Education Outcomes for Looked After Children 2021/22

Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels

This section presents statistics on achievement of CfE levels for children looked after within the year, and experimental statistics covering children who have been looked after at any point since turning 5. This report covers children who were in P1, P4, P7 or S3 during the 2021/22 school year. For more information please see the background notes.

The national and local authority data used within this section covers in publicly funded mainstream schools, and all pupils based in publicly funded special schools/units.

This year, our statistics cover 2,970 children in years P1, P4, P7 and S3 in mainstream schools who were looked after in the last year. For pupils in P4, P7 and S3, our statistics also cover 3,526 children who  experienced care at any point since turning 5. Children in P1 who have experienced care since turning 5 are not included here, as this will cover a narrower group of children than those looked after within the year. For just S3 pupils, our statistics also cover 1,092 children who experienced care at any point since turning 12.

Children in special schools/units are reported on at this end of this section. The information gathered as part of the return does not include a specific stage for these pupils. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate the percentage of pupils who have achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage. For more information on statistics for children in special schools / units, please see section 9.1.3.1  of the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2021/22 report. This year, our statistics cover 479 children who were looked after in the last year, and 595 children who experienced care at any point since turning 5.

Headline findings

• In 2021/22, 44.4% of children looked after in the last year achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage in literacy (meaning they achieved the expected level in reading, writing and listening and talking), and 53.3% achieved the expected level in numeracy.
• In 2021/22, achievement levels in all but one subject increased for children in P1, P4 and P7 since 2020/21. The picture is more mixed when comparing achievement to pre-pandemic levels in 2018/19.
• The proportion of pupils looked after within the year achieving the CfE level relevant for their stage is highest for listening and talking at all primary stages, and numeracy had the highest achievement rate at stage S3.

• As in previous sections covering school leaver achievement and destinations, children looked after at home with parents had lower achievement levels than all pupils looked after within the year, and children looked after in other community placement types.
• In special schools / units, the proportion of children looked after within the year achieving first, second and third level was higher than for all children, with the difference being the largest at first level.

Impacts of COVID-19

For notes on impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on ACEL levels, see section 1.3 of Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels: 2021/22 .

Comparison with CfE levels in previous years

The percentage of P1, P4 and P7 children looked after within the year who achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage increased between 2020/21 and 2021/22, for all stages and subjects. The exception to this is for achievement in reading in P4 where achievement fell by 0.7 percentage points. The picture is more mixed when comparing achievement in 2021/22 with pre-pandemic achievement in 2018/19. Children in P1 and S3 looked after within the year have seen achievement drop compared to 2018/19 across all subjects. Children in P7 looked after within the year saw small increases across all subjects compared to 2018/19.

Tables 3.1a to 3.1d show the proportion of children looked after within the year, and all children, achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage in the 2018/19, 2020/21 and 2021/22. For S3 pupils, only 2018/19 and 2021/22 data is available.

For P1 pupils looked after within the year (Table 3.1a), 2021/22 achievement was higher than in 2020/21 across all subjects, with increases ranging between 1.0 percentage points in reading, to 3.6 percentage points in listening and talking and numeracy. These results are, however, still lower than they were before the pandemic. In particular, achievement in writing at P1 level was 4.8 percentage points lower than in 2018/19.

When comparing these trends to outcomes for all children, the gap in achievement between P1 pupils looked after in the last year and all pupils has widened slightly since 2018/19 across all subjects, ranging from a 2.0 percentage point increase in reading, to a 3.0 percentage point increase in numeracy.

Table 3.1a: Percentage of P1 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject [Note 1]

Percentage of P1 children achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2018/19 to 2021/22.

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

For P4 pupils (Table 3.1b), achievement in 2021/22 is broadly similar to 2020/21 for reading and writing, and achievement has increased in listening and talking (by 1.8 percentage points) and numeracy (by 2.4 percentage points). Achievement compared to 2018/19 has increased very slightly in writing (by 1.1 percentage points), and in listening and talking (0.4 percentage points), and decreased in reading (by 2.6 percentage points), and numeracy (by 1.5 percentage points).

Compared to all pupils, P4 pupils looked after in 2021/22 still have significantly lower achievement levels, ranging from 20.6 percentage points in listening and talking to 32.0 percentage points in writing. The achievement gap between children looked after within the year and all pupils has increased across all subjects since 2020/21. However, this gap is still smaller than it was before the pandemic in 2018/19 in writing, listening and talking, and numeracy. In particular, the achievement gap narrowed in writing, where in 2021/22 it was 4.1 percentage points lower than at pre-pandemic (2018/19).

Table 3.1b: Percentage of P4 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject [Note 1]

Percentage of P4 children achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2018/19 to 2021/22.

