The government’s timeline for delivering on its pledge to reform Scotland’s education agencies by next year could be under threat after it rejected early plans setting out how the three new bodies will operate for failing to go far enough.
The Education Reform Programme Board and the three delivery boards that sit below it have been tasked by the government with taking forward its plans to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and Education Scotland with three new education agencies: a new independent inspectorate, a new qualifications body and a new national agency for Scottish education.
However, newly published papers state that at a meeting of the Education Reform Programme Board on 24 January early visions of how Scotland’s three new education agencies will operate were criticised for “not yet reflecting the significant and anticipated level of change that the cabinet secretary is looking to see”.
The government had set itself the target of having operating models for the new agencies up and running by “winter 2022”, with the new organisations “becoming operational in 2024”.
The minutes of the January meeting state that: “The cabinet secretary was grateful for the significant work that has been undertaken in challenging timescales.”
But they add: “In terms of overall progress, the draft strategic TOMS [Target Operating Models] are not yet reflecting the significant and anticipated level of change that the cabinet secretary is looking to see in terms of how each new body will operate.”
The minutes continue: “It will be important in this next phase to ensure that TOM development across all bodies more clearly articulates the level of ambition for the future, and how the model and ways of working will be different as a result of reform.”
The education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville - who was replaced by Jenny Gilruth in the cabinet reshuffle that followed Humza Yousaf’s appointment as first minister on 27 March - was repeatedly warned the government’s “radical” re-shaping of Scotland’s educational infrastructure could end up being little more than an expensive and time-consuming rebrand.
A key criticism has been that the boards tasked with taking forward the changes are dominated by staff from the organisations that are being replaced, who, it is argued, have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
Tes Scotland also revealed in January that the delivery boards were struggling to secure funding from the government for the staff needed to take forward the work on the replacement bodies.
Meanwhile, the documents also reveal that one of the delivery boards has only met sporadically, prompting members of the other boards to express their concerns about the detrimental impact this could have on the reform programme.
The minutes from the January meeting of the Qualifications Body Delivery Board - which are the most up-to-date minutes available - state: “The Delivery Board highlighted their concerns around the Policy and Legislation Delivery Board cancelling their last three meetings, despite work continuing and outstanding issues relating to policy to consider.”
Now Tes Scotland can reveal that the Policy and Legislation Delivery Board has been stood down.
However, the Scottish government said it still intended to introduce an Education Reform Bill before the end of the current parliamentary year “to provide underpinning legislation to the new public body responsible for qualifications and for the new independent inspectorate”.
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “The Scottish government is taking forward sweeping reform, which will result in the creation of a new qualifications body, a new independent inspectorate and a new national education agency. To suggest otherwise is wholly incorrect.
“The Scottish government’s education reform programme continues to be delivered as a broad transformational programme with multiple elements.
“An Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment by Professor Louise Hayward also published an interim report in March, including details of an overarching preferred model. This model is currently being tested with schools, colleges and other key stakeholders, including employers and universities, ahead of a final report and recommendations being submitted to the Scottish government for consideration by the end of May.”
When responding to Professor Ken Muir’s report in March 2022 - which set out how the reforms of the SQA and Education Scotland should be taken forward - Ms Somerville said: ”Some changes will take time, but I want to move through the agenda at pace and to have operating models for new bodies in place by the end of this year.”
However, the minutes reveal Ms Somerville was still demanding more clarity on “how each model and ways of working will improve outcomes and differ as a result of the reform” in early 2023.
When it came to the new inspection body, Ms Somerville wanted to see “more detail on what is currently not working, and how a new operating model might resolve any issues identified” and “further work on how any proposed changes in the delivery of services could lead to concrete improvements for learners and practitioners”.
On the new education agency - which it is envisioned will provide teachers and schools with curriculum, assessment and leadership support - she wanted Education Scotland’s “core problem” of “trying to be all things to all people” to be addressed and it “made clear that the primary focus should be education practitioners”.
The minutes said the plans for the new agency “more clearly affirmed” educators “as being the core users of its service” but Ms Somerville felt “the model does not yet provide sufficient assurance that this challenge is being addressed”.
In terms of the new qualifications body, the minutes say Ms Somerville recognised plans for it were “at an earlier stage”, in part because the independent review of qualifications and assessment had yet to report, and also the skills review.
But she said she wanted “to see exploration of the areas where there is the potential to signal change in the culture and governance of the new organisation”.
The minutes said: “In summary, the cabinet secretary is looking for greater clarity in how the individual bodies will operate in the wider system. She is looking for the TOMS to clearly articulate ambitions for the future and how each model and ways of working will improve outcomes and differ as a result of the reform.”
