Education Outcomes for Looked After Children 2023/24

Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels

This section presents statistics on the achievement for Curriculum Excellence Levels (CfE) for children looked after within the year. This report covers children who were in P1, P4, P7 or S3 during the 2023/24 school year. For more information, please see the background notes.

The national and local data used within this section covers publicly funded mainstream schools, and all pupils based in publically funded special schools.

This year, the statistics comprise 2,070 children in years P1, P4, P7 and S3, who were looked after in the last year. They also cover 383 children who were looked after within the last year, who attended special schools/units. The information gathered as part of the return does not include a specific stage for these pupils. Therefore it is not possible to calculate the percentage of pupils who have achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage.

Headline findings

• In 2023/24, 58.0% of pupils looked after during the year in mainstream schools achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage in reading, 52.6% in writing, 66.8% in listening and talking and 55.1% in numeracy. Across all stages, the proportion achieving the CfE level relevant for their stage is highest for listening and talking, and lowest for writing.
• Achievement levels across all subjects were lower for pupils looked after during the year compared to all pupils during 2023/24 for P1, P4, P7 and S3 stages. The gap between looked after pupils and all pupils has decreased in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23 for all subjects at P7 and S3 stages.
• The achievement levels of pupils based in residential accommodation or looked after at home were lower on average than those looked after in other community-based accommodation.
• In special schools/units, the proportion of pupils looked after within the year who were recorded as studying beyond Broad General Education level was higher for all subjects than for all pupils (1.1 percentage points for all subjects).

CfE levels by subject for looked after children and all pupils

In 2023/24, across all stages and subjects, a lower proportion of children who were looked after within the year achieved the CfE level relevant ot their stage when compared with all pupils (Charts 2a-d).

In 2023/24, 58.0% of children looked after during the year in mainstream schools achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage in reading, 52.6% in writing, 66.8% in listening and talking and 55.1% in numeracy. Across all stages, the proportion achieving the CfE level relevant for their stage is highest for listening and talking, and lowest for writing (Tables 2.1a-d).

The gap between looked after (during the year) and all pupils decreased for all subjects at P7 and S3 level between 2022/23 and 2023/24, ranging between 1.2 percentage points for P7 reading and 5.2 P7 listening and talking.

The gap in attainment levels has shown more variation for P1 and P4 over the previous two years, across all subjects. The percentage of P1 children looked after during the year who achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage only increased for writing (1.7 percentage points) between 2022/23 and 2023/24 (Table 2.1a). Listening and talking decreased the most (1.9 percentage point decrease), followed by reading (1.7 percentage point decrease), and numeracy (0.3 percentage point decrease). When comparing the latest achievement rates for P1 children looked after during the year in 2023/24 and those in 2018/19 (prior to any impacts of COVID-19), all subjects saw a decrease (ranging between 0.7 percentage points for writing, and 3.9 percentage points for reading).

Table 2.1a: Percentage of P1 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject.

Percentage of Primary 1 children who were looked after within the last year achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, 2018/19 to 2023/24 [Note 1]

Subject	2019 All looked after in the last year	2019 All pupils	2021 All looked after in the last year	2021 All pupils	2022 All looked after in the last year	2022 All pupils	2023 All looked after in the last year	2023 All pupils	2024 All looked after in the last year	2024 All pupils
Reading	59.1	81.5	54.0	76.6	55.0	79.4	56.9	80.6	55.2	81.2
Writing	55.4	79.0	48.8	74.0	50.6	76.9	52.9	78.4	54.7	79.4
Listening and Talking	71.8	86.9	64.6	84.0	68.2	86.1	71.5	86.9	69.6	87.3
Numeracy	66.9	84.7	59.2	81.1	62.8	83.6	64.2	84.7	64.0	84.9

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

For P4 children looked after during the year, the percentage of children achieving the relevant CfE level for both reading and writing increased, by 2.9 and 3.6 percentage points respectively (Table 2.1b). There was a decrease in the percentage of P4 children looked after during the year achieving the relevant CfE level for listening and talking (1.7 percentage point decrease) and numeracy (0.6 percentage point decrease) between 2022/23 and 2023/24. When comparing the latest achievement rates for P4 children looked after during the year and those in 2018/19, all subjects saw an increase (ranging between 1.0 percentage points for numeracy, and 7.8 percentage points for writing).

Table 2.1b: Percentage of P4 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of Primary 4 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2018/19 to 2023/24 [Note 1].

