshire Council secondary schools achieved third level in literacy or better, which is 5 percentage points higher than in 2023 and is the highest since 2019. • At national level, 88% of young people achieved third level literacy or better in 2024, which is in line with 2023 and pre-pandemic levels. • The poverty related attainment gap (between the most and least deprived) in S3 third level literacy in North Ayrshire is 7 percentage points in 2024, which is 11 percentage points smaller than in 2023. • The poverty related attainment gap in third level literacy across Scotland is 13 percentage points in 2024, which is 1 percentage point smaller than in 2023. • In 2024, 62% of young people in North Ayrshire Council secondary schools achieved fourth level in literacy which is the highest percentage recorded and is 14 percentage points higher than in 2023. • At national level, 58% of young people achieved fourth level in literacy, which is the highest percentage recorded and is an increase of 2 percentage points since 2023. • The poverty related attainment gap (between the most and least deprived) in S3 fourth level literacy in North Ayrshire is 31 percentage points in 2024, which is the same as in 2023. • The poverty related attainment gap in fourth level literacy across Scotland is 31 percentage points in 2024, which is the same as in 2023. 2.3.10 Secondary Numeracy (by S3) • In 2024, 88% of young people in North Ayrshire Council secondary schools achieved third level in numeracy or better, which is 4 percentage points higher than in 2023 and is the highest since 2019.
Page 6
• At national level, 90% of young people achieved third level in numeracy or better in 2024, which is in line with 2023 and pre-pandemic levels. • The poverty related attainment gap (between the most and least deprived) in S3 third level numeracy in North Ayrshire is 7 percentage points in 2024, which is 13 percentage points smaller than in 2023. • The poverty related attainment gap in third level numeracy across Scotland is 12 percentage points in 2024, which is 2 percentage points smaller than in 2023. • In 2024, 65% of young people in North Ayrshire Council secondary schools achieved fourth level in numeracy, which is the highest percentage recorded, and is 7 percentage points higher than in 2023. • At national level, 65% of young people achieved fourth level in numeracy, which is the highest percentage recorded and is 2 percentage points higher than in 2023. • The poverty related attainment gap (between the most and least deprived) in S3 fourth level numeracy in North Ayrshire is 19 percentage points in 2024, which is 19 percentage points smaller than in 2023. • The poverty related attainment gap in fourth level numeracy across Scotland is 33 percentage points in 2024, which is 2 percentage points smaller than in 2023. 2.4 School Leavers – Insight – 2023-24 North Ayrshire Council Education Directorate Data Team sends all 9 secondary schools their Insight Analytical Data set each year which empowers schools to inspect their leavers’ data at a learner level. The contextual and circumstantial understanding that schools possess regarding their learners coupled with this dataset can allow patterns and trends for groups of leaners to be identified that is not possible by solely using Insight. Consequently, schools can utilise this information for future improvement planning. The most recent update of Insight affords the opportunity to explore how well young people leaving school have attained, in the five years to 2024. 2.4.1 The time period covered by these statistics means that the results will be affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In particular, the cancellation of exams and external assessment of coursework in 2020, and the use of the Alternative Certification Model in 2021, will have affected the attainment of many 2020-21 school leavers. It is also likely that the pandemic will have continued to affect the destination choices made by, and opportunities available to, some school leavers in 2023-24. 2.4.2 The impact of these different approaches to certification upon school leaver attainment means that care should be taken when making comparisons over time, particularly when comparing 2019/20 and 2020/21 with previous or subsequent years. Any comparison between the attainment levels of these two cohorts with other session cohorts should not be seen as an indication that performance has improved or worsened, without further evidence. 2.5 National Benchmarking Measures One of the functions of Insight is to provide an analysis of four national benchmarking measures showing the performance of pupils at the point of exit from school. This provides a consistent benchmark and emphasises that attainment and achievement in S4 to S6 are cumulative. These measures are connected and should be looked at
Page 7
