Pupil Equity Fund Report 2018/2019

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Contents

Introduction 4

Governance 5

Support and Training 6

Recognising and Sharing Effective Practice 8

Selecting and Targeting Interventions 9

Interventions for Equity: Progress and Outcomes 11

Sustainability 18

Attainment Trends 19

Summary 22

Next Steps 22

Appendices

PEF Spending Analysis 2018-19

Raising Attainment Champions Fund – Project Overview

Pupil Equity Fund in Stirling 2018-19

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Introduction

The Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC), supported by the Attainment Scotland Fund, aims to achieve equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty related attainment gap. Interventions focus on literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. In Session 2018-19, Stirling schools received a total of £1,423,440 of Pupil Equity Funding across 38 primary schools, 7 secondary schools and 1 special school. School-level allocations ranged from £1,080 to £147,600 with only one primary school receiving no allocation. Wallace High School and Raploch Primary Schools are also part of the Scottish Attainment Challenge Schools Programme because of the significant proportions of their pupils living in SIMD deciles 1 and 2. They receive additional financial allocation, as part of this programme. In Session 2018-19, Attainment Scotland Fund was also extended to include Care Experienced Children and Young People Funding. This report focuses on the progress and impact of Year 2 Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) in Stirling. It will consider trends and conclusions about the effectiveness of PEF in tackling the poverty-related attainment gap. The role of PEF in meeting the duties of reducing inequalities and achieving the strategic priorities of the National Improvement Framework (NIF) will be considered. Effectiveness of the procedural and administrative arrangements for PEF will be detailed. In compiling this report, information has been extracted from analysis of PEF plans, feedback from schools, Standards and Quality Reports and analysis of teacher judgement (ACEL) data.

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Governance Schools, Learning and Education Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) Guidance (Appendix 1) includes information for schools on planning, implementing, evaluating and reporting on PEF. This local guidance for schools was updated in session 2018-19 based on National Operational Guidance and informed by feedback and learning from Year 1. The updated guidance was shared with all headteachers at a collegiate session in February 2019. As required by guidance, all schools integrated PEF planning as part of their school improvement planning process. The updated template provided clearer linkage between gaps and barriers to learning as identified in the contextual analysis and planning. Outcomes for learners and impact measures were also made more explicit in the new format. PEF plans were submitted alongside School Improvement Plans in June 2018. A group of headteachers and education officers moderated the plans in September 2018 and provided written and verbal feedback to schools. This audit also gathered data to inform authority planning, to support and challenge schools, as well as providing a valued professional learning opportunity for school leaders. A contextual analysis was completed by schools as part of the PEF planning process, drawing on available data in relation to equity including: SIMD, FME, attainment information, attendance, exclusions, participation, achievement and leaver destinations. Levels of confidence in presenting a school contextual analysis were varied but there was an increased use of data evident, supporting identification of gaps and barriers to learning. Following professional learning, provision of exemplars, an updated planning format and individual school support, evidence in plans for 2019-20 demonstrates greater use of data in contextual analysis and clear, learner-centred outcomes. The majority of schools are now making direct reference to local and national comparator data using Stirling FOCUS Tookit and BGE Benchmarking Tool when considering their school performance. Many Year 3 plans also use data to clearly define the poverty related attainment gap in relation to factors such as attainment, attendance and access to wider opportunities. The PEF collegiate session for headteachers held in February 2019 also provided an opportunity to share successes, review guidance, plan in learning communities and identify what supports would be helpful in the following session. The Lead Officer, Excellence and Equity and Stirling’s Education Scotland Attainment Advisor provided advice on using data to support contextual analysis and on building strong outcomes and robust measures of impact. Representatives from Stirling High School, McLaren High School, Allans Primary School and Callander Primary School shared effective approaches to closing the poverty related attainment gap. Support in relation to budgets was provided by School Resource Officers (SROs). In Year 1, separate cost centres within the Council’s financial ledger were created specifically for PEF to assist with accounting for, monitoring and reporting of PEF expenditure. Budgets were monitored on a monthly basis throughout Year 2 of PEF by the Lead Officer and SROs with advice and support provided to schools. By 31 March 2019, 83% of Year 2 PEF allocations had been spent, an increase of 20% from Year 1. Almost all of the underspend was committed staffing costs to the end of the school session. Appendix 1 includes information in relation to financial monitoring for all schools. Work to develop a procurement framework for external providers of counselling and other therapeutic services took place in 2019 and is well underway. This will ensure that a range of suppliers identified by schools who meet terms and conditions are available to schools in a more coherent way.

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Support and Training A review of Stirling’s Raising Attainment Strategy resulted in a redesign and production of an Excellence and Equity Strategy. This strategy is accompanied by a suite of tools to support schools in their work towards closing the poverty related attainment gap. Supports include an Equity Overview, Equity Toolkit, Outcomes and Measures Toolkit and Data Toolkit. An Excellence & Equity GLOW tile provides additional information for schools and is also a platform for sharing good practice. This model has been recognised as an example of good practice nationally and is now available on Education Scotland’s National Improvement Hub. A range of CLPL has been provided focusing on the use of data to identify areas for improvement through robust contextual analysis. This has included effective use of a range of data tools, including Stirling FOCUS tool and BGE Benchmarking Toolkit. The Stirling FOCUS tool has been developed to enable analysis of attainment data for schools through a range of lenses including factors relating to equity. A Data Coaches programme has been developed for session 2019-20 with the aim of cultivating a positive data culture in Stirling, where practitioners at all levels of the education system are confident in making use of data to improve outcomes for every learner. There are already staff across the local authority who are confident in using data for improvement. We plan to make use of these skills to ensure data is used effectively for all children in Stirling. A group of Data Coaches will be trained, who will in turn work with Data Champions across schools, focusing on data for improvement.

