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

Section 1 – Background

1.1 What are the objectives and aims of the proposed policy?

The Scottish Government supports the evolution of Scotland’s approach to assessment in the Senior Phase. Senior Phase reform is an integral part of our wider plans to improve curriculum, qualifications and outcomes for young people.

The aims of the proposed changes outlined in the Scottish Government response to the IRQA are to ensure that all young people in Scotland experience an education system that, in the words of the final report of the National Discussion on Education, “is ambitious, inclusive and supportive”.

This assessment should be read alongside the full Scottish Government response. A summary of the proposals in the IRQA and the Scottish Government’s response are provided below:

IRQA Proposal: Scottish Diploma of Achievement (SDA)

Details of proposal: A Senior Phase leaving certificate with three mandatory elements: Programmes of Learning, Personal Pathway and Project Learning. Pupils have an entitlement to experiences in all three elements. The SDA is awarded at point of exit from Senior Phase.

Scottish Government response:

• The Scottish Government understands the potential benefits of a leaving certificate as a means of recognising a broader range of a young person’s achievements, with the award being flexible to reflect all levels of ability.
• A leaving certificate has the potential to create a more inclusive approach to qualifications and could provide particular benefits for young people with additional support needs and disabilities.
• The Scottish Government understands that more work needs to be done to determine the content of the leaving certificate and establish how it will operate.
• We will endeavour to undertake further testing with Scotland’s teaching profession directly – on the best and most appropriate route forward which may support a leaving certificate in the future.
• The Scottish Government believes the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), often cited as a highly valuable element of Scottish education, will have a key enabling role in respect of the creation of an inclusive leaving certificate that meets the needs of all pupils.

IRQA Proposal: Programmes of Learning

Details of proposal:

• Courses should be designed in modules to allow accumulation of credits over time.
• There should be a diversification of assessment methods. No external exams at National 5.
• The Senior Phase offer should be rationalised.
• Digital methods of assessment should be introduced.

Scottish Government response:

Qualifications Scotland will work in partnership with teachers, pupils and other key stakeholders, to:

• Take steps to remove external written examinations in practical subjects where appropriate, with changes starting to be implemented from 2025/26.
• Work towards extending the range of approved assessment methods which could be used for national qualifications to better support changes in the balance of assessment.
• Pilot digital onscreen assessment across various subjects, including Computing Science given this is a subject area ripe for consideration. This work will start in 2025.
• Set out a longer-term programme of work to rebalance assessment methods across all national courses, which will align with curriculum improvement cycle activity where possible.
• Rationalise the qualifications offer in the Senior Phase, starting with the Creative, Hospitality and Sport and Technology, Engineering and Construction Sectors (which represents 800 qualifications and awards), the first phase of which is due to complete in December 2024 with other sectors and national courses to follow.
• Starting in 2024, explore models of how graded national courses such as National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher could be organised into ‘modules’, to allow pupils maximum flexibility to build credit as they go. Learning from the previous experience with unit assessments (which were ultimately removed) and research into different approaches to ‘modularisation’ in other jurisdictions, will be taken into consideration.
• Implement changes to assessment which are proportionate and take teacher workload into consideration. This partnership approach will be emphasised through the participative governance structures planned for Qualifications Scotland, the detail of which is set out in the recently introduced Education (Scotland) Bill.

IRQA Proposal: Project Learning/Inter-disciplinary Learning

Details of proposal: Pupils should undertake an Inter-disciplinary learning (IDL) project which is SCQF levelled.

Scottish Government response:

• Further work is required if IDL is to become a mandatory part of the Senior Phase curriculum in all secondary schools. We note the recent publication by HMIE of the National Thematic Inspection on Curriculum Design which states that IDL remains an underutilised element of curriculum design and that staff require a better understanding of the principles and benefits of this approach to learning.
• Building on the existing IDL co-design group facilitated by Education Scotland, a refreshed working group, chaired by a senior secondary school teacher experienced in the delivery of IDL, will bring together relevant partners already active in this space. This group will lead a new phase of work with the objective of better determining the place of IDL in secondary schools while ensuring an equitable offer for all young people.
• There are a number of organisations and schools already working in this area including Dollar Academy and Grove Academy (Dundee City Council), SCQF, the Wood Foundation, Daydream Believers and Powering Futures and we will ensure they are all involved in shaping our collective next steps. It is imperative that any new model is tested in a range of schools before wider adoption. This exercise will also help expand our shared knowledge as to the ways IDL could be embedded into a school’s curriculum including in respect of timetabling while also considering the place of accreditation in this curricular area.

IRQA Proposal: Personal Pathway

Details of proposal: Pupils personalise their qualification profile by selecting aspects of their experiences that reflect their interests, the contributions they make to society and their career aspirations in employment and discuss these in a reflective way.

Scottish Government response:

• Education is not just about the qualifications a young person achieves. The enduring aim of Curriculum for Excellence is that all young people develop the ‘four capacities’ to become: successful learners; confident individuals; responsible citizens; and effective contributors.
• Young people in Scotland have the opportunity to undertake a wealth of activity that builds their skills and confidence, and this breadth of achievement should rightly be recognised and celebrated.
• We are committed to continuing to explore how best to recognise such achievement with a range of stakeholders, including young people. In doing so, and before considering whether or not wider achievement could ultimately be included as part of any leaving certificate, we will need to work through significant concerns raised by a wide range of stakeholders – principally, that doing so risks entrenching and exacerbating social inequity.

