Context
The first programme of inspections of all 32 Scottish education authorities was undertaken from 2000 to 2005. In the second programme of inspections, which began in 2006, we have introduced the following:
A key feature of the new system of inspection is a move towards an intelligence-led, proportionate approach. This approach helps to ensure that inspection supports service delivery and is firmly focused on improvement in the outcomes for learners. We also focus on the impact of the work of Educational Psychological Services.
Our 2006 report on the work of local authorities16 concluded that ‘the evidence from our inspections shows that education authorities can and often do make a significant contribution to providing high quality education in Scotland’. Each education authority demonstrated that it was having an impact on improving some aspects of pupils’ attainment and achievement. Importantly, most authorities were evaluated as having very good or good capacity to improve. However, the 2006 report noted, ‘at the time of the inspections, authorities differed markedly in their capacity to evaluate their own performance, a capacity that is essential to securing improvements’. Weaknesses in leadership and direction, problems related to economic and social factors and the lack of necessary expertise in key staff, had affected the capacity of some authorities to achieve sufficient improvement.
The results of follow-up inspections indicate that progress towards addressing main points for action is almost always positive and show that authorities have achieved considerable success in securing improvements to provision, to outcomes for young people and to their capacity to sustain and improve performance.
Local authority performance since 2006
In nearly half of inspections undertaken since 2006, we concluded that the authority inspected had a strong capacity for improvement. In just over a third of inspections, we decided that we would need to revisit the authority to monitor improvements in performance.
How good are attainment and achievement of learners and how well are they supported?
In almost all inspections, improvements in performance were evaluated as satisfactory or better. Major strengths were identified in improvements in performance in a significant number of authorities inspected. In almost all inspections, impact on learners was evaluated as satisfactory or better. Major strengths were identified in this area in almost half of the authorities inspected.
The impact on the performance of learners of pre-school age was highlighted as a key strength in most inspections. Aspects of strong performance and the impact of the education authority in promoting these improvements include the following:
The quality of provision offered by partner providers is still too variable in some cases and at times of insufficient quality. In some cases, there is a need for high-quality curriculum advice for staff. There is a continued need for effective continuity and progression in learning between nursery and P1.
For primary-aged learners, aspects of strong performance and the impact of the education authority in promoting these improvements include the following:
However, the performance of the lowest-attaining pupils still requires sustained attention. For some authorities, success in closing the gap in attainment outcomes between boys and girls remains a challenge.
The impact of the work of education authorities on secondary-aged learners is mixed. Strengths include:
More remains to be done to ensure that in all authorities across Scotland all young people achieve to their full potential while in secondary education. In particular, performance at S1 and S2 requires sustained attention and support at authority level. Support for secondary schools in some authorities is not of a sufficiently high quality. In a few authorities, the overall proportion of pupils leaving secondary schools for destinations in higher or further education, training or employment is too low.
The impact of the work of education authorities on adult learners is positive. Strengths include:
In most authorities, there remains work to do to integrate the work of community learning and development providers with aspects of formal education. Some schools play important roles in the lives of the communities they serve, but there remains considerable scope for schools to do more to build stronger, safer communities.
Meeting the needs of all learners
The impact of education authorities on outcomes for pupils with additional support needs is generally positive. In a few instances, the approach of authorities to ensuring success for all learners has been outstanding. Features of effective practice include the following:
However, there is a lack of consistency in provision for children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural needs.
Authorities have developed a large number of initiatives to improve pupils’ learning experiences in schools and centres in all sectors. Increasingly, authorities are promoting the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence through, for example, cross-curricular initiatives. This now needs to be addressed with vigour by all authorities. Significant progress in learning and teaching is being made through the development of the national Assessment is for Learning programme.
In some examples, pupils are clearly motivated by more active approaches to learning, in particular, through improved opportunities to develop their skills in ICT. Authorities are committed to promoting pupils’ understanding, and interest in, the development of sustainability and environmental awareness.
