Latest news with #ScottishQualificationsAuthority
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
New SQA chief named months before exams body scrapped
The new head of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has been named as Nick Page, just months before the exams body is Scottish government passed legislation on Wednesday to abolish the SQA within months and replace it with a new body called Qualifications Page was chief executive of Solihull Council when the authority was criticised after six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was murdered by his step-mother in June 2020.A review in January 2023 found children faced "significant harm" due to delayed responses from the council's children's services, which it rated as "inadequate". Emma Tustin poisoned, starved and beat Arthur during the Covid lockdown. She was jailed along with Arthur's father Thomas Hughes, who was found guilty of Page resigned as chief executive of the council in the wake of the Ofsted report. He said that new leadership would bring about necessary improvements.A spokesperson for the SQA said: "Nick Page chose to step down from his last role after a critical inspection."It was a principled decision to allow fresh leadership to take improvements forward."The SQA board carried out full due diligence and was unanimous in its selection. Nick was also the unanimous choice of the SQA staff panel which interviewed all candidates." 'Transforming at pace' Mr Page's appointment comes after Fiona Robertson announced she was quitting as SQA chief executive in will begin work at the SQA on 7 July and will then lead Qualifications Scotland when it is established in former teacher said he was "honoured" to take over the role from John Booth, who held the post on an interim added: "SQA is already transforming at pace to build strong foundations for Qualifications Scotland, harnessing the deep knowledge, skills and commitment of our people."We will accelerate that work to deliver a future that improves outcomes and supports learning and teaching."We will also work across the education and skills community to ensure that assessment and awarding align with wider pathways for success."The SQA highlighted Mr Page's "track record of successful delivery, service transformation and improved outcomes across a 30-year career spanning teaching, children's services and local authority leadership".Chairwoman Shirley Rogers, who led the recruitment process for the new chief executive, said she was "absolutely delighted" with Mr Page's added: "His career spans many achievements and a proven ability to lead through both change and challenge."I am confident that, drawing on these experiences and a commitment to learning from them, Nick will drive the positive transformation that ensures Qualifications Scotland delivers for every learner, every educator, and every community."
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Holyrood passes legislation to abolish SQA exams body
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is set to be scrapped and replaced by a new body called Qualifications Scotland. The Education (Scotland) Bill was passed by 69 votes to 47 late on Wednesday evening, following two days of debate. As well as abolishing the SQA, the bill also sets out plans for a new chief inspector of education, who will be tasked with inspecting nurseries, schools and colleges across Scotland. READ NEXT: Scotland sees 'rare' weather phenomenon as weather set to shift READ NEXT: Banned driver who left friend in wheelchair for life after crash jailed The bill states that Qualification Scotland will have to give equal weighting to both British Sign Language (BSL) and the Gaelic language. It also outlines that the new body must consider the needs of pupils who use BSL or learn in BSL. The new body is expected to be up and running in the autumn, after this year's exam results are released. It comes almost five years after the 2020 exams scandal, where marks for more than 124,000 pupils were downgraded after exams had to be scrapped as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking as the legislation was passed, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said the bill would "fundamentally create a new and a different type of organisation which works with the teaching profession differently". Jenny Gilruth And speaking after the vote, Gilruth said: 'The successful passage of this legislation shows this Government is serious about implementing the changes needed to drive improvement across Scotland's education and skills system. "The creation of a new national qualifications body is about building the right conditions for reform to flourish; the new body will ensure that knowledge and experience of pupils and teachers are at the heart of our national qualifications offering." Gilruth added that the new chief inspector would have "greater independence and the power to set the frequency and focus of inspections". 'Throughout this process, I have been determined to work with other parties on this vital legislation. I am also grateful to teaching unions and other organisations across civic Scotland who contributed to its development," she continued. 'Taken together our major programme of education and skills reform will bring about the changes needed to meet the needs of future generations of young people." The bill was backed by the Scottish Greens, who said that the new body "will put the voices of teachers and students at its heart". The party's education spokesperson, Ross Greer, who has previously campaigned for an overhaul of the exams body, said he was pleased MSPs had voted for "this fresh start in Scottish education". Ross Greer He said: "Senior leadership at the SQA was given the opportunity to change over many years, but refused to do so. "Replacing the organisation with one legally required to listen to teachers and students will end this constant cycle of scandals. "Now we can begin rebuilding the trust which was so completely destroyed over the last decade and put the focus back on supporting students." But he added that such reform needed to be followed up with "urgent work" to reduce teachers' workload and an overhaul of the "Victorian-era" end of term exams system towards a model of ongoing assessment. Greer also hit out at Scottish Labour, who voted down the bill on the basis it did not go far enough. "Labour's vote to protect the scandal-plagued and unaccountable SQA is bizarre," he said. 