Family Wellbeing Partnership in Clackmannanshire: evaluation

5. Community Around The School (CATS)

5.1 CATS context and evolution

Community Around The School (CATS) is an approach which aims to improve the wellbeing and capabilities of young people, their families, and the wider community. Its initial focus was within Alloa Academy but over the years it has also come to encompass the other two secondary schools within Clackmannanshire. CATS seeks to transform the relationship between schools and their surrounding communities, fostering a more nurturing, inclusive environment that extends beyond conventional educational boundaries to address broader personal and community wellbeing. With a focus on knowing the community, this workstream has involved a wide range of activities, developed in collaboration with over 30 partners, covering (i) experiential learning, (ii) family-focused events, (iii) attainment and employment support, and (iv) addressing systemic barriers to young people achieving positive destinations. The approach aims to reduce social isolation, develop skills and confidence, and increase capabilities and life opportunities. In the long-term, the approach envisions the school being seen and used as a community resource where young people and their families feel a strong sense of belonging and purpose, contributing to improved attendance and educational outcomes.

CATS consists of a range of practitioners, young people and their families, third sector partners and the wider community working together to enhance wellbeing and capabilities. As with all FWP work, this involves addressing basic needs, building skills, and creating opportunities for people to lead fulfilling and self-determined lives. It is a collaborative approach which centres around the idea of practitioners having permission to do things differently in order to remove barriers and enable people to flourish. Central to this is asking families within the community what matters to them, and empowering people to thrive by developing interesting and engaging programmes, initiatives and opportunities. Ultimately, this approach seeks to reimagine what and who a school is for.

Mapping the CATS Approach

Figure 3 above provides a visual overview of some of the key activities (and associated partners and stakeholders) linked to the CATS workstream. This includes experiential activities such as Columba 1400 Values Based Leadership (VBL) community and residential experiences; family-focused activities including the literacy, cooking and employability Adult Learning programmes at Alloa Academy; activities oriented towards attainment and employment, such as NHS Scotland Academy pathways to health and social care roles; and those aimed at addressing financial barriers experienced by families, such as Breakfast Club and the Pre-loved Uniform Supply Shop.

CATS brings together four complementary strands of activity, each supported by a range of local partners and programmes:

1. Experiential

• Columba 1400 Community and Residential Experiences
• Stirling University and Alloa Academy Project (NHS Scotland Academy)
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
• Crochet Club at the Bowmar Community Centre
• Clackmannanshire Youth Forum (Council Chambers)

2. Family-focused

• Adult Learning in Alloa Academy: Literacy, Cooking & Employability Programme; Clay Group; Singing Group
• Alloa Community Empowerment (The Lens): encouraging parents to run sessions for young people
• Community/Family Events: Bingo; Teas & Books; art exhibitions; pantomime
• Clax Parents and Carers: ASN (Additional Support Needs) support
• Parachute: fun after-school activities for children with extended additional support needs

3. Attainment / Employment

• NHS Scotland Academy: pathways into Health & Social Care roles
• Environment Services work-experience placements
• Wasp Community Club: taking ownership of the new venue - painting & decorating
• Career Ready Programme (S5–S6 pupils)
• Stirling University Hidden Histories Project: intergenerational photo and sound exhibition

4. Addressing Systemic Barriers

• Breakfast Club and Pre-loved Uniform Supply Shop
• Engagement and Welfare Programme
• School Monitoring & Support Programmes
• Adult Learning Programmes
• MCR Pathways: mentoring for care-experienced young people

The evaluation of CATS was based on the data collected as follows.

Table 8: CATS Key data sources

Qualitative interviews with families - 17 interviews with 7 young people and 10 parents and carers

FWP staff and stakeholder interviews - 19 in total

Survey responses from wider partners - 15 in total

Case study evidence - One case study of an individual who participated in CATS activities, conducted by previous evaluators after time of receipt of support.

Other data sources - Data gathered by the FWP on participation in some CATS activities from 2022 (where collected)

Data quality

Qualitative data collected for the CATS workstream comprised interviews with a good range of families. The interviews gave a substantial indication of the short term outcomes and material change affecting those involved. Interviewing participants at multiple time points would have strengthened this data and provided an indication of the longer-term outcomes.

