Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: case study research 2025

Research findings – impact

Impacts of the ASF

It is worth noting that there are some complexities in identifying impacts of the ASF as opposed to other, wider work ongoing in schools. Many respondents highlighted a range of other activities and funding that was being used, alongside PEF funding, and some found it difficult to say exactly which impacts could be attributed directly or solely to the ASF.

For example, most noted that additional fundraising by parent councils helped to ‘top up’ ASF-funded activities, that other grants/sources of funding had been sought out, and/or that some initiatives were only part-funded (e.g. many roles were part-PEF funded; PEF provided funding for staffing of some breakfast clubs, but the food itself was provided by a local business, etc.). While the research aimed to explore specific ASF impacts, the complex nature of some funding arrangements does present a challenge in attributing impact in the wider context of all that schools are delivering.

Equally, respondents noted that it was sometimes difficult to prove a specific intervention had a particular impact, particularly where the outcomes were not easily measured (see the previous section on data limitations).

“It’s just that not all [progress] is amenable to some of the hard measures. Having pupils here who would have left school, are in a position to attain when they previously wouldn’t be, is a positive. Having pupils not excluded from school, can I prove what bit did that? I’m not sure I can.” (Secondary headteacher, Accessible small town, <25% SIMD 1&2)

That said, respondents in all schools identified a range of impacts of the ASF and stressed that the funding had become crucial for them in supporting children and young people affected by poverty.

Impacts of the ASF on health and wellbeing and readiness to learn

Reflecting the key focus of most schools on readiness to learn, a lot of the reported impacts related to improvements in health and wellbeing and resilience, increased engagement in school and improved attendance – all crucial precursors to raising attainment. Respondents were clear that the ASF has had a positive impact on health and wellbeing: for example, one had scored ‘very good’ at an HMIE inspection for wellbeing and staff saw this as having been largely facilitated by PEF-funded staff and initiatives:

“We could not have got that [inspection rating] without the money from PEF and the Scottish Attainment Challenge.” (Secondary senior leader, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

In terms of readiness to learn, respondents were keen to stress that some pupils are coming to school without the very basics of breakfast and a parent/carer to get them to school; support such as breakfast clubs was therefore said to be crucial.

“Hungry children can’t learn… Being able to make sure we can feed every child that needs fed, is massive – massive. The impact of that cannot possibly be overstated… I think some do show up in the morning if they’ve not had anything to eat but they know they can get something here. Not being able to access that, would they come in at all?” (Secondary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Support with financial barriers/cost of the school day was also reported to have positive impacts, as it meant that pupils now had access to uniform, food, stationery and other resources they needed to be equipped to learn.

“I couldn’t tell you who’s not got the means and who has, because everybody just looks the same. They’ve got the same uniform, they’ve got whatever backpack… They’re here ready to learn, because of all that money and that opportunity that the school has given them so that they… and they’re fed, they’re ready to start their day.” (Secondary parent, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Pupils who took part in the case studies were also well aware of where/how to access support and resources at school, spontaneously noting that there were places they could go if they need anything:

“There's [resources] around the school in different classrooms, so there's like one classroom with like stationery, there's classrooms with just food in them, and there's classrooms with hygiene products that you can go and take, if you don't have them at your home.” (Secondary pupil, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

“Another good thing about the [wellbeing space] is that… let’s say you don't have enough money for lunch, there’s sometimes stuff there leftover from break. So therefore people who don't have enough money or anything at all, so they can come here and they can get one of them.” (Secondary pupil, Other urban, <25% SIMD 1&2)

Particularly for the schools which had prioritised health and wellbeing and nurture as the first step to improving attainment, improvements in readiness to learn were the key outcomes of ASF funding.

“It is how we use PEF to support the health and wellbeing so that we can then focus on learning and teaching. The health and wellbeing of the children and families in this school comes first. That needs to be nurtured and… that all needs to be in place before you can even think about your reading, your writing, your numeracy.” (Primary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

The primary school that had developed work to support the transition to P1 also noted that their play-based learning approach has been beneficial in ensuring that pupils are ready to start school, being more emotionally attuned to the school environment and more emotionally literate, which has eased the transition. These pupils were gradually introduced to reading, writing and maths materials when they were more settled and ready to do so.