In addition to sessions to support headteachers, Stirling developed a Raising Attainment Champions (RAC) programme to support practitioners. This has been in place for the last 3 academic sessions and is continuing in session 2019-20. In Session 2018-19, there was a cohort of 17 practitioners, made up of one secondary teacher, 14 primary teachers and 2 Early Childhood Educators. Interventions have included ‘Gartmore Counts,’ the introduction of a maths mastery approach with a focus on improving problem-solving strategies and mathematical fluency. Children involved in the group demonstrated increased confidence and ability to use a range of strategies. Attitudes towards numeracy also improved.

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At Cambusbarron Primary School, the ‘Inspiring the Writer’s Voice’ Raising Attainment Champions project focused on increasing pupil engagement and in turn attainment in writing. Comparison of pre and post measures indicated that the pupils involved in the intervention demonstrated increased pace of progress and significantly improved motivation to write. An overview of all Raising Attainment Champions projects is included (Appendix 2). The Raising Attainment Champions programme has resulted in an increase in schools’ and practitioners’ knowledge and understanding of: the impact of barriers, including poverty, to learning; analysis of data to support improvement; and skills and experience in strategies and interventions to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap. Champions continue to lead Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) sessions in their schools, sharing their knowledge and understanding of the use of data and of strategies to raise attainment in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Some of the 2018-19 cohort have gone on to become Data Coaches, working with schools across Stirling. All establishments have had access to training in improvement methodology to support measurement of the impact of interventions. Stirling’s Educational Psychology Service supported a number of schools in measuring impact. Schools used a wide range of quantitative and qualitative measures to measure the impact of interventions. These included standardised assessments, formative assessment, teacher judgement information, attendance data, participation records, classroom observations, questionnaires, tests of change and focus groups involving parents and children. An Outcomes and Measures Toolkit produced as part of Stirling’s Excellence and Equity Strategy has supported identification of bundles of impact measures linked to outcomes for learners. Year 3 PEF plans demonstrate more consistently clear outcomes and bundles of appropriate measures. A Stirling-wide network involving school-based family support staff has been established. The group have established a common understanding of purpose and values, and developed a leaflet which can be shared with parents. A supervision model including peer supervision has been developed for this group of practitioners. A set of core measures of impact has been agreed, and the group have had CLPL to support data collection and analysis. A tool has been developed to support data analysis of a range of attendance measures, including attendance by SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) and FSM (Free School Meal) entitlement.

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Recognising and Sharing Effective Practice In addition to sharing of practice across schools, there have been a number of opportunities provided for schools to share good practice locally at Business Meetings and Working Together Meetings. Well-established School Improvement Partnerships have been valuable in encouraging support and challenge across schools in relation to PEF. This included sharing and moderating outline PEF plans prior to submission. A series of visits to schools by the Lead Officer and Attainment Advisor provided an opportunity to identify and share effective practice as well as providing support to schools. Education Scotland inspections of 4 primary schools in session 2018-19 have recognised the progress of these schools in addressing the poverty related attainment gap. Examples include:

“The school has a very strong commitment to equity and a very good understanding of any gaps in children’s achievement or attainment. Strategic approaches to raising attainment are clearly leading to equity of success and improvements in achievement and attainment for all learners. There is evidence of any attainment gaps, including those related to Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, being reduced significantly. Staff have used data well to identify and introduce a range of targeted interventions to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy. These interventions include the deployment and development of staff to meet effectively individual children’s needs.”

St Ninians Primary School Education Scotland Inspection Report, 18 December 2019

“All staff take responsibility for leading aspects of school improvement. Commendably, this includes the effective use of practitioner inquiry and evidence-based approaches to improvement. These approaches are supporting clear and agreed identification of priorities for improvement and effective self-evaluation. As a result, use of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) is well-considered and targeted at those areas, and children, with the greatest need. Through the improvement planning process, expected outcomes from improvement activity are being increasingly well-defined, particularly in relation to how children’s attainment and achievement will improve. The targeting of PEF to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy is showing early signs of success, particularly in relation to improving children’s reading and writing. The headteacher and staff are selectively using a range of data to evaluate the success of interventions.”

Strathyre Primary School Education Scotland Inspection Report, 17 September 2019 “Data detailing the progression of children with potential barriers to their learning is carefully gathered and analysed by the headteacher. This supports teachers to ensure that all children access the curriculum. The headteacher recognises the need to work closely with all parents to continue to achieve the best possible outcomes for all children. She has introduced a range of opportunities to engage all parents in their child’s learning. The school tracks the attainment of a range of groups who experience barriers to learning and provides a range of effective staged interventions which are helping to reduce these barriers. These include care experienced children and those with additional support needs. Almost all children in these groups are making good progress against their prior levels of attainment or against their own individual milestones.”