together when considering the performance of a school or local authority and the next steps to be taken in seeking further improvements. 2.5.1 The four National Benchmarking Measures are: - Improving attainment in literacy and numeracy Our aim is for all our school leavers to be highly literate and numerate, increasing their life chances greatly. Curriculum for Excellence stresses the responsibility of all teachers for developing literacy and numeracy skills. This reflects the importance placed on these crucial skills which unlock learning in all other areas of the curriculum and are vital for success in learning, life and work in the modern world and workplace. - Improving attainment for all The overall aim for this measure, along with tackling disadvantage, is to have our pupils attain as highly as possible 'across the board'. Attainment is an individual’s passport to personal, social, cultural and economic opportunities. Raising attainment means improving life chances. This does not mean just focusing on exam results but instead looking at attainment in its widest sense. It is this rich attainment which enables all of our children and young people to make good progress and develop the skills, ambition, and know-how they need to improve life chances. - Attainment versus Deprivation: tackling disadvantage – improving equity of outcome irrespective of SIMD The overall aim for this measure, together with improving attainment for all, is to have our pupils attain as highly as possible 'across the board'. This measure is aimed at reducing the gap in attainment associated with the incidence of higher and lower deprivation and has the same aspirations for our learners as improving attainment for all. - Increasing post-school participation Considering the destinations of our leavers is a vital part of ensuring that Curriculum for Excellence is a success in our schools. The measure focuses on initial destinations and is linked with Skills Development Scotland's information. 2.5.2 This briefing considers the position of North Ayrshire Council over time and, where possible, in relation to a ‘virtual’ comparator authority and the national position for each of the measures. Additionally, where available, data relating to performance in the South West Educational Improvement Collaborative has been included for comparison. 2.5.3 Virtual comparator (VC) data is constructed from the performance of individual pupils with similar characteristics from schools in other local authorities. For every pupil in a North Ayrshire school, 10 similar pupils are identified from across all schools in other local authorities to be part of the virtual comparator’s data. This allows a comparison
Page 8
based on some key pupil characteristics (gender, deprivation (SIMD decile), additional support needs and stage of leaving) that are linked to educational outcomes. 2.5.4 The following terms of quantity are used in this report: Other quantitative terms used in this report are to be understood as in common English usage. 2.6 Summary of School Leavers’ results 2023-24: Improving attainment in literacy and numeracy All Leavers Achieving Literacy (see Appendix 7) Level 4 - 93%% of NAC school leavers achieved Level 4 literacy, the lowest percentage since 2019 but still above the VC - Almost all school leavers achieved Level 4 literacy Level 5 - At 81%, NAC is above the VC by nearly 3 percentage points - NAC remains above the VC for the 5th year since 2019 - Most leavers achieved Level 5 Literacy. 2.6.1 Percentage of S4 Leavers Achieving Literacy Level 3 - 92% of S4 leavers achieved Level 3 Literacy – this is the second highest percentage in the last 5 years - Almost all S4 leavers achieved Level 3 Literacy Level 4 - At 75%, North Ayrshire Council is above the VC and is the second lowest percentage since 2021. - Most S4 leavers achieved Level 4 Literacy Level 5 - At 44 %, North Ayrshire Council is above the virtual comparator which has been the case since 2019 and is the third highest percentage in the last 5 years - Less than half of S4 leavers achieved Level 5 Literacy
Page 9
2.6.2 Percentage of S5 Leavers Achieving Literacy Level 5 - At 72%, North Ayrshire Council is above the virtual comparator which has been the case since 2019 - This is in line with performance in 2022-23 - The majority of S5 leavers achieve Level 5 Literacy 2.6.3 Percentage of S6 Leavers Achieving Literacy Level 5 - At 96%, North Ayrshire Council is above the virtual comparator which has been the case since 2019 - This is in line with performance over the past 5 years - Almost all S6 leavers achieve Level 5 Literacy 2.6.4 Percentage of All Leavers Achieving Numeracy (see Appendix 7) Level 4 - 90% of all leavers achieved Level 4 Numeracy and this is broadly in line with the past 4 years’ attainment - North Ayrshire Council has been above the VC for the past 3 years - Almost all leavers achieved Level 4 Numeracy Level 5 - 71% of all leavers achieved Level 5 Numeracy, which is above the VC, and is 1 percentage point higher than in 2022-23 - North Ayrshire Council has been above the VC for the past 5 years - The majority of leavers achieved Level 5 Numeracy 2.6.5 Percentage of S4 Leavers Achieving Numeracy Level 3 - At 95%, the percentage of S4 leavers achieving Level 3 Numeracy is the second highest in the last 5 years and has been consistently above the VC - This represents a 3-year trend of improvement since 2020-21 - Almost all S4 leavers achieved Level 3 Numeracy Level 4 - 71% of S4 leavers achieved Level 4 Numeracy which is the second highest percentage in the past 5 years - With the exception of 2020-21, NAC has been above the VC - The majority of S4 leavers achieved Level 4 Numeracy Level 5 - At 35%, the percentage of S4 leavers achieving Numeracy at Level 5 is the second highest percentage in the last 5 years
Page 10
