Education standards and quality report presented to Cabinet
At the recent meeting of Cabinet, Education Services presented the annual Standards and Quality Report for 2024/ 25 to elected members who took the opportunity to congratulate the children and young people of East Ayrshire on their achievements, while recognising the support received from teachers, support staff and Education Services as a whole.
The report, which is published in accordance with the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc Act 2000, is an overview of progress achieved by Education Services towards set priorities and includes four main sources of evaluation:
- performance data
- relevant documentation
- stakeholders’ views and feedback
- direct observation of practice
The report sets out the continued commitment and investment in all aspects of the learning estate, which includes the opening of the new build Dunlop ECC, the completion of the refurbishment of St Sophia’s in Galston plus the extension and refurbishment work getting underway shortly at Kilmaurs Primary, Stewarton Academy and Doon Academy.
Improvement in attainment is a key priority, and the report demonstrates that literacy and numeracy attainment for school leavers at each SCQF level compares very favourably with the Virtual Comparator and the South West Collaborative performance; and is positive against the national average figures.
Importantly, the most recent positive destination figure for school leavers in East Ayrshire is 95.2%. Education Services has worked closely with the Council’s Employability team to provide guidance and advice to young people to secure positive destinations. In recognition of the importance of this close partnership, the teams have been merged to ensure that best possible outcomes for our young people.
Skills and Learning 33 (SL33) - an innovative model that creates a partnership between school senior leaders, pupil support colleagues, employers and a range of Council services and local training providers to improve essential work skills of young people still at school and unemployed young people – has been expanded with the opening of SL66 in Netherthird, utilising the former library building. SL66 was developed in response to identified need in the community and further development of this model is being carefully considered.
Councillor Elaine Cowan, Spokesperson for Education, and Children and Young People said: “I welcome the Standards and Quality report for 2024/25 for the East Ayrshire Education Service by reaffirming our commitment to providing the very best learning opportunities for all our young people. We remain absolutely committed to ensuring our children have access to the highest standards of education delivered by dedicated staff in nurturing environments.
“It is pleasing to see the progress outlined in this report and also recognise that our aspirations and goals are to continue to drive for excellence and equity for all our pupils. The information provided in this report highlights the achievements of our Education Service, it also identifies the areas where we can think bigger and better. Working together we can build something really special for our young people, their families and all our communities across East Ayrshire.”