'How can anyone look at the mistakes of recent years and think it can continue? We need real change for students and teachers, which this bill will deliver." Both Labour and the Tories voted down the bill on Wednesday. Pam Duncan-Glancy, Scottish Labour's education spokesperson, said: 'We needed a qualifications system fit for the future, one that respects the efforts of learners, supports the judgment of teachers, and earns the trust of employers and universities. 'We needed a curriculum that is broad and inclusive, we needed an inspectorate that can challenge where necessary but also celebrate excellence. But on reform this is a job unfinished.' Meanwhile, Scottish Tory education spokesperson Miles Briggs said the new body was "little more than a rebrand of the SQA". 'The SQA needed an overhaul, not a cosmetic makeover, and the changes proposed fall way short of what is required to ensure the organisation can operate effectively and is properly accountable," he added.
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
SQA to be scrapped and replaced as MSPs vote through education reform
The Scottish Qualifications Authority is set to be replaced with a new organisation in autumn 2025. MSPs have voted to pass legislation which will see Scotland's exam body scrapped and replaced. The existing Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) will be dissolved, and a new organisation called Qualifications Scotland set up in its place. It is expected to be running by this autumn, after exam results have been released. Plans are also in place to appoint a chief inspector for educational settings. The changes come nearly five years after the exams scandal in 2020, where marks for over 124,000 pupils were downgraded after formal exams had to be cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. However, they have prompted objections from opposition parties that the replacement organisation is "little more than a rebrand", after the legislation was passed by 69 votes to 47. Labour education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy said: "Instead of abolishing the SQA today the Bill allows the current leadership to transfer wholesale." She insisted that "on reform this is a job unfinished". Similarly, Scottish Conservative education spokesperson Miles Briggs said the changes, in the Education (Scotland) Bill would not deliver the "meaningful reform for Scotland's education system which is urgently needed". He argued that the new exams body was "little more than a rebrand of the SQA". Mr Briggs added: "The SQA needed an overhaul, not a cosmetic makeover, and the changes proposed fall way short of what is required to ensure the organisation can operate effectively and is properly accountable." Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has rejected those claims. She said the Bill would "fundamentally create a new and a different type of organisation which works with the teaching profession differently". In addition, it will establish a new chief inspector of education, who will be tasked with inspecting nurseries, schools and colleges across Scotland. She added there was a "cast-iron guarantee" that the person who takes up this post would have "suitable teaching and educational leadership experience". Ms Gilruth said: "Through the creation of a new qualifications body and an independent inspectorate, the Bill enables a more responsive, trusted and effective national education infrastructure." The legislation, passed after two nights of late sittings at Holyrood, will provide "the scaffolding which supports the wider range of education reform", she added. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Mr Briggs, however, said: "It does feel like the Bill has been rushed through Parliament in the last week of term." He added that "this Bill has not been the opportunity many of us had hoped it would be", claiming it was "clear SNP ministers' policies and half-baked reforms are not delivering for our young people". Ms Duncan-Glancy was also critical, saying: "We needed a qualifications system fit for the future, one that respects the efforts of learners, supports the judgment of teachers, and earns the trust of employers and universities. "We needed a curriculum that is broad and inclusive, we needed an inspectorate that can challenge where necessary but also celebrate excellence. But on reform this is a job unfinished." Ms Gilruth said afterwards: "The successful passage of this legislation shows this Government is serious about implementing the changes needed to drive improvement across Scotland's education and skills system. "The creation of a new, national qualifications body is about building the right conditions for reform to flourish - the new body will ensure that knowledge and experience of pupils and teachers are at the heart of our national qualifications offering. "The new inspectorate body will also have greater independence and the power to set the frequency and focus of inspections, moving this function away from ministers, to His Majesty's Chief Inspector." She added: "Taken together, our major programme of education and skills reform will bring about the changes needed to meet the needs of future generations of young people."