Several case study schools gave examples of pupils being more willing to come to school for specific activities or to engage with specific staff members, particularly where targeted support had been put in place through nurture spaces etc. Teachers reported considerable improvements in engagement and attendance for individual pupils as a result of intensive nurture space provision.

“I do see a difference… Their ability to engage, the social skills that have developed. If we look at our youngest one with the level of violence that has come massively down. That would have just escalated and escalated if we didn’t have the provision… They weren’t at a place that they could engage in learning, engage in play, but now we have those opportunities.” (Primary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

“There was one girl whose attendance was zero, she was not in at all, and then she would access the wellbeing club just for an afternoon a week, and then it built up to every afternoon a week, and then she’s 100% in school and then she was 100% in her classes.” (Secondary teacher, Accessible small town, <25% SIMD 1&2)

Parents of both primary and secondary pupils were particularly positive about the benefits of nurture support for their children, as it met their specific needs. Without this provision, some parents said they did not believe their children would be at school at all, due to exclusion or refusal to attend.

“It's just such a great space for kids like ours, where they can, because sometimes they need noise, sometimes they need their little quiet space. Anything that they do need… it can get picked up on really quickly, and it's with all their trusted adults… Like, it's such a great space, where I couldn't have asked for anything more, really.” (Primary parent, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

There were also wider impacts on the rest of the school, as those pupils with the most disruptive behaviour were accessing support outside the classroom. One school also reported that exclusions have gone down (to below the local authority average) since individual pupils had access to this support.

“It doesn’t just impact the learners that are in nurture, it impacts the whole school because these children have got somewhere where they are getting that emotional support, the regulation… Children cannot learn in chaotic classrooms, so we need to have these supports in place so that the rest of the children can learn in a calm and safe environment… Everyone is benefiting.” (Primary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

“[Support base] is a resource for our most disengaged young people, it’s made a huge difference to the calm running of the school… It’s reduced things like violent incidents, exclusions, that sort of thing.” (Secondary headteacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Staff also reported that specific programmes focused on mental health (e.g. Relax Kids, Emotion Works etc.) have had a considerable impact on pupils’ ability to regulate their emotions. Pupils who had been involved in these activities also recognised the benefits for them:

“It just gives you time to think about things you sometimes don’t have time to at school and also speak to [name] about how you have been feeling.” (Primary pupil, Remote rural, <25% SIMD 1&2)

“‘Cause sometimes when, like… just general life is just too hard, you can just, you know, come here and then it’s, like, push it away. Like, pause it. And then when you've calmed down a bit, you can play…you can start playing again and it’ll be a bit better.” (Secondary pupil, Other urban, <25% SIMD 1&2)

Where more intensive support had been provided (e.g. a counsellor working one-to-one with pupils), staff and parents were very positive about the impact this has had on pupils’ mental health, and the counselling staff also mentioned the benefits of working together with teaching staff to support pupils.

“[My son], he's been having weekly sessions with [counsellor] for almost a year now, and what a huge difference it's made in many aspects of his life… He had very little self-confidence… He's now able to understand and manage his emotions with a better understanding as to why he experiences these feelings… [He] has actually become, like a stronger, and healthier version of his happy, wee self he used to be.” (Primary parent, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Pupils who had been involved in the peer support training with SAMH were also positive about the impacts of this. These S6 pupils were now running drop-in sessions at lunchtime, mainly accessed by younger pupils, and highlighted the benefits of having a space for people to get support and chat if they have any worries:

“Pupils can just drop in, we usually do little fun activities and we can just talk about mental health in a really like light, and just comfortable way. And I think that does help a lot of people with stress and stuff… I think it like lets people know that, ’cause we do a lot of like advertisement of it, like we speak about it at assemblies, and it's just nice for pupils to know that there is an option to go for support. Sometimes people don't want to go to adults and stuff, so to know that they can come and talk to other pupils is probably, you know, puts their mind at ease and stuff.” (Secondary pupil, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

At the school which had set up an anti-racism club as part of their wider approach to meeting specific pupil needs, pupils also said that this had helped them feel more safe and secure at school – which teachers hoped would translate into improved self-esteem and aspiration.