- This figure is almost 10 percentage points above the VC - Less than half of S4 leavers achieved Level 5 Numeracy 2.6.6 Percentage of S5 Leavers Achieving Numeracy Level 5 - 60% of S5 leavers achieved Level 5 Numeracy which is almost 7 percentage points above the VC - This is the highest percentage in the past 5 years - The majority of S5 leavers achieved Level 5 Numeracy 2.6.7 Percentage of S6 Leavers Achieving Numeracy Level 5 - 86% of S6 leavers achieved Level 5 Numeracy - This is broadly in line with attainment over the last 5 years - Most S6 leavers achieved Level 5 Numeracy 2.7 Improving attainment for all (see Appendices 8-9) This measure provides information on the both the average total tariff score and the average complementary tariff score of school leavers in three groups: the lowest 20%, middle 60% and highest 20% based on attainment. The average total tariff score gives a sense of the total value of all qualifications gained, with all tariff points added together for the highest level of each qualification gained. However, local authorities and individual schools sometimes have different approaches to the number of qualifications undertaken at each stage of the senior phase, and this variation in presentation policy can make it difficult to make meaningful comparisons across the country. The complementary tariff score sums tariff points awarded to a candidate across their 5 best performances (courses). This measure allows for improved benchmarking and comparison across schools at local and national level. There follows an analysis of the average complementary tariff scores for each stage- based leaver cohort subdivided into the three attainment groups based on complementary tariff points awarded. 2.7.1 Improving attainment for all – All leavers summary Lowest 20% - At 113 tariff points, this is the lowest figure in the past 5 years but is above the VC by 20 tariff points Middle 60% - At 545 tariff points, this is the lowest figure in the past 5 years and is below the VC by 6 tariff points Highest 20% - At 1195 tariff points, this is the lowest figure in the past 5 years and is below the VC
Page 11
2.7.2 Improving attainment for all – S4 Leavers Summary Lowest 20% - At 48 tariff points NAC is above the VC by 28 tariff points - NAC has been above the VC and national in this measure every year - This is the second highest number of tariff points achieved over the last 5 years Middle 60% - At 158 tariff points NAC is above the VC - This is the first time above the VC since 2020 - This is the second lowest number of tariff points for this group since 2020 Highest 20% - At 342 tariff points NAC is above the VC - This is the second highest number of tariff points since 2021 2.7.3 Improving attainment for all – S5 Leavers Summary Lowest 20% - At 85 tariff points NAC is above the VC by 28 tariff points - NAC has been above the VC in this measure for the last 5 years - This figure represents a decrease of 18 tariff points since 2022-23 Middle 60% - At 332 tariff points, NAC is above the VC by 26 tariff points - NAC has been consistently above the VC in this measure in the last 5 years Highest 20% - At 764 tariff points, NAC is above the VC - NAC has been consistently above the VC in this measure in the last 5 years 2.7.4 Improving attainment for all – S6 Leavers Summary Lowest 20% - At 313 tariff points, NAC is below the VC - NAC has been below the VC in this measure since 2021 - This is the lowest number of tariff points for this group in the last 5 years Middle 60% - At 812 tariff points, NAC is below the VC - NAC has been below the VC in this measure since 2020 - This is the lowest number of tariff points for this group in the last 5 years Highest 20% - At 1326 tariff points, NAC is broadly in line with the VC - This is the lowest number of tariff points for this group in the last 5 years 2.8 Attainment versus Deprivation: tackling disadvantage – improving equity of outcome irrespective of SIMD (see Appendix 10) In total, 48% of our school leavers in 2024 live in SIMD deciles 1 and 2. This is an increase of 5 percentage points since 2023. In contrast, only 0.6% of North Ayrshire’s
Page 12
leavers in 2024 live in SIMD decile 10 (this equates to 9 learners). This extreme imbalance in distribution across SIMD deciles necessitates sensitive analysis. The average total tariff score (ATTS) for all leavers remains higher in 2024 than pre- pandemic levels. Across almost all SIMD deciles, North Ayrshire leavers have gained on average a greater number of tariff points from their qualifications than national averages. Of particular note are North Ayrshire leavers in SIMD Decile 4, who achieved on average 974 tariff points, compared to the national average of 797 for that group. The small number of leavers in SIMD decile 10 achieved less well when compared to their national counterparts. Careful school level analysis has taken place to explain this anomaly and to consider next steps for further improvement. 