SQA launches consultation on its Equality Outcomes 2025-2029
Friday 1 November 2024
We’re pleased to launch a public consultation on the revision of our Equality Outcomes for 2025-2029.
These outcomes are a set of core commitments that will shape our equality activities over the next four years and help us work with equality groups to make them a reality.
Why are we doing this?
Our Equality Outcomes are central to our commitment to advancing equality of opportunity and our promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion. They support our ambitious agenda to transform SQA into Qualifications Scotland and fulfil our obligations as a public body under the Public Sector Equality Duty.
We can’t do this alone, which is why we’re asking schools, colleges, training providers, employers, learners, parents and carers, equality groups and other stakeholders, to help us shape our outcomes and priorities and ensure they are fit for purpose.
You can play your part by completing this consultation survey. Please share your views by Friday 13 December 2024 to ensure your valuable feedback is considered.
What are the Equality Outcomes?
We have identified five key areas that aim to improve the life chances of people with protected characteristics, who experience discrimination and disadvantage.
We have identified these through analysing evidence and data from what a wide range of stakeholders, including equality groups and staff, have said in their equality impact assessments about education reform, including the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessments, together with a review of our existing outcomes.
The five key areas are:
- Diverse Workforce
- Knowledge and Understanding
- Qualifications and Assessment
- Our communications are clear, inclusive and accessible
- Accreditation
Further information on each of these is available in the consultation survey.
Who should take part in the consultation?
We want to hear from people with protected characteristics, and individuals from schools, colleges, employers, training providers and organisations that represent the interests of people with protected characteristics.
We also want to hear from other stakeholders and partners to help us identify opportunities to align our equality priorities and work together.
What we want to know
We want to know if these individuals and organisations think our equality outcomes align with the key equality issues that they would expect us to focus on, and if our proposed methods of measuring progress are appropriate.
How long the consultation will run for
The consultation survey will run for six weeks, from Friday 1 November 2024 to Friday 13 December 2024.
What happens after the consultation closes?
Once the consultation closes, we’ll analyse the responses and use them to shape the final draft of the SQA Equality Outcomes 2025 to 2029. We’ll also use the feedback from the consultation to begin developing the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for Qualifications Scotland.