“There’s a lot of people who are like me in this club, who understand me, who I can talk to freely, because in my old school… there was barely any diversity in that school, any people of colour, so I just felt always out of place, but now that I’ve came here, I’ve came to this room and I’m part of this club, I just feel a lot more secure and safe.” (Secondary pupil, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Impacts of the ASF on attainment

Some schools reported positive impacts on attainment across the school, as evidenced by exam results or National Standardised Assessments (NSA) data, and linked this explicitly to the ASF. For example, one school had seen the proportion of S4 pupils achieving five National 5 qualifications increase significantly and attributed a substantial proportion of this improvement to the support provided by PEF.

“If you look at the point in time when PEF comes in, I think you start seeing actual big leaps.” (Secondary headteacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Others were slightly more cautious, reporting some improvements in attainment for pupils affected by poverty, but noting caveats to this, or reasons why greater improvement had not been achieved. For many, the focus was on progress for individuals or groups of pupils rather than a significant improvement for school-level attainment data, and several schools provided specific examples of improvements in attainment for individual pupils/cohorts over time.

“Overall our literacy and numeracy levels are on an upward trajectory and it’s just through having these people [support staff] in particular. People who would have been… adrift from the system, would never have got the attainment. We’re now working with them and able to get them something, so, yeah, it’s not drastic but it’s moving in that direction.” (Secondary headteacher, Remote small town, <25% SIMD 1&2)

“If you look at the trajectory of the school from 2020, attainment has improved quite significantly, which is great, and that’s for all learners.” (Primary headteacher, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Teachers also shared tracking data during case study visits which illustrated progress for specific pupils, for example:

“I taught this class P3, P4 and P7… We have managed to pull [NSA attainment data] up and it is because of having PEF and because of having people like [name] and what she can provide through nurture, the mainstream classes, if you like, are more settled so that the environment for learning is right and teachers can actually get to teaching and learning.” (Primary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

One primary case study school noted that while they had started with a ‘red, amber, green’ tracking system, there is no longer any need for a ‘red’ group as all pupils had moved to least ‘amber’ (68% of pupils were now on track for literacy, compared to 52% previously).

“So the reds became an amber group and it was really exciting for me to see these guys moving up, you know, their writing just absolutely took off.” (Primary teacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Evaluation of specific activities also suggested an impact on attainment for pupils who had been involved – for example, comparing attainment for pupils who had attended specific study support sessions compared to those who did not. Schools who had used PEF funding to buy specific resources or to fund specific interventions also tracked attainment for pupils using them – e.g. schools noted literacy/numeracy attainment had improved following the introduction of specific reading/Maths resources, or after targeted interventions had been delivered.

“So we can see now that we’ve got a clear pathway for our learners, we can track them, and a resource that is a really high standard resource… That was a big expense and without PEF we wouldn't have been able to buy that in. But that will then impact on our children as they move up through the school because we’ve now got a base.” (Primary headteacher, Accessible small town, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Linked to earlier findings about the reported limitations of data used to monitor progress, some respondents noted that while the school-level attainment data may not suggest improvements, outcomes for individual pupils could be transformational. Staff also emphasised that very small changes in attainment could represent a good outcome or huge progress for an individual pupil.

“We are seeing improvements in our data… [but] all our children have a story. It’s important for us to understand that story, to allow them to make progress… We’ve got lots of children that are not on track nationally, but have made amazing progress.” (Primary headteacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

“These are children and young people who… their families are maybe involved in, you know, drugs, alcohol, father’s in the jail… And this young person is now in sixth year… He’s achieved, and he’s absolutely breaking the cycle… because he came to every Saturday school, he came to every supported study… He built up real positive relationships with his teachers… And he’s got a university place.” (Secondary parent, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

These kinds of improvements often related to specific provision for pupils with the highest levels of need, through PEF-funded staff support and access to nurture/ other specific spaces:

“So, this girl, she didn’t attend school at all, first and second year. We managed to get her in a period every now and again, and that built up to, she got an A at Nat 5 English. She now attends full time in fifth year… Before [PEF], that kind of experience wouldn’t have happened, they would have been lost at fourth year.” (Secondary teacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Some pupils also reported that the support they had received had improved their educational attainment, for example intensive support in a dedicated space for those with the highest levels of need:

“[Wellbeing space] has helped me a lot with like Maths, English and that – because I used to never go to classes, but now I go to every one because [name] has taught me what to do in situations, he’s sat with me and done it with me, so I know what I’m doing now. He helps me with my spelling, my Maths – everything really. I do learning here and in class. I feel better now.” (Secondary pupil, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Pupils who had attended study support sessions or residential study weekends also reported the positive benefits of having additional one-to-one support from teachers, and a structured approach to studying which they would not otherwise have.

