Education Reform Programme Board minutes - June 2024

Attendees and apologies

Attendees:

• Clare Hicks (CH)
• Adam Reid (AR)
• Chris Dunne (CD)
• Gillian Hamilton (GH)
• Dawnne Mahmoud (DM)
• Janie McManus (JM)
• Sheena Devlin (SD)
• Laura Caven (LC)
• Elizabeth Morrison (EM)
• Sarah Hart (SH)
• Jayne Scott (JS)
• Ruth Jays (RJ)
• Sean Stronach (SS)
• Kieran Watson (KW)
• Scott Miller (SM)

Apologies

• Graeme Logan (GL)
• Lisa Bird (LB)
• Shirley Laing (SL)
• Fiona Robertson (FR)

Observers:

• Katy Campbell (KC)

PMO

• Pauline Hendry (PH)
• Molly Illingworth (MI)

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

CH welcomed members to the meeting of the Programme Board and noted apologies received.

Previous action points

The minutes of the previous meeting were shared with members on 25 April with comments requested by close of play on 1 May. No comments were received, and the minutes are now considered approved. 

There is 1 open action from the last board. 3 have been closed. 

Scottish Government to alert Programme Board members in advance of publication of the IRQA response – Ongoing, not yet ready for publication.

Strategic - Forward look

HIgh level milestones

SH led members through the High Level Milestone map which now shows the names of the new bodies (HMIE, Qualifications Scotland) and has a separate milestone entry for a refocussed Education Scotland.

Education (Scotland) Bill

The Education (Scotland) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 4 June and was published alongside the consultation analysis report on 5 June. The Bill will underpin the establishment of a new qualifications body and inspectorate function.

The Bill is now under the control of the Scottish Parliament who will also control the timelines. Officials are engaging with Parliamentary clerks on this and hope to have clear timelines for the next steps shortly. The expectation remains that the new organisations will be in place in autumn 2025.

The introduction of the Bill has generally been welcomed, although some commentary has asked whether the Bill goes far enough in delivering the systemic change needed. As the Bill progresses through Parliament, it will be necessary to ensure it is set in the context of education and skills reform as a whole, with the Bill framed as laying the necessary foundations for wider system change.

The Bill has now begun its Parliamentary passage. Board members will be kept informed of timescales as these become clearer.

National agency

On 5 June, the Cabinet Secretary also confirmed that a refocused Education Scotland will remain as Scotland’s national education agency, with a primary remit of curriculum improvement and support.

While the announcement has provided a further layer of clarity, there remain a number of areas where the remit of Education Scotland will be subject to decisions by the Cabinet Secretary. The Scottish Government will continue to work with colleagues from Education Scotland on what the refocused agency will look like, and the timescales for change.

As part of that, plans are being put in place to recruit a permanent Chief Executive for Education Scotland, alongside a permanent HM Chief Inspector of Education.

Centre for Teaching Excellence

Work to establish the new Centre for Teaching Excellence continues in partnership with the co-production group, the last meeting of which is scheduled to take place on 18 June. This meeting will consider a draft outline of the role of the Centre and principles to underpin its operation.

That will form the basis for a specification which will be considered through Programme structures and ultimately signed off by the Cabinet Secretary.

An open and rigorous process will then be taken forward to identify a host institution for the Centre, with the expectation that this will be in place by the end of 2024.

Response to Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment (IRQA)

The publication date for the Scottish Government response to the IRQA has been impacted by the UK General Election. Officials will keep Programme Board members updated on progress.

The Scottish Government now intends to publish the response as soon as is practically possible in the new parliamentary term.

The Cabinet Secretary will use the additional time to engage further with stakeholders on the content of the Scottish Government response to the Independent Review. Board members will be kept up to date on developments in this area.

Regional events

Regional Events planned for June have been postponed in light of the UK Government election. Dates are being confirmed for these to be rescheduled after summer recess.

These will take place after the response to the IRQA, mindful of the need for the content of the events to be informed by this response.