Cowie Primary School Education Scotland Inspection Report, 3 September 2019

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Selecting and Targeting Interventions Pupil Equity Funding has focused on interventions leading to improvements in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Activities, interventions and resources have been additional to those already planned and funding has provided targeted support for children affected by poverty and deprivation. Headteachers have used their professional judgement to include additional children in targeted interventions where this would be of benefit. Data played a significant role in the targeting process, ensuring that intervention was focused on achieving equity. Data and evidence were used by schools to describe the context of their school and using this information, schools detailed the identified gaps and priorities for intervention. Evidence used included SIMD information, levels of FSM, teacher judgement data, levels of participation, issues relating to rural poverty, leaver destinations, SQA data, attendance and exclusion rates. The Interventions for Equity framework and Education Scotland’s Learning and Teaching Toolkit were used to support self-evaluation and planning for improvement. Schools were asked to consult within their schools, communities and with partners in identifying interventions to address the poverty related attainment gap. Successful examples of this included consultation through parental questionnaires, with Parent Councils and Pupil Councils, work with focus groups, collegiate activity with whole staff teams and asking parents to identify priorities at sharing learning events. At East Plean Primary School, parents had the opportunity to give feedback on the impact of PEF interventions as well as indicate which areas they should focus PEF funding on for the coming year. By doing this at an event when 90% of parents were in attendance for Progress Meetings in March 2019, the majority of parental views could be captured. This information has been used to inform planning for 2019-20.

A wide range of interventions were implemented as part of the fund. In 2018-19, these mainly focused around literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, however interventions also covered family support and engagement, teacher skills development, widening access to the curriculum, digital literacy and resources. An overview of interventions was shared with headteachers to support collegiate working. In 2018-19 in Stirling, literacy was the strongest focus, with 96% of schools implementing at least one literacy intervention in comparison to 80% of schools with at least one intervention targeting numeracy. Health and wellbeing was also a key area for 76% of schools.

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There has been strategic planning within and across learning communities to consider best use of resources. Three primary schools in St Modan’s Learning Community appointed a Health and Wellbeing Officer to be shared across the schools. All Bannockburn Learning Community schools continued to employ Health and Wellbeing Officers, jointly formulating a job description and conducting interviews before appointing successful candidates. High levels of interest in Read Write Inc. and Fresh Start approaches to literacy resulted in training being arranged centrally, ensuring best value for money. Similarly, Reflective Reading training has been procured centrally in 2018-19. Interest in Talk for Writing approaches has led to centrally organised professional learning being arranged in session 2019-20. PEF funding was used for staffing, supporting professional learning, resources and for specific programmes and interventions. This included procurement of services beyond Stirling Council including mental health services, sports co-ordinators and speech and language therapy services. Additional staffing included the appointment of Health and Wellbeing Officers, Family Link Workers, Inclusion Support Workers, Reading Ambassadors, Support for Learning Assistants and provision of additional leadership opportunities including Principal Teachers.

Role Number

Inclusion Support Worker 4

Health and Wellbeing Officer 5

Family Support Worker 5

Reading Ambassador 2

Principal Teacher (PT element) 6

Wider Achievement Co-ordinator 1

Appointment of an additional 6 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) teaching staff and 15 FTE Support for Learning Assistants was also a feature, with a focus on providing targeted literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing support.

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Interventions for Equity: Progress and Outcomes A wide range of interventions have been implemented across schools with reports of improved outcomes in many areas. In general terms, schools have reported through their Standards and Quality Reports that interventions have had a positive impact on attainment levels, attendance, exclusions, participation rates, parental engagement, confidence, consistency of teaching approaches and understanding of the impact of the poverty-related attainment gap. Whilst there is no doubt that school Standards and Quality Reports describe improved outcomes in a range of areas, attributing this solely to Pupil Equity Funding is much more complex. PEF interventions are part of the School Improvement Planning process and so are part of a package of supports which are impacting positively on pupil outcomes. Due to variations across schools in data collection and evidence used, identifying trends may not yet be reliable.

Targeted Approaches to Literacy Literacy interventions in 44 schools supported targeted groups of young people to improve reading, writing and phonics skills. In broad terms, schools which implemented new literacy approaches reported improved phonological awareness, increased vocabulary, increased consistency in teaching, and greater engagement and enjoyment from pupils involved. Examples of literacy interventions included Read Write Inc. and Fresh Start phonics programmes, Accelerated Reader programme; Reflective Reading approaches; interventions to increase levels of reading engagement; and targeted individual and small group work. Cross-school work involving Wallace High School English teachers working collaboratively with primary colleagues in Cornton, Fallin and Raploch primary schools helped bridge skills development in writing and support smooth transitions. Cornton Primary School adopted this approach and reported a 22% increase in children achieving second level by the end of Primary 7 compared to session 2016-17. Following work with the secondary teacher, five P7 pupils from Raploch Primary School who took part in a debating module with a secondary teacher volunteered for the debating competition at Wallace High School, debating against S1 and S2 pupils.