“I think the study weekend’s actually really good because we’re actually able to talk to the teachers, because teachers come with us, we’re actually having one-on-one with them, if we weren’t going we’d be by ourselves, going in blind and studying by ourselves”. (Secondary pupil, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

“If I don’t go on these study weekends or Easter schools I wouldn’t even study at all because I know myself, if I actually don’t get told to study or get supervised whilst studying, I won’t study because – I don’t know why, it’s just my brain’s like that. Also, if I’m studying myself… I’m going to find any excuse to finish the studying but if I actually do it with the school there’s teachers to help me out even if I’m struggling with anything, and that will just rule out every excuse.” (Secondary pupil, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

School staff also frequently noted that they would expect improvements seen in health and wellbeing, engagement and attendance would also feed through to improvements in attainment in the future.

“There are pupils that we had selected [for a leadership course]… They have the potential to go either way, they could get themselves into a lot of trouble or they could be really academic… They were selected for the programme and it makes them re-evaluate. So when they get themselves in situations in class... they could take a step back from it and de-escalate it themselves. So they're less likely to be in trouble and so therefore their academic success improves because they're more focused in class and they're not misbehaving.” (Secondary teacher, Other urban, 25-49% SIMD 1&2)

Even where improvements in attainment were not reported at the school level, some respondents did note better outcomes in terms of positive destinations for school leavers:

“Interestingly, our attainment isn't the best. Our positive destinations, about getting young people to sustain those, is higher than the [local authority] average…. I've just been looking at my caseload of my young people with a high tariff of need. And virtually every one has a destination to go to, because of the work we've done… It may not be, and again, it may not be kind of, raising attainment, but it's narrowing the gap in terms of successful outcomes for young people.” (Secondary senior leader, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Impacts of the ASF on the poverty-related attainment gap

When asked about whether the poverty-related attainment gap is closing as a result of the ASF, feedback was mixed. The most common response tended to be that some progress had been made, but that the issue was a complex, long-standing one and unlikely to be resolved purely as a result of the ASF.

Some respondents gave examples of the gap having closed – this was often the case for specific cohorts or specific groups of pupils who had received targeted support/interventions:

“Definitely this [NSA data], for a class teacher, is what you are using to help you inform your judgements. Where you are seeing pockets, right, we need to do something about this. Then you can see three years later, well, here it is, the gap is closed.” (Primary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

“We had an inspection not that long ago, and we made clear, and they picked up on it, and they commented very, very favourably, that the nature of our gap is significantly less. So, when you look at our gap between SIMD, again, quintiles one and five, and compare it to a virtual comparator between one and five, our gap is much less, much less.” (Secondary headteacher, Other urban, 25-49% SIMD 1&2)

“[A group of P7 pupils] benefited from that small group intervention… to give them that intensive support… to close the gap but also to close the gaps in their learning… after the effects of COVID, not being in school, etc. And they benefited probably the most because we were able to support that from Primary 4 up to Primary 6. And we were able to track those learners… By the time they finished they’d shown that they’d improved and caught up almost in some respects.” (Primary headteacher, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Some of the schools in the most deprived areas also said that since nearly all of their pupils were in the most deprived quintiles, there was no meaningful ‘gap’ to track, so they were focusing on whole-school approaches and tracking progress against a baseline, rather than closing the gap between groups of pupils specifically. Some also noted a need to be realistic about what progress looks like for individual children and that this will affect the likelihood of closing the gap:

“It’s realistic expectations as well as closing the poverty-related attainment gap because actually, to expect some children to be on track for their learning, you know, it is, I think, a challenge in certain situations… There needs to be realistic expectations of what progress looks like for children… So, what does progress look like for them, rather than are you meeting national expectations.” (Primary headteacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Respondents also noted that given the scale of the challenge, progress was likely to be fairly slow – but some were optimistic about longer-term trends, and that things were ‘going in the right direction’.

