Big changes to the Education (Scotland) Bill are needed for reform of the country’s schools system to succeed, according to a report by a parliamentary committee.
The aims of the wide-ranging bill include replacing the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) with a new body called Qualifications Scotland from 2025, as well as splitting the twin inspection and curriculum development roles of Education Scotland.
However, the committee has raised concerns that there is still not a “coherent” plan for the ongoing reforms, which initially emerged from the Covid pandemic.
The report by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee, published today, notes that the reputation of the SQA has, for many people, “become tarnished” and that “clarity is not yet provided” on the future of Education Scotland.
Questions about Scottish education reform
Convener Douglas Ross underlined the need for trust and confidence in both a qualifications body and an independent inspectorate.
He said that although “long-awaited reforms could help to deliver bodies that hold this confidence, substantial changes are still required to ensure the Scottish government’s approach succeeds”.
Mr Ross added: “In particular, we want the Scottish government to take steps that will help rebuild public trust in the bodies that oversee education in Scotland, ensuring that there is strong accountability for these new bodies from the start.
“We know that this is just one aspect of the Scottish government’s plans to reform education in Scotland and we await a more coherent vision from [education secretary Jenny Gilruth] before the end of the year.”
The committee’s report seeks guarantees around oversight of Qualifications Scotland - in particular, that teachers, students and families “will be able to share their views in an appropriate way to develop public faith in the body”.
It also demands assurances that the newly independent inspectorate - which the committee backs in principle - will be “able to challenge Scottish ministers and education authorities”. Meanwhile, clarification is sought on whether the inspectorate will be “responsible for scrutinising national bodies including Qualifications Scotland and Education Scotland”.
The report also reflects widespread “frustration” about the “slow pace” of education reform, even though some aspects could have been done “without legislative change”.
Legislation ‘can’t change culture’
The committee’s report supports the “general principles” of the bill, but emphasises that “legislation cannot change culture”. It adds: “Much of culture change is down to leadership, a change to ways of working and a commitment to do things differently.”
And while the committee supports the replacement of the SQA and the creation of an independent inspectorate, it “does not yet have sufficient information on wider education reform”.
The report calls for “substantial amendment” to the bill around “engagement, governance, organisational culture and accountability”, and for Ms Gilruth to address such matters before stage two of the bill.
Consideration of the bill at stage one is due to be completed by Friday 20 December.
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