4 - Education Service Standards and Quality Report 2022-23
North Ayrshire Council · 3 October 2023
Back to Cabinet — 3 October 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 26 September 2023 Cabinet Title: Education Service Standards and Quality Report 2022-23 Purpose: To report key progress towards the Education Service Improvement Priorities and the National Improvement Framework Priorities for session 2022-23. Recommendation: That Cabinet: (a) Notes the content of the report; and (b) Approves the publication of the report 1. Executive Summary 1.1 This report provides information on the performance of the Education Service in the 2022-23 academic year which aligns with the statutory duty for each education authority to report annually on performance as outlined in the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 and Education (Scotland) Act 2016. 2. Background Education authority statutory duties 2.1 The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 places a statutory duty on education authorities to annually publish a Standards and Quality report. In addition, there is a statutory duty outlined in the Education (Scotland) Act 2016, for education authorities to produce an annual plan and report on progress towards achieving National Improvement Framework (NIF) priorities. The national priorities in 2022-23 were: • Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy; • Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people; • Improvement in skills and sustained, positive school-leaver destinations for all young people; • Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing; • Placing human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education.
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Education Service planning arrangements 2.2 The Education Service Plan priorities for 2022-23 (Education Service Plan - Annual Improvement Plan (north-ayrshire.gov.uk) are aligned to the NIF priorities, noted in section 2.1 above. 2.3 In March 2022, the Scottish Government published a Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress, updated in May 2023. This document requires local authorities to set stretch aims for improvement, publish them and report on the extent to which progress towards them is being made in the annual statutory Standards and Quality Report, beginning in 2023. 2.4 The Education Service Standards and Quality Report 2022-23, attached at Appendix 1, fulfils the statutory duties and national improvement framework reporting requirements into a single report. The report describes some of the principal improvement activities undertaken throughout the academic session 2022-23 and includes key performance information on learner outcomes. 3. Proposals 3.1 It is proposed that Cabinet: (a) Notes the content of the report; and (b) Approves the publication of the report. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 None. Human Resources 4.2 None. Legal 4.3 The production of an annual Standards and Quality Report is a requirement under the standards in Scotland’s Schools Act 2000. In addition, an annual report on progress towards NIF priorities is a requirement under the Education (Scotland) Act 2016. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 The Standards and Quality Report sets out our progress towards improving educational outcomes for all, but also reducing the impact of poverty on educational attainment. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 The Standards and Quality Report sets out our progress towards improving educational outcomes including actions taken to promote progressive and interdisciplinary outdoor learning experiences with a focus on sustainable development goals, directly related to the NAC Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.
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Key Priorities 4.6 The Standards and Quality Report sets out progress in delivery of the Council Plan 2019-2022 priority to ensure children and young people have the best start in life. In addition, progress made towards actions outlined in this report continue support 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. Community Wealth Building 4.7 None. 5. Consultation 5.1 This report demonstrates progress made towards the Service Improvement Plan priorities in 2022-23, which reflect the National Improvement Framework priorities for education 2022-23. Consultation on the content of this report is not required. However, a range of stakeholders and partners contributed to this report content and continue to play an active role in enabling the service to realise the NIF priorities and the Council’s vision to ensure a North Ayrshire that is fair for all by achieving our mission to work together to improve the lives of our people in North Ayrshire. Audrey Sutton Executive Director (Communities & Education) For further information please contact Andrew McClelland, Head of Service (Education), on (01294) 324413. Background Papers Appendix 1: NAC Education Service Standards & Quality Report 2022-23
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0 Educa�on Service Standards and Quality Report 2022-23 Dra� v1
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1 Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Introduc�on ............................................................................................................................................ 3 The North Ayrshire Local Context ........................................................................................................... 4 Inves�ng in our Learning Environments ................................................................................................. 6 Educa�on Service Improvement Plan Priori�es 2022-23 ....................................................................... 8 Educa�on Service Priority 1 .................................................................................................................. 10 Theme 1: High Quality Learning, Teaching and Assessment ............................................................. 10 Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy ................................................................................... 10 Play Pedagogy in the early stages of primary ............................................................................... 12 Outdoor Learning / Learning for Sustainability ............................................................................. 12 Digital Learning ............................................................................................................................. 12 Leadership development .............................................................................................................. 13 Theme 2: Raising Atainment and Achievement ............................................................................... 13 Ongoing work to raise atainment including improved tracking and monitoring ......................... 13 Effec�ve Modera�on & Planning .................................................................................................. 14 Performance Indicators for Priority 1 ................................................................................................ 14 Educa�on Service Priority 2 .................................................................................................................. 20 Theme 1: Interven�ons to close gaps ............................................................................................... 20 Strategic Equity Funding Focus ..................................................................................................... 20 Reducing the cost of the school day (COSD) ................................................................................. 20 Theme 2: Specific focus on iden�fied target groups, including care experienced learners ............. 21 Theme 3: Data literacy skills .............................................................................................................. 22 Performance Indicators for Priority 2 ................................................................................................ 22 Educa�on Service Priority 3 .................................................................................................................. 26 Theme 1: Improved Skills .................................................................................................................. 26 Theme 2: Improved Transi�ons ........................................................................................................ 26 Theme 3: Partnerships to improve learner outcomes post-school ................................................... 26 Performance Indicators for Priority 3 ................................................................................................ 27 Educa�on Service Priority 4 .................................................................................................................. 29 Theme 1: Suppor�ng mental health and wellbeing .......................................................................... 29 Counselling supports and community wellbeing supports ........................................................... 29 Whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing .......................................................... 30 Promo�ng staff wellbeing ............................................................................................................. 31 Theme 2: Suppor�ng social and emo�onal wellbeing ...................................................................... 31 Promo�ng Posi�ve Rela�onships and whole school nurture ....................................................... 31
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2 Targeted Nurture ........................................................................................................................... 32 Performance Indicators for Priority 4 ................................................................................................ 33 Educa�on Service Priority 5 .................................................................................................................. 34 Theme 1: Suppor�ng needs .............................................................................................................. 34 Suppor�ng needs through renewed systems and processes ........................................................ 34 Suppor�ng needs through enhanced provisions .......................................................................... 34 Suppor�ng needs through professional learning .......................................................................... 35 Theme 2: Maximising learner par�cipa�on and voice...................................................................... 35 Learner Par�cipa�on ..................................................................................................................... 35 Rights Respec�ng Schools (RRS) ................................................................................................... 35 Theme 3: Maximising parent/carer involvement and engagement .................................................. 36 Overview of Pupil Equity Funding ......................................................................................................... 38 PEF Case Studies ................................................................................................................................... 39 PEF Case Study: Glebe Primary School ............................................................................................. 39 PEF Case Study: St Mark’s Primary School ........................................................................................ 39 PEF Case Study: Elderbank Primary School ....................................................................................... 39 Progress towards our single-year Stretch Aims .................................................................................... 41 Progress towards our longer-term stretch aims ................................................................................... 43
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3 Foreword (by Councillor Macaulay, Depute Leader of Council and Cabinet Member for Educa�on and Young People) Introduc�on (by Andrew McClelland, Head of Service (Educa�on) and Chief Educa�on Officer)
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4 The North Ayrshire Local Context [please update the same graphic as last year with the following figures (show in RED) below:] 46% 135,280 29% 6,135
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5 [please update the same graphic as last year with the following figures (show in RED) below:] This report details progress made towards our Service Improvement Plan priori�es for session 2022- 23, which are aligned to the Na�onal Improvement Priori�es as follows: • Improvement in atainment, par�cularly in literacy and numeracy • Closing the atainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people • Improvement in skills and sustained, posi�ve school-leaver des�na�ons for all young people • Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing • Placing human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of educa�on 17,691 1,434 12,700 support staff hours establishments 387 14
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6 Inves�ng in our Learning Environments Investment in school buildings is of vital importance for several reasons: • Raising atainment, achievement and wellbeing • Enhancing quality and reflec�ng changes in curriculum • Reducing inequality of facili�es and opportunity Within North Ayrshire we have an excellent record of con�nuous improvement across our Learning Estate, and Academic Year 2022/23 saw a number of ini�a�ves developed which strengthen that commitment: • Moorpark Primary School, Kilbirnie – works commenced on the construc�on of a new 12 class primary school to replace the exis�ng facility. This is due to open in late 2023 and will provide high quality and inspira�onal learning environments for the children and young people, including excellent outdoor learning and sports facili�es. • A new primary school at Montgomerie Park, Irvine – Final contracts were signed with HubSW to deliver a new primary school at Montgomerie Park, Irvine. This completely new facility, which incorporates funding from the Sco�sh Government LEIP programme, will comprise of 12 primary classes and an Early Years class (2–5-year-olds) and responds directly to the increasing popula�on, arising from new housing, in that part of the town. Currently, the new school is expected to open in 2024. • Ardrossan Community Campus- Also funded through the LEIP programme, 2022/23 saw significant progress in developing the design of the new campus at Ardrossan which will
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7 replace both Ardrossan Academy and Winton Primary School, with a single “Through School”- only the second in North Ayrshire (a�er Garnock Community Campus). In addi�on, the public library will relocate to the campus and new public swimming facili�es are also included. Contracts are set to be awarded for the construc�on of the new facility in summer 2023, with a construc�on period of around two years star�ng mid 2024. In addi�on to these single building projects, 2022/23 saw the final projects comple�ng in the expansion of Early Learning and Childcare facili�es across the Authority. This programme of investment has seen 41 individual projects delivered, at a cost of £11.8 million, over a 5-year period. 2022/23 saw works con�nue on the transforma�on of Marress House, a former HMRC building in Irvine, which will be re-invented as a new Early Years facility and Training space - due to open in in 2023. North Ayrshire was successful at securing Sco�sh Government funding in rela�on to the proposed expansion of Universal Free School meals (UFSM) in 2022/23, with a further grant of £1.96 million being awarded in addi�on to the earlier £738k which was received. Essen�al works to kitchen and/or dining facili�es at Largs Campus, West Kilbride, Brodick and Corrie Primary Schools were undertaken, with a further programme of works over the next 5 years planned.