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Read Write Inc. phonics approaches were adopted by more than 20 primary schools. All reported an increase in children in Primary 1 achieving Early Level in reading and writing. Although initially a universal approach, training of Support for Learning Assistants has led to targeted support for individuals and groups. Evaluations indicate there are fewer children now requiring this targeted support, indication of a reduction in the gap. A number of schools are now using this approach up to Primary 3, with one school reporting an increase of 38% in P3 reading attainment since the previous session. Improvements are also noted in spelling of children involved in Read Write Inc., for example Strathblane Primary School reporting a reduction from 17% to 9% of children achieving a standardised score of below 85 and an increase from 10% to 27% achieving standardised scores above 115. The ‘Fresh Start’ phonics-based programme has also been reported to be successful in raising attainment and reducing the poverty-related attainment gap. This is a targeted programme intended for children in P5-7 who are not yet confident, fluent readers. Bridge of Allan Primary School reported an increase of between 30% and 50% of children ‘on track’ to achieve expected levels following introduction of this targeted intervention. Children involved in the programme demonstrated an increase of at least two levels over the course of the intervention, a significant acceleration in progress. Allan’s Primary School, Callander Primary School, Cornton Primary School, Cowie Primary School and St Marys Primary School worked with Speech and Language Therapists in a range of ways, including Focusing on Communication and Learning (FOCAL) and Word Aware approaches. This included training for staff, collaboration in delivery of the programmes and individual and small group work with children. At Cowie Primary School, the use of Makaton throughout the school has developed a more inclusive communication environment for all learners, resulting in the school gaining a Bronze Communication Environment Award. Teaching Children to Listen (TCTL) interventions implemented across the school have led to improved listening skills based on TCTL observation assessments, with most children demonstrating the key skills for good listening consistently. Following introduction of the visual Colourful Semantics approach in P1-3 classes, there has been an improvement in children’s written language skills. One secondary school and three primaries implemented an Accelerated Reader programme. Deanston Primary School reported that all children who participated in the programme reported an increase in reading enjoyment and confidence. 82% of children involved demonstrated improved standardised reading scores and there was a 20% increase in children achieving both first and second level reading. Following staff training, a Talk 4 Writing approach was introduced at Callander Primary School. This approach enables children to imitate the language they need for a particular topic orally, before reading and analysing it, and then writing their own version. Whilst this has led to an overall increase in reading attainment, the approach has had the biggest impact on children who previously found writing challenging. A number of schools have used digital technologies to support targeted literacy interventions. At Stirling High School, the Reading Wise programme has been used to support decoding and comprehension skills. Almost all young people involved have demonstrated a significant increase in reading age from pre-intervention levels. One secondary school and three primaries introduced an Accelerated Reader programme. Strathyre Primary School reported that of the group of children involved, there was an increase in reading age of between one and three years. There was an increase of 29% of children in Primary 7 achieving second level reading. St Modan’s High School reported that there was also an increase in ability to apply the reading skills in different contexts. Almost all of the young people who participated were able to achieve National 3 Literacy by the end of the programme.

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Targeted Approaches to Numeracy Numeracy interventions and approaches were identified across 37 of the schools in 2018-19, an increase from 25 in session 2017-18. As was the case for literacy interventions, a wide range of impacts and measures were proposed by schools to support the implementation of these approaches and establish impact. Numeracy interventions included implementation of Maths Recovery and Number Talks approaches, outdoor learning in numeracy, a range of digital approaches to improving numeracy and introduction of a range of new resources, e.g. Numicon to support understanding. A number of these approaches specifically focused on increasing levels of parental engagement and involvement in learning in numeracy. Interventions designed to improve confidence, reduce anxiety and address mindset in relation to numeracy were introduced. There was a focus on metacognitive approaches in many of the interventions, encouraging use of a range of strategies and in being able to explain reasoning. Schools report that children in target groups have had an increased rate of progress, more prolonged engagement in learning, increased confidence and more positive attitudes towards numeracy. A number of schools worked with parents on numeracy strategies to support their children. St Mary’s RC Primary School held a “Come Learn with Me” event, where 85% of children were represented by a family member. Individual parents have also benefited from one to one support from a teacher showing how they can best support their children at home with numeracy. Practical materials have also been provided to enable parents and children to work together on home learning tasks. The creation of number sacks and parent workshops at Bridge of Allan Primary School has seen an increase in pupil confidence and attainment by almost all pupils. Children’s class work demonstrates that they are achieving almost all individualised targets on a weekly basis and pace of progress has been accelerated. Some schools used PEF for additional staffing to work with identified groups of children on developing numeracy. Maths Recovery sessions at Doune Primary School have enabled pupils to improve their conceptual understanding of number processes and make increased progress in relation to attainment. At Dunblane Primary School, 43% of children involved in targeted support no longer require small group intervention, the attainment gap having closed. The remaining 57% have made considerable gains from previous attainment. Targeted additional teacher support in numeracy at St Modan’s High School resulted in pupils reporting increased confidence in numeracy. Almost all pupils said they liked working in a smaller group and the pace of learning suited them better. A marked improvement in pupils’ ability to tackle numeracy problems was reported by their numeracy teacher. Also at St Modan’s High School, Sumdog software was made available to an identified group of S1 and S2 pupils. 95% of those involved improved by at least half a numeracy level from their initial assessment and 80% were able to answer like for like questions more rapidly than before the intervention.

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A ‘Number Talks’ approach has been introduced by 5 primary schools. An increase to 84% of pupils achieving expected levels in P1, 4 and 7 was reported at Callander Primary School. Teachers observed deeper understanding of solving problems by pupils as well as the range of strategies being used increasing. Pupil feedback has also been very positive. “I’m getting better at adding bigger numbers. Number Talks has helped give me the strategies to do this more confidently.” Staff training in mathematical mindsets and subsequent targeted work with children in P4-7 at Buchlyvie Primary School has resulted in an improvement in standardised scores of 69% of the target group.

Health and Wellbeing Overall, approaches to health and wellbeing, in particular social and emotional wellbeing were widespread, with 76% of schools identifying at least one intervention. Positive health and wellbeing was identified in many plans as critical in that it provided the foundation for learning and improved attainment. This included addressing social and emotional needs, to ensure that children were able to attend school, enjoy school and engage with learning. Interventions were varied in nature and included nurture, provision of access to counselling services, music therapy, outdoor learning, breakfast and lunchtime clubs and staff and pupil training in mental health. Outcomes related to an increased understanding by staff of a range of topics and strategies, including nurturing approaches, resilience and the impact of adverse childhood experiences. Learner outcomes included improved relationships, engagement, resilience, attention and self-regulation. Encouraging engagement of families, including some of those hardest to reach was recognised as being challenging but of crucial importance in the longer term. Approaches have included shared family learning sessions, developing positive relationships with Family Link Workers and signposting and support to access wider services for health and financial support. A close link between positive health and wellbeing and good attendance at school was identified, with interventions implemented relating to improving attendance.