“We’re not leaving people behind but it’s, it is moving in the right direction, it’s maybe not closed as much as we might have liked it to but we’re working on it.” (Primary senior leader, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

However, others did not feel able to say the gap had closed, for various reasons. Some felt it is simply not possible to close the gap completely: they felt that the impacts of poverty are so entrenched, and so hard to combat, that there is a limit to what schools can achieve in this area. The challenges noted earlier in relation to parental engagement were often mentioned in this context, with respondents highlighting the difficulties in encouraging some parents/carers to get involved with supporting pupils at home (e.g. with reading/homework, as well as general engagement with school – see also the section on challenges and barriers to impact). Some noted that pupils are only in school for a certain amount of time and it is not possible to counter the effects of the external factors affecting children and young people outside of education.

“There’s 365 days in the year, 24 hours in the day we only actually see them for 17% of their lives in a year so it’s really difficult to make a massive difference when there’s so much deficit. We’re doing all of these things for those that need it, but there are parents paying for tutoring… they’re going to museums on a Saturday; we can’t compete with that.” (Secondary teacher, Accessible small town, <25% SIMD 1&2)

Where initiatives had been implemented across the whole school, some respondents noted that all pupils had seen improvements – i.e. the approaches were successful in raising attainment, but for all pupils, not just those living in the most deprived areas, so the gap had remained despite improvements overall.

“When you focus on raising attainment, everyone’s attainment raises, and rather than closing the gap, the gap is maintained. And in the most recent year, yeah, we can see the progress that children entitled to free meals are making, but the others are making that same progress.” (Secondary headteacher, Accessible small town, <25% SIMD 1&2)

It is also worth noting that the ASF funding has had positive secondary benefits for schools, as well as for the most deprived pupils that initiatives were targeting. For example, when those with the greatest need for support received targeted interventions from PEF-funded staff, other pupils benefited from the capacity this gave other teaching staff. Having specialist staff funded to deliver specific interventions was also noted as freeing up capacity of senior leadership to focus on broader strategy, improving processes etc. to help the school as a whole to function better – which has benefits for all pupils.

Impacts of the ASF on wider achievements/opportunities

Respondents at all schools stressed the importance of the ASF in allowing them to offer pupils experiences that they would not otherwise have access to. PEF had been used to fund various trips and events, which meant all children and young people could be included and join in, regardless of costs. Things like theatre trips, visits to museums and other educational experiences were described as being totally out of reach for the most deprived pupils and PEF funding had been used to fund or subsidise these activities. PEF funding had also provided staff resources which meant there was more capacity to offer such activities in some schools.

As well as being able to participate in trips and events, respondents stressed the importance of the wider experience for children and young people, e.g. getting a train or bus to a city, which some pupils had never done before. The most rural school gave the example of a pupil never having seen an escalator before they went on a school trip to a city.

Equity and inclusion was highlighted as a key benefit of such activities, ensuring that all pupils felt they could take part with their peers without having to worry about how it would be paid for.

“I think that is key, absolutely everybody feels included because everybody is given the same opportunity and there is not any disparity between them, no stigma attached. It was just that everybody is able to go and we will find a way to facilitate that.” (Primary teacher, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

For residential trips, respondents also pointed out that staying away from home was a new experience for many of their pupils living in the most deprived areas. These trips often involved outdoor activities and learning, which again respondents noted the most deprived children and young people had often not experienced before.

“Targeted young people were taken away for a full week’s residential because literally without that residential, they would never have that experience in their lives whatsoever. Away from their families… living on their own in independent living… Our teachers went up and delivered the curriculum… Just to have the experience of learning Maths and language and Science outdoors through their camping, through their outdoor education.” (Secondary headteacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

“Some of our Nurture kids going on a John Muir Award outing… That will be the only time those children will get out of school… and do something that is completely out of their comfort zone. And it could just be orienteering; it could be anything. That kid is going to remember that for the rest of their life… because they’ll never get that at home.” (Secondary teacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Some of the trips mentioned specifically focused on confidence building activities, and increased confidence and self-esteem were mentioned as impacts of these ASF-funded activities. Respondents reported that this increased confidence was then transferred back to the classroom, where pupils’ self belief was seen to have an impact on their attitudes and ambition in school.

