Renfrewshire marks improvement in children’s numeracy attainment as ranked fourth in Scotland

The latest attainment data shows Renfrewshire schools are ranked fourth out of 32 councils for primary school numeracy levels.

In a report published for Renfrewshire Council’s next Education and Children’s Services Policy Board (15 January), the area’s attainment levels were analysed against the latest available national data.

It shows the attainment gap for primary pupils has reduced to pre-pandemic levels for both literacy and numeracy.

Attainment across the board is now in line with pre-pandemic levels in most measures, with improvements highlighted for children in primary four and seven as well as third-year students in secondary school.

There has also been an increase in literacy for care-experienced pupils, rising by 11 percentage points, and for pupils with additional support needs.

Renfrewshire has more than 97 per cent of school leavers entering positive destinations, such as going to college or university, or entering apprenticeships, training or work.

Education Convener, Councillor Emma Rodden, said: “Renfrewshire schools are among the best in Scotland and this data shows the consistently strong performance, with numeracy in primary ranked fourth out of 32 Scottish councils. This is a significant achievement.

“With the attainment gap having reduced to below pre-pandemic levels and most measures also now in line with pre-pandemic levels, it’s clear to see the hard work our teachers and school staff have done to support our children and young people and ensure they get the best out of their education.

“Recovering from the pandemic and getting back to pre-pandemic levels is testament to the key focus of our schools and central education team not only on literacy and numeracy, but on the wellbeing of our children and young people and we can see the results of that strategy in this data. I want to thank all of Renfrewshire’s teachers and staff as well as our children and their families and carers, for their hard work in achieving this improvement.”

The Council’s education team was highlighted for having three areas of best practice in a recent national review of all education teams across Scotland.

All of Renfrewshire schools inspected over the last two years have received positive inspection results.