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Holyrood passes legislation to abolish SQA exams body
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is set to be scrapped and replaced by a new body called Qualifications Scotland. The Education (Scotland) Bill was passed by 69 votes to 47 late on Wednesday evening, following two days of debate. As well as abolishing the SQA, the bill also sets out plans for a new chief inspector of education, who will be tasked with inspecting nurseries, schools and colleges across Scotland. READ MORE: 100 charities challenge Ian Murray and Scottish Labour to oppose UK welfare cuts The bill states that Qualification Scotland will have to give equal weighting to both British Sign Language (BSL) and the Gaelic language. It also outlines that the new body must consider the needs of pupils who use BSL or learn in BSL. The new body is expected to be up and running in the autumn, after this year's exam results are released. It comes almost five years after the 2020 exams scandal, where marks for more than 124,000 pupils were downgraded after exams had to be scrapped as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking as the legislation was passed, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said the bill would "fundamentally create a new and a different type of organisation which works with the teaching profession differently". Jenny Gilruth And speaking after the vote, Gilruth said: 'The successful passage of this legislation shows this Government is serious about implementing the changes needed to drive improvement across Scotland's education and skills system. "The creation of a new national qualifications body is about building the right conditions for reform to flourish; the new body will ensure that knowledge and experience of pupils and teachers are at the heart of our national qualifications offering." Gilruth added that the new chief inspector would have "greater independence and the power to set the frequency and focus of inspections". READ MORE: SNP MPs join Labour rebellion in bid to kill off benefit cuts 'Throughout this process, I have been determined to work with other parties on this vital legislation. I am also grateful to teaching unions and other organisations across civic Scotland who contributed to its development," she continued. 'Taken together our major programme of education and skills reform will bring about the changes needed to meet the needs of future generations of young people." The bill was backed by the Scottish Greens, who said that the new body "will put the voices of teachers and students at its heart". The party's education spokesperson, Ross Greer, who has previously campaigned for an overhaul of the exams body, said he was pleased MSPs had voted for "this fresh start in Scottish education". Ross Greer He said: "Senior leadership at the SQA was given the opportunity to change over many years, but refused to do so. "Replacing the organisation with one legally required to listen to teachers and students will end this constant cycle of scandals. "Now we can begin rebuilding the trust which was so completely destroyed over the last decade and put the focus back on supporting students." But he added that such reform needed to be followed up with "urgent work" to reduce teachers' workload and an overhaul of the "Victorian-era" end of term exams system towards a model of ongoing assessment. Greer also hit out at Scottish Labour, who voted down the bill on the basis it did not go far enough. "Labour's vote to protect the scandal-plagued and unaccountable SQA is bizarre," he said. 'How can anyone look at the mistakes of recent years and think it can continue? We need real change for students and teachers, which this bill will deliver." READ MORE: UK nations unite against Labour's 'inadequate' devolution approach Both Labour and the Tories voted down the bill on Wednesday. Pam Duncan-Glancy, Scottish Labour's education spokesperson, said: 'We needed a qualifications system fit for the future, one that respects the efforts of learners, supports the judgment of teachers, and earns the trust of employers and universities. 'We needed a curriculum that is broad and inclusive, we needed an inspectorate that can challenge where necessary but also celebrate excellence. But on reform this is a job unfinished.' Meanwhile, Scottish Tory education spokesperson Miles Briggs said the new body was "little more than a rebrand of the SQA". 'The SQA needed an overhaul, not a cosmetic makeover, and the changes proposed fall way short of what is required to ensure the organisation can operate effectively and is properly accountable," he added.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