10 year plan

Work is underway to develop a high-level plan for improvement, building on the National Improvement Framework, which will be shaped around the building blocks of Curriculum and qualifications; Ethos, culture and wellbeing; Professional learning and workforce quality; and Structures, systems and funding.

Teams are currently considering the best research and evidence to inform policy actions for the immediate and longer-term future. An example of this would be the Curriculum Improvement Cycle.

Discussion

Members noted that although the refocussed Education Scotland is not a legislative requirement, the announcement gives a stronger steer in terms of direction of travel and focus.

With the host institution for the Centre for Teaching Excellence expected to be in place by the end of this year, members queried whether it may be possible to have the refocused Education Scotland established prior to Autumn 2025. It appears from the PIDs that the target dates for some key outcomes and activities end soon.

It was clarified that each individual organisation is set up in a different way, with Education Scotland being an executive agency, rather than a Non-Departmental Public Body like Qualifications Scotland. While some activities can be carried out quickly, the full separation of staff moving to an independent inspectorate cannot happen until that body is established.

Scottish Government will work with Education Scotland to map out the changes to Education Scotland’s current functions to align with the agenda set out by the Cabinet Secretary. There are a number of areas where further clarity is required.

Members expressed that it is important from staff and local authority perspectives that certainty around the practicalities is provided. This was noted by the Chair.

Action: Body Implementation Project team to discuss practicalities of refocused Education Scotland further with GH and JM.

Project Steering and Assurance Group update

SH led the meeting through the Project Steering and Assurance Group update. An overview of the Project Initiation Documents (PIDs) have been shared with Programme Board members.

Good progress has been made on the Digital Pathfinder and Education System Interfaces projects. A new HR project manager has been recruited and is now working full time on supporting and driving forward the HR Transition project.

The refocused Education Scotland and separation of inspectorate functions have implications for the Operational and Corporate Services project. This is building on work already carried out through the Digital Pathfinder project (As-Is and To-Be). A recent workshop with the Inspectorate Body Implementation Project explored non-digital corporate services and what is needed in those areas in terms of shared services and efficiencies.

A presentation on the Organisational Governance and Accountability has been shared with the Senior Liaison Group in the first instance and will be shared further as work develops.

The Finance project has faced ongoing recruitment challenges. The internal recruitment approval process is currently being navigated in order to recruit a finance lead for the project work. If approval is not received, the project will need to consider how specialist input is brought in.

The financial memorandum, published last week, will go through internal scrutiny in Parliament. The cost implications need to be fully understood, and it was noted that there is general challenge around affordability across the programme. Members expressed concern around planning To Be work when budget is not yet known, as this will set the parameters on scope.

Organisational culture is being considered as part of the Organisational Design and Culture project. A workshop session will be arranged with Senior Liaison Group members to identify activities that can be initiated now.

Further meetings will be held with Education Scotland colleagues to scope out the activities to take place and timescales for these.

Education System Interfaces (ESI)

SS outlined that a key objective of the project is to map national body functions with a view to supporting key interfaces, creating a coherent map. The first phase of this has been completed, and project members are now in the process of analysing matrices across key themes and identifying practical actions that need to be undertaken. The represents a move from the As-Is space to the To-Be space.

A report setting out key areas for structured engagement across system partners will then be produced. This will set out the key principles and practical areas for action to ensure clarity and system cohesion for the support provided by the new and reformed national bodies.

The project has a reasonably short timeframe and is expected to complete by the end of July with the production of the report referred to above.

As the role of the Centre for Teaching Excellence is clarified, it can be played into the actions as they develop.

Seven themes have been identified through the work of the programme. The first five themes were identified early on in the ESI work, with a further two being identified through the reform programme journey mapping exercise in Spring 2024.

Theme definitions and matrices were outlined and discussed.

Members queried whether the responsibilities were about functions or activities. It was explained that the terminology of ‘contributions’ has been used in the matrices, as this captures the language of hard functions as well as contributions of collective impact on improvement.

In response to a query regarding where the Care Inspectorate sits in the Support for Improvement theme, it was clarified that the fundamental areas of responsibility are not being changed through this programme. A shared framework for early learning and childcare is under development between the Care Inspectorate and HMIE and will be the main route for development of a coherent approach across those areas.