“I know it's the Attainment Fund, but it goes beyond attainment. It goes on achieving, and it goes on development of the holistic young person… [The Duke of Edinburgh award] promotes the skills and resilience that we know has a direct impact on young people’s ability to deal with the resilience needed for, let's say hypothetically, a National 5 SQA Maths paper, that requires resilience. And those skills we need to build in young people, so that they can go to those exams.” (Secondary senior leader, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Pupils who took part in such activities also reported increased confidence as a result:

“I think [Columba 1400 has] given me the confidence to do stuff around school more, like, volunteer for doing awards nights and the dementia when people from the care homes came up. I helped with that. I also think it did help me talk to people better, ’cause I would never talk first before Columba. I would be really nervous. But now I just talk.” (Secondary pupil, Other urban, 25-49% SIMD 1&2)

“For the [study weekend including outdoor activities] you had to do climbing up high, so it takes a lot of confidence… It also helps you in an exam… you need to be confident, if you’re all nervous and all of that your brain isn’t going to work well… That really helped me this year.” (Secondary pupil, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Wider achievements and opportunities were also seen to be linked back to academic attainment: staff reported increased confidence and motivation, and greater likelihood of engaging in other activities, as well as pupils feeling more confident in asking for help, which impacts positively on academic achievements.

“If you look at some of the experiences that our young people are getting, and the achievements, and the recognition they're getting, that kind of, highlights the success of our PEF funding. Because, obviously, we do come from a more disadvantaged area, but our young people are just over-achieving, over-attaining, year on year, and it's getting better, and better.” (Secondary teacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

For the more rural schools, the poverty-related gap was seen to be less about attainment and more about access to experiences, wellbeing and general quality of life – the most remote rural school reported that the ASF has provided children with the opportunity to go on residential trips or do activities they would not otherwise have the opportunity to do, noting that isolation is a significant issue in areas where many pupils have never been out of their village.

“I do still think rurality is a huge factor, because you can have a high number of free school meals and be a city school, but you can walk to a museum or walk to a swimming pool… We can’t.” (Primary headteacher, Remote rural, <25% SIMD 1&2)

Secondary case study schools that had introduced specific programmes and new qualifications also said that these offered a wider curricular experience for pupils, and the courses offered provided wider opportunities beyond school – e.g. pupils who completed a barista training qualification went on to get part time jobs at coffee shops to help them at college or university. Staff at secondary schools were also likely to mention an impact in terms of development of ‘soft skills’ (leadership, teamwork, communication etc.) and how important these were for positive post-school destinations. For some, the types of courses and support provided were felt to offer a good ‘stepping stone’ for pupils who were not ready to move straight into work or further education.

“The barista qualification is not just selling coffee and making coffee, it’s about stocktaking, it’s about social skills, it’s going up and asking people their order… All of those things build up their resilience, their self-esteem about running a business, about what that looks like.” (Secondary parent, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

“I would say a major success has been our [vocational courses]… We have courses from S3 all the way up to our post school leavers… Themes could include hospitality, mechanics, there’s a range of typical industries… We find these course are great for confidence building. They also get a qualification out of it. Usually by the end of these courses these pupils are confident to return to school. Or it could be a follow up course when they are leaving school and it could lead to something like college or employment. For our leavers it’s a great stepping stone if they aren’t ready for work or education.” (Secondary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Factors contributing to impact

Some key themes emerged in discussions across the case study schools in terms of factors having the most impact on progress towards closing the poverty-related attainment gap.

The most common aspect highlighted was the importance of having dedicated ASF funding for additional staffing – having additional staff resource enabled schools to implement a range of supports, to meet what were described as ever-increasing needs (see also the section on sustainability).

“The learning assistant is the chunk of it [PEF], and they make the most significant difference. What I’ve found in the last five years is that they were able to, maybe three years ago, do lots of small group work with children who perhaps needed a wee push to get them over that attainment… you know, the line… But what we’ve found is that recently, because the level of need has increased with dysregulated children, learning assistants are really being responsible for one-to-one for children who need an extra adult with them. Because if they don’t have that, then we see other children being, you know, perhaps in unsafe situations or, you know, dysregulated learners who can very quickly disrupt a whole class.” (Primary headteacher, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

For some schools, this included being able to have staff focused specifically on engagement and attendance, as attendance was the main challenge in improving pupils’ attainment. Respondents highlighted the benefits of being able to fund posts such as pupil and family support workers, attendance officers and family learning staff to engage with families in order to achieve this.