Subject	2019 All looked after in the last year	2019 All pupils	2021 All looked after in the last year	2021 All pupils	2022 All looked after in the last year	2022 All pupils	2023 All looked after in the last year	2023 All pupils	2024 All looked after in the last year	2024 All pupils
Reading	48.7	78.0	46.8	73.3	46.1	76.0	51.3	77.9	54.2	79.0
Writing	36.6	72.7	37.2	66.7	37.7	69.7	40.8	72.0	44.4	73.5
Listening and Talking	63.6	85.4	62.2	82.0	64.0	84.5	67.6	86.6	65.9	87.0
Numeracy	46.2	76.8	42.3	71.6	44.7	74.9	47.7	76.9	47.2	78.1

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

The percentage of children in P7 who were looked after during the year who achieved stage-releveant CfE levels increased across all subjects between 2022/23 and 2023/24. The increases ranged between 1.7 percentage points in reading, and 5.9 percentage points in listening and talking (Table 2.1c). When comparing the latest achievement rates for P7 children looked after during the year and those in 2018/19, all subjects saw an increase (ranging between 5.6 percentage points in numeracy, and 9.1 percentage points for listening and talking).

Table 2.1c: Percentage of P7 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of Primary 7 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2018/19 to 2023/24 [Note 1]

Subject	2019 All looked after in the last year	2019 All pupils	2021 All looked after in the last year	2021 All pupils	2022 All looked after in the last year	2022 All pupils	2023 All looked after in the last year	2023 All pupils	2024 All looked after in the last year	2024 All pupils
Reading	48.3	79.8	45.1	75.7	50.5	79.3	53.2	80.8	54.9	81.3
Writing	38.3	73.7	37.7	69.0	41.5	72.9	42.4	75.2	45.2	75.9
Listening and Talking	58.7	85.6	56.4	82.3	61.4	85.7	61.8	87.0	67.8	87.7
Numeracy	42.2	76.0	40.1	71.9	43.2	75.7	44.1	77.7	47.7	78.5

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

The percentage of children in S3 who were looked after during the year who achieved stage-releveant CfE levels increased across all subjects between 2022/23 and 2023/24. The increases ranged between 1.8 percentage points in both reading and listening and talking, and 3.6 percentage points in numeracy (Table 2.1d). When comparing the latest achievement rates for S3 children looked after during the year and those in 2018/19, all subjects saw a decrease (ranging between 0.2 percentage points for numeracy, and 3.9 percentage points for listening and talking).

Table 2.1d: Percentage of S3 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of Secondary 3 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2018/19 to 2023/24 [Note 1], [Note 2]

Subject	2019 All looked after in the last year	2019 All pupils	2021 All looked after in the last year	2021 All pupils	2022 All looked after in the last year	2022 All pupils	2023 All looked after in the last year	2023 All pupils	2024 All looked after in the last year	2024 All pupils
Reading	66.9	90.5	[x]	[x]	60.0	88.4	61.8	90.1	63.6	90.2
Writing	65.7	89.6	[x]	[x]	58.0	87.3	60.9	89.2	63.1	89.6
Listening and Talking	69.8	91.5	[x]	[x]	62.1	89.3	64.1	90.5	65.9	90.8
Numeracy	64.3	90.2	[x]	[x]	62.6	89.1	60.5	89.6	64.1	90.3

Chart 2a: Percentage of P1 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of P1 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for all children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2023/24

 

Chart 2b: Percentage of P4 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of P4 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for all children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2023/24

 

Chart 2c: Percentage of P7 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of P7 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for all children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2023/24

Chart 2d: Percentage of S3 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of S3 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for all children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2023/24

Type of placement

The percentage of children looked after during the year who achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage varied by the type of accomodation in which they were placed.

Table 2.2 shows that, of children who had one placement in the year, those in community placements had generally higher levels of achievement than those in residential placements, across all subjects, though children looked after at home had much lower achievement levels than children in other types of community accommodation.

There was a 18.9 percentage point difference between pupils in community and residential placements for listening and talking (68.9% for those in a community placement and 50.0% for those in a residential placement). The percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage in writing showed the smallest gap between community and residential placements at 13.4 percentage points.

Children placed with foster carers provided by the local authority had the highest levels of achievement in listening and talking and in numeracy. Those in other residential placements had the lowest levels of achievement in writing and listening and talking.