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Twelve schools continued to use additional funding to employ Family Link Workers or Health and Wellbeing Officers, with different titles but shared goals, including improving attendance levels and timekeeping, increasing levels of parental engagement, improving engagement in learning and providing alternative curricular opportunities. Cornton Primary School reported that of 30 families supported by their Home School Link Worker, the majority of children have achieved personal targets based on social skills and wellbeing. There have also been increased levels of communication with parents and a reduction in authorised absences. A number of parents not previously involved in school events have now engaged in shared learning experiences. At Cowie Primary school, there has been an increase in family attendance at school events, with most parents/carers now attending at least one event. There has also been an increase in parent volunteers regularly supporting the school and improved partnerships with external agencies to signpost support for families. A range of approaches to improving attendance and timekeeping have included assistance with transport to school, “soft-start” on arrival, an “Early Bird” club and increasing motivation to attend through provision of alternative curricular experiences. Home Link Workers have also supported families in the home environment including helping families to establish routines to support improved attendance and facilitating solution-based planning. Allan’s Primary School organised and subsidised a Breakfast Club to ensure that children from deciles 1 -3 would be able to have access to a free breakfast. Most children from deciles 1-4 now attend the Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club has also improved children’s punctuality. Teachers analysed changes in children’s readiness to learn as a result of this intervention. 90% of the children reported that having breakfast each day in the Breakfast Club helped them focus and concentrate better. Teachers also reported an improvement of 75% in their readiness to learn. “I love going to the Breakfast Club because I get my breakfast and I can sit and chat to my friends and the SLA. If I am worried about anything, I know that I can talk to someone before I start school” - P4 learner. Counselling services were provided in 7 schools. At Fallin Primary School, 100% of parents whose children received this support reported positive change in their child. 87% described their child as happier attending school, more settled at home and more positive about the future. 100% of teachers reported positive change. 89% of children involved described themselves as having more confidence to discuss their thoughts and feelings with others as well as feeling happier and more included both at home and at school. St Margaret’s RC Primary School, who offered counselling support reported an increase of more than 2 points in the Warwick assessment scale for all those who were involved in counselling. A mental health lead and counselling-type support at Wallace High School has led to 24 pupils involved in the Oxford University Myriad project accessing ongoing mental health counselling throughout the session via weekly sessions. This resulted in all pupils involved learning coping strategies which supported sustained attendance and achievement in final SQA examinations. All pupils supported in this way achieved final SQA awards. Health and Wellbeing Officers in some secondary schools have established community partnerships and links with local businesses in order to facilitate and support work placements for young people, as well as supporting learning in different environments out-with school.

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Partnerships with third sector organisations have had a positive impact, for example school-based staff working with Save the Children organisation to deliver the “Families Connect” programme. Following the success of a pilot programme, this has now been rolled out in seven primary schools, with very positive feedback from families and a high retention rate. Increases in children’s vocabulary and in parental confidence in understanding of key strategies to support children’s learning have been reported by all schools taking part.

A significant amount of PEF funding has been used to improve teaching and leadership skills of staff, develop knowledge and understanding of the effect of poverty on attainment and increase confidence in using data and research to inform practice. This will last beyond a period of funding. Likewise, resources purchased to support learning are now available. Interventions which involve additional resources, including staffing, are less likely to be sustainable without increased funding.

Widening Opportunities A number of schools used a portion of their PEF on increasing levels of access to a range of opportunities for achievement. This included provision of a wider range of lunchtime and after school clubs which were free of charge. Children identified as having been impacted by poverty or disadvantage were prioritised for these groups. Schools have reported that this has increased engagement and participation and improved self-esteem. In some cases, these groups have provided the opportunity for involvement in accredited awards including Hi5 Awards from Youth Scotland, JASS Award and Saltire Awards. Borestone Primary School employed an ASPIRE (Achieve, Succeed, Persevere, Include, Respect, Engage) Ambassador to widen opportunities for achievement. 13 pupils achieved Level 1 Bikeability and a further 7 achieved Levels 1 and 2. This included bike maintenance, importance of safety clothing and bike control. 2 of this group were previously non-riders at the start of the sessions. 25 pupils from P2-P6 attended homework club across the year, positively impacting on self-esteem and increasing hand-in rates in the classroom. 8 pupils completed JASS Gold Awards, demonstrating skills across fitness, hobbies, adventure and community. Pupil feedback on learning reflected increased perseverance and engagement, “I learned not to give up;” “I improved my confidence and can try new things.” 21 pupils volunteered to be Health and Wellbeing Ambassadors and were involved in leading learning with their peers.

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Following identification of gaps in levels of participation in wider achievement opportunities, funding was used to support provision of a broad range of lunchtime and after school groups in several schools. Positive impact on self-esteem and engagement in learning was reported. This has included opportunities including Book Club, Zumba, Lego Club and a range of sports at East Plean Primary school, with 76% of pupils attending at least one opportunity. St Mary’s Primary School provided cookery, football, gymnastics and athletics club following consultation with children about their interests. Balfron High School provided bespoke support dependant on barriers e.g. provision of kit to ensure young people were able to participate in a range of opportunities. This resulted in a 30% increase in participation for the target group.

