We welcome the limited movement towards reform that education secretary Jenny Gilruth is proposing. However, as well as frustration at the time taken to reach a decision, there is disappointment that the Scottish government is not implementing most of the Hayward review recommendations.
Hayward provided a golden opportunity to radically change Scotland’s education system for the better - to become one of the best in the world.
Teachers involved in the Hayward process showed a lack of trust in the system and concern that they would not be supported through the change process. It is good, then, that the cabinet secretary wants to make practising teachers front and centre and is sensitive to the workload issues involved (for both classroom teachers and school leaders).
‘Moving deckchairs around’
The Education (Scotland) Bill and yesterday’s statement on Hayward demand a strategic vision for a culture change, but this is not well articulated in the bill. There is a danger of looking like we are just moving deckchairs around, which will not result in meaningful reform.
We welcome the replacement of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), although we are deeply concerned that it will be a case of different logo, same organisation. The bill does not separate the two core (awarding and regulation) functions of the old SQA, as Professor Ken Muir recommended, although it does set up the “accreditation committee” - a sort of watered-down version of his recommendation.
We also welcome the appointment of a seasoned secondary headteacher to guide the new body of Qualifications Scotland.
We welcome, too, the separation of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education from Education Scotland - this is long overdue - but although the chief inspector should be independent, we feel they should be accountable to Parliament. Concerningly, however, there is no detail of what Education Scotland will become.
And we welcome the “curriculum improvement cycle”, starting with maths, and feel this development - inspired by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development - could be transformative.
However, the role of the proposed Centre for Teaching Excellence raises questions and, overall, there is a lack of a clear vision as to where these different educational bodies will fit into the bigger picture, along with the General Teaching Council for Scotland, the Scottish government and local authorities.
We are disappointed that there is no movement on parity of esteem between vocational and academic subjects - not doing so keeps in place an antiquated, elitist system of assessment. And, while we welcome the moves towards removing exams in a few practical subjects, more continuous assessment and less reliance on final high-stakes exams (although this could be a workload issue for teachers), we are disappointed that exams will remain in all three senior-phase years.
Removing N5 exams would ‘ease burden’
Removal of National 5 exams - at least as high-stakes, end-of-course exams - would help ease the burden on young people, teachers and SQA/Qualifications Scotland. It would also improve the standing of National 4, which is not highly regarded by the public and the education system.
The Scottish education system is still geared to meet the needs of those heading for higher education, but must meet the needs of all; the Hayward proposals would, in our opinion, have helped to achieve this.
The cabinet secretary mentioned a “rationalisation of the senior phase”. We have concerns about what this means - that it might lead to a straitjacketing of the curriculum in S4-6.
We wish the Hayward recommendations to be fully implemented, but understand the challenging financial straits the country is in. However, there are some which could easily achieved without being prohibitively expensive: we feel there is money in the system, but it must be focused on the future of our young people and the economic prosperity of our country.
Scottish education has been a system with bits bolted on to it - some later abandoned - or reformed to look totally different. The system is creaking at the seams, not meeting the needs of many young people and the country more generally. As the cabinet secretary has said, the status quo cannot continue.
The thin reform proposals before us - the tinkering at the edges of the system - are a conservative, traditional approach. Sadly, unless the pace of reform picks up, they will not deliver for our young people.
Graham Hutton is general secretary of School Leaders Scotland. This piece - a shortened version of a response to the education secretary’s statement on the Hayward report yesterday - was written on behalf of the SLS presidential team, led by SLS president Peter Bain
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