The FWP also provided quantitative monitoring data on some CATS activities (such as participation rates in breakfast clubs and levels of provision of items of schoolwear), which is referred to in the impact evaluation section.

5.2 CATS Process Evaluation

Below, we present our findings on the impacts of CATS on public service delivery and system change in Clackmannanshire according to key themes and outcomes identified in the ToC. We discuss these themes in the context of strengths and challenges of the CATS workstream.

Strengths of the CATS approach

Extensive engagement with families

Alloa Academy, a central hub for FWP initiatives, serves around 850 pupils, offering a clear touchpoint for engaging families. While precise data is still being consolidated, a conservative estimate suggests that CATS has connected with 1,500–2,000 unique families since its inception^[61]. These engagements range from one-time interactions (e.g., food or uniform distribution) to sustained involvement in programmes like adult learning or employability initiatives.

Many children and young people have also accessed child centred support such as breakfast clubs, enabling parents and carers to focus on employment or education. These initiatives have supported over 50 families since 2020 in one school alone, and staff report that these activities have fostered inclusion and a reduction in social isolation. People have accessed practical supports such as the pre-loved uniform shop, which distributed over 150 items of clothing this academic year in one school term. These initiatives aim to directly ease financial burdens, reduce stigma and ensure inclusion. Care-experienced young people are actively supported by initiatives such as Columba 1400 Values-Based Leadership (VBL) academies and MCR Pathways mentoring, through which approximately 100 care-experienced individuals have benefited from tailored mentoring, supported study, and work experience programmes.

Embedding leadership approaches

Since 2020, nine groups of young people have participated in Values Based Leadership experiences in each of the three secondary schools, with an increasing number of school staff also trained in Values Based Leadership . Evaluation feedback from the Columba 1400 experiences includes participants reporting raised aspirations, enhanced self-esteem, and shared understanding of VBL principles.^[62] A new "Train the Trainer" programme for young people also empowered young people to lead sessions for younger pupils, fostering leadership development across primary and secondary schools.

The Columba 1400 programme has also been important in building a shared ethos among educators and staff. Many of the teaching staff and wider Education department staff in Clackmannanshire have now undertaken Columba 1400 experiences and several have become Legacy Facilitators to ensure sustainability of this work.

Fostering community led initiatives

In 2022 and 2023, The Lens initiative supported groups and individuals to pitch innovative ideas for funds for social change, aimed to drive empowerment and inclusivity across Clackmannanshire. A CATS group of parents and staff (Alloa Community Empowerment) received £15,000 to expand community learning initiatives around school such as literacy, employability, crafts, and pottery groups. The group has developed and grown as a community and school partnership and interview feedback shows that adult participants gained qualifications, employment, and mental health improvements, with some becoming involved in high-profile events, including at the Scottish Parliament.

Developing partnerships and pathways

In interviews, young people reported having developed social capital, capabilities, and aspirations as a result of CATS, while school staff benefited from enhanced networks with, for example, Stirling University and NHS partners. A number of additional initiatives were developed as part of the CATS approach, including:

• NHS Scotland Academy, a partnership between NHS Golden Jubilee and NHS Education for Scotland, supports the sustainability of the Health and Social Care workforce - one secondary school introduces S3 pupils to Health and Social Care career pathways and experiences, including a day on campus at Stirling University.
• The Everyone’s Invited initiative was introduced in one secondary school then extended to others to empower school communities to promote healthy relationships and to tackle gender-based bullying through workshops for young people, staff and parents/carers.
• Clax P&C is a family support initiative offering drop-in sessions and resources for parents and carers, particularly those with children with Additional Support Needs (ASN).
• The Parachute Programme is an early intervention initiative that collaborates with families to establish engaging activities for EASN (Extended Additional Support Needs) learners, improving health and wellbeing and providing critical family support. (This group also secured funding through The Lens process.)

Data-informed support to families

CATS initiatives are informed by engagement with pupils and parents, in order to enhance both pupil and parental skills and engagement in education. Data from a Planet Youth survey^[63] suggests that young people who engage in meaningful experiences of their choice are far less likely to become involved in harmful or risky activities. CATS initiatives have sought to significantly enhance pupil and parental capabilities, and for many, the activities have provided life-changing opportunities, fostering personal growth, improving confidence, and creating pathways to employability as evidenced in interviews and by impact stories and statements provided by stakeholders. For example, with enhanced qualifications, several parents/carers have progressed to paid employment following participation in the adult learning programme.