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8 Educa�on Service Improvement Plan Priori�es 2022-23 The table below summarises the key pieces of work which have contributed towards our improvement agenda throughout session 2022-23. PRIORITY 1: Improvement in atainment, par�cularly in literacy and numeracy Theme 1: High quality learning, teaching and assessment Support establishments to implement a revised learning, teaching and assessment policy and review exis�ng literacy and numeracy frameworks to maximise the quality of learning, teaching and assessment. Extend play pedagogy from early years into primary 1 and 2, through a pilot programme in iden�fied schools. Promote progressive and interdisciplinary outdoor learning experiences with a focus on sustainable development goals, directly related to the NAC Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy. Develop an Educa�on Digital Skills Strategy and support establishments to achieve Digital Schools status, ensuring that digital technologies are a central component of our approaches to quality learning and teaching. Deliver a range of facilitated programmes and bespoke sessions, to support the leadership development and enhance skills in context of colleagues across all sectors. Theme 2: Raising atainment and achievement Develop a 3-year Raising Atainment Strategy to improve outcomes for all learners and reduce inequity of outcomes, including a focus on accelera�ng progress in early primary and ELC following implementa�on of 1140. Implement a review of tracking and monitoring procedures in all sectors from early learning to senior phase and improve the use of progress informa�on to target interven�ons. Develop universal professional learning supports on effec�ve modera�on and planning for learning, teaching and assessment. PRIORITY 2: Closing the atainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people Theme 1: Interven�ons to reduce gaps Repriori�se our targeted interven�ons to reduce the poverty-related atainment gap in North Ayrshire, maximising the coherence and impact of our work. Con�nue to work collabora�vely in partnership across the local authority, SWEIC and na�onal networks to support sharing of highly effec�ve prac�ce that reduces the poverty related atainment gap. Work closely across North Ayrshire services and third sector partners to reduce the cost of the school day and mi�gate the impact of child poverty. Theme 2: Interven�ons to reduce gaps Develop an improving outcomes strategy (and ac�on plan) for iden�fied target groups, including care experienced learners. Further enhance supports for care experienced children and young people, including mentoring services, that enable them to atain and achieve in line with their peers. Theme 3: Data literacy skills Further develop data literacy skills in our staff to strengthen self-evalua�on and planning for improvement and maximise the effec�veness of targeted interven�ons. PRIORITY 3: Improvement in skills and sustained, posi�ve school-leaver des�na�ons for all young people Theme 1: Improved skills Promote the further embedding of appropriate wider achievement op�ons in the senior phase. Theme 2: Improved transi�ons
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9 Review the use of tracking and transi�on informa�on to plan learning experiences around key transi�on points. Through DYW co-ordinators and other partners, embed approaches to planning, suppor�ng and tracking post-school des�na�ons for all school leavers. Review approaches to implemen�ng the Career Educa�on Standard through strengthened partnership working with Skills Development Scotland. Theme 3: Partnerships to improve learner outcomes post-school Refresh and strengthen the focus of the school-college partnership and to provide enhanced opportuni�es for achievement, e.g. through the Regional Improvement Collabora�ve, in the senior phase. Design tailored programmes with partners to provide enhanced support for specific groups of school leavers, including those with iden�fied needs. PRIORITY 4: Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing Theme 1: Suppor�ng mental health and wellbeing Review the impact of school counselling services and external counselling / community wellbeing supports and refresh provision, strengthening the rela�onship between school counselling and other available supports. Assist educa�on establishments to implement the na�onal mental health and wellbeing Whole School Approach, including curricular, professional learning and parental supports. Promote staff mental health and wellbeing in a range of ways, including through a new programme of supported reflec�ve prac�ce sessions. Theme 2: Suppor�ng social and emo�onal wellbeing Review approaches to promo�ng posi�ve rela�onships and whole school nurture, based on an analysis of need. Support a range of targeted nurturing approaches, including nurture groups that con�nue to develop the social and emo�onal skills of iden�fied children and young people. Use our analysis of health & wellbeing data from a range of sources, including the na�onal census, to develop targeted improvement priori�es for curricular delivery, universal approaches in establishments, and wider community supports. PRIORITY 5: Placing human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of educa�on Theme 1: Suppor�ng needs Review and redesign processes and policies which apply to all learners (2-18) to ensure they are equitable, consistent, lean, coordinated, co-designed with relevant partners, and learner centred. Establish an enhanced range of flexible and child centred learning provisions, curriculum and delivery methods to meet a wide variety of support needs. Provide tailored professional learning opportuni�es for all staff groups within establishments to support the needs of children and young people. Theme 2: Maximising learner par�cipa�on and voice Co-create with children and young people new, systema�c mechanisms, which maximise learner par�cipa�on and voice, through a a new Learner Par�cipa�on Policy. Undertake a review of Service wide policies to ensure UNCRC principles are considered Theme 3: Maximising parents/carer involvement and engagement Implement locally the revised ‘Learning Together’ Sco�sh Government parental involvement and engagement ac�on plan. Provide enhanced guidance for schools and Parent Councils to support and guide greater involvement in the opera�onal ac�vi�es of the school. Through the Family Learning Team and establishments, offer a wide range of opportuni�es that enhance family learning in establishments.
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10 Educa�on Service Priority 1 Improvement in attainment, particularly literacy and numeracy Theme 1: High Quality Learning, Teaching and Assessment Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy The Learning, Teaching and Assessment policy was launched in October. This policy promotes best prac�ce and will be used to build upon consistency in teaching and learning across our schools. Our Professional Learning Academy has provided training and interven�ons for our schools with par�cular focus on numeracy and literacy. Examples of interven�ons and training we have provided below. Interven�on Numb er of Staff Numbe r of Pupils Impact of Interven�on Literacy: Aten�on & Listening A whole school interven�on to develop aten�on and listening skills through the levels. 63 337 Staff par�cipants felt the interven�on promoted professional dialogue across stages, in addi�on to the interven�on having a meaningful impact and providing opportuni�es to share exis�ng good prac�ce. The impact of this interven�on resulted in pupil progress and approaches which could be implemented within the classroom. Literacy: Boos�ng Reading @ S5/6 10-week interven�on suppor�ng the acquisi�on of good reading skills. Training with S5 & S6 Pupils working with S1 & S2 pupils who have a reading age 18-24 months below their chronological age N/A 65 Pupil confidence grew in suppor�ng younger pupils and recognising the strategies that would enable them to do this, 98% of pupils rated their confidence as high/very high in terms of suppor�ng a younger reader a�er the training. Literacy: Boos�ng Reading @ Primary/Secondary 10-week interven�on suppor�ng the acquisi�on of good reading skills. Training with Classroom Assistants working with P3-S2 pupils who have a reading age 18- 24 months below their chronological age 11 13 Pupil reading age increased by an average of 30 months over the 10 week interven�on. Schools found that the interven�on had a significant posi�ve impact on the children involved in terms of fluency, comprehension and confidence. Literacy: Classroom Assistant’s Suppor�ng Phonological Awareness Classroom Assistant led interven�on with small groups to develop phonological awareness skills at Early, First and Second Level 11 38 Findings from post interven�on screeners show improvement in most areas of the Phonological Awareness (PA) con�nuum in all pupils, with significant improvement in most of the areas targeted. CAs increased understanding of phonological awareness was a key impact of this interven�on.
