Aberdeen City Council
Education and Children’s Services
Pupil Equity Funding – Guidance for Schools
How to Identify the Gap
Pupil Equity Fund
Graeme Logan (Education Scotland):
“The money will be lumped together….We are taking a slightly
more flexible approach for your own professional judgement in
other words.”
“Who is it in your community who is effected by poverty? and
poverty looks different everywhere…. Rural poverty, hidden
poverty etc. So who is it that is the most needy? Who is it whose
progress in attainment is effected by poverty?”
“The schools who have made the most progress are really clear
on what attainment gaps exist across their pupil cohort.”
The Process
Identify
the gap
Improvement
Planning
Targeted
interventions
Selfevaluation
Take the vision and turn it into
reality…identify the gap
What are the gaps in your school?
What are the gaps in each year groups / class?
What is going to change in the classroom to close the gap ?
What are the barriers to learning in our school ?
Think about a 4 year plan
What is the rationale for your spend?
A few targeted interventions within and beyond the classroom before
thinking about the “stuff”.
Five key indicators to consider
• Attainment
• Attendance
• Exclusion
• Engagement - in every lesson and beyond school
• Participation
Primary Absence
10
9
8
7
6
School
City
5
4
3
2
1
0
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
P6
P7
Secondary Absence
12
10
8
School
City
6
4
2
0
S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
Where is the ‘gap’?
S4 Maths class 1/9
S4 Maths class 9/9
The process
Identify
the gap
Improvement
Planning
Targeted
interventions
Selfevaluation
Interventions for Equity
Targeted Interventions
Targeted Interventions
Interventions for Equity
Interventions for Equity
PEF - Mind the gap traps
• Staffing – need to ensure you will be able to
appoint.
• What difference will they make?
• Opportunity to pool staff across ASG?
• Set a clear target - try to be aspirational …..in
2020…….
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Pupil Equity Fund
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ACC Guidance Booklet for Head Teachers
Identifying the gap
Targeted interventions and impact
Financial and HR guidance
Timeline for central teams and schools
Initial Planning – Pupil Equity Funding
PEF Guidance Booklet
http://www.abernet.org/
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Planning for improvement
Financial Guidance and Procurement
HR Guidance
Costs for Staff
Planned Interventions- Central Support
Time Line for Schools and Central teams
Initial PEF Planning Sheet
Financial Guidance and Procurement
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The PEF finance will be transferred to the cost centre E55 followed by the
individual school code.
Any expenditure must comply with Aberdeen Council Financial Regulations
including procurement.
It is anticipated that use will be made of the existing Aberdeen City Council
and National framework contracts for the provision of goods and services. In
the event of a new procurement being required or if the total value of the
orders with any one supplier takes us beyond the current award threshold
further commissioning work will be required in conjunction with the
Commercial and Procurement Service (CPS) . This will be reflected in the
planning and delivery timescales.
Once the initial PEF planning forms are completed and collated we will be in
a position to determine what if any additional procurement work is
necessary.
HR Guidance
• Any staff employed must be on national and/or local terms
and conditions and expenditure is compliant with
procurement regulations.
• Adding to the core teaching and support staffing- Proposed
City wide business case. (Depute Head point 1 example)
• Creating a new post- Play worker etc. Proposed citywide
job evaluation.
• All ex gratia payments at Principal Teacher level point 1 City wide proposal.
• Current posts out with schools – sourced and costed at
normal rates of pay.
Time Line Central and School Teams
Month
Schools
Feb 17

March 17

Central Teams
Schools and ASGs begin discussions 
around identifying the gap and intended
interventions.
Schools begin to populate initial PEF 
planning sheet.
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April 17
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Schools submit initial planning sheet to 
centre. These should be submitted to 
mailto:[email protected]
May 17

Schools to present PEF plans to 
colleagues and central officers at Head 
Teacher meeting to test suitability of plans. 
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June 17

Sept 17

Schools submit SQUIP with specific details 
of PEF planning.
Schools prepare specific input as part of 
the KIT visit with QIO.
Initial Input to Head Teachers
Guidance booklet issued to schools- please
note this will be continually updated and will
be uploaded to the PEF tab on Abernet.
Initial planning sheet for PEF issued to
schools
SQUIP paperwork issued to schools
Central Teams briefed on Pupil Equity
Funding – add updates to Pupil equity fund
guidance booklet.
Finance downloaded to schools
Elected members briefed on Pupil Equity
Funding
Quality assurance of initial plans by QIO.
Discussion at ASG re PEF initial plans.
Finance and HR teams discuss follow up
actions emerging from initial plans.
Head Teacher meeting – attended by
relevant central officers to discuss and test
PEF plans.
PEF within SQUIP quality assured by QIO
Update on progress re PEF and planned
interventions at keeping in touch visits by
QIO
Appendix 1- Initial PEF Planning Sheet
Proposal Period
2017/18
Name of School
Amount of money
allocated
Data and analysis
Proposed
Interventions
•Presentation of data
in the local context
•Analysis of what this
reveals in terms of the
attainment gap
•Identification of
target populations
•Rationale behind
proposals
•Proposals to address
identified issues
•Rationale and
evidence behind
proposals
•Aim and expected
impact of proposals
•Initial assessment of
funding requirement
•See Annex B for menu
of interventions
Impact measurement
Governance
•Proposals for
measuring impact
•Data, new and
existing, which will be
required
•Plans for how data
will be collected and
reported
•Proposals for how the
work will be managed
locally
•Plans for local
governance and
reporting
1. Data and analysis
This section should provide the evidence to support your planned interventions.
2. Proposed interventions
3. Impact Measurement
This section should include outputs and outcomes including target group(s). Specific
reference must be included to targeting young people from the most disadvantaged
communities.These should include where appropriate children and young people from
Deciles 1 and 2 and those who are registered for FSMs.
Area of Purchase
Resources
Teaching Staff
Support Staff
New Staff Post- not
within current
structures at LA e.g.
play worker etc.
Commissioned
Purchased services
Partners
Transport
Lets
Other
Total
Details
Approximate Cost