2.9 Increasing post-school participation (see Appendix 11) All Leavers In North Ayrshire Council in 2023-24, the percentage of all school leavers in a positive destination is 96% which: - Continues to be above the virtual comparator, and is in line with the South West Educational Improvement Collaborative and national level - Demonstrates sustained improvements over the past 5 consecutive years - is above the VC for the most deprived 20% of young people - NAC is above the VC for Further Education (36%), in line with the VC for Training (5%) and below the VC for Higher Education (36%) and Employed (21%). S4 Leavers At 93%, the percentage of S4 school leavers in a positive destination: - is at the third highest level recorded in the last 5 years - is above the virtual comparator, South West Educational Improvement Collaborative and national level. - is above the VC and national for the most deprived 20% of young people for the fifth year in a row. - NAC is above the VC for Further Education (58%) and below the VC for Training (10%) and for Employed (25%). S5 Leavers At 94%, the percentage of S5 school leavers in a positive destination: - is at the highest level recorded in the last 5 years - is above all comparators - is above all comparators for the most deprived 20% of young people and has been for the last 5 years - NAC is above the VC for Further Education (49%), in line with the VC for Training (8%) and Higher Education (12%) and below the VC for Employed (25%). S6 Leavers At 97%, the percentage of S6 school leavers in a positive destination: - is in line with the last 5 years - is broadly in line with all comparators (around 1 percentage point lower)
Page 13
- is broadly in line with figures over the last 4 years for the most deprived 20% of young people - NAC is above the VC for Further Education (23%) and Training (2%), in line with the VC for Employed (18%) and below the VC for Higher Education (54%). 2.10 Core Stretch Aims As part of raising attainment and closing the poverty-related attainment gap, the Scottish Government has asked all 32 Local Authorities to set stretch aims for August 2026 (see appendix 12). The core stretch aims linked to ACEL and Insight February update data are: - The proportion of learners in North Ayrshire who achieve the expected levels of attainment in literacy at P1, P4 and P7 will increase. - The proportion of learners in North Ayrshire who achieve the expected levels of attainment in numeracy at P1, P4 and P7 will increase. - The proportion of school leavers who achieve 1 or more awards at SCQF level 5 or better will increase. - The proportion of school leavers who achieve 1 or more passes at SCQF level 6 (grades A-C) or better will increase Progress towards our existing stretch aims is outlined, both within this paper and at Appendix 12. 2.11 Closing the Poverty Related Attainment Gap Raising attainment cannot simply mean a focus on excellence but must also focus on equity. Schools will therefore continue to be supported through our Service Improvement Plan actions and the use of the training and professional learning by the PLA. The Education Service and all schools will continue to focus on and interrogate data to increase the pace of change in closing the poverty related attainment gap. As a local authority we will continue to set ambitious locally identified stretch aims based on a three-year trajectory These aims will be set for both excellence and equity. 2.12 Proposed Improvement Actions The following improvement actions are proposed in respect of the key performance measures in learner attainment: Improving attainment in Literacy & Numeracy: the service improvement plan includes specific actions to improve attainment in literacy and numeracy, including: the revision of our existing literacy and numeracy frameworks; the design and implementation of a 3-year raising attainment strategy; a more systematic and robust approach to the use of data for improving outcomes for all; and a further focus on effective moderation across and within schools. In parallel to this, schools and Early Years Centres will continue to be supported through establishment improvement planning processes,
Page 14
quality assurance processes, training opportunities and the work of the Professional Learning Academy. Improving Attainment for All: There will be a continuation of the focus on the middle and highest achieving learners to ensure that our performance continues to reduce the gap between North Ayrshire and the National performance. Part of our work will include a further exploration of the development of learner pathways to raise attainment further and expand pathways to appropriate initial leaver destinations for our young people. The re-designed senior phase curriculum offer in many schools will also enable further targeted programmes to be developed for the lowest achieving learners, particularly in S4. Attainment versus Deprivation: North Ayrshire’s Attainment Challenge and Pupil Equity Fund will continue to implement interventions for pupils living in the most deprived areas to improve their levels of attainment and achievement. A robust focus on the use of data for improving outcomes also underpins approaches to closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Increasing Post-School Participation: To continue and enhance partnership working with Skills Development Scotland, DYW Ayrshire, Ayrshire College, and the Local Employability Partnership. 3. Proposals 3.1 It is proposed that Cabinet: a) Notes the content of the report, including the progress being made by learners, specifically in literacy and numeracy; b) Notes the achievements of school leavers in attainment in 2024; and c) Notes the measures being taken to make further improvements to attainment and achievement levels across all schools. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 None. Human Resources 4.2 None. Legal 4.3 None. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 None.
