FOI Request - Educational Services
Request 101003546408
1. SNSA and NSA Pupil Data
(Except Fife) Please can I be provided with a copy of Scottish National Standardised Assessment (SNSA) and Standardised Assessment (NSA) data (anonymised) collected for P1, P4, P7 and S3 pupils in 2017/2018, 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022 and 2022/23.
Did the Council analyse the data each year? If Yes, please provide a copy of the analysis reports for each (or any) of these years.
2. Pupil Record Management and Retention
Please can I be provided with a copy of the Council’s Pupil Record Management and Retention Policies. Can you confirm that an individual Pupil Record includes:
o Copies of individual pupil standardised assessment electronic data/report i.e. PIPS, InCAS, New Group Reading Test (NGRT), SNSA, NSA etc
o Copies of paper-based assessments conducted by school staff
o A copy of all pupil data entered into SEEMIS
o Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) levels as determined by the teacher
o That the full Pupil Record is retained for 5 years after a pupil has left school education
3. Electronic Systems holding personal pupil data
Please provide a list of the names of electronic systems (other than SEEMIS) that hold individual personal pupil data and the purpose of the system.
4. Policy on Parents Receiving Standardised Assessment Results/Reports
Please provide the Council’s policy on providing pupils/parents with a copy of their standardised assessment electronic data/report i.e. PIPS, InCAS, New Group Reading Test (NGRT), SNSA, NSA etc. Specifically, can the following questions be addressed:
o Are the completed standardised assessments automatically provided to pupil/parents
o Are the completed standardised assessments only provided when a pupils/parent requests a copy
o Are the completed standardised assessments provided when a pupil/parent submits a Subject Access Request or Education Records Request
o Are pupils/parents informed if the standardised assessment data is destroyed
5. Parent Access to SEEMIS
Please confirm if pupils/parents in your schools have access to the parent’s portal in SEEMIS. If yes, what folders/services can the parents access/view?
6. Pupil Standardised Assessment Data Retention Time
Please provide a copy of the Council’s Data Retention policy concerning pupil standardised assessment data i.e. PIPS, InCAS, New Group Reading Test (NGRT), SNSA, NSA etc. at the pupil, class, school and Council level. Specifically, can you confirm if:
o collated pupil standardised assessment data at the class level is destroyed after 5 years. If not, what is the retention time?
o collated pupil standardised assessment data at the school level is destroyed after 5 years. If not, what is the retention time?
o collated pupil standardised assessment data at the Council level is destroyed after 5 years. If not, what is the retention time?
o individual pupil standardised assessment data is always added to their Pupil Record. If not, what is the retention time?
7. Council/School Guidelines for Neurodevelopmental Conditions
Please can I be provided with a copy of Council/School guidelines, if available, for the identification and management of school pupils who have:
o Dyslexia
o Dysgraphia
o Developmental Coordination Disorder
o Dyscalculia
o Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
o Developmental Language Disorder
8. Teaching of Reading in P1 and P2
Please can I be provided with the Council guidelines for the teaching of reading in Primary 1 and 2. Specifically, do the guidelines specify which literacy programmes are to be used in P1 and P2.
Can you confirm if the Council purchased Active Literacy from North Lanarkshire Council and has been used in P1 and P2
Also, can I be provided with a list of teaching programmes used for children identified with poor phonemic awareness/dyslexia
9. Subject Access Request for Pupil Records
Over the past 5 years, for each year can you provide the number of times pupils/parents have submitted a Subject Access Request and or Education Records Request to obtain a copy of their/child’s Pupil Record
10. Council Leader Information and Education Reports
Please could I be provided with the following information:
o Name of Chief Executive, their contact details and salary
o Name of Director of Education (or equivalent), their contact details and salary
o Name of the Leader of the Council, their contact details and salary
o Name of the Education Portfolio holder, their contact details and salary
o Copy of the last Council Education Report
o Copy of the current/future Education Plan
11. Child Plan and IEP Templates
Please can I be provided with a copy of the Child Plan and/or Individual Education Plan template(s) or equivalents used by schools
12. Does the Council obtain reading ages for all P7 pupils prior to them transitioning to secondary school? If yes, can the following information be provided – for the past 10 academic years how many pupils, number and percentage, started S1 in each secondary school with a reading age less than 9.5 years?
13. Over the past 10 years, how many children have been removed from school to be home-educated? If possible, can the data be broken down by the school year they were withdrawn and if available the reason for withdrawal i.e. school unable to meet the child’s needs
Response 15-07-2024
1. The information requested can be found here.
-NSA is one source of evidence for informing Teacher Professional Judgements on learner level achievement, as outlined through Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels (ACEL) which are reported to our Education, Children’s and Leisure Services Committee annually following publication by Scottish Government in December for the previous year’s ACEL collection in June of the academic year prior
-Schools undertake NSA testing at different points in the year and access diagnostics accordingly in support of learner progress and identification of e.g. focussed teaching/supporting all learners
ACEL (which is informed by NSA) is reported annually, with the most recent report (2023) found on:
https://moray.cmis.uk.com/moray/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=BTncrU9uiDxLNIQKpTjlunVCHUL9BrEccrq2v2k4EkuK43Qce%2fqEuA%3d%3d&rUzwRPf%2bZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3d%3d=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2fLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3d%3d&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&kCx1AnS9%2fpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2bAJvYtyA%3d%3d=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&FgPlIEJYlotS%2bYGoBi5olA%3d%3d=NHdURQburHA%3d&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3d
2. -Information on retention is available here: http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_92820.html
This information is therefore exempt under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, information otherwise accessible.
