Roadmap to Qualifications Scotland unveiled, pledging to reset relationships with learners and teachers
Tuesday 19 November 2024
An ambitious blueprint for Scotland's new qualifications body is published today, marking the start of a year-long transition from SQA to Qualifications Scotland.
A Prospectus for Change has been developed through extensive consultation and engagement with learners, teachers and organisations across the education and skills community.
Three key pledges lie at the heart of the Prospectus:
- resetting relationships with learners and teachers to win back their trust
- grasping the potential of technology to streamline services, making them more accessible and efficient
- delivering qualifications and assessments that keep pace with rapid changes in society and the economy
Speaking about A Prospectus for Change, SQA Chief Executive Fiona Robertson said, 'Extensive feedback from right across the education and skills community has helped shape our new Prospectus. The establishment of Qualifications Scotland will retain the best of SQA: highly-regarded qualifications and the knowledge and passion of our people. However, this is much more than a name change; this is about resetting relationships and rebuilding and maintaining the trust of those we serve.
'Just as the Prospectus has been developed collaboratively, we are committed to working with everyone across the education and skills community to deliver the commitments in the Prospectus.'
SQA Chair Shirley Rogers said, 'As we move to establishing Qualifications Scotland it's important that we do so in partnership with the education community, with learners, educators, parents, carers and business. The launch of our Prospectus for Change not only sets out some early priority areas but signals the collaborative, flexible and inclusive approach that we will take as we establish our new organisation. There is a lot to do, building on a strong portfolio of qualifications and at the same time developing our digital platform and making sure that our qualifications keep pace with the needs of learners.
'I am grateful to our team for all of their expertise and the work they have done to develop the Prospectus and to all of our many stakeholders for their engagement and contribution to the plan.'
Future commitments in the Prospectus include:
- rebalancing assessment so that reliance on high-stakes external exams is reduced and the use of continuous and internal assessments is increased
- digital on-screen assessments to make them more accessible for learners, starting with pilots in subjects like Computing Science
- reviewing and modernising the qualifications portfolio so that it meets the needs of today’s society and economy, while continuing to offer a range of pathways for learners
- exploring the role of artificial intelligence in streamlining assessment processes and reducing workload for teachers and lecturers, while maintaining the credibility and integrity of Scotland’s qualifications system.
A Prospectus for Change is available on our website: