Education Resources - Resource Plan progress

Our performance management reporting system IMPROVe uses a traffic light format with the following definitions to give a status report on each action or performance measure:

The overall summary of Resource Plan progress to date is as follows:

Data as at  30 September 2025.

Key achievements to date against each of the six Connect Outcomes are summarised below:

Connect Outcome - Communities and environment

• Conference of School 3 (COS3): Empowering Future Climate Leaders
  Led by the South Lanarkshire Youth Forum on Climate Change and Sustainability, COS3 brought together over 300 pupils and staff from 100 primary schools at Hamilton Palace Sports Grounds.
  The event showcased youth leadership in climate education, with strong interest from schools in replicating the model and continuing support for future forums.The event received praise from Education Scotland’s Chief Executive for its impact and pupil leadership.

Connect Outcome - Education and learning

• Curriculum design
  Over 500 visits were undertaken by CQIS officers in 2024/25, supporting curriculum innovation, learning and teaching improvements and strategies for raising attainment.
   
• Literacy
  Our P1/4/7 literacy is at its highest since 2016/2017, we have overtaken our previous pre-pandemic levels and remain above the national average for the fourth year in a row.
  S3 literacy remains above the national average and has increased gradually since the pandemic. The third level continues to show stronger performance. The fourth level is at its highest since 2016/2017.
  The literacy gap continues to close across P1/4/7, and in S3, our gap remains smaller than the national average.
   
• Numeracy
  Our P1/4/7 numeracy is consistently above the national average since 2016/2017 and has overtaken our pre-pandemic levels for the third year in a row.
  Third and fourth level numeracy also remain above the national average. The fourth level has overtaken our pre-pandemic levels.
  Our numeracy gap continues to close across P1/4/7 and in S3 our gap remains smaller than the national average.
   
• Leaver destinations
  The 2024/25 academic year saw promising trends in attainment across most measures for our leavers, as we observed continued improvements in the achievements of our learners. Our Positive Destination rate for all leavers remains consistently above the national average.
   
• Instrumental Music Service (IMS)
  IMS has continued to be a vital contributor to South Lanarkshire’s educational success, offering high-quality music education that is inclusive, aspirational, and community focused.

Connect Outcome - Health and wellbeing

• Emotion Coaching
  Over 1,500 education staff have been trained by our Educational Psychologists in Emotion Coaching, an attachment-informed approach that helps children manage emotions. Post-training evaluations showed 88% of staff adapted their practice, with 84% reporting improved pupil wellbeing and 72% noting reduced distressed behaviour
   
• Attendance campaign – ‘Every School Day Matters’
  A council-wide campaign was launched to promote school attendance, especially among early years and primary pupils. Featuring real pupils and superhero-themed messaging, the campaign highlights the social and emotional benefits of regular attendance. It aligns with national priorities and has been widely promoted across schools.

Connect Outcome - Children and young people

• Pupil Equity Funding (PEF)
  £8.9 million was deployed to schools in 2024/2025. The funds were spent on staffing, family support, improving attendance, reducing the cost of the school day, digital resources, literacy, numeracy and wellbeing interventions, all targeted towards children and young people experiencing poverty-related barriers. Officers have worked closely with schools to carry out Equity Health Check visits to help schools utilise these funds effectively to ensure the poverty-related attainment gap continues to close.
   
• Inclusion Conference 2025
  Over 200 participants attended our “Embracing Diversity” themed Inclusion Conference in September 2025.  Topics covered included a new vision for inclusive practice; embracing neurodiversity; embracing all behaviour as communication; embracing equality and embracing The Promise.

Connect Outcome - Housing and land

No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome

Connect Outcome - Our economy

No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome

In addition to working towards the Connect Outcomes, we will continually aim to improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and that business will be conducted with integrity and transparency and will operate to the highest standards.  In order to monitor and report progress against these values, Resource outcomes have also been identified, under the heading Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. Related achievements to date are summarised below:

Progress to date against the full suite of measures is contained in the Resource Plan progress report presented to the Education Resources Committee on 18 November 2025.

Measures that have been classified as ‘red' (major slippage against timescale or shortfall against target) are noted below, together with reasons and management actions being taken, and the management action now being taken, where applicable.

Delivering the plan and achieving Best Value

Resource Outcome: No measures have been classified as ‘red’ (major slippage against timescale or shortfall against target) in this reporting period.

There were no measures identified as ‘report later’ or ‘contextual’ in that report, so no further action or analysis is required.