Education reform will not just ‘rebadge’ old institutions, minister vows

Reform of Scotland’s education institutions will not simply be a “rebadging” exercise, the Education Secretary has told teachers.

Jenny Gilruth also said an upcoming review into the assessment system will be a “radical departure” from what is currently offered in schools.

Speaking at the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) congress in Crieff, she acknowledged challenges around pupil behaviour following the pandemic, saying the Scottish Government will publish research on the issue.

A reform of the Scottish education system is under way with a number of changes planned, including the replacement of the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland.

A report from Professor Louise Hayward on the future of assessment in Scottish schools is due later this month.

Ms Gilruth said she had not yet seen the full report but believes it will lead to fundamental change.

She told the conference: “What Hayward maps out would be a radical departure from the current offer we have in schools in relation to qualifications.”

Ms Gilruth said she is keen to hear teachers’ views on this.

She acknowledged there has been a “shift” in pupil behaviour following the pandemic, an issue teaching unions have raised previously.

She said: “I think there’s a challenge here and we need to be cognisant of that.”

Research will be published later this year, she said.

Taking questions from the audience, one teacher suggested the reform of the SQA and Education Scotland would merely be a “name change”.

SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson had earlier accused the Government of only listening to “establishment” voices around the reforms.

However Ms Gilruth said teachers would be part of the process.

She told the conference: “I’m not going out there to repackage organisations, that’s not what I’m about.

“I’m not about rebadging them, they’ve got to have purpose, they’ve got to mean something.

“If we go and rebadge it you won’t take them seriously.”

Ms Gilruth also said that schools should not be expected to tackle the effects of the cost-of-living crisis alone, in response to a teacher who said breakfast clubs are “bursting”.

This drew praise from SSTA president Catherine Nicol, who said the minister’s response was “excellent”.