Use of data and targeted support at St Ignatius’ Primary School

Published
15/12/2025
Last updated
15/12/2025

St Ignatius’ Primary School is a denominational school in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire. The school shares a campus with Wishaw Academy Primary School. The school currently has 179 children across seven primary classes in mainstream, and 48 children in the nursery.

Just over half of the children attending the school live in areas classified as Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles 1 and 2. The remainder of children live mostly in SIMD decile 4. Approximately one quarter of children are entitled to free school meals. One fifth of children have English as an additional language. Just over 40% of children receive additional support in their learning. Children’s attendance is currently 93.84%, above the average for North Lanarkshire.

The improvement issue

Through self-evaluation, senior leaders identified a group of children who required intensive support to understand and manage their behaviour, engage more fully in learning and to develop their social and emotional resilience.

Within the group of children, a significant number of barriers to their learning were identified. These barriers included significant trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s), diagnosed conditions, and developmental delays.

All children within the group were working significantly below expected levels.

What St Ignatius’ Primary did

Teaching staff used data to identify children who would benefit from additional support. They planned and delivered high-quality support well to help close the attainment gap for individual children. Senior leaders used Pupil Equity Funding very carefully to plan interventions and target support to close gaps in children’s learning. Staff developed bespoke programmes, such as the Forest Club and music tuition to meet the social, emotional and learning needs of individual children.

Developing relationships with the children, their families and working with agencies was identified as a priority. In building these relationships staff targeted the following areas for improvement:

  • Attendance
  • Engagement
  • Motivation to learn
  • Sense of achievement
  • Behaviour
  • Attainment.

Designed tracking systems

Staff developed arrangements to support tracking of identified children’s targets. Two measurement scales were introduced which capture a child’s emotional wellbeing, involvement and engagement.

The St Ignatius’ Primary School tracking system collects data on pupil achievement of a level and progress within a level. Tracking systems also take account of other relevant data, for example, SIMD, free school meals, ACE’s, care experience, young carers, attendance levels, and parental engagement with their child’s learning. All identified children are tracked to ensure that planning is appropriate, provides adequate challenge and that resources are effectively deployed.

An evidenced-based profiling tool was introduced to support positive change and greater wellbeing, with scales presented in a star shape and measured on a clearly defined ‘Journey of Change’.

An online Health and Wellbeing (HWB) survey focused on Getting it Right for Every Child health and wellbeing indicators and is completed by all children twice per year. This helps show how each child feels about being a learner in the school and allows staff to make appropriate interventions.

Bespoke Programmes include:

Forest Club

Children were introduced to forest learning, which provides opportunities for children to develop their skills in communication and engagement. Children engage with older pupils, family members, community police and other role models from the school community. This programme is helping to improve confidence, motivation and engagement for all those involved. Attainment within the group has improved for most children, as have relationships with their peers and teachers. The group now supports identified children from the nursery class with similar social and emotional needs during transition periods.

Guitar Club

A group of children attend guitar lessons to further develop confidence, engagement and to promote achievement through music. The children who have significant barriers to their learning are achieving success within the club and this has increased their motivation to engage within a class setting.

Writing Focus Groups

Writing focus groups were introduced for children identified as working just below the expected level. Children’s progress was tracked over the course of the intervention, with data evidencing achievement of their expected level.

What the sustained impact has been

Staff’s use of data and high-quality, targeted support has resulted in improvements in children’s attainment, achievement and engagement. Children who have engaged in the targeted programmes are now taking pride in their successes, developing a willingness to raise their own aspirations and a desire to play their part in the school community. Families are now proactive in communicating with school and understand that support is available to all. 

Impact:

  • Additional staffing using Pupil Equity Funding has strengthened universal approaches to planning, tracking and monitoring. It enabled additional targeted interventions for identified children. Data is tracked to evidence impact, and to provide specific reporting on the impact of interventions for children in quintile 1. Evidence demonstrates a closing of the poverty related attainment gap. 
  • Positive feedback and evidence collected from surveys, including a P1-7 HWB survey. This showed that as a result of developing more positive relationships with children and families, higher levels of learner engagement and parental support. Almost all children are engaged in their learning. Children are supported to develop their resilience, show pride in their success and are encouraged to demonstrate positive working relationships with their peers and teachers.
  • Staff use the learning environment creatively. They are making better use of the space available to provide children with high quality experiences, both indoor and outdoor contexts.
  • Tracking, professional dialogue and collation of assessment and observation data over time shows that most pupils receiving interventions have increased attainment, engagement or motivation. 
  • The tracking system shows clearly raised attainment for most children across all quintiles, and significantly, almost all the children identified as within lower quintiles.
  • As of April 2025, the majority of identified children are now working at expected levels. 
  • Weekly achievements’ tracking allow staff to identify any children who may be missing out on wider achievements. As a result, all children benefit from lunchtime and after-school clubs arranged by senior leaders and Active Schools staff.
  • Attendance is monitored more rigorously. This is supporting the early identification of children who would benefit from specific interventions. As a result, attendance rates are now higher and are continuing to improve.