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11 Literacy: Note Making 8-week interven�on teaching learners the skill of note taking using the Cornell method in order to enhance their wri�ng across the curriculum 4 115 100% of pupils were able to successfully use the Cornell notes format. No pupils could do this pre-interven�on. Post- Interven�on feedback highlighted the sustainability of the interven�on with those who took part, expressing that they will con�nue the Cornell note making method across all areas to help pupils build confidence with their notes. Literacy: Oracy Across the Curriculum A whole school approach designed to teach learners to ar�culate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language 60 700 (Avg.) Par�cipants felt that it broke down the skills children needed and was a valuable input. Some par�cipants even suggested it should be mandatory training for all schools across North Ayrshire to ensure shared language across the authority. Literacy: Talk Boost 2 Training provided by PLA staff to CAs and CTs to support children in Primary 4-7 with their language and communica�on skills 10 N/A The session offered opportuni�es to learn about how to iden�fy pupils with speech and language difficul�es. All (100%) of par�cipants either strongly agree or agree that the session increased their knowledge Literacy: Talk Boost 1 Training provided by PLA staff to CAs and CTs to support children in Primary 1-3 with their language and communica�on skills 24 N/A Some par�cipants felt that the session offered good examples of how to track children involved and underpinned the theory of speech and language communica�on needs. Numeracy: Classroom Assistants Suppor�ng Numeracy A targeted small group interven�on for P3 pupils who are “not on track” in numeracy whilst upskilling CAs in suppor�ng numeracy development 15 71 This interven�on led to Classroom Assistants discovering novel resources and ideas to keep pupils on track and interested in learning. Almost All CA’s commented that they could see clear progress with pupils, who were now also more confident in comparison to pre-interven�on and sta�ng pupils could now answer numeracy problems verbally. Numeracy: Making Maths Tac�le A whole class interven�on promo�ng effec�ve use of manipula�ves and visuals to develop a deeper understanding of numeracy and maths 10 200 (Avg.) Post-Interven�on qualita�ve statements highlighted that due to this interven�on par�cipants felt more confident and comfortable using manipula�ves across a wide range of concepts. All par�cipants commented on the effect and sustainability of the interven�on due to improved confidence and development of pupil's numeracy skills due to this interven�on. Pupils now shared their thinking through both writen and verbal communica�on. The local authority has a holis�c approach to assessment and modera�on, involving schools, clusters, and the authority level. Senior leaders par�cipate in regional and na�onal modera�on groups. The learning, teaching, and assessment policy guides staff in planning forma�ve and summa�ve assessments. Na�onal Standardised Assessments are used in the modera�on process to iden�fy learning gaps. Professional dialogue promotes con�nuous improvement, and the authority plans to
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12 provide online standardized assessments to support schools in addressing poverty-related atainment gaps. Play Pedagogy in the early stages of primary 16 schools from across North Ayrshire par�cipated in our P1 Play Pedagogy pilot this session. The staff professional learning programme consisted of 7 training sessions with a mix of networking visits and drop-in sessions to provide further support, as well as a support surgery session with colleagues from Educa�on Scotland, Educa�on Psychology, Early Years and NAC Play Pedagogy Development Team. Each session included �me for prac��oners to network with others in different schools and reflec�on �me to allow staff to plan with their colleagues while at the session, using the development team for support if needed. Impact was measured using both Leuven scale data and case studies. Each case study had a different focus. This resulted in a wide range of data showing impact on pupil engagement and wellbeing as well as development of curricular areas through play pedagogy. Case studies can be found on our PLA Pedagogy website. The combina�on of training, networking, case studies and collabora�ve working has resulted in posi�ve impact across all 16 schools involved. All schools have now embedded playful approaches across P1 and are looking to move forward with the same approach in P2 and beyond. Sustainability has been built into the programme as schools were encouraged to take a whole school approach, involving management teams and staff at all stages. Outdoor Learning / Learning for Sustainability An early years outdoor science resource was developed, led by our STEM team. The purpose of this was to link outdoor learning experiences to Science experiences and outcomes and Sustainable Development Goals. Professional learning sessions for this resource were atended by 215 NAC prac��oners. Evalua�ons were completed by prac��oners following the training, 100% of whom agreed that using the resource has helped them to make links between outdoor learning and science experiences and outcomes, and that this would improve and extend the quality of outdoor learning experiences. Over 100 staff atended further professional learning on outdoor learning and learning for sustainability for primary-aged children. In addi�on, whole-school training sessions have been delivered in three schools and the STEM team has supported a further three schools through outdoor learning team teaching inputs. School gardening training sessions were delivered by Ardrossan Academy staff to 10 primary schools. A school gardening handbook has been created collabora�vely, with advice, guidance and good prac�ce, and this has been shared with all schools. Finally, six of our schools schools par�cipated in a successful partnership with Go Wild Scotland, to provide nature experiences for learners, linked to the curriculum. Digital Learning 14 schools have achieved their Digital Schools award with almost all North Ayrshire schools registered and on the way to achieving this award. Many schools are also working towards the Digital Wellbeing award, demonstra�ng a strategic approach to cyber resilience and internet safety. Senior school leaders from across the authority engaged in a professional learning programme en�tled ‘Evolving Digital Thinking’, suppor�ng this journey. An established network of Digital Coordinators con�nued to meet termly to develop digital skills and cascade these within their school contexts. Pupil Digital
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13 Coordinators have met twice, learning new skills and networking with other schools, with plans to build on this further next session. Leadership development Throughout 2022-23 the leadership team con�nued to grow the facilita�on model to develop skills in context in line with school improvement plans and the educa�on service improvement priori�es. The number of leadership facilitated sessions has increased from the previous year. This year 36 establishments have been supported in the sustainable delivery of facilitated learning. In addi�on, our “leadership for and of learning” programme con�nued to grow and offered learning opportuni�es for colleagues at all levels. For example, the new Head Teacher Induc�on programme was developed responsively and collabora�vely with those 14 colleagues who engaged. The Depute Head Ac�on Learning Set for primary and secondary colleagues enabled good prac�ce and collabora�ve learning to take place. The leadership for learning programme provided class teachers with the opportunity to reflect on their own leadership styles and to take ownership of their own leadership trajectory. Our successful partnership with the SWEIC has been based on our con�nued strategic role in delivering the leadership programmes. The Leadership of Pedagogues (Secondary Middle Leaders) is successfully established and this year’s cohorts all achieved GTCS professional recogni�on. Based on the success of this programme and in recogni�on of primary colleague demand a Leadership of Pedagogues (Primary Middle Leaders) was piloted and will con�nue next academic session. Theme 2: Raising Atainment and Achievement Ongoing work to raise atainment including improved tracking and monitoring We provided addi�onal class teachers for some of our primary schools. These schools were chosen using our atainment data from session 2021-2022. Head Teachers and staff iden�fied pupils who would benefit from well-planned interven�ons which were focused on Numeracy, Literacy and Health & Wellbeing ul�mately raising atainment. Schools set targets for their iden�fied pupils and carefully tracked the progress of the interven�ons and the impact on their young people. Data was gathered through a variety of formal and informal assessments. All schools report a posi�ve impact and improved atainment. Work con�nues to develop data literacy throughout the educa�on service with the provision of an enhanced range of data tools, as well as training and support, which enables effec�ve data driven decision making within schools. For example, with support from our Data Team and input from our Educa�on Scotland Atainment Advisor, two collabora�ve improvement sessions for HTs were held this year to develop use of tracking and monitoring to enhance data led interven�ons. Furthermore, all Early Years establishments took part in Self Evalua�on for Con�nuous Improvement Programme where the focus was on using data to track and monitor progress. This work, combined with refreshed approaches to teaching, learning and modera�on, is suppor�ng schools in closing the atainment gap and raising atainment for all our young people.
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14 Effec�ve Modera�on & Planning We have made significant progress in implemen�ng a holis�c approach to assessment and modera�on. Our modera�on steering group led all schools in their priori�sa�on of modera�on in improvement plans, and final feedback shows that there is now a stronger focus on professional dialogue, collabora�on, and use of more consistent planning formats. Pupil voice is valued, and there is a clear emphasis on understanding the process of assessment. Use of the modera�on cycle has brought about posi�ve changes, including improved staff confidence, clearer progression, and increased engagement among pupils. There is greater shared focus and collabora�ve planning amongst staff teams, with an emphasis on high-quality assessments and benchmarking. Par�cipants have appreciated the opportuni�es for sharing prac�ces and collabora�ve planning, both within and beyond their schools. There is now a desire for more training, guidance, and examples of high quality assessments, networking opportuni�es with Early Years se�ngs, and improving the gathering and presenta�on of assessment data. School modera�on leads report a strong belief in the value of the modera�on cycle and its impact on consistency, progression, and improved outcomes for all pupils and discussions highlight a commitment to con�nuous improvement and a focus on narrowing the poverty-related atainment gap. Performance Indicators for Priority 1 NAC Early Years Developmental Milestones The percentage of pre-school children achieving their development milestones by the �me they start primary school has once again increased to 81% in 2022-23 academic year. This is the best performance recorded since the measure was introduced, with improvements made in all aspects of the early years milestone including literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.
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15 Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels In 2016, the Sco�sh Government began to collect sta�s�cs on the Curriculum for Excellence level achieved in Literacy (Listening and Talking, Reading, Wri�ng) and Numeracy by pupils in the Broad eneral Educa�on (BGE) 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 collec�on by the Sco�sh Government was suspended in 2020 for all schools due to the impact of the pandemic. Data collec�on was resumed in 2021 for stages P1, P4 and P7 though not S3. In 2022 all stages were once again collected. There is a strong improvement trend in all measures at almost all stages for the 2016- 2019 period. There was a significant decrease across all measures between 2019 & 2021. The latest published achievement figures are for 2022. These demonstrate the significant steps taken towards recovery. Combined Numeracy achievement for P1, P4 & P7 is 76%, an increase of 9 percentage points on the previous year. Similarly, combined Literacy achievement for P1,P4 & P7 is 67%, an increase of 8 percentage points on the previous year. It is evident that the addi�onal interven�ons in literacy and numeracy, have had a significant impact in con�nuing recovery from the pandemic. Early indica�ons are that this improvement has con�nued throughout session 2022-23, with publica�on of the 2023 achievement levels expected in December 2023. 77% 77% 78% 72% 79% 81% 88% 87% 89% 86% 89% 91% 72% 75% 76% 69% 76% 79% 83% 74% 74% 68% 74% 77% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 % of pre-school pupils reaching their developmental milestones by Primary 1 Overall Developmental Milestones Health and Wellbeing Milestones Literacy Milestones Numeracy Milestones
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16 Improving leavers’ attainment in literacy and numeracy Performance of North Ayrshire school leavers in ataining Literacy at Level 4 and Level 5 displays a posi�ve 5-year picture. Our schools remain above or in line with the Virtual Comparator, the SWEIC authori�es and the Na�onal performance in all 5 years of this analysis. In 2022, North Ayrshire school leavers have outperformed all other comparators at both level 4 and level 5, with 95% achieving literacy at level 4 or beter and 84% achieving literacy at level 5 or beter. The performance of North Ayrshire school leavers in ataining Numeracy at Level 4 and Level 5 also displays a posi�ve 5-year trend with both figures above the Virtual Comparator. For Level 4, 91% of leavers achieved this which is the second highest figure in the 5-year trend. Similarly for Level 5, 71% of leavers achieved this which is also the second highest figure in the 5-year trend.