“You’re not going to raise attainment if you can't raise attendance, you need to get the children into school otherwise they can't attain ’cause they’re not here.” (Secondary senior leader, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Linked to this, some respondents felt that work to provide support for the whole school community and building trust and good relationships with families was crucial, as it put the foundations in place for pupils to engage with school – this was the case particularly in schools in the most deprived areas where wider support had been put in place for families as well as pupils (some, although not all of which, was PEF-funded).

“It’s about looking at the child and the family together, and not just seeing the child in isolation, because actually it’s really important that we’re able to support and things at home and stuff as well and get the right support for that… It’s seeing that ultimately a child is bigger than just their education. So, we need to help with everything that goes along with that as well.” (Primary headteacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

For schools that had put in place supported study/wraparound support for pupils, this enhanced provision was the key factor that has had the most impact – as it has directly supported pupils to achieve qualifications and improve attainment.

“If we’re looking specifically at S4, 5 and 6 and actual scores on the doors attainment, that’s been because we have been able to provide a service for young people who live in a place like this that middle class people buy for their children.” (Secondary headteacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Other factors identified as contributing to impact were:

• School leadership: school staff and partner organisation staff noted the importance of having strong leadership, with headteachers providing direction and developing a supportive culture, as well as other senior leadership roles focused on closing the poverty-related attainment gap specifically (see the section on culture and ethos)
• In-depth knowledge of the local community: respondents noted that a key to success was having a good understanding of the school community – e.g. some of the headteachers who took part had been living and working in the area for decades (there were examples of headteachers attending the school they now led) and this deep understanding of local context was mentioned as being important to providing the right supports for pupils
• Staff commitment, and having the right staff in post: having school staff who understand the challenges and barriers faced by children and young people affected by poverty, and who are motivated to support them, was mentioned as being vital (see also the sections on embeddedness and culture)
• A focus on nurture, additional support and wellbeing: as noted earlier, being able to provide specific support/interventions for those with highest levels of need was identified as being a crucial factor by many respondents
• Being flexible and changing approaches in response to data on impact: “It is about being really flexible and open minded. Our staff are really, really good at taking on board new things and running with it and trying to make that difference.” (Primary teacher, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Challenges and barriers to impact

A number of key challenges were also mentioned across the case study schools when respondents were asked about any factors preventing progress in relation to closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Feedback was extremely consistent across schools in terms of the barriers to progress.

The long-standing impacts of poverty were mentioned as being very hard to address, and respondents commonly felt that there was a limit to what the education system can achieve within the wider context of economic and social problems and intergenerational issues – schools feel they are ‘swimming against the tide’ and without wider work to eradicate child poverty, their efforts will not be enough – as they are dealing with the symptoms, not the causes, of poverty.

“We feel we are flying solo in a lot of what we are doing because we don’t have that dependency on the partners that we had before because they themselves are struggling with resourcing and financing. Social work probably being the most obvious one… their provision and recruitment and everything is just... it is so challenging and difficult… If you keep hanging everything on education then, for example, without things like this [ASF] I don’t know how education in its own right is going to be able to do that unless that funding is allocated to support social work provision or support health.” (Secondary headteacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

“We’ve not necessarily changed anything about poverty, and we can’t. What we can do is teach the children as best we can and, you know, give them the tools for now, but for the future as well. Is it necessarily making the big differences? I’ll be honest, I don’t think so… I do think if we’re talking about, like, the poverty-related attainment gap, it’s bigger than schools.” (Primary headteacher, Other urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

“You know, it’s how do you break that cycle… I’ve been in teaching a long time now, and when I started off as a probationer, you know, we had the same conversations. It’s that whole cycle of poverty… I don’t know how you fix that.” (Primary headteacher, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Feedback particularly from those working in the most deprived areas also suggested that schools are trying to address a lot of wider issues and meet very basic needs (e.g. getting children and young people to engage in school, feeding and clothing them, dealing with the impacts of trauma etc.) before they can even think about improving attainment. Respondents highlighted that this is a significant challenge to greater progress.

