Committee calls for ‘substantial’ changes to Scottish Government Education Bill

Legislation that will set up Scotland’s new exams body needs “substantial amendment” to ensure the improvements ministers want to see are brought about, MSPs have insisted.

Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee said they backed the general principles of the Bill that will replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) with a new body called Qualifications Scotland.

But with this new organisation having the same functions as the SQA, the committee heard concerns the it could result in a “mere re-packaging” of the existing body.

MSPs on the Education, Children and Young People Committee have now challenged the Scottish Government to set out “how it will ensure that Qualifications Scotland will operate differently from the SQA”.

As the report was published, committee convener Douglas Ross made clear “substantial changes” are still required to the Education (Scotland) Bill – which also establishes the office of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland, setting out for the first time the detailed role and function of education inspectors in legislation.

Mr Ross said: “The committee recognises the need for a qualifications body and an independent inspectorate that holds the confidence and trust of learners, parents and carers, and teaching professionals.

“While these 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.”

He continued: “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.”

The committee report accepted that legislation alone “can not change culture”, with the MSPs saying this requires “leadership, a change to ways of working and a commitment to do things differently”

And while the committee backed the replacement of SQA and the creation of an independent inspectorate, the MSPs said they did “not yet have sufficient information on wider education reform”.

Their report added that committee “believes the Bill will require substantial amendment to ensure that the improvements envisaged by the Scottish Government in relation to engagement, governance, organisational culture and accountability, become a reality for learners, teachers and staff”.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The changes being set out in this Bill, along with wider reform activity, will support efforts to enable the education system to build trust, restore confidence, and importantly to change ways of working.

“The new governance measures for the new national qualifications body will ensure the knowledge and experience of pupils and teachers are central to decisions taken on qualifications and assessment. Greater independence for the new inspectorate body will provide the Chief Inspector with the power to set the frequency and focus for inspections.

“We will consider the recommendations of the committee report as we move into the next phase of the legislative process. Fundamentally, however, there is an acceptance across Scotland’s education system – from teachers, pupils and parents and carers – that Scotland’s qualifications system requires to be replaced.

“All MSPs have a duty to work with the Government to ensure the new qualifications body delivers on those expectations, for the benefit of Scotland’s learners.”