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17 Improving attainment for all This measure focuses on the average total tariff score of the candidate’s latest and best qualifica�ons. Tariff points are assigned to each unit or course achieved by learners – in all SCQF-graded awards, not only those provided by SQA. This acknowledges to a greater extent the drive towards wider achievement qualifica�ons and encourages schools to offer curricular choices tailored to a variety of pupil abili�es and aspira�ons. In 2022, the average total tariff score for the lowest ataining 20% of learners is above the Virtual Comparator, and although slightly lower than 2021, it is above the 2019 and 2020 performance. The average total tariff score of the middle ataining 60% of leavers is the second highest on record in the 5-year trend. Though slightly below the Virtual Comparator, a posi�ve 5-year trend is evident, par�cularly in the years since the change of curriculum structure in S4. The average total tariff score of the highest ataining 20% of leavers is the highest on record in the 5-year trend. The figure is above the Virtual Comparator and a consistent 5-year posi�ve trend is evident. School Leavers Average total tariff points in North Ayrshire (compared to Virtual Comparator and Scotland): 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 NAC VC Scot NAC VC Scot NAC VC Scot NAC VC Scot NAC VC Scot Lowest 20% 170 141 164 145 119 151 140 129 151 161 162 165 156 141 156 Middle 60% 815 795 858 697 734 821 782 835 889 845 898 956 819 821 887 Highest 20% 1785 1786 1851 1665 1746 1829 1797 1875 1930 1862 1933 1998 1914 1895 1968
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18 The average complementary tariff scores are calculated using the same principles but display the average tariff score for only the five best qualifica�ons achieved per candidate. Further informa�on about tariff points can be found here. School Leavers Average complementary tariff points in North Ayrshire (compared to Virtual Comparator and Scotland): 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 NAC VC Scot NAC VC Scot NAC VC Scot NAC VC Scot NAC VC Scot Lowest 20% 150 124 143 134 109 134 126 114 133 141 140 144 137 126 138 Middle 60% 611 604 646 556 563 623 611 618 657 643 654 692 607 601 644 Highest 20% 1229 1227 1281 1189 1200 1267 1255 1268 1313 1254 1286 1339 1256 1252 1303 Breadth and Depth Breadth and depth measures highlight that North Ayrshire’s school leaver atainment performance is broadly in line with both the SWEIC and na�onal performance. In 2022, the performance of North Ayrshire pupils was above the SWEIC performance in every category below for the first �me. A higher percentage of school leavers le� school in North Ayrshire in 2022 with at least one Level 6 qualifica�on (Higher) than across the SWEIC or na�onally. Atainment has been steadily increasing at Level 7 over the last six years. 5 or more at Level 3 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Na�onal 90.8% 90.1% 89.0% 89.6% 90.5% 90.1% North Ayrshire 91.9% 91.3% 89.4% 89.8% 91.0% 91.2% SWEIC 92.0% 91.4% 89.8% 89.9% 90.8% 90.5% 5 or more at Level 4 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Na�onal 87.4% 86.7% 85.4% 85.8% 87.1% 86.5% North Ayrshire 88.0% 86.7% 83.6% 84.3% 85.8% 86.5% SWEIC 88.6% 87.9% 85.4% 85.4% 87.0% 86.3% 5 or more at Level 5 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Na�onal 62.2% 64.4% 64.3% 67.5% 70.5% 67.7% North Ayrshire 60.5% 63.2% 60.7% 65.3% 69.6% 67.0% SWEIC 63.0% 64.1% 63.5% 66.4% 69.0% 66.3% 1 or more at Level 6
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19 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Na�onal 64.8% 66.2% 66.2% 68.2% 70.2% 67.1% North Ayrshire 62.2% 65.4% 65.0% 67.3% 70.6% 68.0% SWEIC 64.1% 65.0% 64.0% 65.8% 68.6% 65.1% 3 or more at Level 6 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Na�onal 48.9% 50.3% 50.9% 54.7% 56.6% 53.0% North Ayrshire 44.9% 46.7% 44.4% 51.7% 53.8% 51.0% SWEIC 47.4% 47.0% 47.5% 51.9% 53.9% 50.7% 5 or more at Level 6 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Na�onal 34.5% 35.5% 36.0% 40.2% 42.1% 38.7% North Ayrshire 31.5% 30.9% 28.3% 35.6% 37.6% 36.1% SWEIC 33.7% 32.0% 32.7% 36.3% 38.5% 35.9% 1 or more at Level 7 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Na�onal 22.0% 23.2% 22.1% 25.6% 28.0% 26.0% North Ayrshire 19.4% 19.9% 18.0% 23.5% 23.9% 24.7% SWEIC 20.8% 20.6% 20.0% 23.5% 24.9% 24.5%
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20 Educa�on Service Priority 2 Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people Theme 1: Interven�ons to close gaps Strategic Equity Funding Focus Despite a £1.1m reduc�on in Strategic Equity Funding, which is provided to local authori�es as part of the Sco�sh Atainment Challenge, North Ayrshire has con�nued to make good progress in closing the poverty related atainment gap following the Covid-19 pandemic. This year a considerable focus has included steps to ensure sustainability of impac�ul interven�ons within the context of funding reducing by £4.4m over a 4-year period. This has included the development of a revised Professional Learning Academy delivery model, which aligns more closely with the need for targeted and bespoke support in establishments that is driven by improvement planning. In addi�on, work is underway to further embed whole school nurture across establishments with further integra�on of pupil support and targeted nurture resources to best meet the needs of learners. Reducing the cost of the school day (COSD) The Educa�on service iden�fied reducing the cost of the school day (COSD) as an area of focus for schools. It is recognised that educa�on can support children to find a route out of poverty, but crucially only if children and young people can access educa�on as fully and equally as possible. An ac�on plan for reducing the cost of the school day has been used to build upon the priori�es iden�fied by North Ayrshire’s Child Poverty Board. The Educa�on Service, in partnership with the Youth Par�cipa�on team has made very good progress towards reducing the COSD for children and young people. Learner Par�cipa�on has played a key role within the council’s Child Poverty strategy and ac�on plan and as part of our commitment to ensuring children and young people are at the centre of our efforts to reduce the COSD, we also held our second COSD conference in May 2023. We brought together over 170 pupils from across North Ayrshire Primary and Secondary Schools for a full day of ac�vi�es led by Educa�on staff and the Youth Services team. As a result of priori�sing reducing the barriers associated with Child Poverty and reducing the COSD, there is greater shared focus and collabora�ve planning amongst staff with all educa�onal establishments having been encouraged to use the COSD toolkit and those schools using this approach have seen posi�ve changes, including the following: • Uniform recycling and new school uniform policies implemented to reduce costs • Support towards transport to and from school and external trips and visits • Food ini�a�ves e.g. breakfast clubs, holiday lunch provision, healthy snacks • Extra-curricular ac�vi�es and a�er school Clubs • Support and fundraising for equipment and trips • Digital support • Period dignity products • Suppor�ng children beyond the school day
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21 Pupils and staff have shared good prac�ce across schools, Early Years Establishments and throughout the community via school and early years networks, youth par�cipa�on and locality planning networks. There is now a stronger commitment to con�nuous improvement and a focus on reducing the cost of the school day and the barriers experienced for children and families and poverty. Theme 2: Specific focus on iden�fied target groups, including care experienced learners Care experienced children and young people con�nue to be supported through a range of interven�ons where the focus is on delivering equity and improving educa�onal outcomes. MCR Pathways: North Ayrshire’s Young Talent programme The MCR Pathways Young Talent programme supports our young people in, or on the edges of care within 6 of our secondary schools. In the last academic year 229 young people were supported through the programme: S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 Total 55 47 68 27 23 9 229 Of this number, all 102 S1 and S2 pupils par�cipated in weekly group work throughout the academic year. The focus of this group work was on building self-esteem and confidence, strengths and interests, teamwork, problem solving and employability skills. A further 50 young people were directly supported by one of our MCR Pathways Co-ordinators, who are members of the school’s extended pastoral support team. They provide an enhanced and integrated level of support, liaising with partners. A large number of this group are preparing to be supported by 1:1 mentors. A key part of the MCR Pathways programme is the use of mentors from across our communi�es in North Ayrshire. Our mentors come from local businesses, the public sector and the third sector. They have a wealth of experiences and life skills. They all share the same desire to support a young person in their local community and give something back. Our mentors are trained and supported throughout each stage of their mentoring rela�onship with their young person. This year, 77 young people were supported in weekly face-to-face sessions by a mentor, with plans to extend this figure in the near future. The impact of the MCR programme is evident in: improved literacy and numeracy outcomes for this group; improvements in the number and level of qualifica�ons achieved and 100% of this year’s leavers group supported by this programme entering a posi�ve des�na�on. Home tuition An addi�onal tutor has been employed to provide one-to-one tui�on for care experienced children and young people. The tutor has joined our Home Tui�on Service and supports our learners by: • Providing one to one intensive individual support. This may happen outside of normal lessons as addi�onal teaching, for example, as part of extending school �me or as a replacement for other lessons. • Suppor�ng with specific classwork or homework which involves the teacher/tutor suppor�ng tasks given to pupils by their teachers to be completed outside of usual lessons and/or ‘flipped learning’ models, where learners are supported to prepare for classroom discussion and applica�on tasks. This could take place in school outside normal school hours, and/ or in the children’s houses.
