Enhancing support for primary one: Data analysis

For this report, primary one ACEL data was analysed for the years 2018/19 (the last year pre-Covid), 2023/24 and 2024/25. The primary one cohort numbers for these years are as follows: 2018/19 – 55091, 2023/24 – 50057 and 2024/25 - 50004. In 2024/25 each child within the cohort represented approximately 0.002% of the figures. (see Appendix One: Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels data).
Between 2023/24 and 2024/25 national data show a slight decrease in literacy overall, and a slight improvement in quintile one. There is a similar picture for numeracy with a slight decrease overall, and a slight improvement in quintile one.

Local authority data between 2023/24 and 2024/25 indicate that:

in literacy, fewer than half improved overall including in quintile one.
in reading, fewer than half improved overall however the majority improved in quintile one.
in writing, fewer than half improved overall including in quintile one.
in listening and talking, fewer than half improved overall including in quintile one.
in numeracy, fewer than half improved overall, however the majority improved in quintile one.

While the data shows some improvements, these are not evident across all measures. It is imperative that schools, LAs, ES and Scottish Government (SG) continue to monitor attainment of primary one learners, to ensure that any recent declines do not persist. Moreover, it will be essential to continue to track and support this cohort carefully as they move through their school years.

Attendance

Attendance data for 2023/24 and 2024/25 indicates that primary one overall attendance was the highest across all primary stages. Schools are however, encouraged to monitor the attendance of individual primary one learners closely to ensure it does not negatively impact on learner outcomes.

Findings from inspections

Early learning and childcare (ELC) settings

Research shows that high-quality ELC supports positive outcomes for children and families. Evidence was synthesised from 23 His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMIE) ELC inspection reports published from July 2024 to September 2025, with ‘very good’ evaluations for ‘How Good is Our Early Learning and Childcare?’ (Education Scotland, 2016) quality indicator 2.3 (learning, teaching, and assessment) and/or 3.2 (securing children’s progress). These settings represent the highest performing provision nationally during this period.

The inspection evidence indicates that to support strong literacy and numeracy outcomes, high-quality ELC settings consistently provide:

play-based, language and numeracy-rich environments where stories, rhyme, conversation, and mark-making are embedded naturally throughout the day, and mathematical concepts (counting, pattern, measure, shape, data) are embedded in real-life and exploratory contexts indoors and outdoors.
skilful, responsive adult-child interactions that extend vocabulary, reasoning and narrative skills through open-ended questioning, commentary and high-quality dialogue, as well as questioning, commentary and modelling that extend mathematical thinking and language.
purposefully designed indoor, outdoor and community learning environments that promote curiosity, storytelling, collaboration, and authentic literacy experiences and encourage problem-solving, estimation and application of maths in authentic situations (for example loose parts play, block play, woodwork, cooking, and gardening).
systematic assessment, tracking and moderation to identify progress, spot gaps and plan targeted next steps in children’s numeracy, communication and early literacy.
strong, values-driven leadership and professional learning that empowers staff, builds a shared vision, and ensures consistently high-quality pedagogy supporting literacy and numeracy by building staff confidence.
equity-focused, inclusive practice which removes barriers and provides additional support, including communication supports, personalised strategies and multi-agency collaboration, ensuring all children experience success in early language and literacy and mathematics.
meaningful use of digital technologies to support storytelling, revisiting learning, documentation, and multimodal communication to reinforce numeracy in engaging ways.
active parental engagement in children’s learning through home-link activities, lending-resources which bring literacy and numeracy into the home learning environment, and family learning sessions ‘including stay-and-play.’
conditions that promote confidence and wellbeing, allowing children to engage deeply with language, enjoy mathematical exploration, express ideas, take risks and develop secure foundations for reading, writing and mathematics.

These factors appear consistently across settings with ‘very good’ evaluations regardless of geography, governance, or demographic profile.

The recently published HMIE thematic, Literacy and English within Scotland's curriculum, echoes these findings and further highlights Scots language as a culturally meaningful element of literacy. Another noted feature of high-quality practice in ELC is the provision of structured small-group language interventions for learners who require targeted support in vocabulary, sentence structure and communication. In primary one, structured phonics, early handwriting and rich vocabulary activities help learners build strong foundations in reading and writing, while simple, child‑friendly feedback supports them to understand what they are learning and how they can do better. Real-life and play-based literacy experiences, such as storytelling, mark‑making and digital book creation make learning meaningful and engaging, helping learners develop confidence and enthusiasm. Targeted interventions, like small‑group phonics or early oral‑language support, help learners who need extra support to make good progress, improving their language development and engagement. Within the report, schools where staff engage in early‑years professional learning, such as dyslexia‑friendly or English as an additional language strategies, learners benefit from more inclusive, nurturing classrooms that build confidence and early literacy success.

The report emphasises that literacy is a shared responsibility across all curriculum areas. Strengthening whole‑school approaches, improving progression, and supporting staff through professional learning are key to ensuring high‑quality literacy learning for all.

Primary schools

During session 2024/25, HMIE inspection evidence from ten primary schools rated ‘very good’ for ‘How good is our school? (4th edition)’ (Education Scotland, 2015) quality indicator 3.2 (raising attainment) highlighted various aspects of highly effective practice in primary one. These included learners experiencing a seamless transition between ELC settings and primary school, alongside consistent practices.

Play pedagogy was embedded as a central approach in the majority of these schools supporting learning and sustaining deep engagement, while also supporting progression in early literacy and numeracy. The inspection evidence showed that when literacy and numeracy are embedded naturally within rich, play-based environments, learners develop secure early skills and a strong foundation for engaging with learning-based environments.

Effective use of tracking data, beginning in early learning and childcare settings and continuing into primary one, enables staff to identify gaps early and to tailor support with accuracy. As a result, many learners make accelerated progress, often achieving above schools with similar characteristics, in early reading, phonological awareness, and number skills.