In the Data, Evidence and Record Keeping theme, it was noted by members that local authorities are key in the analysis of data, not just holding and sharing of data.

Action: ESI project team to consider local authority role in analysis of data in the Data, Evidence and Record Keeping matrix.

Members identified some gaps in the matrices where wider system interfaces would be helpful, such as the role of the Inspectorate to report on performance of the education system at all levels. In addition, it was suggested that the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) would be useful in clarifying the role of the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

It was noted that the work so far represents the mapping of the As-Is, and greater clarity will be provided once actions are identified. The matrices represent a snapshot of a whole range of discussion, and recommendations will provide clarity going forwards.

Members expressed a desire for clarity around the curriculum and strengthening language, as well as ambition when considering the future To-be landscape. The outputs of the work need to be viewed through the lens of opportunity to change.

In response to a query about the extent to which the recommendations will impact on the functions of national bodies, it was clarified that the matrices are focused more on contributions and activities. Recommendations will set out headline terms of functions and main roles. There is a culture aspect to the work and ways of working will be crucial. Thinking about expected impacts and outcomes, including benefits, may help clarify matters.

Digital Strategy

CD spoke about the Digital Strategy, which is part of the Digital Pathfinder thematic project and applies to all new bodies that the programme seeks to establish in addition to a refocussed Education Scotland. The presentation outlined the purpose and scope of the strategy, also covering working assumptions and ongoing assurance related to strategy development and implementation.

The next steps of the Digital Strategy work are to develop the full digital vision and strategy to serve as a guide for subsequent digital service delivery initiatives for the new public bodies, and to provide a roadmap for the delivery of subsequent digital capability initiatives.

In the wider education landscape there is also a learning and teaching focussed Digital Strategy for Education which is about the learning environment, devices, digital learning, cyber resilience and technologies. There are connective strands between the two strategies which will be reflected.

In response to a query from members, it was clarified that day one digital initiatives will be considered by the Body Implementation Projects. Outputs in each project will also articulate any planned or ongoing work which is being progressed in existing bodies now. The Digital Strategy roadmap will highlight what needs to be done now, with close working between the projects in place to keep the work grounded in the realistic need.

The purpose of the presentation was to ensure that the direction of travel of the Digital Strategy is clear prior to the strategy being developed. There may be opportunities to bring component areas of the strategy to the group at a later Board meeting for consideration.

Corporate shared services are being worked on across thematic and body implementation projects, and will inform the Digital Strategy ensuring a joined up approach.

The financial constraints of the work were noted as an area of concern to members. The Chair clarified that understanding of the As-Is model and legacy systems is important to prioritisation decisions. Investment can be made to the digital infrastructure, but this needs to be carried out in a strategic way.

Programme risk

CD provided an overview of programme risk. The Legislation risk has been removed, which has been resolved with the introduction of the Bill to Parliament. Scores of two risks have reduced, but the Finance risk is still very high, by far the largest residual score.

The top planned action for the Finance risk is to work closely with portfolio budget leads and DG Exchequer, while the second is to develop business cases for new bodies, which will provide an evidence base for work to progress.

Members expressed that reducing the Finance risk score from 200 to 20 seems ambitious. It was explained that the target score is informed by DG risk appetite and cannot be increased. If it is not achievable, the risk will need to be treated via escalation or toleration.

Action: CD to clarify risk approach regarding close proximity risks with high residual scoring with DG Risk team.

Current budget pressures are being carried by the existing organisations, resulting in a question around how a path to balance will be found. This was noted and will be considered further.

In response to a members query, it was clarified that risk articulation on stakeholder perceptions will initially reside within the Comms and Engagement project risk register.

Any other business

A request was made for consideration to be given to the timings/ordering of the agenda for future Programme Board meetings to ensure ample time to discuss the risk profile. This was noted.

The Chair thanked the Board for their contributions and closed the meeting. The next meeting will take place on 22 August 2024.