Education (Scotland) Bill - Detailed call for views

The Bill does not fully address the concerns raised in the reports for the following reasons. There is a significant risk that change will be minimal and will lack meaningful impact and practitioners are genuinely concerned that the existing elements of the organisation are being repackaged and represented in a different guise. This is not in the spirit or recommendations of the range of reports which have been published and which call for genuine cultural and organisational change. The change needs to be a cultural one as well as a structural one, otherwise the entire exercise will feel like rebranding and nothing else. There is too much emphasis on the ‘how’ rather than the ‘what’. There needs to be an agreed theory of change to underpin the proposed changes. This requires to be reflective of the need to review, amend and improve the existing curriculum offer for all learners.

It is essential that learners, teachers and others are given a meaningful sense of involvement in the new body’s decision-making. It is also essential that those involved in any formal decision-making processes are fully representative of the diversity of Scotland and it is crucial that the voices of educators and learners in rural Scotland are heard loud and clear. There is no mention made of employers and yet the role of the local authority and its wider workforce is essential in the qualifications system. To that end, it would be helpful to expand on the “others” referenced in the Bill

The idea of having Charters in place is a positive one and should ensure greater engagement with key stakeholders across the system. The challenge will be to ensure that expectations are met fully and that those charters are translated into active and positive actions and not merely charters on paper only. A mechanism for monitoring and reviewing the impact of the charters will be essential.

The independence of the new HM Chief Inspector of Education is absolutely crucial if change is to be genuine and if the Bill is to succeed in its intentions. The HMCI should be able to support and also challenge the system in an impartial and non political manner. At present the level of interference by politicians has diminished the credibility of the post considerably and this has not gone unnoticed by the system. There is currently a strong rhetoric of independence, but this must be translated into reality for the Bill to be successful

The inspection process and decisions on the nature and format of inspections must be the sole responsibility of the HMCI. This will require genuine independence and the freedom for the Chief Inspector to be able to speak truth to power without fear of political reprisal. Sadly, the recent experience of local authorities when the announcement of thematic inspections was made was not a positive one and it paid only lip service to genuine partnership working

Whilst the reporting requirements are largely to be welcomed, there must be a focus on improvement and a commitment for genuine partnership working to drive the change process across the system.

Reports must reflect local and national contexts rather than adopt a 'one size fits all' model. This should include core issues and challenges such as financial constraints, teacher recruitment and retention issues. There is too often very little cognisance of the context of rural Scotland taken within reporting and it is essential that this is addressed.

It will be very important that reporting is carried out in a timeous manner so that emerging messages and exemplars of good practice can be shared quickly. There has been a dearth of “state of the nation” reports into Scottish education in recent years, both in a global context, but also in relation to specific subject and curricular areas and this needs to be urgently addressed.

The new Chief Inspector will need to move at pace to ensure that relevant changes and improvements are made to the new agency quickly. This will include:

the power to simplify the existing scrutiny landscape, particularly in relation to areas where there is an overburden of scrutiny, such as the ELCC sector;

the freedom to engage fully and impartially with key stakeholders, including the opportunity to work in partnership with national groups such as ADES to minimise duplication of effort in existing areas of work such as Collaborative Improvement and What Makes a Good Local Authority.

In summary, Scotland requires a progressive, completely transformed qualifications body which meets the needs of all learners across the country, with a strong organisational culture and a genuine commitment to work in partnership with key system stakeholders, including teachers, parents, learners and local authorities. The new agency should be a learning organisation, steeped in self-evaluation and committed to continuous improvement.

The HMCI should be able to carry out the role of Chief Inspection without “fear or favour” and be a true voice for and champion for quality education within Scotland, leading a credible organisation committed to leading with genuine moral authority and conviction.

There is a genuine need for change in Scottish education as had been exemplified in many recent reports. The Bill, whilst making some useful proposals for change, does not pay nearly enough attention to the questions and recommendations raised in the Muir report, Hayward report, OECD and ICEA recommendations over the last few years. It feels as though these have now been set aside and replaced by a watered-down version of reform. Ultimately, it is our learners who we are here to serve and there are more significant and impactful changes which could have been made to bring about more meaningful systemic change.