Stirling High School’s Wider Achievement Programme group, supported by their Inclusion Support Worker have had increased attendance and participation whilst also gaining accreditation from a number of opportunities including SQA Cycle Maintenance, National Lifeskills Award, Heat Start, NICAS Climbing Award and John Muir Award. Similarly at Bannockburn High School, Health and Wellbeing Support Officers have supported work experience placements as well as school based activities and family events including a family cook-a-long session. PEF funding has continued to support the School of Sport programme at Wallace High School, which includes targeted places for children who live in SIMD deciles 1 & 2, pupils with mental health issues and those who require support to manage their behaviour. Participation in the programme increased to include 252 pupils from S1-3 with 20% of these targeted for support from decile 1 and 2 communities. Plans are to further increase participation of pupils living in deciles 1 & 2 by 5 to 7% in the coming session. Funding has supported travel and kit for these pupils and resulted in only 1 exclusion for a School of Sport pupil. This programme, combined with other interventions has supported a 3 year decline in exclusions and sustained improvement in attendance.

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A number of interventions were designed to reduce inequity relating to costs of uniform, excursions, access to technologies and covering costs of curricular opportunities in secondary schools. The cost of excursions has been covered or subsidised in many schools for identified children, ensuring that this is not a barrier to their participation.

Engagement in Learning Engagement in learning was a barrier identified by a number of schools, particularly at early level, with play-based learning approaches identified as an effective intervention based on research findings. Reports are that this approach has increased engagement and motivation as well as smoothing transition from nursery to Primary 1.Riverside Primary School and Our Lady’s RC Primary School employed an Early Childhood Educator to enhance transition and support increasingly play-based learning approaches. Borestone Primary School used the Leuven Scale of involvement to measure impact of this change of approach, with an improvement noted for all learners and an average of an increase of 2 points on the scale. Balfron High School also identified engagement as a difficulty for an identified group of young people. Children worked with the Teacher of Equity to create their own driver diagram, mapping out their key targets for the year and identifying factors which would support them to achieve this aim. They met with staff for a coaching session on a weekly basis and reflected on tracking reports from class teachers as well as self-reporting progress. There has been an improvement of around 80% in half of the subjects tracked with some pupils now consistently demonstrating 4 or 5 on the 5 point scale of engagement (5=Excellent, no intervention required) for more than 50% of their subjects.100% of the target group had shown improvement by the end of the session. The addition of another Principal Teacher to the Pupil Support Team at Bannockburn High School has enabled provision of more bespoke, flexible timetables for young people experiencing social and emotional difficulties. The appointment of an additional ASN Support teacher at St Modan’s High School has led to increased partnerships with local employers. This in turn has increased opportunities for young people to gain employment and work experience. Younger learners have had broader curricular options including plumbing, engineering, construction and design. As a result, more young people have gained vocational qualifications than ever before.

Sustainability A significant amount of PEF funding has been used to improve teaching and leadership skills of staff, building capacity for continuous improvement. A range of professional learning opportunities have helped to develop knowledge and understanding of the effect of poverty on attainment and opportunity. Developing skills in effective use of data in relation to identifying equity-related gaps is already having a positive impact beyond PEF planning. Resources purchased to support learning are now available. Whilst PEF is undoubtedly building capacity in schools, interventions which involve additional resources, including staffing, are less likely to be sustainable without increased funding.

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Attainment Trends Stirling’s attainment in relation to Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (ACEL) in P1, P4, P7 and S1 is above national average in all areas. Whilst attainment of children who live in Quintile 5 is higher than national average, attainment of children who live in Quintile 1 is lower than national average in some areas, resulting in an attainment gap. Analysis of the poverty-related attainment gap has been undertaken using ACEL data from teacher judgement over the last four years. This demonstrates that whilst the gap has reduced in some areas, in others it has not yet. This information helps us to plan future improvement activity. Key Findings 2018/19:

• Analysis of data from Chart 1 shows that pupils from the least deprived areas continue to perform better than pupils from the most deprived areas at all stages across literacy and numeracy. Performance tends to increase as deprivation levels decrease although there are a few exceptions in Stirling. This is the case in P4 Reading Quintile 5, Writing Quintile 2 and Quintile 5, Listening and Talking Quintile 2 and Quintile and Numeracy Quintile 5. In Primary 7 this was the case for Writing at Quintile 3.

• In Primary 1, the attainment gap is biggest in writing but for all other stages, the gap is biggest in numeracy. Listening and talking has the smallest gap across all stages.

• The poverty related attainment gap in Primary 4 has decreased in all areas of literacy and numeracy with attainment of children in Quintile 1 increasing.

• In Primary 7, there has been a slight reduction in the gap in all areas of literacy.

• In S3, whilst there were some increases in the attainment gap in the last year, the overall gap in numeracy has reduced by 8% since 2016.

As a result of these continuing variations, further focused work is planned to more consistently narrow the gap. This includes targeted interventions supported by PEF and increased use of data for improvement in this area. All schools have now been provided with a broader data set which includes analysis of the gap at school level in relation to SIMD and FSM (Free School Meals) to support targeting of interventions and planning for improvement.