Authorities have prioritised and developed a range of effective initiatives to promote pupils’ achievements. Pupils in authorities across Scotland benefit from a wide range of cultural and sporting opportunities. Approaches include learning from visits to museums, libraries and arts performances and participation in workshops in schools. Involvement in cultural activities, including music tuition, story telling and traditional dance are, in some instances, impacting positively on pupils’ awareness of Scottish culture. Many of these experiences are planned and organised in conjunction with staff from other council services and with other partners. However, authorities do not make enough use of available national awards to recognise these achievements. In some authorities, further work is required in tracking pupils’ involvement in initiatives designed to develop their achievements both within and outwith schools.
A wide variety of innovative approaches to enterprise education is being developed in authorities across Scotland. Some authorities showcase enterprise work from schools effectively in order to motivate further young learners. Schools in some authorities work closely with local businesses, and, where effective, these partnerships significantly enhance pupils’ learning experiences. Overall, these approaches are designed to raise pupils’ awareness of the world of work through well-planned and purposeful class-based activities and work placement experiences at secondary level. In some instances, this is achieved very effectively.
In a range of authorities and across sectors, learners benefit from a clear and widespread commitment to listening to their views. Young people have good opportunities to express their views through participation in other bodies and groups, including School Nutrition Action Groups and Eco Schools Groups and are often developing their levels of self-confidence.
Focus on psychological services Educational psychology services (EPS) work with children and young people from birth to 18 years, and increasingly up to the age of 24 years. They have a broad statutory remit outlined in Section 4 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 as subsequently amended, which states that it is the duty of education authorities to provide an authority psychological service. The functions of that service include:
The challenges facing EPS in addressing their statutory requirements differ depending on local circumstances. The structures and deployment of EPS vary considerably across Scotland. For example, service size, management structure and service delivery have evolved and developed in response to national and local priorities. EPS have the important responsibilities for developing services which reflect the priorities of the education authority and meet the needs of their local communities. Key strengths:
Aspects for improvement:
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Meeting the needs of parents, carers and families
In best practice, parents are actively involved in authority decision-making, have purposeful opportunities to be involved in their children’s learning, and have access to a range of opportunities for their own learning through volunteering and family learning. In some authorities, parents have access to a range of services and networks to support and encourage involvement in their children’s learning. There are examples of good practice in supporting for parents whose children have additional support needs.
However, more work is required to engage all parents in supporting their children by working in partnership with schools, particularly in the secondary school sector.
How good is the quality of leadership in education authorities?
Improving Scottish Education, Effectiveness of Education Authorities (2006) reported that education authorities varied markedly in the quality of strategic leadership and the impact that it had on children and families. It noted that, overall, there was room for improvement in leadership and direction in many authorities.
Almost all inspections of education authorities undertaken since 2006 have identified important strengths in vision, values and aims and in leadership in developing people and partnerships.
Positive features have included the following:
Working in partnership and building capacity for improvement
Since 2006, there have been a number of positive developments in this area. Examples include effective multi-agency input across early years education and in relation to pupils with additional support needs. In some instances, local authority departments responsible for CLD have also collaborated well with partners in delivering innovative learning programmes. Where they have been well planned and implemented, strategic partnerships enable agencies and organisations to work together to maximise resources and increase levels of impact on participants. Vitally, there is increasing evidence of these partnerships making a difference to children. However, this positive picture is not consistent. In some authorities, partnerships are still at an early stage of development. In some instances, the sustainability of these partnerships in the longer term is not yet secure. In other cases, new approaches are too recent for impact to be apparent beyond some individual instances, and considerable work remains to be done.
Leading change and improvement
Improving Scottish Education, Effectiveness of Education Authorities (2006) reported that the capacity to raise achievement and attainment across local authorities in councils was too variable.
A number of authorities have achieved considerable success in this important area. This includes examples in which authority staff know their schools well and provide an appropriate mix of support and challenge while retaining a relationship based on mutual respect. In these authorities, senior officers set challenging targets for schools, and headteachers have a clear understanding of their responsibilities in relation to achieving these targets. More remains to be done to ensure that this effective practice is applied on a consistent basis across the country, and is provided to other services involved in supporting children’s learning.
Inspection findings have highlighted some very strong practice, including the following:
Local authorities have a key role to play in implementing Curriculum for Excellence. Arrangements put in place to support curriculum development in the near future will be a very important factor in the success of the programme. Increasingly, local authorities have helpful plans in place to engage staff and to take forward local developments in the curriculum.