Improving attendance through Strategic Equity Funding

Published 24/04/2024.  Last updated 08/08/2024

Background  

This project is within Moray Council and serves pupils and families from the Buckie associated school group (ASG). Buckie is semi-rural area and has a relatively low wage economy and lower rates of employment than the Moray and Scottish average. This combines the Pupil Equity Funding allocation of £275,855. The current child poverty rate in Moray is 21.3% which continues to rise, year on year.  

The catchment has a mix of social and private housing and ranges from decile 3 to Decile 9 in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Buckie Community High School (CHS) has low attendance rates.  

Current data indicates: 

  • an average attendance rate of 87.59%, which is below the current Moray average
  • an average attendance rate for the feeder primary schools from the ASG is 93.4%, which is marginally above the current Moray average 
  • 35% of the Buckie CHS roll is recorded as having additional support needs with 48 children being recorded as having experienced care

Rationale 

Interrogation of local data was identified that this ASG was a priority for targeted Strategic Equity Funding (SEF). Feedback was sought from schools in the area. This was triangulated with a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data including:  

  • SIMD 
  • free school meal prevalence 
  • attainment data 
  • violence and aggression data 
  • health and wellbeing scores

Analysis highlighted that attainment, attendance and wellbeing concerns were emerging from primary five onwards, in most settings, for a significant number of pupils who were adversely affected by poverty. When considering data from the Broad General Education (BGE) pupils in secondary school, it was evident that pupils were experiencing a range of wellbeing concerns, attributed to wider poverty markers. This was impacting pupil’s ability to attend school and fully participate and engage in classes. 

Attainment Scotland Funding 

Strategic Equity Funding: Over £50,000 

What Moray Council did

A parallel project was developed to address the needs of identified P5 and secondary BGE pupils. 

Strand one was established to adopt an early intervention approach to address educational and wellbeing concerns being displayed by identified P5 to P7 pupils.  

Strand two was developed to support identified S1 to S2 pupils in the secondary school who were presenting with maladaptive behaviours which were preventing them from attending and engaging in the learning content. 

To successfully establish this project, three local headteachers formed a strategic steering group. They employed a project co-ordinator using SEF. This post has been integral to the project’s success. As the ASG covers a large geographical area, a ‘hub and spoke’ model was adopted to ensure that provision was delivered in schools with a base for the worker identified within the secondary school.

This resulted in 27 pupils receiving targeted support in the initial six months of the projects inception. A further 37 pupils were supported in the latter six months. This included 12 pupils from the first six months who continued to access support within this latter period.

The attainment advisor adopted the role as a ‘critical friend’ and met with the steering group regularly as well as offering support and guidance to the local co-ordinator. The model for improvement, PDSA cycle was adopted and was used to assess how the project could increase its reach and impact. 

Evidence from this process was used to increase the allocation of SEF in 2023-24 to the project to employ two full time youth workers. This has increased the reach of the project, with new groups being planned and delivered. A relationship-based approach has been used as the vehicle for engagement and workers ensure that that pupils are empowered, and their views are listened to, and acted upon, where possible. Due to the nature of the support offered, group work and 1:1 space was identified within the secondary school.

Pupils have a predictable timetabled offer with youth workers, as well as crisis support for pupils that cannot regulate in class and who are presenting with distressed behaviours. This immediate, reactive support allows for de-escalation of ‘big feelings’ and a restorative conversation can take place, before pupils are successfully supported back to the classroom. Group work has been co-designed with pupils to compliment the 1:1 support. This uses social capital to support health and wellbeing, numeracy and literacy groups. To ensure that wider achievements were recognised and celebrated, youth awards have been used to capture pupil's successes. This includes using Hi5 and JASS awards to tackle poverty of experience and poverty of aspirations. 

Impact 

Robust interrogation of data took place at planned intervals by the project co-ordinator. Quantitative data was cross referenced and triangulated with captured qualitative data. The project is confident that the outcomes achieved are accurate and reflect the impact that targeted support has achieved.  

The majority of pupils who have accessed 1:1 and or group work support have had a significant increase in their attendance data.

Pupils who had a baseline attendance rate of less than 80%, the average increase was 7.5 percentage points. 

Pupils who had a baseline attendance rate between 80 to 90 percent, an increase of 5.7 percentage points has been captured. 

The Glasgow Motivation and Wellbeing Profile (GMWP) was used as a baseline to monitor impact of health and wellbeing interventions. Aggregated, post intervention data analysis indicated that all four categories of the GMWP have increased. Most notably ‘agency’ has increased by four points and ‘autonomy’ which has increased by three. Examples of output include: 

  • seven group work programmes have taken place 
  • 52 pupils have received targeted group work programmes 
  • 14 pupils have received targeted 1:1 support 
  • 18 youth awards have been achieved/due to be achieved
  • 12 of the lowest attaining pupils have completed Hi5 Awards 
  • three families have received targeted support 

Impact statements from pupils and families illustrate: 

“I feel the support has been excellent, I felt like a parent screaming for help and no one would listen. Then Emma came along and actually did listen to both me and [pupil]. 

“I seriously cannot thank the transition team enough. I am truly grateful to them. They are my life line for helping [pupil] and helping us as a family get the help and support he needs desperately.” 

“Without the transition team I’d be completely lost and at my wits end, I believe [pupil] would have been in a worse position as he does not understand the dangers and wrong choices he was making when hanging around with the wrong crowd. With the transition team [pupil] now has a safe place to go to.” 

