Transition from SQA to Qualifications Scotland

Date published: 09/04/2025

1. What percentage of staff or how many staff currently employed by SQA are envisaged to take a role at Qualifications Scotland?

2. What changes will be made at senior managerial level or and how many individuals with roles at senior managerial level or at the level of the executive management team at the SQA have been offered roles at Qualifications Scotland?

3. When will the Scottish Qualifications Authority stop verifying school delivery of courses and subjects and when will Qualifications Scotland take over?

4. What changes are envisaged with regard to verification at Qualifications Scotland?

Questions 1 and 2) All SQA employees are in scope for TUPE and will therefore transfer directly to Qualifications Scotland.

Question 3) Subject to Scottish Government releasing the appropriate funding and the timing of this, the notional date for transition from Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to Qualifications Scotland is 3rd November 2025. On the date of transition, all statutory quality assurance duties, such as verification, will transfer to and thereafter be conducted by Qualifications Scotland.

Question 4) Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect. We do not hold information on the changes are envisaged with regard to verification at Qualifications Scotland. As part of the transition process, our work is ongoing to prioritise and manage the essential work needed to move from SQA to Qualifications Scotland. The information you have requested falls out with the scope of the immediate priorities being considered by SQA. This means that at the time of your enquiry, the strategic and operational decisions needed to provide a response have not been made yet. We cannot give a timeline to indicate when this information will become available or when our priorities will shift to incorporate verification as part of transition.