Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment - SG response: equality impact assessment

Background to the IRQA

The IRQA was announced by the Scottish Government in October 2021. The IRQA was initiated in response to:

• recommendations in the OECD's Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence: Into the Future (2021);
• the COVID-19 pandemic and a renewed debate around assessment following the cancellation of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams in 2020 and 2021;
• Professor Gordon Stobart's OECD Upper-secondary education student assessment in Scotland : A comparative perspective paper setting out possible options for Scotland's future approach to assessment and qualifications (2021) and;
• Professor Ken Muir's report – Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education (2022).

Professor Louise Hayward was appointed to lead the IRQA. Professor Hayward began work in Spring 2022 and submitted a final report to Scottish Government in June 2023.