Inclusive and equitable support

As with all FWP work, equity and dignity have been central to the design of CATS. The pre-loved uniform shop, for instance, ensures young people are appropriately dressed for school, while ensuring inclusion and reducing financial stress for families. Families are able to go into the shop - which is dressed with the feel and look of a high street shop - and pick up uniforms, bags, personal hygiene items and stationery. Teachers and pupils explained in interviews with the evaluation team that the shop is always open, and people coming and going to the shop is the norm. This, teachers point out, has the effect of reducing stigma for someone relying on the free provisions. Similarly, One Stop Support Shop sessions provide families and staff with direct access to benefits support and services in a nurturing environment. The CATS approach has also pioneered community-focused innovations, such as the Benefits in Kind approach, which encourages local organisations to "gift" experiences like theatre tickets, promoting social inclusion and access to cultural opportunities. These efforts, supported by over 30 partnerships, have cultivated a supportive ecosystem around the school, and staff are clear that this has enhanced wellbeing, fostering raised aspirations, and helped prepare many young people for future success.

Co-designing services with the community

The CATS approach emphasises co-designing services with the community to address their specific needs and foster empowerment. Community engagement has been a central pillar of the CATS workstream, ensuring that parents, young people, and wider community voices shape its development and delivery. Embedding meaningful engagement mechanisms that empower families to influence services that impact them has been hugely important. CATS has actively worked to integrate these principles by prioritising relational approaches that foster trust between schools, families, and local organisations. Community engagement is through a combination of formal and informal mechanisms, including school-based engagement sessions such as regular community events which provide informal opportunities for discussion. These events are intentionally designed to be welcoming, informal spaces where parents can voice concerns, ask questions, and co-create solutions. CATS has evolved over the years in response to challenges being highlighted by parents and carers, with staff continually looking for new ways to ensure community voice and agency are at the heart of CATS and that there is always relevance and impact.

Feedback loops and continual improvement

Staff running CATS activities, including breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, and family learning sessions, regularly engage parents in casual conversations to gather insights. While not always systematically recorded, these discussions influence programme adaptations. Staff involved in CATS also facilitates periodic focus groups and impact story interviews to collect structured feedback on how well the activities are aligned with parental and community needs. Some of these sessions involve families with additional support needs (ASN) or care-experienced young people. Parents are also directly involved in shaping aspects of CATS programming, such as community cooking initiatives, where they co-design session formats and identify skills they want to develop. Lastly, while not consistently applied across all activities, CATS has used post-session feedback forms in selected programmes to capture parental perspectives more systematically.

Based on interview feedback, staff observed increased parental involvement. Over time, and with the building of good relationships, attendance at key engagement activities is growing, with some parents transitioning from participants to volunteers or facilitators in CATS programmes. One practitioner noted,

"We’re seeing parents come back to these spaces again and again, which wasn’t happening before. They now see schools as a place of support, not just education."

The implementation of the CATS work has been a natural extension of FWP’s wider commitment to integrated, relational working. Rather than functioning as a traditional gatekeeping or referral system, CATS has been developed as a collaborative mechanism that brings together practitioners from across services to consider families’ needs holistically. Its evolution reflects the FWP’s values - prioritising early intervention, shared decision-making, and trust-based relationships.

Developing collaborative practice

A key feature of CATS has been its integration with services beyond education and social work, particularly housing, third sector partners, and family support teams. The work of CATS ensures that decisions about support are informed by a broader understanding of each family’s situation, reducing the risk of fragmented or duplicated responses. Practitioners report that CATS meetings have created space for open, respectful discussion across disciplines, helping to build a shared language and ethos around what good support looks like and connect with parts of the system they didn’t necessarily expect when they started.

As one senior leader pointed out:

"It’s evolved in ways we didn’t fully anticipate, but it has always remained grounded in community needs."

