Paper: Statistical Analysis of the Educational Mobility of Primary Schools Across Scotland

As part of our project: Understanding Poverty and Attainment Across the Northern Alliance Region, The University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute completed a statistical analysis of the educational mobility of primary schools across Scotland.

Educational mobility is an understanding of how well students from low socio-economic backgrounds perform at school. The team used data from the Scottish pupil census in combination with curriculum for excellence teacher-based assessments. Combining these datasets enabled the team to observe the percentage of pupils who perform at or above their relevant level in both literacy and numeracy. The team were then able to observe any differences between urban and rural schools, as well as differences across the local authorities based within the Northern Alliance region.

Using free school meal registration as an indicator for social-economic status, the team were able to observe a notable difference in educational mobility between rural and urban schools. Namely, there is evidence to suggest that students from low socio-economic backgrounds that attend rural schools have experienced poorer educational mobility than their urban counterparts.

When looking specifically at schools based within the Northern Alliance Local Authorities, the analysis suggests that schools in these areas experience a lower rate of mobility when compared to other areas in Scotland.

The analysis also provides insights into the intakes of schools in the context of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). The research illustrates the notable variety of SIMD deciles feeding into specific school catchments. This analysis provides a useful insight into the complexity of school composition when considering SIMD. It is shown that a relative majority of schools (25%) comprise of students from five SIMD deciles. It is also evident that schools located in areas of median deprivation support the largest variety of SIMD deciles within their catchments.

To learn more about the analysis, and data used, and the findings, you can read the full paper below.