The EIS welcomes the publication of the Education (Scotland) Bill this week. The introduction of this legislation finally sees some concrete movement by the Scottish government to progress key elements of education reform to which it committed back in 2021.
The EIS has over this time called for an end to the delay and for action to implement change, starting with the dissolution of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) - a body whose reputation is irreparably damaged by having become distant from, and unresponsive to, the professional viewpoints of teachers.
‘Genuine participation’ of teachers essential
The EIS has been clear that in establishing a new qualifications body, there must be genuine participation of teaching professionals at all levels of governance and that a simple rebranding of the old organisation will not be acceptable to our members who expect real and meaningful change.
We welcome the commitment this week from the cabinet secretary for education, Jenny Gilruth, that the replacement for the SQA, Qualifications Scotland, will ensure that “the knowledge and experience of pupils and teachers are central to decisions taken on qualifications and assessment”, and note the proposed increased representation of teachers and college lecturers in the agency’s membership arrangements.
As with all legislation, however, the devil is in the detail. We will take time now to consider that detail, to ensure that teachers’ voices are central to the decision-making processes.
It is disappointing that, despite the recommendation from two independent reviews, the Scottish government has again rejected the need for separation of the awarding and regulation functions of the new qualifications body. We will be looking closely at the terms of the bill to ensure that governance arrangements are sufficiently robust to ensure transparency, equity and fairness in the discharge of these functions. The new agency can’t continue to “mark its own homework”, as some have put it.
We welcome moves to create greater independence for the new inspectorate and the specific provisions which will ensure that the new role of Chief Inspector of Education for Scotland is, in law, independent of - and not subject to - the direction or control of government.
The details of the governance arrangements in the bill will merit detailed consideration to ensure that this independence permeates the appointment of staff and the ability of the inspectorate to discharge its functions without government interference.
Importance of ‘cultural change’ around inspection
However, if change is to be meaningful, these structural changes must be accompanied by cultural change around the inspection process. We need to see a departure from top-down accountability approaches, which stifle collaborative practice and drive unnecessary stress, and move towards a model of practitioner-led evaluation, with time invested to facilitate a more collegiate approach and peer review.
A practical first step would be to put an end to the insidious practice of labelling schools through grading processes.
We hope that the introduction of the Education (Scotland) Bill marks the impetus for the government to continue the journey of education reform - and will drive forward essential change to qualifications and assessment in the senior phase of school-age education, as set out so compellingly in the 2023 Hayward review.
Andrea Bradley is general secretary of the EIS, Scotland’s largest teaching union, whose annual general meeting starts today in Dundee
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