This resource provides a concise and accessible overview of data and trends on the poverty-related attainment gap, and further insights into the impact of poverty on the educational outcomes of children and young people.

PDF version of Evidence and Insights on the Poverty-Related Attainment Gap presentation

What evidence does the resource cover?

The resource summarises a range of evidence, including Scottish Government data collections, SQA qualifications data, longitudinal studies, international surveys, and secondary analysis. All of the analysis is based on publicly available data and reports.

The resource includes evidence on:

Introduction

• Evidence sources
• Characteristics of pupils living in relative deprivation
• Impact of Covid-19

The Learner Journey

• Early Years and Primary School
• Primary-Secondary transitions
• Aspirations and course choices
• Personal learning and achievement
• Attendance and absence

Attainment and achievement

• National Qualifications Measures
• All SCQF Measure
• PISA

Positive destinations

• School leaver initial destinations
• Annual Participation Measure (APM)
• Widening Access to Higher Education
• Longitudinal Educational Outcomes

Health and wellbeing

• Mental health and wellbeing
• Attitudes towards and experiences of school
• Life at home

The resource is based on findings in two reports published in August 2024:

• The Reporting on National Improvement Framework Attainment and Health and Wellbeing Measures annual report is designed to be a short, concise summary of progress utilising the core National Improvement Framework (NIF) attainment and health and wellbeing measures.
• The Wider Evidence Summary Report complements the NIF report by bringing together analysis of a wider set of national surveys and data which offer further insights into the nature of the poverty-related attainment gap and the experiences of children and young people, and their families, who are most affected by it.

Videos from the presentation

See 7 videos by using drop down menu at the top right of display.

Who is the resource for?

The resource is designed to be accessible and useful for anybody with an interest in education and the impact of poverty on educational outcomes.

In particular, the resource will be useful for:

• headteachers and senior leaders
• practitioners
• ITE students and newly qualified teachers
• Scottish Attainment Challenge leads in local authorities
• local authority colleagues working in education, children’s services, and/or poverty
• voluntary sector organisations

How can I use the resource?

The resource can be used as a presentation on data and evidence about the poverty-related attainment gap to inform understanding of the impact of poverty on education. It can be used by a range of sectors to support and underpin strategic planning, professional learning and other improvement-related activities. Readers are encouraged to access the data sources in each section to learn about the research and datasets that underpin the findings.

We also encourage users to utilise the slides and findings in their own work and presentations on school education and the poverty-related attainment gap.

Supporting resources

The following resources may be useful in conjunction with this resource or to inform next steps:

The Scottish Attainment Challenge self evaluation resource includes features of highly effective practice and challenge questions provide the opportunity to drill deeper into the evidence that supports conclusions to strengthen on-going self-evaluation. All questions can be adapted and used by a wide variety of people including class teachers, attainment advisors, local and regional quality improvement teams, HM Inspectors and partners.

Scotland’s Equity Tookit contains a range of evidence, research and practice in support of the refreshed mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge. It importantly identifies the conditions contributing to success and includes key information which may be helpful to consider or guide implementation and sustainability in different settings.

If you have any questions, please contact Keith Dryburgh, Principal Research Officer.