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22 Theme 3: Data literacy skills Posi�ve steps have been taken in progressing data literacy development across the educa�on service through professional learning opportuni�es for school leadership teams, with support provided by educa�on’s data team, senior managers, and Educa�on Scotland colleagues. This has promoted a ‘data driven dialogue’ model that can be applied to a range of locally developed Microso� Power BI reports to analyse pupil data to inform school improvement. Bespoke data analysis tools to interrogate and analyse data include achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels; pupil atendance and exclusions; SQA results; and a new Power BI report which will use progress and achievement data to support school improvement in the 2023-24 academic year. A data literacy self-evalua�on framework is also in development for implementa�on in the 2023-24 academic year. This will be u�lised by school leadership teams to self-iden�fy areas where addi�onal data literacy support would be beneficial as part of the school’s improvement journey. Performance Indicators for Priority 2 Primary attainment gap (P1, P4, P7 combined Curriculum for Excellence Levels) Primary literacy and numeracy atainment gaps within Broad General Educa�on (BGE) have started to reduce again following the covid-19 pandemic. Although these atainment gaps con�nue to be greater than pre-pandemic levels, recent data suggests further reduc�ons will occur in part due to targeted interven�ons across educa�on establishments.
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23 School Leavers Attainment Gap (Breadth and Depth) In the 2022-23 academic year, the atainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged school leavers achieving at least 1 qualifica�on at SCQF Level 5 has reduced over the last three years. The percentage point gap between learners living in the 20% most deprived areas of North Ayrshire compared to all other learners is 10.9 percentage points in the most recently published data. The atainment gap in percentage points of school leavers living in 20% most deprived areas (Quin�le 1) ataining at least 1 qualifica�on at level 6, is lower in the most recent year than before the pandemic. It must be noted however that Alterna�ve Cer�fica�on models have been in place from 2020-2022 so cau�on is advised when interpre�ng this dataset. -9.1% -13.1% -12.7% -11.2% -10.9% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100% 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 Percentage point attainment gap in school leaver achievement of at least one award at level 5 SIMD Quintile 1 achieving at least 1 at level 5 SIMD Quintiles 2-5 achieving at least 1 at level 5
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24 School Leavers Attainment Gap (Average Total Tariff Score) Average total tariff score is a measure of the pupil’s latest and best awarded qualifica�ons. Tariff points are assigned to each unit or course achieved by learners – in all SCQF-graded awards, not only those provided by SQA. This acknowledges to a greater extent the drive towards wider achievement qualifica�ons and encourages schools to offer curricular choices tailored to a variety of pupil abili�es and aspira�ons. The atainment gap in average total tariff score between school leavers living in North Ayrshire’s 20% most deprived areas and pupils living in all other SIMD deciles has reduced considerably over a five- year period by 6 percentage points. Over the last two years, our performance has stabilised below the corresponding na�onal figure. Again, cau�on should be taken in interpre�ng this data owing to the specific circumstances and Alterna�ve Cer�fica�on models in place since 2020. -21.45% -23.29% -21.21% -17.93% -20.82% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 Percentage point attainment gap in school leaver achievement of at least one award at level 6 SIMD Quintile 1 achieving at least 1 at level 6 SIMD Quintiles 2-5 achieving at least 1 at level 6 44% 37% 41% 44% 38% 38% 43% 43% 41% 42% 40% 41% 30% 32% 34% 36% 38% 40% 42% 44% 46% 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 Percentage gap between Average Total Tariff Score of School Leavers from the 20 % most SIMD deprived areas and that of those from the 80% least SIMD deprived areas % GAP 20/80 - North Ayrshire % GAP 20/80 - National
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25 Care Experienced Leavers educational outcomes In North Ayrshire we count all children and young people as “care experienced” if they are currently looked a�er at home, away from home or if they have ever been looked a�er at any point in the past. Care experienced leavers in North Ayrshire are con�nuing a posi�ve 5-year trend of atainment in the number of Level 4 and Level 5 qualifica�ons achieved. In 2022, 87% of North Ayrshire’s care experienced leavers atained at least 1 qualifica�on at SCQF Level 4 or beter, the highest performance in the 5-year trend. For Level 5, 62% of care experienced leavers achieved at least 1 qualifica�on which is in line with highest performance in the 5-year trend. The na�onal report on Educa�onal Outcomes for Looked A�er Children does not publish atainment data for all care experienced learners, focusing instead on those who were “looked a�er” in that year. In the charts below, North Ayrshire’s Care Experienced outcomes as well as North Ayrshire’s Looked A�er outcomes are displayed, in order to be able to benchmark the data against the available na�onal level sta�s�cs.
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26 Educa�on Service Priority 3 Improvement in skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people Theme 1: Improved Skills Schools across North Ayrshire con�nue to diversify their curriculum to grow and develop the skills of our young people. In addi�on to SQA Na�onal Qualifica�ons, over 60 addi�onal courses across a wide range are offered such as Beekeeping, Digital Media, First Aid and Film & Media Studies. All secondary schools are either on the journey towards or have already achieved SCQF Ambassador School status, promo�ng atainment and achievement in a vast range of skills. Ayrshire College has con�nued to work with secondary schools to develop skills mapping from Senior Phase courses into College Pathways. Furthermore, in partnership with Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, work experience opportuni�es have also been successfully reintroduced, thereby strengthening access to workplace skills and qualifica�ons. Theme 2: Improved Transi�ons The above work informs post-school transi�ons which are supported by a wide network in schools and external partners. For example, each secondary school has a Developing Young Workforce (DYW) Coordinator who promotes opportuni�es and pathways designed to ensure young people have the opportunity to develop skills responsive to future economic changes. Schools have increased their use of the SEEMIS 16plus Tab which has enabled earlier iden�fica�on of specific groups of school leavers through the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Data Hub. This data is used by them and other partners for early interven�on and support in advance of an�cipated school leaving date. For example, in partnership with SDS and North Ayrshire’s Local Employability Partnership (LEP), 169 young people were iden�fied to take part in an offer delivered by employability training partners CEIS (Community Enterprise in Scotland). Young people took part in workshops focusing on confidence, skills & quali�es, workplace health & safety and money management. As part of the Local Employability Partnership, an evening was held targe�ng young people across North Ayrshire considering next steps beyond school. The Your Next Move event was atended by over 600 young people and families with over 40 local employers and Ayrshire College represented. Supplementary events were also held on Arran and a uniquely adapted Reverse Job Fair for Lockhart Campus to ensure universal access for all leavers. Theme 3: Partnerships to improve learner outcomes post-school The School-College partnership with Ayrshire College con�nues to form a valuable part of the curriculum. The offer provides high quality senior phase voca�onal courses from Level 4 and above and con�nues to support young people to prepare for employment and Further or Higher Educa�on. It also builds a network of support for young people as they move between school and college or university and plan progression pathways onto full-�me courses. Our School-College Partnership team meet regularly to discuss the atendance and progress of each pupil to ensure all possible step success on their college course.