-Schools hold pupil information electronically on Seemis and within Pupil Progress Records which would contain key information and documentation including pupil reports (reporting on progress)
-Pupil records are retained post-school in line with current retention advice/guidelines for pupil records (links noted above)
3. -Please see attached list
-We have included online platforms and software
-Not all of the systems/platforms will be used by all schools
4. -Completed standardised assessments are not automatically provided to pupils/parents but discussed as part of wider discussions regarding pupil progress and achievement
-Guidance from standardised assessment platforms is used in regard to provision (see below)
-We would take our advice/guidance from the relevant platform with examples from NSA and CEM MidYIS platforms provided below:
CEM MidYIS provide the following:
Only the school will have access to the results, as they are intended to support professional judgement and help teachers target support and tailor learning to students’ needs. Occasionally, some schools may choose to share some of the reports in discussions with you or your child.
NSA provide the following:
Teachers will use this information, alongside a wide range of other assessment information, to discuss with you how your child is progressing with their learning, as part of the usual reporting process in your school. Teachers discuss feedback from assessments with individual children and young people and then plan next steps in learning using all available assessment information. The information is also used by schools to plan improvements in literacy and numeracy provision.
In such cases, teachers may use data/information provided as one evidence source to inform their teacher professional judgements on learner progress and achievement. Learner progress would then be reported using the schools normal agreed reporting to parents/carers and in support of children's strengths/next steps in learning taking into account information from the above assessment platforms/assessments. They form one of a number of sources of evidence used when determining learner progress and achievement.
A parent is advised to speak with their child's school Head Teacher (Primary) directly and in secondary, the relevant Principal Teacher of Guidance/Year Head. In this way, further supports can be put in place and sharing of information may happen as appropriate to individual children and young people's circumstances and parental requests. This may include sharing of standardised assessment data where desired with the caveat that this would be one piece of assessment data (as an assessment undertaken during a window in time) from a range of wider evidence used to gauge learner progress and achievement.
-Information on retention is available here: http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_92820.html
This information is therefore exempt under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, information otherwise accessible.
5. -Parents do not have access to Seemis
-ParentsPortal is a separate digital service that allows parents to access online services and information. The services available within Moray are report child absences, report change of contact details, digital permission slips, view general school information, view attendance record, view timetable, view report cards, access online school payments, parents’ night booking calendar, and apply for young person’s free bus travel. Not all schools use all services, as some are within trial phases, and parental use is entirely voluntary
6. -Information on retention is available here: http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_92820.html
This information is therefore exempt under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, information otherwise accessible.
7. Please see support and information guidance on the following pages:
-www.moray.gov.uk
-http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file141638.pdf
-http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file141640.pdf
-http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file92834.pdf
-http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_115678.html
This information is therefore exempt under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, information otherwise accessible.
8. -Schools following progression frameworks and reading schemes on a school by school basis based on school approach and pupil knowledge/progress
-Through devolved school management, individual schools may have purchased the Active Literacy Programme (Section 17)
-Please see approaches outlined in: http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file92834.pdf
-Please see: http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file141640.pdf
This information is therefore exempt under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, information otherwise accessible
9. -This information is not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
-Where individual approaches are made, they are supported by schools within current guidance and based on retention schedule
10. -Please see for names/contact details: http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file115359.pdf and also here.
o Copy of the last Council Education Report
-Please see: https://moray.cmis.uk.com/moray/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=N0mfKocfz%2fsDdIwsSZMv8VyNFAFfrGK86Kd6ZNV5MNBOVDlVIOjYGg%3d%3d&rUzwRPf%2bZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3d%3d=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2fLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3d%3d&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&kCx1AnS9%2fpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2bAJvYtyA%3d%3d=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&FgPlIEJYlotS%2bYGoBi5olA%3d%3d=NHdURQburHA%3d&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3d
o Copy of the current/future Education Plan
-Please see: https://moray.cmis.uk.com/moray/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=UbG5rPGJiNUI0fTFEmrcSzh8K7hk2aRUanov0iMIs%2bicCqulvW9%2f8w%3d%3d&rUzwRPf%2bZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3d%3d=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2fLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3d%3d&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&kCx1AnS9%2fpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2bAJvYtyA%3d%3d=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&FgPlIEJYlotS%2bYGoBi5olA%3d%3d=NHdURQburHA%3d&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3d
This information is therefore exempt under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, information otherwise accessible.
11. -Child planning guidance can be found on: http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_102559.html and is currently under further review
This information is therefore exempt under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, information otherwise accessible.
-Current Child Planning and IEP templates are attached as requested Section 1, Section 2, Section 3 and Section 4
12. Not held. Individual secondary schools will work with ASG Primary Schools in advance of cross-sector transitions. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
13. Please see attached and reasons, last 10 years