Figures for children who had more than one placement in the year are shown in a separate row in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by accommodation type

Number and percentage of Primary 1, Primary 4, Primary 7 and Secondary 3 pupils who were looked after within the last year achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by accommodation type, 2023/24 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4]

Accommodation type	Number of children	Reading Percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage	Writing Percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage	Listening and Talking Percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage	Numeracy Percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage
In the community (children with one placement)	1,699	59.7%	54.3%	68.9%	56.9%
At home with parents	414	45.7	37.7	55.8	44.4
Kinship Carers: friends/relatives	714	63.1	57.6	72.1	60.6
Foster carers provided by LA	382	62.8	59.7	73.6	61.0
Foster carers purchased by LA	179	70.4	67.0	77.1	62.7
Other community [Note 3]	10	80.0	70.0	70.0	50.0
Residential accommodation (children with one placement)	88	43.2%	40.9%	50.0%	40.4%
Local authority home	43	46.5	44.2	52.4	40.9
Voluntary home	8	37.5	50.0	62.5	37.5
Other residential [Note 4]	37	40.5	35.1	44.7	40.5
More than one placement	283	53.0	45.9	58.9	48.9
All looked after in the last year	2,070	58.0	52.6	66.8	55.1

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

[Note 2] Children marked as ‘not assessed’ are included in the total count of children, but are excluded from calculations of the number of children achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage.

[Note 3] Includes with prospective adopters.

[Note 4] Includes in voluntary home, residential school, secure care accommodation or crisis care.

Number of placements

Children who had one placement during the year reported higher achievement rates across all subjects than children with multiple placements in the year. (Table 2.3)

Table 2.3: Achievement of CfE level, by number of placements

Number and percentage of Primary 1, Primary 4, Primary 7 and Secondary 3 pupils who were looked after within the last year achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by number of placements, 2023/24[Note 1], [Note 2]

Number of placements	Number of children	Reading Percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage	Writing Percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage	Listening and Talking Percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage	Numeracy Percentage achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage
One placement	1,787	58.8	53.6	68.0	56.1
Two placements	219	53.0	45.7	57.8	48.6
Three or more placements	64	53.1	46.9	62.5	50.0
All looked after within the last year	2,070	58.0	52.6	66.8	55.1

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE level relevant to a pupil’s stage.

[Note 2] Children marked as ‘not assessed’ are included in the total count of children, but are excluded from calculations of the number of children achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage.

Table 2.4a: Special schools / units pupils achieving CfE levels by subject for all pupils looked after within the year

Percentage of special schools/units pupils achieving CfE levels by subject - all pupils looked after within the year [Note 1]

Stage	Reading	Writing	Listening and Talking	Numeracy
Not Yet Achieved Early Level	15.7	17.2	13.1	16.4
Achieved Early Level	17.2	17.8	18.3	18.3
Achieved First Level	14.4	12.8	14.1	13.1
Achieved Second Level	7.8	7.3	8.4	6.8
Achieved Third Level	1.6	1.6	2.9	2.9
Achieved Fourth Level	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.3
Not Assessed	5.0	5.0	5.0	4.7
Child following individual milestones	21.1	21.1	21.1	20.9
Pupil studying beyond BGE level [Note 2]	16.7	16.7	16.7	16.7

[Note 1] The information gathered as part of the ACEL return for Special schools and standalone special units does not include a specific stage for these pupils. Please see section 4.3 of the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2023/24 publication methodology for more details.

[Note 2] For standalone special schools/units, code 97 was used if pupils are studying beyond Broad General Education level.

Table 2.4b: Special schools / units pupils achieving CfE levels by subject for all pupils.

Percentage of special schools/units pupils achieving CfE levels by subject - all pupils [Note 1]

Stage	Reading	Writing	Listening and Talking	Numeracy
Not Yet Achieved Early Level	26.3	27.5	25.7	26.0
Achieved Early Level	15.6	15.4	15.6	17.0
Achieved First Level	8.4	7.4	8.5	8.4
Achieved Second Level	2.9	2.3	3.2	2.2
Achieved Third Level	0.7	0.7	0.9	0.9
Achieved Fourth Level	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2
Not Assessed	2.8	2.9	2.8	2.6
Child following individual milestones	27.5	27.8	27.4	27.2
Pupil studying beyond BGE level [Note 2]	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6

[Note 1] The information gathered as part of the ACEL return for Special schools and standalone special units does not include a specific stage for these pupils. Please see section 4.3 of the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2023/24 publication methodology for more details.

[Note 2] For standalone special schools/units, code 97 was used if pupils are studying beyond Broad General Education level.