Scottish Government

Target 1
(REPLACED)

By 2006, ensure that at least 15,000 vulnerable children under five, every looked after child, every pupil with special educational needs and every child on the child protection register have an integrated package of health, care and education support which meets their needs.

This target has been superseded by a revised target in the Draft Budget 2005-06 which is identical to Closing the Opportunity Gap Target E: "By March 2008, ensure that children and young people who need it have an integrated package of appropriate health, care and education support." The Executive and its local partners are making good progress towards meeting this complex and challenging target.

Delivery of the revised target will be measured by reporting from local partnerships in annual updates to integrated children's services plans, which will include reporting on indicators in the Quality Improvement Framework. More specifically, we intend to track progress with delivery of Additional Support Needs legislation, including the implementation of coordinated support plans and we are working towards ensuring that every child who goes to a children's hearing will have a personal plan based on GIRFEC (getting it right for every child) requirements, backed by letters of assurance from agencies. Evaluation plans for GIRFEC will allow us to assess outcomes from this process.

Target 2
(NOT MET)

By 2006, the number of persistent young offenders will be 10% less than in 2000-01.

The target to reduce the number of persistent young offenders in Scotland by 10% was set in 2002 and the necessary reduction quantified in November 2004.

On 11 July 2006, the Scottish Executive published a Summary Report outlining progress to March 2006 on the completion of the 10-point Action Plan on Youth Crime and achievements against National Standards for Scotland's Youth Justice Services, including reporting against the persistent young offender reduction target. This summary report confirmed that nationally, the target had not been met.

However, some local authorities and agencies have achieved significant reductions in youth offending. Young people's offending is now being tackled more quickly and local agencies are getting a better grip on who the main offenders are. New Antisocial Behaviour legislation has helped in concentrating and focussing local action.

The 2004 Spending Review set a further target to reduce the total number of persistent young offenders from the targeted levels for March 2006 by a further 10% by end March 2008. That remains in place.

The disproportionately negative impact that the behaviour of a small minority of young people has on victims, communities and their own life chances remains a concern. We are determined to prevent that behaviour wherever possible, and confront it when it does occur. The new Youth Justice Improvement Team will take this forward.

Target 3
(REPLACED)

Increase the number of children in Gaelic-medium education by at least 5% each year on the 2003-04 figure.

This target has been superseded by a revised target in Draft Budget 2005-06: "Increase the number of children in Gaelic-medium education year on year, and by 20% by December 2009."

Progress towards this new target is on track, with participation rising from 1,972 in 2003-04 to 2,052 in 2005-06.

Target 4
(NOT MET)

By 2006, reduce the gap between the average attendance levels in schools serving areas of high and low deprivation by 10%, and by another 10% by 2008.

This target is in two parts. The latest published figures from 2004-05 show that the target has already been met in the secondary school sector, but not in the primary school sector. The data for 2005-06 is scheduled for release in December 2006.

Available data shows that in the primary sector, the drop between 2000-01 and 2004-05 has been less than one fifth of a half days absence. Over the same period in the secondary sector, the drop has been close to five half days absence.

Target 5
(MET)

By 2006, increase the nutritional value and presentation of school meals and increase take-up, especially among pupils eligible for a free school meal.

The Hungry for Success agenda has now replaced this target. This agenda continues to be rolled out to all primary and secondary schools and includes the targets of increased nutrient standards of school meals, improved presentation and implementing measures to increase uptake of school meals (in particular free school meals). Primary schools have been implementing Hungry for Success since 2004 and we expect secondary school to be on target for December 2006. A positive report by HMIE highlighting the progress made by primary school has recently been published (http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/hmiemihs.pdf).

In order to build on this progress, legislation is now being proposed for introduction to Parliament in September 2006.

Target 6
(ONGOING)

Full implementation of the national agreement on teachers' pay and conditions (A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century) by 2006.

The relevant technical note identified six milestones through the National Agreement. Policies have been implemented to facilitate compliance with the timetable. Whilst not all areas are directly measurable, the review from Audit Scotland identified that the milestones have (or will be) met.

The reduction in class contact time will take effect from August 2006 but evidence of success will be taken from the Teacher census collected in September 2006 and published early in 2007. Local authorities have assured Ministers that sufficient resources are in place to deliver the reduction in August.

Target 7
(ONGOING)

Ensure teacher numbers have increased to 53,000 by 2007 and target these additional teachers on reducing class sizes to a maximum of 20 in S1/S2 Maths/English and 25 in P1 and increasing the number of specialists working across the boundary between secondary and primary.

This target was carried forward in the Draft Budget 2005-06. Good progress is being made towards the 53,000 headline figure. The 2005 Teacher census showed that there were 52,179 teachers based in schools and pre-schools.