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Stirling Percentage of Pupils achieving level or better by SIMD, 2018-19 Chart 1

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Reading Writing L and T Numeracy

68% 62% 73% 72%

97% 93% 96% 97%

P1

Q1 Q5

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Reading Writing L and T Numeracy

67% 67% 86% 67%

86% 84%96%

86%

P4

Q1 Q5

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Stirling Attendance by Quintile, 2018-19 Whilst overall attendance in Stirling schools is above national average at 95.1% in primary and 91.7% in secodary, there is still a gap between Quintile 1 and Quintile 5 attendance. Stirling Schools who have implemented targeted interventions to address attendance have reported success in improving attendance of the target group. A tool has been developed to support schools in analysing attendance data in relation to equity. This has been well received and will enable targeting of support and monitoring of progress. We will continue to analyse attendance data to ensure the gap is narrowing.

91.4% 94.0% 95.2% 96.2% 96.6%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

Primary

%

Primary Attendance by Quintile for 2018-19

85.7% 89.0% 91.9% 92.6% 94.6%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

Secondary

%

Secondary Attendance by Quintile for 2018-19

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Summary The impact of interventions is reported on in schools’ Standards and Quality Reports. Since interventions and outcomes measures vary across schools, overall impact is a complex picture, however in summary reports indicate:

• Accelerated pace of progress and increased attainment in literacy and numeracy of children receiving targeted support.

• Increased levels of reading engagement following interventions including use of technologies for support, access to a broader range of reading materials and paired reading approaches.

• Improvements in learner confidence, ability to solve problems, use of a range of strategies and understanding of concepts in numeracy.

• Improved attendance, reduced late arrivals at school and fewer unauthorised absences due to the support of school-based family link staff. This intervention has also led to improved communication with school, increased confidence of parents and greater engagement in family learning opportunities.

• Health and wellbeing interventions have led to increased levels of engagement in learning, reduced anxiety and improvements in self-esteem, confidence, resilience and ability to self-regulate.

• Provision of a range of wider curricular opportunities have resulted in increased levels of engagement, participation and readiness to learn. This has included increased access to accredited award including Hi5 and JASS (Junior Award Scheme for Schools).

Additional funding from PEF alongside School Improvement Planning activities supports a package of interventions which are making a positive difference to outcomes for children and young people in Stirling. The extent to which these improvements can be attributed entirely to PEF is more complex to evaluate due to the variety of interventions and range of impact measures at this time. A sketchnote overview of PEF in Stirling in 2018-19 is included in Appendix 3.

Next Steps • Continue to monitor the impact of interventions, sharing success about those which demonstrate

most impact. • Implement and evaluate Data Coaches and Data Champions programme to empower practitioners. • Make data relating to the poverty related attainment gap in individual schools more accessible

through updated school profiles. • Further support schools in measuring and reporting on impact of interventions. • Implement new approach to procurement for therapeutic interventions and external CLPL.

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PEF Spend Analysis 2018-19

School 2017/18 PEF Carry Forward

2018/19 PEF Allocation

2018/19 PEF Expenditure (inc any 17/18 c/f)

Total PEF carry fwd (as at 31/3/19)

Cumulative % Spend

% Carry Forward

Aberfoyle Primary School £4,534 £10,800 14290 £1,044 93% 7%

Allan's Primary School £5,010 £18,360 28985 -£5,615 124% -24%

Balfron Primary School £2,247 £14,400 12443 £3,004 81% 19%

Bannockburn Primary School £29,449 £69,600 72060 £26,988 73% 27%

Borestone Primary School £9,899 £147,600 76679 £80,820 49% 51%

Braehead Primary School £9,275 £37,800 31539 £15,537 67% 33%

Bridge Of Allan Primary £1,068 £20,400 15614 £5,854 73% 27%

Buchanan Primary School £3,219 £0 3219 £0 100% 0%

Buchlyvie Primary School £5,536 £7,560 12564 £532 96% 4%

Callander Primary School £2,119 £25,200 19750 £7,569 72% 28%

Cambusbarron Primary School £5,932 £21,600 26236 £1,295 95% 5%

Cornton Primary School £25,719 £58,800 59662 £24,857 71% 29%

Cowie Primary School £42,749 £47,520 83583 £6,686 93% 7%

Crianlarich Primary School £3,780 £8,640 6267 £6,153 50% 50%

Deanston Primary School £2,344 £13,200 13378 £2,166 86% 14%

Doune Primary School £3,137 £22,800 19420 £6,518 75% 25%

Drymen Primary School £2,531 £9,600 8687 £3,444 72% 28%

Dunblane Primary School £8,456 £18,000 20147 £6,308 76% 24%

East Plean Primary School £29,749 £60,000 75211 £14,538 84% 16%

Fallin Primary School £34,987 £63,600 88878 £9,709 90% 10%

Fintry Primary School £795 £4,800 2932 £2,663 52% 48%

Gargunnock Primary School £559 £2,400 2336 £623 79% 21%

Gartmore Primary School £909 £3,600 4181 £327 93% 7%

Killearn Primary School £1,059 £3,600 4817 -£158 103% -3%

Killin Primary School £76 £13,200 14026 -£750 106% -6%

Kincardine-in-Menteith Primary School £622 £3,600 1621 £2,601 38% 62%

Kippen Primary School £5,314 £9,720 14080 £953 94% 6%

Newton Primary School £268 £3,240 2847 £661 81% 19%

Our Lady's RC Primary School £13,100 £31,200 44798 -£498 101% -1%

Port of Menteith Primary School £0 £0 0 £0 100% 0%

Raploch Primary School £73,534 £94,800 136029 £28,705 83% 17%

Riverside Primary School £9,786 £73,200 87394 -£4,408 105% -5%

Appendix 1

School 2017/18 PEF Carry Forward

2018/19 PEF Allocation

2018/19 PEF Expenditure (inc any 17/18 c/f)

