Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF) Evaluation Summative report, 2026

Annex 1: Evaluation Outputs

School Survey Report, 2025: presents the findings from a school survey in relation to the ASF, undertaken in spring 2025. The survey explored the views of a range of school-based staff on approaches, perceptions of impact of the ASF on the poverty-related attainment gap, and sustainability.

Case Study Report, 2025: presents qualitative case study research undertaken in 14 schools across Scotland in summer 2025 and published in November 2025. Provides more detailed insight into the experiences and perceptions of staff working in (or with) the case study schools as well as children, young people and parents/carers in relation to the implementation and impact of the ASF, to complement the quantitative data gathered in the School Survey.

Children and Young People’s Research Briefing 2025: brings together data gathered as part of the wider case study research on the perceptions and experiences of children and young people who participated in the study. Forty-five children and young people took part.

Attainment Scotland Fund Interim Evaluation, 2025: Key output of the ASF Evaluation Strategy 2022-26. Brings together both quantitative and qualitative evidence to provide learning on the implementation and impact of the ASF.

Reporting on National Improvement Framework attainment and health and wellbeing measures 2025: summarises evidence around improvement in attainment and health and wellbeing, and the gap between pupils from the most and least deprived areas. Draws on analysis of quantitative data based on the core measures for monitoring progress on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. This is the latest report in a series of annual reports. See Pupil attainment: closing the gap - Schools - gov.scot for further details.

Implementation and Impact report 2024: shares implementation and impact evaluation evidence since the SAC refresh in 2022, utilising quantitative evidence gathered via the SAC Local Authority Leads Survey 2024, and qualitative evidence gathered through national stakeholder interviews undertaken in 2024.

Thematic evaluation summary report 2024: provides a summary of three thematic aspects of evaluation from the first year of the revised ASF evaluation. It introduces the thematic evaluation strand and brings together the interconnections between the thematic areas of focus. The three individual thematic reports are also available at Pupil attainment: closing the gap - Schools - gov.scot.

Attainment Scotland Fund – Process Evaluation – Scottish Attainment Challenge: Local Authority Leads Survey Report 2022-2023: initial output of the revised ASF evaluation strategy reports on data gathered through a survey of SAC local authority leads to gain an understanding of the processes and early implementation of the refreshed ASF.