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27 Educa�on works in partnership with North Ayrshire Employability Service to offer individualised support. This feeds into a programmes, partners and referrals process which offers various pathways for vulnerable leavers and supported by partner agencies. For example, Barnardos are employed for targeted and outreach work with young people, including care experienced, facing significant challenges in accessing a posi�ve des�na�on. Performance Indicators for Priority 3 School Leavers entering an initial positive destination An ini�al posi�ve des�na�on means that a school leaver has gone on to one of the following ac�vi�es immediately a�er leaving school: further or higher educa�on, training, skills development or employment. At 96%, the propor�on of leavers in North Ayrshire moving into an ini�al posi�ve des�na�on is the highest on record, above the Virtual Comparator and Na�onal performance. To maximise the percentage of school leavers entering and sustaining posi�ve des�na�ons, schools con�nue to work hard in strong partnership with Skills Development Scotland. The Annual Participation Measure for all 16-19 year-olds The Annual Par�cipa�on Measure (APM) is a measurement of the propor�on of 16-19 year olds par�cipa�ng in educa�on, training or employment over a whole year (1st April-31st March). The indicator provides a measure of the status of the wider aged 16-19 cohort – not just those who have le� school. The Annual Par�cipa�on Measure, covering the year from April 2022 – March 2023 showed 95.6 94.0 92.5 95.2 96.0 93.2 94.0 92.3 95.1 94.9 94.4 95.1 93.4 95.5 95.7 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 % Year Percentage of School Leavers moving into Positive Destinations North Ayrshire Virtual Comparator National
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28 that of the 5,872 16-19 year olds in North Ayrshire, 93.9% were in educa�on, employment or training and personal development. This is the highest on record since the APM started in 2016. [INSERT GRAPH – ANNUAL PARTICIPATION MEASURE 2023]
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29 Educa�on Service Priority 4 Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing Theme 1: Suppor�ng mental health and wellbeing Counselling supports and community wellbeing supports A full counselling review has been undertaken this session and has involved consulta�on with stakeholders including children and young people, school staff and counsellors. A literature review of effec�ve prac�ce was also undertaken. This review has been used to shape the future model of primary school counselling and update the well-established secondary school counselling service, which has been in place since the start of the Atainment Challenge. Whilst it has been necessary to change the primary school counselling offer, we are confident that the links with wider mental health and wellbeing (MHWB) supports that have been established as part of this review will ensure that there will be support available for this age group. In terms of how the counselling service has supported staff prac�ce within our schools, the impacts can be summarised in three main categories: • School staff are able to support individual pupils beter (through for example being more familiar with appropriate support strategies and language). • School staff have greater awareness and knowledge (of themes such as trauma and its impact). • School staff have strengthened posi�ve rela�onships (with for example other professionals working together to support a young person, as well as strengthened links with the home). Some impact data on how counselling services have supported a wide range of children and young people across North Ayrshire are included at the end of this sec�on. The Educa�on Service is the lead partner in the delivery of the Children and Young People’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Framework. Children, Young People and Families have access to a range of supports and services within their communi�es to support emo�onal distress and to promote posi�ve mental health and wellbeing. Data gathering and consulta�on with the community has been central to the development of services. Key highlights include the employment of a Welfare Rights Officer (WRO) to engage directly with families following referral from educa�on staff. Over the course of the 2022-23 school year, this has resulted in financial gains of over £572,000 for families who need it most. The link between financial insecurity and poor mental health is well documented and the posi�ve impacts of our approach in North Ayrshire are increasingly evident. “Just wanted to say thanks again. After coming off the phone to you I felt like I could see a light. I have so much to work through regarding my mental health so having these options of unfit to work and the Scottish pip gives me that time without the pressure.” (Feedback from a Parent/Carer following ini�al mee�ng with WRO) 71 children, young people and families have benefited from co-produced bespoke supports which have had a posi�ve impact on mental wellbeing. Examples of referral reasons for support include:
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30 • family rela�onships / home issues • poverty / homelessness • trauma with many children and young people experiencing mul�ple barriers to posi�ve wellbeing. “Personally, as a parent / observer I can see the big difference in the way they self- regulate if a situation becomes challenging and they feel triggered ….” (Feedback from a mum whose child has neurodiversity and iden�fies as non-binary) A review of the Kilwinning and Largs Wellness Models has taken place. The Educa�on Service in partnership with NHS Ayrshire and Arran Public Health along with mul�-agency partners have used this review as the basis for developing a refreshed and expanded approach to suppor�ng children and young people’s wellbeing across the whole authority, with the revised Wellness Model being rolled out to addi�onal locali�es. Our review highlighted the importance and benefits of all agencies working together to have a posi�ve impact on mental health and wellbeing in our communi�es. Whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing This session we have con�nued our focus on ensuring children, young people and families have access to the right supports at the right �me in our schools and communi�es. One cluster has piloted the Whole School Approaches to MHWB self-evalua�on tool, and this has shaped the further enhancement of supports within establishments. Educa�on staff have had access to an extensive range of professional learning opportuni�es with an addi�onal 200 members of staff engaging with our Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Professional Learning Resource this session. In addi�on, we now have 93 members of staff across a range of schools who are trained to deliver Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management (LIAM). To broaden the reach of this approach, we have this year developed a “LIAM at home” project which targets children and young people whose engagement with educa�on is impacted by anxiety. This new project is showing early signs of success. Across the authority, 33 children and young people have completed the wider LIAM programme this year with an addi�onal 8 engaging with group work. Posi�ve impacts have included: young people who can now cope with being in crowded spaces; a reduc�on in exam stress; and an increase in the number of young people who are now able to come to school without feeling anxious. In addi�on we have delivered Suicide Preven�on Training, with 15 addi�onal staff trained in Applied Suicide Interven�on Skills (ASIST), 54 members of staff trained in Assessing Suicide Risk in Kids (ASK) and 29 in safeTALK – Suicide Awareness training. All S6 pupils in our Secondary Schools have been offered Suicide Awareness Training (safeTALK) with over 100 young people taking part in training during June, feedback from young people indicates they feel more confident to have conversa�ons around wellbeing with their peers. Our partnership with See Me See Change con�nues to develop with NAC Educa�on Service contribu�ng to the further enhancement of the na�onal an�-discrimina�on and s�gma youth programme. 200 senior pupils took part in training in June 2023 in prepara�on for next session. This session, the See Me Ambassadors delivered assemblies, PSE lessons, supported mental health and wellbeing sessions in Primary schools and held bakes sales to raise awareness of mental health.
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31 The Mentors in Violence Preven�on (MVP) programme is now embedded in our secondary establishments. MVP network representa�ves from each school meet termly to share ideas, update on progress and share good prac�ce, some of which has been used na�onally as an example of good prac�ce. Capacity building for staff has con�nued in 2023 with bespoke North Ayrshire training delivered by our newly upskilled team of in-house MVP trainers. We have partnered with staff from Ac�ve schools, KA Leisure, and Youth services to broaden the reach of this preventa�ve programme further into our communi�es. We have invested in the recruitment of 12 addi�onal Area Inclusion Workers who, along with the original team have undertaken extensive professional learning around suppor�ng children and families with their mental wellbeing. They have a key role in maximising school atendance, providing support and guidance to families and delivering Health and Wellbeing Sessions to children. Most pupils who have engaged with one of our Area Inclusion Workers have shown an improvement in their mental health and wellbeing and school atendance. Further evalua�on is con�nuing to support the iden�fica�on of the most impac�ul interven�ons. Educa�on Staff all have access to an ever-expanding range of resources to support and promote posi�ve mental health and wellbeing through a dedicated glow blog (staff website). There have been over 7,000 engagements with the support materials by our staff in the academic session 2022-23. Promo�ng staff wellbeing We used research and the ac�on research paper developed to inform a staff development session, which helped to demonstrate areas of strength and areas of development. One of the significant messages noted was the impact of workload and bureaucracy on wellbeing, staff highlighted the value of being listened to and involved in decision making and this has informed how we have worked with staff across the service this session. Wider feedback was shared with all staff and included areas of focus for both establishments and the authority. We have engaged with a number of schools and centres to explore a prac��oner enquiry approach to staff wellbeing, which will be taken forward in session 2023-24 and beyond. Theme 2: Suppor�ng social and emo�onal wellbeing Promo�ng Posi�ve Rela�onships and whole school nurture During Session 2022-23 we have undertaken a range of ac�vi�es to support our Promo�ng Posi�ve Rela�onships approach in North Ayrshire. This has included work on Building on Posi�ve Rela�onships (based on the Non Violent Resistance approach) for both schools and parent workshops. We have run three parent workshops over the session with parents repor�ng a significant improvement in the behaviour of their children following the workshops. Using the widely available and respected Strengths and Difficul�es Ques�onnaire as a basis for measuring impact, the mean scores for children’s total difficul�es significantly reduced following the 10-week parent group. We have also run
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32 workshops for our primary and secondary schools as well as our Area inclusion workers and further developed our Building on Posi�ve Rela�onships plans in line with this. A key part of our work this session has been a review of our whole school nurture approach to ensure that nurture principles are embedded within the whole school system at the same �me as building capacity towards a consistent, authority-wide approach to whole-school nurture. This review has included surveys with stakeholders including: • 832 staff who responded to our main review ques�onnaire • 32 children and young people in focus groups across 4 primary and 2 secondary schools • 11 Educa�onal Psychologists, 15 Head Teachers and 141 teacher and classroom assistant responses to addi�onal ques�onnaires. • We also explored our current approaches and held a stakeholder event to look at next steps. Some of the feedback from this work is detailed below: Following the review, work has commenced on upda�ng the professional learning programme suppor�ng this work, developing a whole school nurture benchmarking framework to support school self-evalua�on and planning for improvement in this area and the establishment of a Service Improvement Group to take this work forward into session 2023-24 and beyond. Targeted Nurture There are currently 22 Primary Nurture Groups and 9 Secondary Nurture Groups, with 4 further primary PEF funded groups opera�ng a range of tailor-made nurture models with target groups, supported by the authority-wide Principal Teacher of Nurture. Clear guidelines have been produced and shared with each sector, alongside a quality assurance framework and weekly professional learning sessions. A summary of impact of nurture interven�ons is included in the table below: Posi�ve outcomes of targeted nurture approaches