^ Back to top

Improving attendance through Strategic Equity Funding

Published 24/04/2024.  Last updated 08/08/2024

Background  

This project is within Moray Council and serves pupils and families from the Buckie associated school group (ASG). Buckie is semi-rural area and has a relatively low wage economy and lower rates of employment than the Moray and Scottish average. This combines the Pupil Equity Funding allocation of £275,855. The current child poverty rate in Moray is 21.3% which continues to rise, year on year.  

The catchment has a mix of social and private housing and ranges from decile 3 to Decile 9 in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Buckie Community High School (CHS) has low attendance rates.  

Current data indicates: 

  • an average attendance rate of 87.59%, which is below the current Moray average
  • an average attendance rate for the feeder primary schools from the ASG is 93.4%, which is marginally above the current Moray average 
  • 35% of the Buckie CHS roll is recorded as having additional support needs with 48 children being recorded as having experienced care

Rationale 

Interrogation of local data was identified that this ASG was a priority for targeted Strategic Equity Funding (SEF). Feedback was sought from schools in the area. This was triangulated with a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data including:  

  • SIMD 
  • free school meal prevalence 
  • attainment data 
  • violence and aggression data 
  • health and wellbeing scores

Analysis highlighted that attainment, attendance and wellbeing concerns were emerging from primary five onwards, in most settings, for a significant number of pupils who were adversely affected by poverty. When considering data from the Broad General Education (BGE) pupils in secondary school, it was evident that pupils were experiencing a range of wellbeing concerns, attributed to wider poverty markers. This was impacting pupil’s ability to attend school and fully participate and engage in classes. 

Attainment Scotland Funding 

Strategic Equity Funding: Over £50,000 

What Moray Council did

A parallel project was developed to address the needs of identified P5 and secondary BGE pupils. 

Strand one was established to adopt an early intervention approach to address educational and wellbeing concerns being displayed by identified P5 to P7 pupils.  

Strand two was developed to support identified S1 to S2 pupils in the secondary school who were presenting with maladaptive behaviours which were preventing them from attending and engaging in the learning content. 

To successfully establish this project, three local headteachers formed a strategic steering group. They employed a project co-ordinator using SEF. This post has been integral to the project’s success. As the ASG covers a large geographical area, a ‘hub and spoke’ model was adopted to ensure that provision was delivered in schools with a base for the worker identified within the secondary school.

This resulted in 27 pupils receiving targeted support in the initial six months of the projects inception. A further 37 pupils were supported in the latter six months. This included 12 pupils from the first six months who continued to access support within this latter period.

The attainment advisor adopted the role as a ‘critical friend’ and met with the steering group regularly as well as offering support and guidance to the local co-ordinator. The model for improvement, PDSA cycle was adopted and was used to assess how the project could increase its reach and impact. 

Evidence from this process was used to increase the allocation of SEF in 2023-24 to the project to employ two full time youth workers. This has increased the reach of the project, with new groups being planned and delivered. A relationship-based approach has been used as the vehicle for engagement and workers ensure that that pupils are empowered, and their views are listened to, and acted upon, where possible. Due to the nature of the support offered, group work and 1:1 space was identified within the secondary school.

Pupils have a predictable timetabled offer with youth workers, as well as crisis support for pupils that cannot regulate in class and who are presenting with distressed behaviours. This immediate, reactive support allows for de-escalation of ‘big feelings’ and a restorative conversation can take place, before pupils are successfully supported back to the classroom. Group work has been co-designed with pupils to compliment the 1:1 support. This uses social capital to support health and wellbeing, numeracy and literacy groups. To ensure that wider achievements were recognised and celebrated, youth awards have been used to capture pupil's successes. This includes using Hi5 and JASS awards to tackle poverty of experience and poverty of aspirations. 

Impact 

Robust interrogation of data took place at planned intervals by the project co-ordinator. Quantitative data was cross referenced and triangulated with captured qualitative data. The project is confident that the outcomes achieved are accurate and reflect the impact that targeted support has achieved.  

The majority of pupils who have accessed 1:1 and or group work support have had a significant increase in their attendance data.

Pupils who had a baseline attendance rate of less than 80%, the average increase was 7.5 percentage points. 

Pupils who had a baseline attendance rate between 80 to 90 percent, an increase of 5.7 percentage points has been captured. 

The Glasgow Motivation and Wellbeing Profile (GMWP) was used as a baseline to monitor impact of health and wellbeing interventions. Aggregated, post intervention data analysis indicated that all four categories of the GMWP have increased. Most notably ‘agency’ has increased by four points and ‘autonomy’ which has increased by three. Examples of output include: 

  • seven group work programmes have taken place 
  • 52 pupils have received targeted group work programmes 
  • 14 pupils have received targeted 1:1 support 
  • 18 youth awards have been achieved/due to be achieved
  • 12 of the lowest attaining pupils have completed Hi5 Awards 
  • three families have received targeted support 

Impact statements from pupils and families illustrate: 

“I feel the support has been excellent, I felt like a parent screaming for help and no one would listen. Then Emma came along and actually did listen to both me and [pupil]. 

“I seriously cannot thank the transition team enough. I am truly grateful to them. They are my life line for helping [pupil] and helping us as a family get the help and support he needs desperately.” 

“Without the transition team I’d be completely lost and at my wits end, I believe [pupil] would have been in a worse position as he does not understand the dangers and wrong choices he was making when hanging around with the wrong crowd. With the transition team [pupil] now has a safe place to go to.” 

^ Back to top