Page 15
Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 None. Key Priorities 4.6 NAC Council Plan 2023-28: Wellbeing: To transition to a wellbeing economy, delivering prosperity, wellbeing and resilience for local people: • Improving educational attainment and achievement and closing the attainment gap • Developing the Young Workforce and ensuring positive destinations for school leavers This work relates to the following priorities in the Education Service Plan 2023-26: • Improvement in attainment and achievement, particularly in literacy and numeracy • Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people. Community Wealth Building 4.7 None. 5. Consultation 5.1 There is a robust Quality Improvement Framework in place to support schools to evaluate and analyse their performance and plan future improvements. This quality improvement process features regular evaluative visits to schools by Senior Officers. These visits feature evidence-based, challenging discussions to explore how schools are using the analysis of their attainment as a mechanism to inform targets for improvement. Furthermore, as part of our annual review process, we have consulted staff across the service on the improvement priorities for the coming session, and schools have in turn engaged with their school communities on their own priorities for improvement. Andrew McClelland Chief Education Officer, Head of Service (Education) For further information please contact Kathleen McCormick, Executive Manager, on 01294 324443. Background Papers 0
Page 16
Appendix 1
Page 17
Appendix 2
Page 18
Appendix 3
Page 19
Appendix 4
Page 20
Appendix 5
Page 21
Appendix 6
Page 22
Appendix 7
Page 23
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 North Ayrshire 145 139 160 155 133 123 South West Collaborative 151 144 163 154 144 132 Virtual Comparator 120 126 157 140 127 100 National 151 151 164 154 141 129 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180Attainment for All -Average total tariff score of the lowest attaining 20% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 North Ayrshire 697 780 840 812 744 738 South West Collaborative 769 821 875 827 780 780 Virtual Comparator 733 821 873 804 766 749 National 821 880 939 871 832 841 650 700 750 800 850 900 950 1000 Attainment for All -Average total tariff score of the middle attaining 60% Appendix 8
Page 24
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 North Ayrshire 1665 1797 1860 1907 1869 1865 South West Collaborative 1770 1858 1920 1916 1895 1858 Virtual Comparator 1749 1865 1910 1876 1866 1840 National 1830 1921 1982 1950 1931 1928 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 Attainment for All -Average total tariff score of the highest attaining 20% Appendix 8
Page 25
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 North Ayrshire 126 141 137 125 113 South West Collaborative 130 145 138 131 120 Virtual Comparator 114 137 126 116 93 National 133 144 137 127 118 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 Attainment for All -Average complementary tariff score of the lowest attaining 20% 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 North Ayrshire 611 643 607 554 545 South West Collaborative 624 654 616 577 571 Virtual Comparator 616 649 600 570 551 National 657 691 643 612 610 500 550 600 650 700 750 Attainment for All -Average complementary tariff score of the middle attaining 60% Appendix 9
Page 26
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 North Ayrshire 1256 1254 1256 1204 1195 South West Collaborative 1267 1294 1280 1252 1222 Virtual Comparator 1272 1284 1253 1237 1203 National 1314 1339 1304 1286 1269 1100 1200 1300 1400 Attainment for All -Average complementary tariff score of the highest attaining 20% Appendix 9