Flexibility in evolving the focus of community impact

Unexpected developments have also helped to positively shape the direction of CATS. A notable shift has taken place in how decision makers - council leaders and elected members - have moved from relying solely on traditional metrics of educational success such as attendance and attainment, to embracing broader measures of inclusion, engagement, and community wellbeing. Thanks to the strong relationships built through CATS activities and increased practitioner confidence in working with communities, these broader outcomes can now be observed and discussed by staff through day-to-day interactions. Evidence gathered during this evaluation, including case studies, parental attendance at CATS events, and interviews with young people and practitioners, highlights the importance of this shift. As one leader observed,

"We’re now looking at indicators that reflect real community impact, rather than just academic outcomes."

Another practitioner noted,

“We know the FWP approach works, because people tell us it makes a difference every day.”

Importantly, this is also reflected in the views of Council political leaders. Progress on the FWP is reported to leaders through the council’s audit and scrutiny processes, through various papers prepared by FWP staff. One Councillor interviewed for this evaluation pointed out

“If you look at education, there’s normally an absolute obsession about teacher numbers. But they forget that there's so much more that wraps around education that supports this kind of teaching and learning… We are very much focused on support and the wellbeing and health of young people because we recognise that without that nobody would be in a fit state to improve their learning or pass exams. And that's worked quite well for us because our attainment is slowly and steadily starting to improve.”

In relation to CATS, the FWP has been implemented largely as intended, holding true to its core principles of Values Based Leadership and community co-design. At the same time, staff have demonstrated remarkable flexibility whilst undertaking their normal day-to-day responsibilities and well as leveraging opportunities. It is recognised that some overall systemic challenges remain, such as real time data sharing, sufficient financial resources and staff capacity. More broadly, the benefits of the CATS approach have received recent acknowledgement by Pearson Education, which awarded CATS a 2024 Impact Through Partnerships Award.

Summary of activities driving change

A number of key activities within the CATS workstream were identified by research participants as central to driving change. These included consistent, practical engagement with families through initiatives such as breakfast clubs, family learning programmes, after-school activities, and the pre-loved uniform shop. These activities were intentionally designed to reduce stigma, promote inclusion, and ease financial pressures, while simultaneously building trust between schools and families. Leadership development also played a critical role, with Values Based Leadership (VBL) training delivered to both pupils and staff, alongside peer-led programmes that encouraged aspiration, confidence, and shared values.

Change is also driven by partnership-based activities that connects young people and families to broader systems of support. Collaborations with NHS Scotland Academy, Stirling University, and local employers created early exposure to career pathways and increased access to opportunities. Targeted programmes for priority groups, including families with care-experience and ASN, provided tailored mentoring, peer support, and inclusive activities. Co-design and continual feedback are embedded throughout the work of CATS, using both formal mechanisms (focus groups, post-session feedback) and informal engagement (day-to-day conversations) to adapt services in response to need. Collectively, these activities supported a shift in how schools functioned - as accessible, relational hubs of support - and underpinned broader cultural and systemic changes focused on inclusion, wellbeing, and community participation.

5.3 CATS Impact Evaluation

Below, we present our findings on the general impacts on CATS participants according to several key themes.

(a) General Impacts of CATS on service users

Reducing social isolation

There is strong qualitative evidence that the CATS workstream has contributed to reduced social isolation amongst participants in its activities, as well as strengthening feelings of social connectedness. One important aspect of the workstream, for example, has been the provision of adult learning classes at Alloa Academy, in areas including literacy, employability and family cooking. Feelings of reduced social isolation were a strong theme in interview data gathered from participants in these programmes, both as a benefit participants felt they had gained from participation and as a motivation for continuing to attend them in the future.

One interviewee described how they had been feeling “in a rut” three years ago prior to starting to attend an evening cooking class, partly as a result of difficulties arising from a health issue, which had left them “sitting in the house [...] it was getting me down”. As a result of attending the class, the interviewee said that they now “see a lot of people [...] loads of different people, new people, old people.” The interviewee had gone on to encourage other people they knew to attend the class, who they described as “quite like me [...] very quiet and always kind of negative about themselves.” At the class, however, “they came in and they talked to everybody. We all get on [...] it's nice just to see everybody getting to know each other.”

