The programme is designed to be used by local authority leads and senior or middle leaders to facilitate professional learning across their whole authority, cluster, school or setting. Two facilitators are recommended to lead the programme, and should have experience of facilitating effective professional learning. They might be equity leads in their establishment, cluster, sector or local authority.

The professional learning is aimed at educators in any setting, who are working with children, young people and/or families and communities. This includes those in schools, ELC and CLD settings. There are no pre-requisite qualifications, specific skills or levels of experience required to take part in this programme.

This professional learning includes action planning to mitigate the effects of poverty and supports both facilitators and participants to know and measure the impact their practice is having. Ultimately, the overall aim is to plan for equity, and to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty. An equitable approach to learning and teaching has been proven to benefit all learners.

The benefits will be measurable or quantifiable improvements in wellbeing, engagement, attendance, achievement and/or attainment in children and young people known to be experiencing poverty.

The aims are for facilitators and participants to:

• know and understand the theory, data and evidence base around poverty both locally and across Scotland 

• know and understand the impact of poverty on learning, achievement and attainment both locally and nationally  

• reflect on and critically examine personal leadership attitudes, values and beliefs within a social justice and equity context  

• know and understand the practice and approaches that can improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty  
• develop and apply knowledge and skills to effectively plan for equity and ensure measurable impact.

Facilitators use the presentations, notes and resources provided to structure the learning experience by bringing participants together at key points in the programme. 

Facilitators will require access to, and knowledge of the context within which participants are working, whether this be a whole local authority area, or an individual setting. This will include access to local data on poverty, who is affected, and how.

The key themes of the programme are:

• what is poverty?
• the impact of poverty
• personal, social and cultural attitudes to poverty
• knowing the data for your context
• developing an equitable ethos and culture
• pedagogy and practice to mitigate the impact of poverty.

These themes are explored through six self-directed online Professional Learning Activities (PLAs) and through four group sessions. To access the PLAs, facilitators and participants will need to open an account at the Education Scotland website.

The suggested total duration of the programme is between 10 and 18 months, followed by time for implementation and evaluation of actions arising from the group sessions.

Education Scotland supported the facilitation of a pilot phase in 2025-26 with a small number of local authorities. Beyond the pilot phase, Education Scotland will support strategic planning for the programme, but will not offer a national cohort or lead the programme locally.

Each of the six PLAs takes 3-4 hours to complete and each of the four facilitated group sessions should last 1-1.5 hours (these can take place in person or online). Duration and key dates for group sessions will decided at establishment, cluster or local authority level.

Facilitators are advised to consider how this professional learning programme sits within improvement priorities and planning. This will offer the potential to maximise the impact of staff learning on children and young people’s outcomes. There is flexibility to structure the programme to meet local needs and align with existing professional learning programmes or initiatives.

The programme content is structured as follows:

• 5 short Introductory activities
  • Read
  • Listen
  • Watch
  • Do
  • Reflect.
• 6 online Professional Learning Activities (PLAs). Facilitators and participants will need an account at Education Scotland’s website to access these:
  • PLA 1 What is poverty?
  • PLA 2 The impact of poverty
  • PLA 3 Personal, social and cultural attitudes to poverty
  • PLA 4 Knowing the data for your context
  • PLA 5 Developing an equitable ethos and culture
  • PLA 6 Pedagogy and practice to mitigate the impact of poverty.
• 4 group sessions for participants to come together throughout the programme:
  • Introduction
  • Sharing and reflecting
  • Collaborative enquiry planning
  • Action planning for impact.

A suggested structure for the programme could therefore look like this:

Aug                 Introductory activities

Aug-Sept       Group session 1 - Introductory session

Sept-Nov       PLAs 1-3

Nov/Dec         Group session 2 - Sharing and reflecting session

Jan                  PLA 4

Feb                 Group session 3 - Collaborative enquiry planning session

Mar-May         PLA 5-6

Jun                  Group session 4 - Action planning for impact session

It is also possible for the programme to run from January to January, or for it to be organised over a longer time-frame.

Facilitators use the presentations, notes and resources provided to structure the learning experience by bringing participants together at key points in the programme, for the group sessions. They will require access to, and knowledge of the context within which participants are working, whether this be a whole local authority area, or an individual setting. This will include access to local data on poverty, who is affected, and how.

Facilitators should make full use of the presentations, notes and other resources provided to them to support the 4 group sessions. They may find Education Scotland’s Guide to Planning, facilitating and evaluating professional learning a good starting point. It is anticipated facilitators will have some experience of facilitating effective professional learning for others, along with a remit around equity. We recommend each programme is led by two facilitators.

Participants can use an optional reflective workbook to help them engage in their learning, with space for summary reflections at each stage of the programme. The reflective workbook should support learning and be retained by the individual participant, and shared only at their discretion.

There may be the facility to offer an online sharing space for participants using Glow Teams, Slack or other collaboration tool. Facilitators and users will be responsible for any online spaces set up to support the programme.

Completion requirements will be agreed locally, but should include completion of the six PLAs and attendance at the 4 group sessions as a minimum. Facilitators can liaise with Education Scotland if they would like co-badged digital certificates for those who complete the programme.