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

Pupils in P7 (Table 3.1c) saw increases in achievement across all subjects between 2018/19 and 2021/22, ranging from a 1.0 percentage point increase in numeracy to a 3.2 percentage point increase in writing. There were even larger improvements between 2020/21 and 2021/22, ranging from 3.0 percentage point increase in achievement in numeracy to a 5.4 increase in achievement in reading.

Compared to all pupils, the achievement gap between children looked after in the last year and all pupils decreased compared to before the pandemic across all subject, ranging from a 1.3 decrease in numeracy to a 4.0 decrease in writing. The change in achievement gap compared to 2020/21 varied across subjects, ranging from a 1.8 decrease in reading, to a 0.8 increase in the achievement gap in numeracy.

Table 3.1c: Percentage of P7 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject [Note 1]

Percentage of P7 children achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2018/19 to 2021/22.

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

For pupils in S3 (Table 3.1d), achievement fell compared to 2018/19 across all subjects, but particularly in literacy subjects. Achievement in reading fell by 7.0 percentage points, and achievement in writing and listening and talking both fell by 7.7 percentage points. Achievement in numeracy also fell, but by 1.6 percentage points.

The achievement gap between pupil looked after within the year and all pupils has increased compared to 2018/19, once again more significantly in literacy subjects. The achievement gap increased by 4.8 percentage points in reading, 5.4 percentage points in writing and 5.5 percentage points in listening and talking. The numeracy achievement gap also saw a slight increase of 0.5 percentage points.

Table 3.1d: Percentage of S3 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject [Note 1]

Percentage of S3 children achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2018/19 to 2021/22.

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.
[Note 2] The Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) publication cover Primary school children (P1, P4 and P7) only in 2020-2021. Secondary school and special school data were not collected.

Comparison with CfE levels in different groups

In 2021/22, across all stages and subjects, a lower proportion of children who were looked after within the year achieved the CfE level relevant to their stage compared with all pupils (Charts 5a-5d).

The proportion of pupils looked after within the year achieving the CfE level relevant for their stage is highest for listening and talking at all primary stages, and numeracy had the highest achievement rate at stage S3. The gap between achievement rates for children looked after in the last year and all children was smallest in listening and talking for those in primary stages. In S3, the achievement gap was smallest in numeracy. In P1, P4 and S3, the gap is widest in writing; in P7 the gap is widest in numeracy.

Experimental statistics for 2021/22 show that children who experienced care at any point since turning 5 have very similar outcomes to children who have been looked after within the last year. It is important to note that, at the P1 stage, there may be some children who have been looked after at some point in the last year, but have not been looked after since turning 5. The statistics for P1 children therefore focus on those looked after in the last year.

The four charts below show the proportion of pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage, by subject. They compare children looked after in the last year, children who experienced care at any point since turning 5 and all children.

Chart 5a: Percentage of P1 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject
Percentage of P1 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for all children looked after within the year and all pupils, 2021/22.

Chart 5b: Percentage of P4 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of P4 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for all children looked after within the year, children who experienced care since turning 5, and all pupils, 2021/22.

Chart 5c: Percentage of P7 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of P7 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for all children looked after within the year, children who experienced care since turning 5, and all pupils, 2021/22.

Chart 5d: Percentage of S3 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject

Percentage of S3 pupils achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by subject, for all children looked after within the year, children who experienced care since turning 5, children who experienced care since turning 12, and all pupils, 2021/22.

Type of placement

Achievement of CfE levels varies across the types of accommodation in which looked after children are placed. Children looked after at home with parents tend to have lower achievement levels than all children looked after within the year, and children looked after in the community in other placement types (Table 3.3). Across both residential and community settings, children placed with foster carers provided by the local authority, or purchased by the local authority had the highest achievement levels in all subjects.

For children placed in residential accommodation, children in voluntary homes had the lowest achievement in all subjects and children in other community accommodation tend to have the highest achievement rates. However, both of these groups only represent a very small number of children.

Number and percentage of P1, P4, P7 and S3 children who were looked after within the last year achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage by accommodation type, 2021/22.

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

[Note 2] Children marked as 'not assessed' are included in the total count of children, but are excluded from calculations of the number of children achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage.

[Note 3] Includes with prospective adopters.

[Note 4] Includes in voluntary home, residential school, secure care accommodation or crisis care.

Number of placements

Children who experienced one placement throughout the course of the year had higher achievement rates than children who experienced more than one placement. Children who experienced 3 or more placements had the lowest achievement rates across all subjects.

Table 3.4: Achievement of CfE level, by number of placements [Note 1], [Note 2]

Number and percentage of P1, P4, P7 and S3 children who were looked after within the last year achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage, by number of placements 2021/22.

[Note 1] See background notes for information regarding the CfE levels relevant to a pupil’s stage.

[Note 2] Children marked as 'not assessed' are included in the total count of children, but are excluded from calculations of the number of children achieving the CfE level relevant to their stage.