Evaluation of the Attainment Scotland Fund - Analysis of the Local Authority Mini Survey - Summer 2018

This document describes an evaluation of the Attainment Scotland Fund, aimed at improving educational outcomes for Scottish students by addressing deprivation and the poverty-related attainment gap. The evaluation, conducted by Learning Analysis, utilized a local authority mini survey from summer 2018, employing a qualitative thematic analysis of responses. Results indicated positive impacts such as enhanced focus on deprivation, but also raised concerns about funding reliance for staffing and recruitment challenges. The survey revealed that local authorities appreciated the support from Education Scotland and the Scottish Government, with Attainment Advisors receiving particular praise for their assistance. However, there were calls for improved collaboration and clearer communication. Authorities reported a shift in resource allocation towards addressing rural poverty and a positive cultural change towards sustainability, though the long-term sustainability of improvements remains uncertain. The evaluation also noted both positive and negative unintended consequences of the Scottish Attainment Challenge, including increased collaboration and a sense of division among schools. The document concludes that the fund has had a generally positive impact but highlights areas for improvement and the need for careful consideration of sustainability and unintended effects. Data supporting the research is available under certain legal and ethical restrictions, and the publication is part of a series by the Scottish Government, with reuse permitted under the Open Government Licence. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: The Scottish Government (The Scottish Government)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Process evaluation
• Process methods: Other
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: October 2019

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Links to published evaluations (DEBUGGING): No final report link found.
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes