Practitioner and Stakeholder Advisory Group (PSAG): terms of reference

Overview

The Practitioner and Stakeholder Advisory Group will play an important role in supporting the work of the advisor to the Scottish Government on aspects of education reform and his expert panel. This will include informing the implementation of the OECD’s recommendations for structural and functional change of SQA and Education Scotland. 

Purpose

The purpose of the advisory group is to provide feedback, input and advice on the work of the advisor to support the production of his report in respect of the next steps to implement the OECD’s recommendations for structural and functional change of SQA and Education Scotland. They will engage with members of the expert panel as the reform work progresses and it is expected that its members will communicate and engage with their own organisations and wider networks to seek their views and suggestions which they will feed back to the advisor. The group will be chaired by Professor Ken Muir.

Membership and ways of working

Membership of the advisory group is below. Membership is necessarily extensive to cover the wide range of interests in the work. It is recognised that other organisations with a legitimate interest in the reform may emerge as work progresses and, although not members of the advisory group, their views will be sought and taken on board through a formal consultation and other engagement opportunities. To ensure that as wide a range of views as possible on the reform are available to the advisor, it is expected that advisory group members will support communication and engagement with wider stakeholders. 

Given the size of the advisory group, it is anticipated that it will meet virtually and collectively only twice, once near the beginning and once near the end of the advisor and panel’s six months of work. It is also anticipated that group members will engage in themed round table discussion with sub-sets of group members and relevant wider stakeholders on the design and implementation of the structural and functional change of SQA and Education Scotland (see advisor’s remit for more detail). Members of the advisory group will provide input as necessary to the advisor and expert panel throughout the duration of the work. This will allow members to have the opportunity to support the advisor and expert panel by providing advice on issues, implications, feasibility, risks and dependencies relating to the reform of Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

In additional to the planned national consultation, advisory group members will be encouraged to engage their own organisations and wider networks as appropriate, however in the interests of the free and frank exchange of views group members may be asked to handle certain information sensitively.

Frequency of meetings

It is expected the advisory group will meet at least twice between August and November 2021 and will engage in and support a number of themed round table sub-group discussions involving a number of advisory group members in addition.

Secretariat

The advisory group will be supported by secretariat provided by Scottish Government officials based in Learning Directorate.