The Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) was established to promote equity in education by ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed, with a focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. It is underpinned by the National Improvement Framework, Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right for Every Child. It focuses on…

Scotland's HM Inspectors (HMI) of Education have published a new report examining a range of approaches taken to support health and wellbeing in establishments nominated by local authorities. As part of Scottish Government's Education Recovery: Key Actions and Next Steps, HM Inspectors of Education committed to undertaking national thematic…

It's been 20 years since the last 'National Debate' on education led to the launch of Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence with the four capacities in 2004. The curriculum was conceived to 'fully prepare today's children for adult life in the 21st century' (Scottish Executive, 2004, p. 3). These four capacities articulated the aspirational purpose…

In 2020, the Scottish Ministers requested that HM Inspectors of Education review the quality of Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) programmes in Scotland. The purpose of the review was to identify what is working well, what is in need of further development or improvement, and to inform future arrangements. The review took place between March 2020 and…

HM Inspectors of Education have published a new report highlighting features of effective community development practice in response to COVID-19. As part of Scottish Government's "Education Recovery: Key Actions and Next Steps," HM Inspectors of Education committed to undertaking national thematic reviews. These thematic inspections…

Scotland's HM Inspectors (HMI) of Education have published this report highlighting features of effective practice in outdoor learning. As part of Scottish Government's Education Recovery: Key Actions and Next Steps, HM Inspectors of Education committed to undertaking national thematic reviews. This national report provides the independent view of…

As part of the cycle for reporting on the implementation of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC), attainment advisors produce reports triannually. This summary report is an overview of the analysis of the progress of all 32 local authorities for the period September to November 2022. The key theme for this reporting period was the Scottish…

The first five years of the Scottish Attainment Challenge saw much progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap but at a limited pace. The pandemic disrupted the learning of our children and young people and had a disproportionate impact on children affected by poverty. The refreshed Scottish Attainment Challenge programme, backed by a…

This Advice provides important information on the national context and describes best practice to support senior leaders, practitioners, and education authorities in evaluating and planning for improvement in Gaelic Education. It is based on evidence from inspections, reviews and validated self-evaluation, covering all sectors of Gaelic Education…

This report is based on evidence gathered during visits undertaken in November and December 2021. HM Inspectors (HMI) visited four stand-alone early learning and childcare (ELC) settings; 15 primary schools including 13 with nursery classes and one with Gaelic Medium Education; 13 secondary schools; three special schools; three community learning…

The shared vision for Scottish education is to deliver excellence and equity for all, with the defining mission of closing the poverty-related attainment gap, ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed. This is a long-term commitment and has been supported by a system wide, collaborative endeavour between all partners within Scottish…

This report explores the impact of schools and other settings working with families to improve learning and achievement. It identifies the key features of highly-effective practice in engaging families in learning and provides examples of quality family learning which are helping to secure better outcomes for children and young people. The case…

HM Inspectors evaluate and report on the quality of community learning and development (CLD) in line with "The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013: Guidance for Local Authorities." The guidance refers to the legislative and policy areas for local authorities that impact on the planning and…

Through our national thematic reports HM Inspectors of Education share their professional view on particular aspects of education. This report focuses on sharing the key features which, when taken together, make the greatest difference to using assessment effectively to improve learning and teaching and in turn, outcomes for children and young…

This report builds upon the original principles and philosophy of "Pre-Birth to 3" and "Building the Ambition." The new guidance retains the relevant content from the previous guidance which it replaces, extending and strengthening it in line with current research and evidence about how children develop and learn. This…