Education reform legislation published in Scotland

The Scottish government has published legislation to create a new national qualifications body and an independent inspectorate of schools and other educational providers.

The Education (Scotland) Bill includes provisions to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) with a new national qualifications body, Qualifications Scotland.

If passed by the Scottish Parliament, the legislation will also establish the office of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland, with enhanced independence, to undertake the education inspection functions which currently sit within Education Scotland.

While not part of the Bill provisions, Education Scotland’s role as the national education agency is also to be refocussed as part of the reform process - including taking a lead on curriculum design, delivery and improvement which will cover the provision of resources to support high quality learning and teaching.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: "I am determined to drive further improvements across Scotland’s schools, and the changes being set out in this Bill will strengthen the national education landscape to better support pupils and teachers.

"The governance processes 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 see the power to set the frequency and focus for inspections moving from Scottish Ministers to His Majesty’s Chief Inspector.  This is a significant change and will  increase confidence in the independent role of inspections in assessing and identifying strengths and areas for improvement across our education system.

"The Scottish government’s programme of education and skills reform will drive improvement right across the education system. That's why we've taken time to engage with learners, teachers and other professionals across the education and skills sector to ensure these changes meet the needs of future generations."