It should be borne in mind, of course, that mitigating the impact of poverty is never complete. After the 4th group session, which focuses on action planning, further work will be required to assess the impact of the action plan, make changes accordingly, and continue with what is working, as part of the ongoing work of improvement.

‘I feel it was the most comprehensive PL programme that I have engaged with in a number of years due to its accessibility, structure and practicality in terms of understanding and working with children, young people and their families.’
Programme Participant

‘I think this is an excellent series of PLAs and will be really useful to any practitioner, not just new or inexperienced ones.’
Senior Education Officer

‘This resource is a really valuable tool to support practitioners to reflect on the impact of poverty on children's outcomes.’
Education Officer

‘It was great to be part of the pilot. It provided an opportunity to develop understanding about equity/ poverty and gave useful, practical tools that we can use as school leaders to support both staff, learners and families.’
Programme Participant

This professional learning programme has been shaped through the generosity, expertise and collaboration of colleagues across Scotland. We are especially grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council, whose Equity for Leadership programme provided the foundation for this work following their sharing at the Scottish Attainment Challenge National Network.

We would also like to thank the CLD Standards Council, CPAG, East Renfrewshire Council, Education Scotland Associates and West Lothian Council for their valuable input, constructive feedback and supportive critical friendship throughout the development of the programme.

We also thank HM Inspectors of Education for highlighting examples of effective practice from across Scotland. Schools and leaders in Angus, the City of Edinburgh, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian kindly shared their experience and insights through film clips featured throughout the programme.

Finally, we are grateful to the facilitators and participants from Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Inverclyde who helped to pilot and refine the programme.

We would also like to thank colleagues across Education Scotland for their valued contributions, support and commitment throughout the development and piloting of the programme. Their knowledge, experience and collaborative approach have been central to shaping and strengthening this professional learning offer.

Shared purpose and aims

Across Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Inverclyde and Dundee, participation in the 2025/26n pilot was driven by a shared commitment to mitigating the impact of poverty on children and young people. While each authority faced distinct challenges, including high levels of deprivation in Inverclyde and Dundee and rural and hidden poverty in Aberdeenshire, all viewed the pilot as an opportunity to strengthen leadership understanding of poverty, build system-wide capacity and enhance professional learning. A consistent aim across all areas was to develop a deeper understanding of poverty and its impact, improve the capacity of practitioners to address poverty-related barriers and evaluate a flexible delivery model that could be adapted to local contexts.

Delivery and early impact

The pilot was planned and delivered through collaborative, leadership-focused approaches involving Attainment Advisors, Quality Improvement Officers and senior leaders. Delivery models varied, with Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City adopting blended approaches that combined online, face-to-face and self-directed learning, while Inverclyde and Dundee favoured in-person sessions to support engagement and discussion. Success was supported using local data, integration with existing improvement structures and dedicated time for reflection and professional dialogue. Early evidence shows increased confidence in discussing poverty and equity, stronger understanding of local barriers to learning, greater use of data to inform decision-making, more consistent poverty-informed practice and enhanced collaboration across settings. Participants also reported significant shifts in attitudes, with increased awareness of poverty and greater challenge to existing assumptions.

Key lessons and next steps

Findings highlight the importance of adapting delivery to local context, securing strong leadership engagement, creating structured opportunities for professional dialogue and using local evidence to inform decisions. Authorities also noted the value of face-to-face learning in building trust and deeper engagement, alongside careful planning and support. Looking ahead, all four authorities intend to continue or expand participation, build facilitator capacity through approaches such as ‘equity lead’ models, integrate learning into ongoing professional development and continue evaluation to support improvement and wider rollout. Overall, the pilot demonstrates the value of collaboration, context-responsive delivery and leadership development. It has been recognised by facilitators and participants that the programme provides a solid foundation for driving equity-focused improvement.

For prospective participants:

The recruitment process to a local facilitated programme may vary, as this will be agreed at establishment, cluster or local authority level. It is strongly recommended that educators join this programme as part of a facilitated group, so look out for the programme being offered through your local communication channels, e.g., professional learning bulletin.

Please note that Education Scotland is not offering a national programme cohort; rather it is supporting local authorities to offer their own version of the programme that can be adapted to meet the needs of the local context.

Participants in this programme will be expected to provide feedback and evaluation data where requested. This is for the purpose of continuous improvement and development of Education Scotland Professional Learning programmes. 

For prospective facilitators:

At establishment level, agreement to facilitate the programme should be sought with your senior leadership team, and as part of your improvement plan.

At cluster level, it is anticipated senior leadership teams will be engaged in decision making about who will be involved, and that the programme will be delivered as part of joint improvement plans.

At local authority level, where agreement is in place for your authority to deliver the programme, you will need to work with your co-facilitator (s) to plan how this will happen.

At all levels: Strategic support for planning may be available from Education Scotland. All the resources you need to facilitate the programme are available here at our website.

Facilitators of this programme will be expected to provide feedback and evaluation data where requested. This is for the purpose of continuous improvement and development of Education Scotland Professional Learning programmes. 

For more information, please contact edspll@educationscotland.gov.scot