SQA launches 'Your Voice' panels to help learners, teachers, and parents shape Qualifications Scotland
Tuesday 26 November 2024
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is today launching a ‘Your Voice’ campaign, calling on Scotland’s learners, teachers, lecturers, parents, and carers to sign up to new partnership panels.
With Qualifications Scotland just 12 months away, the new initiative will give every learner and educator the opportunity to share their experiences and help shape the future of qualifications and assessment.
Key highlights:
- Every Voice: Open to learners, educators in Scotland’s schools and colleges, and parents/carers of senior phase learners.
- Direct Impact: Partnership panel members can influence SQA’s qualifications, assessments, products, and services through surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
- Rebuilding Trust: Supports SQA’s ambitious Prospectus for Change, aiming to reset relationships and win back trust with learners and teachers.
The partnership panels will play a key role in delivering the commitments made in SQA’s ambitious Prospectus for Change, published last week. The Prospectus’ key pledges contain a commitment to resetting relationships with learners and teachers to win back their trust.
Those who sign up to a panel will be able to tell SQA what they think, shape decisions and services that affect them, contribute to the development of Qualifications Scotland, and make things better for other learners and educators.
SQA Chief Executive Fiona Robertson said that ‘Your Voice’ had been inspired by her experiences visiting schools across the country and hearing directly from Scotland’s teachers and learners.
Ms Robertson said: “Over the last year my colleagues and I have visited dozens of schools, covering almost every local authority area in Scotland. We have listened to what learners, teachers and senior teams have told us about qualifications and assessment and about what they think is needed in the future. They have told us that they want a greater voice in decision making.
“We have also continued to engage with senior leaders in schools and colleges, and with organisations that represent the views of learners, teachers, lecturers, parents, and carers.
“Their views have helped us develop our Prospectus for Change, which outlines a bold vision for the future, with a key commitment to ensuring that every learner and educator has an equal opportunity to have their voice heard.
“That is why we are launching 'Your Voice' partnership panels – giving the opportunity to learners, educators, parents, and carers from across the country to share their insights and directly influence the development of our qualifications and assessments.
“We are committed to working with everyone across the education and skills community to deliver the commitments in the Prospectus.
“Together, we can put Scotland’s learners and educators at the heart of Qualifications Scotland; to help ensure it meets the evolving needs of learners and supports Scotland’s dedicated and skilled educator community. Their voices matter.”
Once signed up, participants will be emailed to invite them to share their views on different topics and issues. They will generally be asked to take part in short online surveys, lasting around five to ten minutes. Participants may also be invited to join focus groups or interviews. Their views will be used to inform decision making as well as help shape Qualifications Scotland.