Targets in P1 and in English in S1/S2 are expected to be met and Post Graduate Diploma in Education ( PGDE) intakes have increased by 150% and 145% respectively since 2002. The Maths S1/S2 target was always challenging to achieve. However, PGDE intakes have increased, by 116% and are slightly ahead of expected levels.

Funding for visiting specialists will be available from 2007. In the interim, pilot projects have been run to examine ways of promoting cross sector working. These are currently being evaluated.

Local authorities have been provided with additional funding of £32.5m in 2006 and £44m in 2007 to employ additional teachers. Before the funds for 2007 are released authorities will need to commit to a specific number of teachers which will in aggregate meet the 53,000 commitment.

Target 8
(ONGOING)

Provision of a modern, high quality learning environment through the completion of 200 either new or substantially refurbished schools by 2006, rising to 300 by 2009.

This target was rolled forward in the Draft Budget 2005-06. Delivery cannot be measured fully until the end of 2009, with the interim target giving an indication of progress by end 2006.

We are committed to support public private partnership projects with a total capital value of £2.3 billion across Scotland. We already have supported the development of 120 new or refurbished schools during the period 1999-2002. A further 200 schools will be completed or under construction by end 2006, confirming good progress towards the figure of 300 by end 2009.

Target 9
(ONGOING)

Rollout of the new community school and health promoting school approach across every local authority by 2006 and to every school by 2007.

The Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit ( SHPSU) was established in 2002, as a partnership enterprise between the Executive, NHS Health Scotland, Learning Teaching Scotland and CoSLA, to champion, facilitate and support the implementation of the health promoting school concept throughout Scotland.

A framework for the National Accreditation of local authorities' health promoting schools arrangements was developed in early 2006, in response to feedback, as a positive action to support the development of the agenda in a clear and consistent way across Scotland. Local authorities with their respective NHS Boards were invited to submit their accreditation schemes for assessment by a multi-agency national team led by SHPSU. 21 local authorities were given national endorsement during the first assessment round, with a second round to follow in autumn 2006. The accreditation/endorsement process at both local and national level will provide a useful baseline for assessing progress against the 2007 target.

The Schools (Nutrition and Health Promotion) (Scotland) Bill will also take forward the health promoting schools agenda by establishing a statutory duty upon local authorities to endeavour to ensure that all schools are health promoting.

Target 10
(REPLACED)

Increase by at least 5% the proportion of pupils achieving expected 5-14 levels relevant to their stage in primary and secondary school, and at least five passes at SCQF level 5 (or better) by the end of S6, by 2006.

During 2004, the Scottish Executive made a commitment in 'Ambitious, Excellent Schools' report committed to replace the blanket annual 5 - 14 test survey with a new sample based survey of achievement. Whilst it is possible to assess the direction of travel of 5-14 attainment, changes to the collection source mean that it is not possible to accurately measure percentage change from year to year, and therefore the 5-14 element of this target.

The attainment at SCQF level 5 is measured through a 3 year moving average, and the progress since 2000-01 (level averaged over 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01) has been from 41 % to 47 % (level averaged over 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05). The final assessment against the target can take place in late 2006 (using pre-appeal results for 2005-06) or March 2007 (using post-appeal results for 2005-06).

This target was however superseded by a revised target in Draft Budget 2005-06: "Increase the average tariff score of the lowest attaining 20% of S4 pupils by 5% by March 2008." To date, performance against this new target has not improved and work is being progressed to explore the impact of the changing assessment options now available to pupils and schools, on measures of attainment which are more narrowly defined. Of particular interest to this target will be the impact on the lower attaining cohort.

Target 11
(REPLACED)

Reduce by at least 15% the proportion of pupils failing to reach level C in P7, level D in S2, and five passes at SCQF level 4 (or better) by the end of S6, by 2006.

During 2004 the Scottish Executive made a commitment in 'Ambitious, Excellent Schools' report committed to replace the blanket annual 5-14 test survey with a new sample based survey of achievement. Whilst it is possible to assess the direction of travel of 5-14 attainment, changes to the collection source mean that it is not possible to accurately measure percentage change from year to year and therefore the 5- 14 element of this target.

The attainment at SCQF level 4 is measured through a 3 year moving average, and the decrease since 2000-01 (level averaged over 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01) has been from 25 % to 21 % (level averaged over 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05). The final assessment against the target can take place in late 2006 (using pre-appeal results for 2005-06) or March 2007 (using post-appeal results for 2005-06).

This target was however superseded by a revised target in Draft Budget 2005-06: "Deliver improvements in outcomes for pupils across the five National Priorities in Education from the position as published in 2003, by ensuring local authorities set targets; by reporting publicly on progress by 2006; and by building on this to a second phase of local improvement planning with targets set by April 2007." This approach has itself been superseded by the publication by HMIE of Improving Scottish Education earlier this year. The framework for improvement planning associated with the National Priorities is currently being reviewed.