Search

This paper presents a novel approach to level set estimation for any function/simulation with an arbitrary number of continuous inputs and arbitrary numbers of continuous responses. We present a method that uses existing data from computer model simulations to fit a Gaussian process surrogate and use a newly proposed Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique, which we refer to as Smoothed Approximate Bayesian Computation to sample sets of parameters that yield a desired response, which improves on ``hard-clipped" versions of ABC. We prove that our method converges to the correct distribution (i.e. the posterior distribution of level sets, or probability contours) and give results of our method on known functions and a dam breach simulation where the relationship between input parameters and responses of interest is unknown. Two versions of S-ABC are offered based on: 1) surrogating an accurately known target model and 2) surrogating an approximate model, which leads to uncertainty in estimating the level sets. In addition, we show how our method can be extended to multiple responses with an accompanying example. As demonstrated, S-ABC is able to estimate a level set accurately without the use of a predefined grid or signed distance function., Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures

In November 2017, Scottish Ministers tasked a short life working group to develop a more consistent national approach to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools. The group identified the Bullying and Equalities Module (BEM) within the SEEMiS system as the most appropriate tool for schools and local authorities to use to record and support them to monitor bullying incidents. Since August 2019, all schools and local authorities have been expected to use the BEM within the SEEMiS system to record and monitor bullying incidents. In 2020, the short life working group requested that an evaluation be undertaken to ensure that the new arrangements promote a consistent national approach to the recording and monitoring of incidents of bullying. This report provides an evaluation of how the new arrangements have been implemented across primary, secondary and special schools and comments on how well the these are supporting children and young people.

National Summary Reports are part of the cycle for reporting on the implementation and delivery of the mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC). Attainment advisors, in collaboration with their associated local authority, produce reports triannually. This ensures a continuous narrative where thematic next steps are identified and subsequent progress evaluated. Equity and improving outcomes for those children and young people impacted by poverty are referenced throughout. This summary is a collation and analysis of all 32 local authority reports. Section 1.2 provides an overview of the progress being made towards the next steps for learning teaching and assessment identified in Triannual Report 3. Illustrations throughout this summary are examples from local authority reports. The key theme for this reporting period was families and communities and is summarised in Section 2. Improvement and progress being made by local authorities are outlined in three key areas: parental engagement, collaboration and cost of the school day.

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 improvement in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Reducing educational inequity and closing the poverty-related attainment gap is a long-term strategy which aims to impact on societal culture and thinking. On the 23 November 2021 the Cabinet Secretary announced the expanded mission statement of the refreshed SAC: To use education to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty with a focus on tackling the poverty related attainment gap. This report provides an overview of progress during 2021-22 and the impact of next steps as outlined in the 'Closing the poverty-related attainment gap: progress report 2016-2021'. Leadership is recognised as a key driver of the success of any school or early learning and childcare setting. The report also takes a closer look at Leadership-Governance and Management in relation to the SAC. Also reflected in this report is summarised findings of each local authority's next steps in raising attainment and reducing educational inequity for all of Scotland's children and young people. This report is intended to give a helpful overview of what is happening across Scotland. It is only one part of the suite of reporting and evaluation taking place across the Scottish Attainment Challenge. [For "Closing the Poverty-Related Attainment Gap: A Report on Progress 2016-2021," see ED628066.]

National Summary Reports are part of the cycle for reporting on the implementation of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC). Attainment advisors, in collaboration with their associated local authority, produce reports triannually. This ensures a continuous narrative where thematic next steps are identified and subsequent progress evaluated. Equity and improving outcomes for those children and young people impacted by poverty are referenced throughout. This summary is a collation and analysis of all 32 local authority reports. Section 1.2 provides an overview of the progress being made towards the next steps identified in Triannual Report 2. Illustrations throughout this summary are examples from local authority reports. The key theme for this reporting period was learning, teaching and assessment and is summarised in Section 2. The improvement and progress being made by local authorities is outlined in four key areas: strategies for learning and teaching, assessment, partnerships and professional learning.

As part of the cycle for reporting on the implementation of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC), attainment advisors produce reports triannually. This process ensures there is a continuous narrative where next steps are identified and progress made towards them. This summary report is an overview of the analysis of the progress of all 32 local authorities for the period December 2022 to March 2023. Illustrations throughout this summary are examples from local authority reports. The key theme for this reporting period was data for improvement and is summarised in Section 2. It outlines the improvement and the progress local authorities are making in using data to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty with a focus on tackling the poverty-related attainment gap.

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 promote improvement by sharing more widely 'what works'. This report outlines how the Community Learning and Development (CLD) sector and its partners are helping to secure better outcomes for individuals most marginalised or socially isolated during and since the pandemic. HM Inspectors visited 23 settings and engaged with learners, volunteers, practitioners, local authorities and national and third sector organisations to gather evidence. The findings focus on the key themes of: (1) Community response; (2) Volunteering; (3) Partnership working; (4) Digital access and workforce development; and (5) Planning for the future and next steps. The report includes case studies of settings which demonstrate high quality community development practice related to each of the key themes.