MSPs pass bill to scrap SQA for new Scottish exams body
MSPs have passed legislation which will see Scotland's school exams agency Scottish Qualifications Authority is to be scrapped in favour of a new body called Qualifications Scotland. The Education (Scotland) Bill also sets out plans for a new inspector of education. The changes follow controversies over exam marking in recent years, with government ministers arguing they will improve the opposition parties have raised concerns that the reforms are a "superficial rebrand". After two days of debate at Holyrood which stretched late into the evening, the bill passed by a vote of 69 to Secretary Jenny Gilruth said the passing of the Bill showed that the Scottish government was "serious about implementing the changes needed to drive improvement across Scotland's education and skills system".She added: "The creation of a new national qualifications body is about building the right conditions for reform to flourish."The new body will ensure that knowledge and experience of pupils and teachers are at the heart of our national qualifications offering. "The new inspectorate body will also have greater independence and the power to set the frequency and focus of inspections, moving this function away from ministers, to His Majesty's Chief Inspector." 'Superficial rebrand' Ahead of the final vote, Scottish Labour said they would vote against the party's education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy called the plans a "superficial rebrand".She argued that Scotland's education system, which "was once the envy of the world", was "declining" under the added: "A catalogue of failures and scandals by the SQA and the SNP has left trust in our education system in tatters."Her amendment of the Bill to establish Curriculum Scotland, a new body to take charge of setting what pupils should learn, was voted down by a late-night sitting on Tuesday, MSPs rejected the proposal, despite Duncan-Glancy insisting it would not increase costs for the Scottish said Education Scotland was already leading on improvements to the said: "I do not believe there are sufficient advantages to establishing a new standalone curriculum body in legislation and the expense that will incur, when we already have a national education agency being refocused on curriculum improvement and supporting implementation across the system."SNP MSP George Adam said the Bill had been "shaped" with input from pupils, parents and added: "The SNP Scottish government is proud of this Bill and is committed to implementing the system and culture change required to improve outcomes and support professionals in classrooms and education settings all over Scotland." This vote has been a long time coming, following years of promises and debate and several independent reviews about the future of the education how big of a deal is it?Some have characterised this as a rebrand rather than a revolution, claiming that Qualifications Scotland will end up looking an awful lot like the is fair to reflect that a body delivering exams and qualifications is a rather specific thing. There was always going to be significant overlap between the legacy organisation and its the government insists the new body will look and act differently, and will have much more input from teachers and pupils, giving them the chance to drive already know there will be some changes to the role of exams too, with a greater focus on coursework and classroom assessments in final education system is notoriously difficult to retain significant responsibility for much of what goes on in schools, there are powerful unions looking out for teachers, and the government has no majority in a "big bang" moment was always having waited years for this change to happen, we may have to wait a bit longer to see how significant it proves to be. In June 2021, Shirley-Anne Somerville, then education secretary, announced that the SQA would be replaced as part of a "substantial" overhaul of proposal came after a report from the OECD - the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development - on the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) .The report backed the curriculum as a whole, but said there was too much focus on exams in later years of said the "visionary ideals" of the curriculum - which was meant to be focused on producing more rounded individuals rather than teaching to tests - had not fully succeeded. It also claimed the qualifications system was a "barrier" to its aims in secondary Covid pandemic brought particular focus onto the school qualifications system, with criticism of how grades have been decided after formal exams were cancelled.