Another interviewee had recently moved to Alloa when they began attending an evening class at the school, and described feeling that they had “no friends, nobody.” As a result of attending the class, the interviewee described making “a lot of friends”, including one who is now their closest friend. A different participant in these activities described how they felt the classes had contributed to the development of stronger social connections across individuals of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds in Clackmannanshire:

“A lot of these people that come [to the cooking class], they're from all different backgrounds, all different ethnicities, the English barrier is not a barrier [...] We translate certain things to the Polish, the Lithuanians, the Turkish [people], and we're actually friends with them outside the group. The friendships that we've made in the group have spilled out into the community.”

There is also evidence of CATS activities contributing to reduced social isolation amongst children and young people in Clackmannanshire, including those with additional support needs (ASN). For example, one interviewee who had taken part in an Adult Learning class described how their 12 year-old child had started to regularly accompany them to evening activities associated with the class (having previously attended a children’s class centred around the same activity), as a result of which “his confidence levels [...] have come on leaps and bounds”. The interviewee felt that this had contributed to the young person becoming more involved with and keen to help out with a range of community-oriented activities.

Developing confidence and skills

There is further qualitative evidence indicating that CATS activities have helped to increase confidence and wellbeing amongst participants, particularly children and young people. Through the FWP’s partnership with Columba 1400, for instance, several groups of young people from the secondary schools have participated in a range of Values Based Leadership activities, including community and residential experiences in Skye. Interview data indicates that participation in these activities has played a crucial role in helping the young people involved develop their confidence and their strengths and skills more broadly. As described by one young person who participated in Columba 1400:

“My S1 year was so bad because I was here when COVID hit, so I never got transitions or anything and I've got really bad anxiety [...] And then [staff member] introduced me to Columba and oh my God - it changed me so much [...] that's when I started volunteering more, and I became so much more confident.”

Young people (of secondary school age) who participated in these activities described the activities as helping them to develop their teamwork skills and to gain a better sense of their individual strengths and interests. For some, this resulted in greater involvement in other CATS activities. In particular, young people have played key roles in helping establish and maintain the Breakfast Club at Alloa Academy, which is attended by around 16-20 young people every morning. One young person described their experience of volunteering at the Breakfast Club as “amazing because it’s been something that’s really brilliant [for] my confidence. I’ve always been a shy, not a very keen person”. Along similar lines, another young person said that their participation in CATS activities including the Breakfast Club and the School Pantomime & Drama Club as having “really boosted my confidence.”

For other young people, their participation in CATS activities including Columba 1400 had given them the confidence and desire to participate in wider educational and volunteering activities, including with the Pupil Parliament, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework’s School Ambassador Programme, as well as a clearer idea of how they would like to utilise their skills in their future lives after they finish school. One young person described how their participation in CATS activities had both helped them develop their confidence, and given them the desire to help younger children in Clackmannanshire develop theirs:

“When I was little, I wasn't really confident and I wish someone else helped me, like I wish someone else brought me out of my shell. So when I'm [volunteering] and I see kids just sitting in the corner doing nothing, I'm going to go over and help them because I know that was me one day and I know I would like that help too.”

Qualitative evidence also suggests that adult participants in CATS activities have similarly experienced improvements in their skills and confidence as a result of their participation. A participant in a cooking class at Alloa Academy, for example, said that they had received “comments from the teachers saying “what a difference in you, you were so shy and quiet [when you first started]” [...] So I would say I’ve just grown in confidence. And I’ve just learned new things.”

Adult learning programmes also showed success in building confidence and skills. For example, one participant in the adult learning programme transitioned from evening literacy classes to paid employment, gaining multiple qualifications and leading cooking groups for her community. This illustrates the potentially transformational impact of CATS activities, helping build skills, foster community engagement, and create opportunities for financial independence.

Finally, two respondents to the FWP Stakeholder Survey who are involved in delivering activities through the CATS workstream highlighted increased confidence and/or skills as key impacts they had observed amongst the young people and adults they work with as a result of their participation. One respondent highlighted that the programme they are leading “has seen several young people grow in confidence and apply for college with relevant work experience now on their application”; while another said that participants in the adult learning class they deliver “feel valued and listened to, their voice is being heard. It’s boosted confidence and especially self esteem.”

