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Education reform programme

Overview

An extensive education reform programme is underway in Scotland. Read more: education reform. 

As part of this reform, three new national education bodies will be created: a qualifications body, a national agency for Scottish education, and an independent inspectorate body. These will replace the SQA and Education Scotland.  

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has made clear that the reform programme must demonstrate that it is listening to learners and other stakeholders and be radical in its approach to re-shaping Scotland’s educational infrastructure. 

We recognise that education reform is not something government can or should do alone. The report by Professor Ken Muir, Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education, discussed how the new national bodies should be established and was clear in its recommendation that this transition 'should be taken forward in partnership with the bodies subject to reform'.  

The arrangements for education reform governance include a wide range of external stakeholders to provide a broad and diverse range of views and to put critical challenge at the centre of this work. It also includes representation from the existing organisations to ensure it captures insights and experiences from within those bodies.  A Stakeholder Reference Group will meet for the first time at the end of September 2022.  

This is a significant multi-phase change programme covering discovery, design, delivery and transition activity.  This page details the programme governance arrangements to establish the new national bodies and develop the policy and legislation needed. 

The Boards

A strategic board and three delivery boards have been established to oversee this work. 

Education Reform Board

This Board provides advice and support to the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO). The SRO is is accountable for the delivery of all elements within the scope of the programme.

The Board:

  • champions the programme
  • supports successful and safe delivery
  • ensures that effective risk management is applied
  • provides continuing assurance and compliance with policies, procedures and guidance.

The three other Boards

These are the:

  • Inspectorate and Agency Delivery Boards (currently meeting together)  
  • Qualifications Body Delivery Board 
  • Policy and Legislation Delivery Board  

Members

Education Reform Programme Board  

 

​​​​Members

  • Clare Hicks, Chair, Director of Education Reform, Scottish Government
  • Fiona Robertson, Non-Executive Board Member, Chief Executive, Scottish Qualifications Authority
  • Gayle Gorman, Non-Executive Board Member, Chief Inspector, Education Scotland
  • Laura Cavan, Non-Executive Board Member, COSLA Representative
  • Des Murray, Non-Executive Board Member, SOLACE Representative
  • Douglas Hutchison, Non-Executive Board Member, ADES Representative
  • John Wilson, Non-Executive Board Member, Head Teacher Representative
  • Adela Mansur, Non-Executive Board Member, Primary Teacher Representative
  • Graeme Logan, Board Member, Director of Learning, Scottish Government
  • Stephen Pathirana, Board Member, Director of Lifelong Learning and Skills, Scottish Government        
  • Andrew Watson, Board Member, Director of Early Learning and Childcare, Scottish Government
  • Geoff Huggins, Board Member, Director Digital, Scottish Government
  • Laura Murdoch, Board Member, Deputy Director Curriculum, Qualifications and Gaelic, Scottish Government
  • Stephen Kerr, Non-Executive Board Member, Director, Social Security Scotland
  • Robert Malpass (on behalf of Nicky Richards), Board Member, HR Business Partner, Scottish Government
  • Peter Hookway, Board Member, Finance Business Partner, Scottish Government
  • Professor Ken Muir, Independent Advisor
  • Professor Louise Hayward, Independent Advisor
  • Lisa Bird, Delivery Director, Policy & Legislation, Scottish Government
  • Liz McGrath, Delivery Director, New Qualifications Body, Scottish Qualifications Authority
  • Gillian Hamilton, Delivery Director, New Agency, and New Inspectorate, Education Scotland

We publish minutes from the meetings  of this Board.

Inspectorate and Agency Delivery Boards (currently meeting together)  

 
  • Gillian Hamilton, Chair and Delivery Director, Education Scotland
  • Sean Stronach, Programme Lead, Scottish Government
  • Janie McManus, Programme Lead, Strategic Director- ES lead for new Inspectorate Commissions, Education Scotland
  • Patricia Watson, Programme Lead, Strategic Director- ES lead for New Education Agency Commissions, Education Scotland
  • Maureen Hamilton, Board Member, Chair of ES Change Team & ES Head of Operations, Education Scotland
  • Ken McAra, Board Member, Trade Union representative, FDA
  • Magnus Hughson, Board Member, Trade Union representative, PCS
  • Laurence Findlay, Non-Executive Board Member, Director of Education, Aberdeenshire Council
  • Greg Dempster, Non-Executive Board Member, AHDS
  • Andrea Bradley, Non-Executive Board Member, EIS
  • Kerrie Laird, Non-Executive Board Member, Head Teacher and programme participant, Excellence in Headship Stretch
  • Harold Hislop, Non-Executive Board Member, Chief Inspector, Department of Education, Ireland

Minutes

We publish minutes from the meetings  of this Board. 

Qualifications Body Delivery Board 

 
  • Mike Baxter, Chair, SQA
  • Liz McGrath, Delivery Director, SQA 
  • Kieran Watson, Programme Lead, Scottish Government
  • George Brown, Board Member, Regulation and Accreditation, SQA
  • Dawnne Mahmoud, Board Member, People, SQA
  • Martin Campbell, Board Member, Change/Systems, SQA
  • John Booth, Board Member, Communications, SQA
  • Erin McCabe, Board Member, Trade Union Representative, Unite
  • Liz Cunningham, Board Member, Trade Union Representative, Unison
  • Ken Thomson, Non-Executive Board Member, Principal and Chief Executive, Forth Valley College
  • Stuart McKenna, Non-Executive Board Member, Chief Executive, Scottish Training Federation  
  • Lyndsay McRoberts, Non-Executive Board Member, Director of Education, South Ayrshire Council
  • Isabel Nisbet, Non-Executive Board Member
  • Julie MacDonald, Non-Executive Board Member, Schools Leaders Scotland, Head Teacher Nairn Academy, Highland Council
  • Andy Harvey, Board Member, Education Institute for Scotland

Minutes

We publish minutes from the meetings of this Board.

Policy and Legislation Delivery Board  

 

Members

  • Lisa Bird, Chair and Delivery Director, Policy & Legislation, Scottish Government
  • Mathew Sweeney, Non-Executive Board Member, COSLA Representative
  • Fiona Robertson, Non-Executive Board Member, ADES Representative
  • Tracy Kirk, Non-Executive Board Member, University of Stirling
  • Campbell Wilson, Non-Executive Board Member, Head Teacher Representative and Vice President of School Leaders Scotland
  • Helen Webster, Board Member, Deputy Director of Lifelong Learning and Skills, Scottish Government
  • Adam Reid, Board Member, Deputy Director Skills, Scottish Government
  • Eleanor Passmore, Board Member, Deputy Director of Early Learning and Childcare, Scottish Government
  • Linda Pooley, Board Member, Deputy Director, Colleges, Young Workforce and SFC Sponsorship
  • Laura Murdoch, Board Member, Deputy Director Curriculum, Qualifications and Gaelic, Scottish Government
  • Alison Taylor, Board Member, Deputy Director, Improvement, Attainment and Wellbeing, Scottish Government

Minutes

We publish minutes from the meetings  of this Board

Policies

Contact

You can contact the team leading work on structural reform and the establishment of new public bodies at: educationreform@gov.scot   

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