“I think as a school we feel a lot of pressure because there is a lot of responsibility almost being put on our shoulders. We do the best that we can, but ultimately we can't be going into these homes at night time and helping with structures and routines and bedtimes and bath times.” (Primary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

“I think now the jobs that are being done in schools, and if I was able to get one thing across, is [the ASF is] so helpful but it is so gigantic now, it really is. It’s like a police service, the social work service, a health service, it’s all rolled into the job of a teacher and a school now… Certainly for somebody like me, who’s looking at a journey from 1996, it bears absolutely no resemblance to the job of a teacher now.” (Secondary headteacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Despite approaches to encourage parental engagement, challenges were still noted in this area, and poor home-school relationships were identified as a barrier to progress in some instances.

“I think it comes down to the relationship between school and home. Where that works well the pupil thrives… There are parents now who… they’ve got a negative relationship with school in general, and it’s hard to rebuild that and bring them back in so they can support their own child in a way that they maybe didn’t get that support when they were at school… So it’s breaking down those barriers and trying to be open and welcoming and positive and show that that sense of teamwork is only beneficial for the children.” (Primary senior leader, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Respondents also commonly highlighted the lasting impacts of COVID-19. Some noted that COVID-19 had a greater impact on communities in deprived areas compared to those living in more affluent areas, so many pupils in the most deprived communities returning to school after lockdowns “had experienced loss, many had experienced trauma” (Secondary teacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2). Even without this added impact in deprived communities, respondents noted that the lockdowns have had a lasting impact, especially where children were at a crucial stage in their development during the pandemic.

“COVID lockdowns have got a lot to answer for… Everybody was wearing masks, so… when our children were wee, they couldn't see how to form their letters properly and things, because it was all muffled behind a mask… And their social circle was smaller during COVID. They weren't getting to play groups, they weren't getting to go to nursery as much, or in wee bubbles in nursery, so their social skills are lacking as well.” (Primary teacher, Other urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

“I think that the level of need has increased. A greater amount of children are coming to school who struggle with communication, who struggle… you know, are not necessarily always toilet trained… I know people talk about the COVID babies, you know, who didn’t have any socialisation skills with others, so toddler groups and things like that were just not available. And we see that in the school now. Really difficult.” (Primary headteacher, Accessible small town, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

“The most dramatic change, undoubtedly, is post-COVID, since the point of COVID, in terms of mental health issues, behaviours in schools, attitudes to coming to school, learning, everything… It’s a very difficult landscape.” (Secondary headteacher, Other urban, 50-74% SIMD 1&2)

Increasing mental health issues were also associated with the after-effects of the pandemic, and this was reported to have an impact on engagement with school. Respondents generally felt that the impact of the pandemic means it is difficult to measure progress in relation to closing the gap, as COVID-19 probably widened it.

“When this [ASF] was being set up, we weren't expecting COVID. And I do think that, whether we like it or not, we can keep using COVID as an explanation… [It] created a higher level of need. We know the financial pressure that families are under, we know the cost of life at the moment is higher. So, you put all those factors in, then if you take away the support that’s currently in place, well I think that’s only going to lead to widening any gap. I think, when measuring narrowing that gap, it's possibly with the event of COVID, too soon to know that. So, I would argue the case that we need to keep going for a bit longer.” (Secondary senior leader, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

The other main issue raised in relation to barriers to progress related to ASN provision. All schools noted that support needs are increasing, across a wide range of types of ASN (including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), other types of neurodivergence, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties etc.). In the context of mainstreaming, i.e. supporting children in a mainstream setting where previously they may have received specialist provision, this was noted as a challenge to greater progress.

“One of the big challenges for us in our context is we have a really high number of additional support needs learners and that just feels like it is increasing year on year… More children with autism, ADHD, speech and language developmental delays. I suppose with the numbers of ASN rising that does have an impact on what you can do in the classroom... We are trying to raise attainment, but… some of our classes are 75, 80% ASN. That is a huge amount of pressure on what you can… [do] for a mainstream school.” (Primary teacher, Large urban, 75%+ SIMD 1&2)

Some issues were also mentioned in relation to staff recruitment challenges as a barrier to progress, particularly in rural areas, and due to the temporary nature of PEF-funded roles (see the sustainability section for details).