Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority: consultation

Section 3 - Roles And Responsibilities

The rationale for reform of Scottish education is to ensure that learning communities get the best possible support to provide the highest quality of learning and teaching for our children and young people. The aim is to continue to reduce the attainment gap and reduce variability in outcomes achieved by young people in different parts of the country.

Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence: Into the Future^[17] recognises the complexity in Scottish education and highlights duplication of functions between different groups. It is claimed that this reduces clarity and consistency for practitioners and points to the need for Scotland's system leaders and stakeholders to revise the current allocation of responsibility for Curriculum for Excellence, including responsibilities for its strategic direction, its reviews and updates, and the response to needs and/or requests for support with curriculum issues.

A key challenge in improving the transparency of responsibilities and accountability mechanisms surrounding Curriculum for Excellence is in ensuring that the functions of agencies are designed in a way that maximises support for achieving excellence and equity for all children and young people from the early level upwards.

Building on a commitment to shared ownership of Curriculum for Excellence, the report therefore points to the need for improved clarity on functions and simplification of guidance for all stakeholders in order that the system is more coherent and more easily understood by all, allowing a greater focus on learning and teaching.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

8.1 There is clarity on where the responsibilities for the strategic direction, review and updates for Curriculum for Excellence lie.

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree/Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

8.2 Please indicate where you think the responsibilities for the strategic direction, review and updates for Curriculum for Excellence should lie.

9.1 There is clarity on the roles played by national agencies and other providers for responding to needs for support with curriculum and assessment issues.

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree/Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

9.2 Please share which aspects of the support currently provided by national agencies and other providers is working well.

9.3 Please indicate where you think greater clarity is needed in relation to the roles played by national agencies and other providers for responding to needs / requests for support with curriculum and assessment issues.

10.1 There is clarity on where high quality support for leadership and professional learning can be accessed to support practitioners.

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree/Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

10.2 Please share any comments you may have on support for leadership and professional learning.

11.1 There is sufficient trust with all stakeholders, including children, young people, parents & carers, so they are genuinely involved in decision making.

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree/Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

11.2 Please share any ideas you may have on how trust and decision making can be further improved.

12.1 Independent inspection has an important role to play in scrutiny and evaluation, enhancing improvement and building capacity.

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neither Agree/Disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

12.2 Please give examples of how you would like to see scrutiny and evaluation being carried out in future.

13. Please share any additional comments on roles and responsibilities in Scotland's education system.