Increasing wellbeing and capabilities

There is evidence to suggest that CATS activities have had impacts relating to the wellbeing and capabilities of young people and families in Clackmannanshire. As described previously, there have been a range of CATS projects and activities aimed at improving the material circumstances of local families. These include:

• 166 Christmas gift bags given to children and young people in Clackmannanshire (between 2022 and 2024) in partnership with Love in a Box Clackmannanshire and Mission Christmas from one secondary school;
• 20 families per week supported to cook a meal for four through the Alloa Community Empowerment Cooking, Food Hygiene & Literacy programme, and £20 vouchers provided to families before school breaks;
• Three bikes provided to young carers in one secondary school through partnership with Forth Environment Link, and three beds provided to children who did not have a bed (funded via donation);
• The provision of breakfast five days a week to attendees of the Breakfast Club at Alloa Academy;
• The provision of crisis funding towards rent and food to support a family to avoid homelessness.

Some of these activities, for example the provision of breakfast, are likely to positively impact upon young people’s material wellbeing and their capacity to learn and take part in wider school activities: previous studies have found the positive impacts of breakfast clubs to include nutritional enhancement through the provision of breakfast meals, opportunities for informal social interaction and relationship development, and the experience of a positive, calming start to the school day (helping children feel more alert and ready to learn during the formal school day).^[64]

Some impacts of this kind were cited during interviews with young people (of secondary school age) who had participated in a CATS breakfast club: one, for example, highlighted the social impacts of the breakfast club, describing how going to the breakfast club had “been something that’s really brilliant [...] seeing everyone talking and so happy in the mornings.” Another described how attending breakfast club had affected their state of mind in the mornings: while before they “always used to sleep in”, the young person now “[wakes] up at 6, leaves the house at 7 gets [to school] at 7.30… I feel like I get more dedicated and that sort of stuff.”

Other CATS activities are likely to have had an indirect positive impact on families’ financial wellbeing and capabilities, for example by reducing the amount of money they need to spend on uniforms and other schoolwear (due to being able to access this at the Pre-Loved Shop at Alloa Academy), and providing weekly ingredients for a meal for four at family cooking sessions.

Looking at case study evidence, Rosa* started attending evening adult literacy classes in a Clackmannanshire secondary school in 2021. As a result of doing so, she has gained a range of new qualifications, additional work-related experience and access to new paid work opportunities in local community settings. Similarly, an interviewee described how the enhanced capabilities they had developed through attendance at an evening cooking class had led to broader employment-related opportunities in their lives:

“Out of this [cooking class], I've been offered other things. Last Christmas I brought cheesecakes for everybody. And out of that… a business has offered me [the chance to] to make cheesecakes for their business.”

This interviewee further described how their mental wellbeing had been positively impacted by participation in the class, explaining that “It's great for the mental health side of things [...] there are people there that you class as your friends. You're cooking a meal amongst friends, you're relaxed. Your anxiety, depression - everything like that just goes.”

5.4 Summary

Overall, evidence gathered through this evaluation suggests that CATS has effectively leveraged informal networks and relational trust to engage families, with school staff playing a pivotal role in identifying needs and providing tailored support. Practical services have acted as accessible entry points, creating trust and encouraging participation. Programmes including evening cooking classes and community engagement evenings have helped promote the development of stronger social connections between individuals of different cultural backgrounds in Clackmannanshire, while the co-design of activities has promoted a sense of ownership and dignity among participants. CATS has successfully facilitated collaboration between teaching staff, council departments, and external partners, with evidence of creating pathways to employment, education, and community engagement. Other notable strengths of CATS in delivering services have been the extensive engagement with families, the development of leadership approaches for young people and educators, the fostering of community led initiatives, the development of feedback loops and a continual improvement ethos, and an engagement-informed approach to supporting families.

With regards to impact, the evidence collected indicates that CATS activities have made positive contributions across a number of key outcomes, including reducing social isolation for adults, enhancing confidence and skills amongst children and young people, and improving the wellbeing and capabilities of families in Clackmannanshire. Improvements in school attendance and Curriculum for Excellence levels in Clackmannanshire have been ongoing in recent years, with interview feedback suggesting that CATS initiatives are likely to have made positive contributions in these respects. Interview and survey feedback highlighted increased confidence in particular as a positive impact amongst participants in multiple CATS activities; while some activities, such as the provision of pre-loved uniforms and breakfast clubs, have also delivered benefits to families related to material wellbeing.