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 and development service; three Gaelic schools; and one local authority education department. The sample of 42 schools and settings visited covered a wide geographical spread of urban and rural areas across Scotland. This report considers some of the main areas schools and settings have identified as priorities to support continuous improvement within the context of COVID-19 with a particular focus on outcomes for learners. Almost all schools and settings are developing approaches to support recovery that reflect their local context. In almost all schools and settings, staff have blended priorities that they would usually focus on with those that have arisen specifically from the pandemic. While there are specific priorities that reflect sectors such as planning for the full roll out of 1,140 hours of high-quality early learning and childcare, the following are common priorities reflected in strategic planning across sectors: (1) supporting wellbeing of children and young people; (2) prioritising staff wellbeing; (3) addressing gaps in learning; and (4) strengthening parental engagement.

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 further commitment of £1 billion from Scottish Government through the Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF), aims to address these challenges and ensure that equity lies at the heart of the education experience for all. This Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress (the Framework) has been developed to support the next phase of the Scottish Attainment Challenge. This Framework focuses on the poverty-related "equity" element of the Scottish Government's overall aim to achieve "equity and excellence" in education. Equity and excellence must be mutually reinforcing if education is to best meet the needs and aspirations of our children and young people. The Framework sets out expectations for planning, reporting, monitoring, roles, responsibilities and accountabilities. These should be applied consistently across the system to support education recovery and accelerate the pace of progress in achieving the mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge. [This report was published by the Scottish Government and produced by APS Group Scotland.]

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 and other engagements with a wide range of stakeholders. The Advice on Gaelic Education will be of particular interest to senior leaders, practitioners in Gaelic Education and education authorities. Her Majesty's (HM) Inspectors use the Advice to support scrutiny activities.

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 November 2021 and took account of variations in the range and scale of FA provision across Scotland. In line with COVID-19 restrictions, HM Inspectors made arrangements with key stakeholders to carry out evaluative activities either remotely or in person as appropriate. Throughout the review, HM Inspectors drew upon data supplied by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Scottish Government (SG) and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). Review activities involved professional dialogue with key stakeholders, young people, and staff in nine local authorities, eleven secondary schools, six colleges and six independent training providers (ITPs). HM Inspectors also observed learning and teaching activities delivered onsite and online. The quantification used within this report relates to these authorities, schools and providers.

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 reviews. This report is based on evidence gathered during visits undertaken in November and December 2021. HMI visited eight stand-alone early learning and childcare (ELC) settings; 17 primary schools (including 14 with nursery classes); 15 secondary schools; six special schools; one community learning and development service; and one Gaelic school. The sample of 48 schools and settings visited covered a wide geographical spread of urban and rural areas across Scotland. Appendix 1 provides a list of the establishments visited. This report considers some of the main challenges schools and settings are facing in connection to supporting children's and young people's health and wellbeing, including: (1) improving mental and emotional wellbeing; (2) dealing with the impact of social isolation and resilience; (3) supporting physical wellbeing; (4) minimising the impact of poverty on wellbeing; (5) supporting transitions as children and young people move into school; and (6) staff wellbeing and professional learning.

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 HM Inspectors of Education about effective practice in outdoor learning. These thematic inspections promote improvement by sharing more widely 'what works'. It outlines the features of high quality provision which are having a positive impact on children and young people and should be achievable by all. It is intended to celebrate the achievements and successes in Scottish education that are taking place even during an extremely challenging period when settings, schools and services are managing COVID-19. As well as sharing key messages about current practice, the report includes case studies of settings and establishments which demonstrate effective practice related to each key feature which contributes to high quality learning outdoors. These illustrate what this looks like in practice.

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 Attainment Challenge refresh and the progress of local authorities in improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty with a focus on tackling the poverty-related attainment gap.

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 of Curriculum for Excellence, that 'each child has an enormous capacity for learning and the potential to achieve in different ways' (p. 9). This paper is to be considered a thought paper, compiling the views of over 150 educators and over 600 learners from across Scotland's education system. It offers insights to help inform the National Discussion on Education and to stimulate an exploration of the four capacities. The paper will be useful to all educators and settings exploring curriculum rationale and curriculum design. [This paper was prepared by NoTosh.]

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 education to make Scotland the best place to grow and learn. This report presents the evidence of progress towards achieving this mission over the period 2016-2021. It also acknowledges the undisputed disruptive and detrimental impact of COVID-19 on progress, and also highlights key areas that will need to feature in the next steps of education recovery. While referencing the broader policy landscape, particular focus is made to the central role of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) and Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF) which was launched in February 2015. The strategic aim of the SAC has been to 'close the poverty-related attainment gap between children and young people from the least and most disadvantaged communities'. [This report was published by the Scottish Government and produced by APS Group Scotland.]

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 studies of practice in the report, captured before COVID-19, have been revisited to see how the identified settings and services have engaged families in learning during educational recovery.