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33 Children and young people in primary and secondary se�ngs who have received nurture support are showing gains in social and emo�onal progress and are con�nuing to access mainstream educa�on. Children and young people who have received nurture support are ataining and achieving more closely in line with peers over �me. Educa�on establishments can demonstrate an increased understanding and applica�on of whole school nurturing approaches. This will increase establishment understanding and awareness of the interdependencies between effec�ve nurture and mental health and wellbeing support. Of the 832 staff who responded to our nurture survey, 78% felt confident applying what they have learned about nurturing approaches in prac�ce. St Mathew’s Academy were awarded the pres�gious Marjory Boxall Nurture Quality Mark Award in 2023 in recogni�on of their support of Children and Young people. They also became North Ayrshire’s first secondary schools to achieve the Rights Respec�ng Schools Gold Award, in no small part due to their commitment to Nurture. A longitudinal study is currently in prepara�on tracing the views and development of those pupils who atended nurture previously, with publica�on expected in session 2023-24. Performance Indicators for Priority 4 School Counselling In the most recent data collec�on (covering the period from January to June 2023 which included 447 children accessing school counsellors), North Ayrshire had 294 hours of school counselling being provided per week, with 99% of children and young people repor�ng an improved outcome following access to a counsellor. The highest frequency reasons for presen�ng to a counsellor were: anxiety, depression or low mood, emo�onal or behavioural difficul�es, family problems, stress, self-worth, academic issues, trauma. Community mental health and wellbeing supports and services Across the whole academic year 2022-23, a total of 6,038 children and young people accessed community health and wellbeing supports and services. Overall, out of the 5,237 people who accessed posi�ve mental health and wellbeing services, 72% had measurable improved outcomes at the �me of this report being writen. Pupil attendance data Atendance has declined across North Ayrshire schools since the onset of the COVID pandemic and has not yet recovered. This general trend also appears to be reflected in na�onal sta�s�cs. As a result, the Educa�on Service has incorporated this theme into the next Service Improvement Plan for 2023-24. 86 88 90 92 94 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 NAC Total Pupil Attendance (%)
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34 Educa�on Service Priority 5 Placing human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education Theme 1: Suppor�ng needs Suppor�ng needs through renewed systems and processes Following a collabora�ve review of the processes involved in suppor�ng needs, specific areas were targeted for redesign. We sought to iden�fy and retain the effec�ve, well-established elements whilst refining and co-designing others. Our Staged Interven�on policy for iden�fying and planning for children and young people with addi�onal needs was redesigned and simplified. This focuses on three elements of support: Enhanced Universal, Stage 1 and Stage 2. The policy includes detailed descriptors around each element which clarify the level of need and how these can be best supported. Streamlined approaches to short, medium and long term planning are in place along with clear guidance on how mee�ngs with young people and their families are recorded to ensure we fully comply with legisla�on. Processes for accessing supports such as the Outreach Support Service (Extended Outreach and Tui�on Support), Early Years Inclusion Support Service (EYIST) and Accessibility Strategy have been streamlined to enable a service which is learner centred with clear routes to referral. Accessing these services can be �me-cri�cal and so the referral pathways have been separated from the exis�ng Inclusion Group to speed up this process and reduce the number of cases being considered at this forum. At all stages, collabora�on and co-crea�on have been crucial with evalua�on ongoing. Leaders from all sectors and at all levels have been involved with the evalua�ons demonstra�ng the effec�veness of the approach in ensuring all voices are heard, policies are co-designed and there is a clear sense of joint ownership across the Service. Suppor�ng needs through enhanced provisions Following successful pilot projects running in Greenwood Academy and Irvine Royal Academy in 2021- 22, Secondary Support Resources were established in all 9 secondary schools. The approach to the design was developed in line with the na�onal ‘Guidance on the Presump�on to Provide Educa�on in a Mainstream Se�ng’ published in March 2019. We were also guided by the 2017 Suppor�ng Children’s Learning Code of Prac�ce and the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act (2000). This enhanced support resource is available to learners across all secondary schools and offers an environment which supports personalised learning for young people who have a range of support needs and require ongoing enhanced transi�on. This is not specialist provision, instead is a way of offering targeted support to those who require it to support their mainstream experience. A network of senior leaders was established to co-create and develop guidance and ensure there were consistent pillars of prac�ce, whilst enabling schools to tailor their provision to match the needs of their current cohort of learners. Learners were iden�fied by cluster primaries as well as through the Inclusion Group. Data and impact reports were compiled and showed that, in this first full year, over 300 learners were supported to atend their mainstream secondary provision. Data demonstrates that there were significant impacts in the areas of atendance, engagement, mo�va�on and posi�ve a�tudes to school and self.
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35 Links with educa�onal psychologists and the mental health and wellbeing team have ensure that staff are well-trained and feel confident in the impact they are making on the lives of the young people they support. Evalua�ons from your people and their families demonstrate the high regard in which the support is held. Suppor�ng needs through professional learning The needs of young people have grown in complexity and it has been impera�ve for us to review and enhance our already significant range of professional learning available to staff teams. Ini�al evalua�ons demonstrated the excep�onal range of professional learning available locally, na�onally and interna�onally. Therefore, the focus was on cura�ng and signpos�ng this learning for leaders, teachers and support staff. A professional learning �le was created on GLOW which covers all aspects of suppor�ng needs. This is divided into a range of themes, which were decided upon based on data around the needs most prevalent within our establishments. Topics such as suppor�ng neurodiverse learners, trauma informed prac�ce, SCERTS and Building Posi�ve Rela�onships are signposted and include professional reading, staff workshops and useful links. There are also links to our partner organisa�ons who have played a key role in suppor�ng our establishments and learners over the course of the session. This site is complemented by the NACEDinform site which contains all relevant policies, paperwork and referral pathways. Theme 2: Maximising learner par�cipa�on and voice Learner Par�cipa�on Research published by Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People “How Young People’s Par�cipa�on in School Supports Atainment and Achievement” highlights a strong correla�on between schools ’approaches to learner par�cipa�on and levels of achievement and atainment. Having reviewed the na�onal context, the Educa�on service priori�sed the placing of human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of all educa�onal establishments. A new Learner Par�cipa�on Strategy has been introduced involving schools and early years se�ngs, clusters and local authority officers. Staff have par�cipated in collabora�ve sessions to ensure that the new strategy is “fit for purpose”. The learner par�cipa�on strategy will be further developed in session 23-24 through the co-crea�on and co-design of a pupil-friendly version with learners. The strategy and follow up ac�on plan will be monitored and reviewed by the Service Improvement Group responsible for Learner Par�cipa�on. Rights Respec�ng Schools (RRS) Considerable progress has been made over the last three years across the Rights Respec�ng Schools programme (RRS). This programme has been promoted and introduced into almost all of our schools. The Rights Respec�ng Schools Award recognises achievement in pu�ng the United Na�ons Conven�on on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at the heart of a school’s planning, policies, prac�ce and ethos. Children’s rights underpin the Ge�ng it Right for Every Child approach. Over 90% of our schools have achieved or are working towards RRS status, which is divided into bronze, silver and gold levels.
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36 RRS Gold Award is the highest level of the award and is granted to schools that have fully embedded the principles of the UNCRC into their ethos and curriculum. The accredita�on is valid for a period of three years. The following North Ayrshire schools have achieved Gold status: Ardeer Primary School; Beith Primary School; Dykesmains Primary School; Glencairn Primary School; Stanley Primary School; St Bridget’s Primary School; St Luke’s Primary School; St Mary’s Primary School; St Mathew’s Academy; Whitehirst Park Primary School, The remainder of schools engaging with RRS awards are at Bronze level, working towards silver or working to maintain their Silver status. Rights educa�on and the Rights Respec�ng Schools approach remain areas of success and strength. The RRS approach is evident in all schools with success being shared through their social media pla�orms and via atrac�ve school and classroom displays. Focus groups of children reveal that they are knowledgeable about their own and others’ rights. Increasingly children and young people are taking on elements of responsibility and par�cipa�on ensuring that all schools listen and involve pupils fully in decisions that affect them and their school community. A focus on inclusion and equality by our schools and centres ensures increasing opportuni�es are provided for those with protected characteris�cs. Theme 3: Maximising parent/carer involvement and engagement Developing a range of ini�a�ves, interven�ons, and programmes to increase opportuni�es to enhance family engagement in learning con�nues to be the focus of our Family Learning Team. The Team has worked closely with schools and families to devise and develop family learning opportuni�es which meet the needs of parents and families. This session a total of 2,566 families engaged in Family Learning opportuni�es offered in school and within the local community. Throughout this year Family Learning opportuni�es were delivered across 39 primary schools and 6 secondary schools. The programmes delivered by the Family Learning Team can be split into four key areas – Curriculum, Transi�on, Health & Wellbeing, and Learning Opportuni�es for Parents/Carers. Through individual school requests the team has delivered 19 different interven�ons during 2022 – 23. Programme Family Par�cipa�on Read Write Count Gi�ing to P2 & P3 510 Family STEM (Including Young STEM Leader) 343 Outdoor Learning (Including John Muir Award) 263 Transi�on (Into P1 and P7 – S1) 183 Family Literacy 171 Family Food & Fitness 170 The outcome of all interven�ons delivered by the Family Learning Team are evaluated through seeking family feedback and ongoing monitoring throughout the year to ensure the needs of families are being
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37 met. Evalua�ons con�nue to provide evidence of impact, par�cularly under the following wellbeing indicators: • Safe - Family gains more knowledge and understanding of how to reduce their child/young person's risk of harm online. • Healthy – Parents/Carers know how their child/young person can lead a healthy lifestyle and know how to support their child’s development and emo�onal needs. • Nurtured - Family interacts posi�vely through play/interac�ons. • Achieving - Parents/Carers understand how their child learns in school and how this can be supported at home, can prepare their child for transi�on onto primary/secondary, and have improved skills through atending formal and informal training. • Respected – Parents/Carers are involved in decision making processes about maters that affect them and have increased opportuni�es or support within the community. • Included - Family feels involved in their school community through atending a range of school and family learning opportuni�es.
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38 Overview of Pupil Equity Funding Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) is provided to head teachers to reduce the poverty related atainment gap within their educa�on establishment. 95% of schools in Scotland have been allocated funding for pupils in P1-S3 known to be eligible for free school meals. North Ayrshire schools have received Pupil Equity Funding for six years with funding alloca�ons fixed un�l 2026. In total North Ayrshire schools receive £4,172,180 in Pupil Equity Funding each year. A considerable effort has been made in the 2022-23 academic year to ensure PEF is fully utilised to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap. This is evidenced by the significant reduction in PEF carried forward into the beginning of the next financial year, which has reduced by almost 20%. Pupil Equity Funding must provide targeted support for children and young people affected by poverty to achieve their full potential. Although the funding is allocated based on free school meal eligibility, Head Teachers can use their professional judgement to determine which pupils receive targeted support. All schools work with their school community to decide how to invest PEF and are encouraged to use participatory budgeting approaches to inform decision making. Examples of how PEF has been used in North Ayrshire’s schools this year are included in the next section of this report. Head teachers have full autonomy to allocate PEF to address poverty related attainment gaps in their school. Schools are also responsible for measuring and evaluating the impact of PEF interventions. Approaches vary on a school-to-school basis but in most circumstances measurement of PEF impact focuses on the pupils who benefit from the intervention at school level through qualitative and quantitative data. A sample of the impact of a range of PEF interventions is included in this report, however, information about all schools is also contained within individual school Standards and Quality Reports, which are accessible via the Council website.