IRQA Proposal: Digital Profile

Details of proposal: All pupils should have access to a digital profile as a way of showcasing their experiences and achievements. It should be learner led.

Scottish Government response: An initial profile has been developed within the My World of Work platform currently managed by Skills Development Scotland. To support continued development of the profile and help ensure its effective use in schools, an experienced secondary school leader will be seconded into Education Scotland to work with Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the current qualifications body.

IRQA Proposal: Support for teachers

Details of proposal: Teachers need time and high-quality professional learning.

Scottish Government response:

• Take steps to ensure appropriate support for teachers to effectively deliver new forms of assessment or where necessary, test practice related to IDL.
• Prioritise work through the SNCT to deliver a reduction in contact time.
• Support schools to deliver high quality teaching and learning including through the establishment of the Centre for Teaching Excellence. The Centre will ensure research and evidence is distilled into practical and digestible support for all teachers, no matter their career stage while helping the development of innovative classroom practice.

IRQA Proposal: Qualifications naming convention

Details of proposal: In a bid to strengthen parity of esteem between different types of qualifications there should be a move to use the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Level as the key descriptor followed by type of qualification. For example, SCQF Level 6 – Higher.

Scottish Government response: Ask the current qualifications body and qualification providers in Scotland (e.g. universities), to ensure consistent use of SCQF levels in their titles to support a clear description of all qualifications (e.g. Higher English, SCQF Level 6).

IRQA Proposal: Artificial Intelligence (AI) commission

Details of proposal: Establish a Cross Sector Commission on AI.

Scottish Government response: The Scottish Government will work with Qualifications Scotland and Education Scotland to ensure that AI can be used effectively and safely in learning, teaching and assessment. We will also ensure our education bodies have access to experts from Scotland’s leading universities in AI advancements, as well as from outside the education sector, so that our thinking reflects best practice in what is a fast moving and complex area and benefits both teachers and pupils.

IRQA Proposal: Method of engagement / culture change that puts teachers and young people at the centre.

Details of proposal: Continue the process of cultural change. Scotland should retain the structure of the Independent Review Group (IRG) and allied Collaborative Community Groups (CCGs) as a key method of engagement, as the country introduces and develops new approaches to qualifications and assessment.

Scottish Government response: Ensure all key stakeholders including young people, parents/carers, universities, colleges, and employers are involved in discussions to come. We will continue to ensure the views of teachers are listened to and reflected as changes to assessment practices are enacted. This will include ensuring that secondary teachers are given the opportunity to lead on the input required in terms of changes and improvements in respect of their own subject area.

1.2 What do we mean by island communities?

The policies being taken forward will impact primarily on young people undertaking the Senior Phase of education from the point at which any changes are implemented. Impacts will be around their experience of school and gaining qualifications and also in terms of how the wider system responds to those changes including parents, schools and their wider communities, colleges, training providers, universities, employers and others. It is recognised that we need to consider if these impacts may differ in the Island Local Authorities of: Orkney, Shetland, Highland, North Ayrshire, Argyll & Bute and Comhairle nan Eilean Sar.

1.3 What are outcomes of the policy how might they differ in the islands?

The Independent Review’s final report proposes a vision for the future of qualifications and assessment in Scotland which is “an inclusive and highly regarded Qualifications and Assessment system that inspires learning, values the diverse achievements of every learner in Scotland and supports all learners into the next phase of their lives, socially, culturally and economically.”

Recommendations which may have a differential impact in the islands are shown in Section 3. In the main differences could, in particular, relate to the availability of opportunities as part of the SDA, digital infrastructure and Gaelic language. It is also recognised that there will be intersectionality between these issues and those such as equalities, poverty and children’s rights. Whilst none of the 15% most deprived datazones in the Scotland 2020 SIMD^[1] data are in Shetland, Orkney or the Western Isles, there will still be people experiencing deprivation living on islands.^[2] The Evidence Review on Rural Poverty (2021)^[3] found, for example, that island communities weekly food, clothing and household goods costs, home delivery and particularly travel costs are higher in the islands and remote rural Scotland, compared to urban areas in the UK and that traditional measures of poverty such as free school meals do not account for this. The Scottish islands: data overview 2023^[4], also found that rates of fuel poverty are generally higher in the island Local Authorities with around a third of residents experiencing fuel poverty in Argyll and Bute (32%), Highland (33%), Orkney Islands (31%) and Shetland Islands (31%) councils and as many as 40% in Na h-Eilean Siar, while the average for Scotland is 24%.

This assessment will explore these issues, set out how we have consulted with stakeholders, present the evidence gathered and make an assessment of potential impact.

1.4 Human Rights

We have a legal obligation to ensure new policy and legislation meets legal obligations and does not breach human rights. In development of the policy, we have considered human rights and have set out our considerations across the suite of Impact Assessments.

We have considered Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This states that “Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.” The response to the IRQA will not have any impact on the overall provision of education as described by Article 26.