When I took up post in March 2023, I set myself three key priorities: to lead Education Scotland through reform, to move towards new ways of working and to improve stakeholder relationships. I knew that work was needed to enhance our relationship with local authorities - and reckoned one way to do that was to spend time in schools and settings throughout Scotland.
Education directors’ body ADES invited me to deliver a keynote speech at its November 2023 annual conference in Cumbernauld, where I committed to visit all 32 local authorities - and I aim to do this by December.
It’s already been a unique opportunity to see education across so many different settings - but what have I learned?
Showing pride in Scottish education
I’ve been blown away by the warm welcome in every place. It’s been an absolute delight to see how proud folk are to share their schools, classrooms, workshops, learning and priorities.
The rhetoric we sometimes read about in the media - and on social media - of a failing system, of schools in crisis, has not been my reality. It makes me wonder if we don’t always shout loudly enough about our successes and what makes us proud of our young people and educators.
That said, colleagues I’ve spent time with have not sugar-coated the challenges that they face - some of which have sharpened since the pandemic - and have discussed these openly.
For example, it has been helpful to hear from headteachers about persistent and complex attendance challenges. Their strategies to address these include: changes to the curriculum and subject choice, innovative timetabling and targeted support from teachers, CLD (community learning and development) staff and family support workers.
Similarly, headteachers have spoken about the changing social contract between home and school post-pandemic, as well as increasing mental health challenges and pupil anxiety, which can have an impact on attendance and behaviour.
I’ve also heard about challenges in specific contexts, such as teacher recruitment and retention in Aberdeenshire and the varying impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
Increasing use of data
I’ve been impressed by increasing use of data to target support. Teachers and school leaders are much more data-literate than when I was in those roles. Local authorities such as Angus and Orkney have created bespoke data-management systems, used to monitor progress and target support.
Several directors spoke about the importance of focusing on a small number of strategies and doing these well. South Ayrshire is prioritising South Ayrshire Reads and an adaptive teaching programme, inspired by Simon Breakspear’s work in Education Scotland’s Excellence in Headship programme, developed with its attainment adviser. I saw the benefits of this whole-school focus for teaching, while staff talked about the impact of targeted professional learning.
Similarly, in Inverclyde colleagues shared their strategies to support the Scottish Attainment Challenge, including interesting work on peer review with headteachers.
Pupil leadership has been a theme in Scotland for many years. On many visits I’ve been privileged to have young people as my guides, sharing what it’s like to learn in school, what they enjoy, what they would improve - and how they are already influencing changes. The four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence? Look no further than a P7 tour guide.
These capacities are evident in spades throughout schools. Pupil-focused leadership is a strength of our system - one we should hold firmly to. Scotland has a strong tradition in children’s rights and made history this year by incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law. When visiting Longniddry Primary School in East Lothian, it was clear that Rights Respecting Schools underpinned every aspect of ethos, culture and curriculum.
Billy Connolly said there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes, and keeping a raincoat and my bright blue wellies in the car boot has been essential. I’ve been blown away (excuse the pun) by the outdoor learning that young people experience, no matter the weather.
In Shetland I discovered “inside-outside” spaces - a kind of go-between for wee ones in the nursery when the weather is just too wild. I also watched three- and four-year-olds gleefully shouting “make it rain!” as the teacher sprayed them with water from the hose.
In Stirling I visited Etive House - specialist additional support needs provision at St Modan’s High School - and, within that, Tiny Farm, where the young people were demonstrating diverse skills supported by energetic staff. One of my funniest memories is of a three-year-old I met in the outdoor Silver Birch Nursery in Argyll and Bute, who preferred the indoor nursery because outside “you get soaked!”
‘Home-grown’ professional learning
I was interested to learn how local authorities are building capacity through learning and leadership, particularly in challenging fiscal contexts. Directors spoke about the importance of “growing their own”, and I spent time in the professional-learning academy in North Ayrshire to hear about their focused work. As we move towards a refocused Education Scotland, there’s a real opportunity for an overview of local and national professional development - and to work collectively to reduce duplication.
When we talk about Scottish education, we often think about schools, but these visits have reminded me of the importance and impact of all educators - CLD, early learning and childcare teams, wider support staff. That it takes a village to raise a child remains true: whatever local challenges our educators face, they are united by shared passion and righteous indignation that all young people are entitled to the best education we can provide.
While my initial motivation was to enhance relationships, the time spent in schools and settings across Scotland is providing me with “live intelligence” - the opportunity to see what’s going on, hear directly from educators and witness learning - which I can then use to prioritise Education Scotland’s activity, and contribute to discussions with Scottish government and other partners.
As schools return from the summer, I’ll pop the blue wellies back in the boot - looking forward to visiting the places I’ve not made it to yet, and continuing to learn from, and listen to, the education profession in Scotland.
Gillian Hamilton is interim chief executive of Education Scotland
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