Who is this template for?
This template is designed for school leaders and staff across Scotland who are committed to driving equity and improving outcomes for all learners. It is ideal for Head Teachers, Rectors, Depute Head Teachers, and Principal Teachers (Heads of Department/Subject Leaders). It also provides a valuable framework for local authority leaders and governors responsible for strategic oversight.
Why use this template?
This toolkit provides a robust, evidence-informed structure to guide your school's self-evaluation and improvement planning in relation to equity. It helps you move beyond compliance to create a culture of genuine, sustainable change.
- Save Valuable Time: It provides a ready-made, comprehensive framework for your equity review, removing the need to start from a blank page and allowing you to focus immediately on meaningful evaluation.
- Drive Strategic Improvement: The template helps you diagnose specific barriers to learning and identify the helping and hindering factors affecting your pupils, leading to more targeted and effective improvement plans.
- Close the Attainment Gap: It is specifically designed to support schools in improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty, aligning directly with the core mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge.
- Foster Collaboration: The structure encourages deep collaboration among all members of the school community—including teachers, support staff, and families—to build a shared understanding and collective ownership of your equity strategy.
- Ensure a Holistic Approach: The comprehensive areas ensure you evaluate every aspect of school life, from teaching and learning to family engagement and mental wellbeing, creating a truly holistic plan for equity.
- Evidence Your Impact: The iAbacus process helps you build a rich, evidence-backed picture of your progress, perfect for reporting to your local authority, Education Scotland, and other key stakeholders.
How does it work?
This template uses the proven, intuitive iAbacus process to guide you from reflection to action. You will evaluate your school's performance across 13 key areas, making judgements against clear levels of performance from 'Unsatisfactory' to 'Excellent'.
The key areas evaluated are:
- Learning, teaching, curriculum and assessment
- Leadership
- Families and communities
- Mental Health and wellbeing
- Children’s Rights
- Capturing the voice of our children and young people
- Inclusion
- Pupil Equity Funding
- Data
- Implementation
- Sustainability
- Cost of the school day
- Professional Learning
Clear, Professional Reporting
With one click, you can export your evaluation into a polished, professional PDF report. This is ideal for Head Teachers to share with staff and governors, providing a clear evidence base to improve leadership, learning, and teaching targeted to support families and communities impacted by poverty.
References / Source Material
How to Get Started
New to iAbacus? Discover how this template can support your improvement strategy. Book a personalised demo or start a free trial to explore the full platform. Visit www.iAbacus.com to learn more.
Already a subscriber? You can find this template in the template library within your iAbacus account. Simply log in, create a new abacus, and select it from the list to get started.