Page 27
Appendix 10
Page 28
Appendix 11
Page 29
Stretch Aims Summary: The stretch aims are listed in summary format here. Further details are included for each stretch aim later in this document. Key: ⚫ = Improving picture / ⚫ = Limited or no improvement / ⚫ = declining position CORE OUTCOMES FOR IMPROVEMENT Performance up to 2023 Stretch Aim (by August 2026) Actual Progress Summary (updated annually) Description of improvement Performance Measure 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Core Stretch Aim 1 The proportion of learners in North Ayrshire who achieve the expected levels of attainment in literacy at P1, P4 and P7 will increase. All learners 74% n/a 59% 67% 68% 75% 69% ⚫ Dec 25 Q1 67% n/a 49% 60% 63% 72% 62% ⚫ Dec 25 Q2-5 79% n/a 67% 74% 74% 80% 74% ⚫ Dec 25 Q5 89% n/a 70% 83% 82% 88% 81% ⚫ Dec 25 Gap 1 (Q1 vv Q2- 5) -12pp n/a -18pp -14pp -11pp -8pp -12pp ⚫ Dec 25 Gap 2 (Q1 vv Q5) -22pp n/a -21pp -23pp -19pp -16pp -19pp ⚫ Dec 25 Core Stretch Aim 2 The proportion of learners in North Ayrshire who achieve the expected levels of attainment in numeracy at P1, P4 and P7 will increase. All learners 79% n/a 67% 75% 76% 81% 76% ⚫ Dec 25 Q1 74% n/a 58% 69% 71% 78% 71% ⚫ Dec 25 Q2-5 84% n/a 75% 81% 80% 86% 81% ⚫ Dec 25 Q5 91% n/a 82% 87% 87% 91% 87% ⚫ Dec 25 Gap 1 (Q1 vv Q2- 5) -10pp n/a -17pp -12pp -9pp -8pp -10pp ⚫ Dec 25 Gap 2 (Q1 vv Q5) -17pp n/a -24pp -18pp -16pp -13pp -16pp ⚫ Dec 25 Core Stretch Aim 3 The proportion of school leavers who achieve 1 or more awards at SCQF level 5 or better will increase. All learners 87% 86% 90% 89% n/a 92% 89% ⚫ 87% ⚫ Q1 80% 79% 83% 82% n/a 89% 84% ⚫ 82% ⚫ Q2-5 93% 92% 95% 93% n/a 95% 92% ⚫ 93% ⚫ Q5 98% 97% 99% 96% n/a 98% 96% ⚫ 99% ⚫ Gap 1 (Q1 vv Q2- 5) -13pp -13pp -12pp -11pp n/a -6pp -8pp ⚫ -11pp ⚫ Gap 2 (Q1 vv Q5) -18pp -18pp -16pp -14pp n/a -9pp -12pp ⚫ -17pp ⚫ Appendix 12
Page 30
CORE OUTCOMES FOR IMPROVEMENT Performance up to 2023 Stretch Aim (by August 2026) Actual Progress Summary (updated annually) Description of improvement Performance Measure 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Core Stretch Aim 4 The proportion of school leavers who achieve 1 or more passes at SCQF level 6 (grades A-C) or better will increase. All learners 65% 67% 71% 68% n/a 74% 66% ⚫ 68% ⚫ Q1 52% 55% 61% 56% n/a 62% 57% ⚫ 58% ⚫ Q2-5 75% 76% 78% 77% n/a 80% 73% ⚫ 77% ⚫ Q5 89% 87% 87% 86% n/a 90% 82% ⚫ 88% ⚫ Gap 1 (Q1 vv Q2- 5) -23pp -21pp -17pp -21pp n/a -18pp -16pp ⚫ -19pp ⚫ Gap 2 (Q1 vv Q5) -37pp -32pp -26pp -30pp n/a -28pp -25pp ⚫ -30pp ⚫ Core Stretch Aim 5 The proportion of 16-19 year- olds who are participating in education, employment or training will increase. All learners 90.5% 90.6% 90.1% 90.8% 92.0% 95% 91.7% ⚫ Aug 25 Q1 87.8% 86.9% 85.3% 88.0% 88.4% 92.5% 88.4% ⚫ Aug 25 Q2-5 92.4% 93.5% 93.9% 93.0% 94.7% 97.5% 94.1% ⚫ Aug 25 Q5 94.7% 96.7% 96.1% 96.4% 97.1% 99% 96.2% ⚫ Aug 25 Gap 1 (Q1 vv Q2- 5) -4.6pp -6.6pp -8.6pp -5pp -6.3pp -5pp -5.7pp ⚫ Aug 25 Gap 2 (Q1 vv Q5) -6.9pp -9.8pp -10.8pp -8.4pp -8.7pp -6.5pp -7.7pp ⚫ Aug 25 Core Stretch Aim 6 School attendance levels will increase. All learners 92.1% 91.6% 91.4% 89.4% 88.8% 93% 89.2% ⚫ Dec 25 Q1 90.7% 90.1% 89.9% 87.7% 86.7% 92% 87.2% ⚫ Dec 25 Q2-5 93.2% 92.8% 92.8% 90.8% 90.5% 94% 90.8% ⚫ Dec 25 Q5 94.6% 94.1% 94.0% 91.7% 91.6% 95.5% 92.2% ⚫ Dec 25 Gap 1 (Q1 vv Q2- 5) -2.5pp -2.7pp -2.9pp -3.1pp -3.8pp -2pp -3.6pp ⚫ Dec 25 Gap 2 (Q1 vv Q5) -3.9pp -4pp -4.1pp -4pp -4.9pp -3.5pp -5pp ⚫ Dec 25 Appendix 12