Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: case study research 2025
This qualitative research was designed to provide more detailed insight into the experiences and perceptions of staff working in (or with) the case study schools in relation to the implementation and impact of the Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF), to complement the quantitative data gathered in the school survey.
Footnotes
1 The Attainment Scotland Fund Evaluation, School Survey Report, 2025
2 The Attainment Scotland Fund Evaluation, School Survey Report, 2025
3 Scottish Indices of Multiple Deprivation.
4 These groupings were used in the School Survey to provide a broad spread across the sample while ensuring sufficient sub-group base sizes for analysis. The same broad categories were used for the qualitative sampling.
5 Scottish Attainment Challenge funding previously allocated funding to nine local authorities with the highest levels of deprivation. In 2022 the Scottish Government replaced the Challenge Authority model with the new Strategic Equity Funding model, including all local authorities.
6 For more information about MCR Pathways mentoring programme visit their website MCR Pathways
7 In this school, a whole-school approach was taken because of the high proportion of pupils living in deprived areas. The demographic profile of pupils in terms of minority ethnic communities was said to be related to poverty – while the introduction of an anti-racism club was not directly related to addressing the impacts of poverty, the idea behind this approach was to raise aspirations and engagement generally, and tackling racism was identified as one way to do this.
8For more information about the Education Scotland Equity Toolkit visit the website - Education Scotland Equity Toolkit
9 For information about the Education Endowment Foundation visit the website - Education Endowment Foundation
10 Participatory budgeting is a way for people to directly vote on how money should be spent. See for example the following resource from Education Scotland- Participatory Budgeting in Educational Establishments
11 Adverse Childhood Experiences.
12 For more information on Relax Kids visit the website - Relax Kids
13 For more information about Emotion Works visit the website - Emotion Works
14 For more information about Boxall Profiles visit the website - Boxall Profiles
15 For information about Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) visit the website - SAMH
16 For information about Columba 1400 visit the website - Columba 1400
17 For more information on Boxall Profiles please visit the website – Boxall Profile
18 For more information on the Glasgow Wellbeing Tracker please visit the website – Glasgow Motivation and Wellbeing Profile
19 For more information on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) please visit the website- SDQ
20 SHANARRI -Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included – please visit the website – SHANARRI
21 Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
Contact
Email: joanna.shedden@gov.scot