Total PEF carry fwd (as at 31/3/19)

Cumulative % Spend

% Carry Forward

St Margaret's RC Primary £13,497 £30,000 28712 £13,586 68% 32% St Mary's Episcopal Primary School £166 £1,080 1157 £89 93% 7%

St Mary's RC Primary School £18,062 £48,600 76710 -£10,047 115% -15%

St Ninian's Primary School £22,453 £64,800 74970 £11,083 87% 13% Strathblane Primary School £73 £9,720 9703 £90 99% 1%

Strathyre Primary School -£1,691 £6,000 3190 £1,119 74% 26%

Thornhill Primary School £835 £4,800 3882 £1,753 69% 31%

Balfron High School £12,429 £21,600 24604 £9,425 72% 28%

Bannockburn High School £50,876 £56,160 85521 £19,115 82% 18%

Dunblane High School -£1,583 £10,800 9387 -£170 102% -2%

McLaren High School £9,822 £30,240 30455 £9,607 76% 24%

St Modan's High School £51,064 £75,600 84049 £42,614 66% 34%

Stirling High School £16,715 £57,600 75408 -£2,292 103% -3%

Wallace High School £25,671 £116,400 138176 £1,495 99% 1%

Castleview School £5,301 £31,200 33559 £2,942 92% 8%

Inclusion Support Service £0 £0 13200 £0 100% 0%

Total £561,451 £1,483,440 £1,696,356 £348,535 83% 17%

Raising Attainment Champions Fund – Project Overview

School RA Focus Project Title Project summary Dunblane PS Literacy Project Super

Sounders This project aims to increase the confidence and enthusiasm in literacy, specifically phonics, through a range of exciting and creative interventions. Through a secure knowledge of single sounds the target group will be able to read and write CVC words.

Kincardine in Menteith PS

Literacy Super Spellers Focus of project: Raising attainment in literacy with a focus on Spelling in P5-7 with a targeted group. The aim of this project is to raise attainment in spelling in a targeted group of P5-7 pupils with a focus on phonics and spelling rules

Braehead PS Literacy Raising Attainment in Reading

The project will provide the children with 3 intense teaching sessions per week. Parents will be invited to participate in the project along with their child and will attend a workshop on how to support them. A phonic and key word pack will be created to use both in class, at home and with a peer tutor (P6 pupils)

Borestone PS Literacy Read for Life The focus of this project is to raise attainment in literacy, more specifically reading, to increase enthusiasm, engagement and confidence in reading and to improve parental engagement via shared learning opportunities for children in Primary 3 through targeted interventions.

Cambusbarron PS

Literacy Inspiring the Writer’s Voice

This project intends to raise the attainment of literacy by increasing pupil motivation and engagement for writing and through the development of the writer’s voice.

Hillview Nursery

Literacy Literacy Together The focus of the project will be on raising attainment in literacy, with a specific focus on closing the poverty related attainment gap. The project will have limited impact on children’s outcomes if the focus is solely on the learning and teaching of literacy within the nursery. Another significant focus will therefore be on promoting and supporting home learning.

Allans PS Literacy Allan’s Primary Book Bunch

The project aim is to improve motivation, engagement and performance in reading. It is designed for a group of 4 learners from P4&5, focusing on increasing motivation and confidence in reading, with the longer aim of raising engagement and improving comprehension and accuracy when engaging with texts of their own choosing.

Deanston PS Literacy Raising attainment in spelling

To raise attainment in spelling for target group of by 6 months in 12 weeks through a targeted approach including the use of Nessy Spelling.

Gartmore PS Numeracy Gartmore Counts The focus of the project is to improve attitudes in Numeracy leading to increased engagement and achievement of expected level or above for a targeted group. This will be achieved by implementing the Singapore teaching methods using the resource Maths No Problem.

Kippen PS Literacy Once Upon a Dandelion

The project aims to raise attainment and improve attitudes to reading for a small group of P3 learners.

Newton PS Literacy Numeracy Ninjas The project aims to raise the confidence and ability in Numeracy of 8 identified Primary 5 children who have not yet achieved First Level benchmarks in Number and Number Processes, to achieving 90% of these targets by May 2019.

Raploch Nursery

Literacy Closing the Literacy Equity Gap

The project focus is to equip children with the necessary literacy and communication skills to embrace future learning opportunities and succeed in life. Part 1: Creating an enriched and inviting literacy environment Part 2: Family lending library Part 3: Targeted intervention groups Part 4: Home link resources Part 5: EAL

St Ninians PS Literacy The First Writers Club

This project is a literacy based intervention focusing on writing skills and attainment for a group of 10 children in Primary 5. The project will focus on using strategies from the Talk to Writing approach which emphasises three methods, imitation where children will discuss and pick apart stories, innovation where children will create their own versions of existing stories and invention where the children are supported by teachers to create their own stories.

St Ninians PS Numeracy Number Munchers The focus of the project is to increase engagement of parents by encouraging them in to the school where they will develop skills to support children with their numeracy learning. They will do this in an informal way while having lunch with their child. A target group of approximately 6-8 children from between the two Primary 6 classes has been identified.

Strathyre PS Numeracy Targets and Tutoring The project aims improve an identified group of P4 pupils’ confidence in numeracy and raise their achievement within numeracy to at least First Level 2 by June 2019.

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Review of Pupil Equity Fund Report Date Lead Officers(s) Produced October 2019 Gillian Robertson, Team Leader, Excellence

& Equity Review October 2020