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39 PEF Case Studies PEF Case Study: Glebe Primary School (Linked to Priority 1 – Improving Atainment, par�cularly in literacy and numeracy) Pupil Equity Funding was partly used in Glebe Primary School to fund addi�onal classroom assistants to provide targeted support for children experiencing challenges engaging with learning due to social, emo�onal, behavioural, and mental health needs. A range of approaches were put in place including suppor�ng learners in small groups which has improved engagement in literacy and numeracy. All pupils using the 5-minute Literacy box improved, with an average improvement of 25.8% across all learners. Similarly, all pupils using the 5-minute Number box improved with an average improvement of 13.6% across all learners. In addi�on, all pupils targeted through the Talk Boost interven�on improved with an average improvement of 16.7% across all learners. Funding classroom assistants has enabled the school to fund a variety of lunch�me clubs for sports and wellbeing. As a result, behaviour in the playground has improved and pupils appear more respec�ul and engage beter with each other. The recent Parent/Carer ques�onnaire said that 91% of parents feel behaviour in the school is posi�ve which has increased by 19% since 2019. Feedback and pupil atendance at lunch�me clubs has been very posi�ve with 84% of the school atending with all pupils atending at least one or more club per week. Tracking of in and out of school wider achievement ac�vity ensures the school can encourage pupils not atending any ac�vi�es as it is recognised this can be an important aspect of promo�ng posi�ve mental health and wellbeing as well as engagement with learning through suppor�ng the development rela�onships and social skills. PEF Case Study: St Mark’s Primary School (Linked to Priority 2 – Closing the atainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people) St Mark’s Primary School have crea�vely used a small amount of their Pupil Equity Funding to restart a breakfast club in October 2022. Since it re-started the school has a team of volunteers from the community who provide a free breakfast to between 60 and 100 children daily between 8.30am and 8.55am. There have been mul�ple benefits for members of our school community with children all given access to a free breakfast to ensure that no child is hungry and that they are ready to focus, concentrate and learn as soon as the school day begins. Breakfast club has allowed children to meet up with their friends and to make new friends as well as deepen connec�ons between the school and the local community. This has been a support for parents helping to reduce the stress of the morning rou�ne, cost of the school day and support parents to work. The school has also seen a reduc�on in the number of late comings, as the children are able to have breakfast in school. The breakfast club has been very well received by new families and was welcomed back by exis�ng children and families. Work is currently underway to ensure the school can measure the impact of the breakfast club through the 4 capaci�es with a focus on promo�ng this support to families who may benefit from the breakfast club. PEF Case Study: Elderbank Primary School (Linked to Priority 4 – Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing)
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40 Elderbank Primary School has used some of its Pupil Equity Funding to support mental health and wellbeing of learners through enhancing pastoral support and developing a health and wellbeing programme. A key part of this has been star�ng to use the Glasgow Mo�va�onal and Wellbeing Profile as an assessment tool, targe�ng groups of P5 and P6 pupils. Data shows improvement for all pupils across SHANARRI indicators with progress varying from incremental to significant. A new pastoral support teacher has provided advice to prac��oners on suppor�ng behaviour within the classroom and ensuring classroom environments can effec�vely meet individual pupil needs. The CIRCLE resource has been used as a guiding document, providing an au�sm and dyslexia friendly classroom where pupils feel safe and included within a differen�ated se�ng, including an accessible calm area where �me can be taken to self-regulate. Professional learning opportuni�es have been offered to class teachers and support staff on a range of topics including children experiencing distressed behaviour, nurture, change and loss, and restora�ve prac�ce. The pastoral support teacher has also worked closely with parents/carers and other partners to address low atendance and social anxie�es around coming to school to ensure the best level of care, support and communica�on is in place to improve pupil outcomes.
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41 Progress towards our single-year Stretch Aims For the first �me in 2022-23, all local authori�es were required to set stretch aims, to indicate the progress they intended to make on a range of improvement ac�vi�es. In the tables below, North Ayrshire’s stretch aims for 2022-23 are recorded along with the baseline posi�on in 2022 and the actual posi�on by August 2023. Most of the stretch aims were not achieved. The legacy impacts of the COVID pandemic are s�ll evident. To show progress over a longer �me frame, this year’s data has been compared with our performance from two years ago (for curriculum for excellence levels) or from four years ago (for all other stretch aims). Since originally publishing its guidance on stretch aims in 2022, the Sco�sh Government has now revised this approach, reques�ng that local authori�es set stretch aims over a longer �me frame. North Ayrshire Council had already created longer-term stretch aims last year and an update on progress is provided at the end of this sec�on. Stretch Aim 1 The propor�on of learners in North Ayrshire who achieve the expected levels of atainment in literacy at P1, P4 and P7 will increase. All learners SIMD Q1 SIMD Q2-5 Gap Q1 vv Q2-5 2022 baseline 67% 60% 74% -14pp 2023 stretch aim 71% 67% 75% -8pp 2023 actual 68% 62% 74% -12pp 1-year progress (2022-23) Improved Improved No change Improved 2-year progress (2021-23) Improved Improved Improved Improved Stretch Aim 2 The propor�on of learners in North Ayrshire who achieve the expected levels of atainment in numeracy at P1, P4 and P7 will increase. All learners SIMD Q1 SIMD Q2-5 Gap Q1 vv Q2-5 2022 baseline 75% 69% 81% -12pp 2023 stretch aim 77% 72% 81% -9pp 2023 actual 76% 71% 80% -9pp 1-year progress (2022-23) Improved Improved Not Improved Improved 2-year progress (2021-23) Improved Improved Improved Improved Stretch Aim 3 The propor�on of school leavers who achieve one or more passes at SCQF Level 5 (grades A-C or beter will increase. All learners SIMD Q1 SIMD Q2-5 Gap Q1 vv Q2-5 2022 baseline 87% 81% 92% -11pp 2023 stretch aim 88% 82% 92% -10pp 2023 actual 86% 79% 92% -13pp 1-year progress (2022-23) Not Improved Not Improved No change Not Improved 4-year progress (2019-23) Improved Improved Improved Improved
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42 Stretch Aim 4 The propor�on of school leavers who achieve one or more passes at SCQF Level 6 (grades A-C or beter will increase. All learners SIMD Q1 SIMD Q2-5 Gap Q1 vv Q2-5 2022 baseline 64% 54% 72% -18pp 2023 stretch aim 65% 55% 72% -17pp 2023 actual 60% 45% 71% -26pp 1-year progress (2022-23) Not Improved Not Improved Not Improved Not Improved 4-year progress (2019-23) Improved Improved Improved Not Improved Stretch Aim 5 The propor�on of 16-19 year olds who are par�cipa�ng in educa�on, employment or training will increase. All learners SIMD Q1 SIMD Q2-5 Gap Q1 vv Q2-5 2022 baseline 91% 88% 93% -5pp 2023 stretch aim 91% 89% 93% -4pp 2023 actual 94% 91% 95% -4pp 1-year progress (2022-23) Improved Improved Improved Improved 4-year progress (2019-23) Improved Improved Improved Improved Stretch Aim 6 School atendance levels will increase. All learners SIMD Q1 SIMD Q2-5 Gap Q1 vv Q2-5 2022 baseline 89% 88% 91% -3pp 2023 stretch aim 91% 89% 92% -3pp 2023 actual 89% 87% 91% -4pp 1-year progress (2022-23) Not improved Not improved Not improved Not improved 4-year progress (2019-23) Not improved Not improved Not improved Not improved Stretch Aim 7 Exclusion incidents (per 1000) will reduce. All learners SIMD Q1 SIMD Q2-5 Gap Q1 vv Q2-5 2022 baseline 18 26 11 15 2023 stretch aim 15 22 10 12 2023 actual 1-year progress (2022-23) 4-year progress (2019-23)
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43 Progress towards our longer-term stretch aims In 2022, we set out our ambi�ons for improvement in a range of educa�onal measures by 2027. Our longer-term stretch aims are that by 2027… • 450 more learners in our primary schools will achieve the expected levels of atainment in literacy. By 2023, we are beginning to make progress towards this stretch aim. • 250 more learners in our primary schools will achieve the expected levels of atainment in numeracy. By 2023, we are beginning to make progress towards this stretch aim. • Over 90% of our school leavers will achieve at least one qualifica�on at SCQF Level 5 / Na�onal 5 or beter. By 2023, we are making good progress towards this stretch aim. • Over three quarters of our school leavers will achieve at least one qualifica�on at SCQF Level 6/Higher or beter. By 2023, we are making some progress towards this stretch aim. • At least 165 more 16-19 year-olds will be par�cipa�ng in educa�on, training or employment. By 2023, we are making very good progress towards this stretch aim. • More than two thirds of our pupils will have over 90% atendance in our schools. By 2023, we are beginning to make progress towards this stretch aim. • We will reduce our exclusion rate to no more than 10 per 1000 pupils. By 2023, we are beginning to make progress towards this stretch aim. • We will reduce the overall gaps in atainment between the most and least disadvantaged learners by an average of 5 percentage points. By 2023, we are beginning to make progress towards this stretch aim.