Disclosure log

<p>The number of students pursuing an SQA National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualification in a European Modern Language, including French, Italian, German and Spanish from 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 academic sessions</p><p>SQA only holds information relating to students who have been entered for SQA qualifications. We do not hold information about the number of students studying modern languages if they are not entered for an SQA qualification.</p> <p>The total numbers of students entered for SQA Nat 5, Higher and Advanced Higher in European Modern Languages is published on our website each year. The <a href="94723.html">2020 figures can be accessed here</a>. Select Attainment Statistics (August) 2020 Revised. Within this table the SCQF 5 tab is for Nat 5, SCQF 6 for Higher and SCQF 7 for Advanced Higher. The total entries for each subject are then listed.</p> <p>The <a href="57518.html">entries for the previous years can be accessed here</a>. Select the year required from the drop down menu. Then select the level of qualification required. The total entries for each subject are then listed.</p> <p>The entries for 2021 will be published on our website on results day in 2021.</p>

<p>Request for review</p><p>Please find attached SQA's response to your request for review under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p>

<p>Can I please have access to the attainment statistics data for all schools in Scotland for 2010-2019 for National 5 and Higher qualifications. I am happy to receive related data if this data I have requested is not available. I am also happy to receive less years of data if it is not possible to get data from 2010.</p><p>SQA publishes attainment data by centre type each year.  The information you have requested for all schools is published on our website and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57518.8313.html">here</a>.    Select the year you require from the drop down menu.   Then for 2014-2019 select Attainment Statistics (August) Schools.   For the earlier years 2010-2013 select Pre-Appeal National Course and Awards Result Statistics - Schools.</p>

<p>I am writing to complain about the response to my FOI request. I had asked how the SQA had previously used information to calibrate results in previous years. In particular I was interested in how a pupils school or where they live impacted that calibration.</p> <p>The response I got denied that the pupils school or where they live impacted the calibration. However the response did not answer how and what information is used. Instead it simply included a link to an SQA document which essentially said that quantitative and qualitative data is used. This does not answer my request. What is the quantitative and qualitative data that is used?</p> <p>Additionally at one point the document says the process takes into account the impact on an individual but again does not detail what that is?</p> <p>The response is wholly unacceptable. Can the SQA please provide the detail I originally requested please?</p><p>Response</p> <p>SQA does not calibrate results.  And a pupil's school or where they live has no impact on the Grade Boundary process.</p> <p>SQA has a responsibility to individual learners and to the wider community to ensure that the standard of our qualifications is set appropriately and maintained over time and across courses.  SQA provided you with information about the Grade Boundary process in response to your request to understand the methods that the SQA have used over the last decade to moderate exam results.  We provided you with the published information about the Grade Boundary process. </p> <p>SQA is responsible for writing the exam questions they are not responsible for how they are answered. SQA sets the exam questions each year and has expectations on how they will perform.   Grade boundaries are set in line with this intended demand of the assessment ie the accepted norm is that 70 and above would be an A Grade. If however the assessment did not function as intended, the grade boundaries are adjusted appropriately.   Grade Boundary meetings are for the moderation of the assessment demand.   They cover all subjects and all levels.  Click the following link: <a href="https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2Ffiles_ccc%2FGrade_Boundaries_2019.xls&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK">2019 Grade Boundary tables</a>   </p> <p>Select Grade Boundaries 2019 for a list of the marks for each grade boundary in 2019.  </p> <p>Course Reports are produced each year.   These are written up each year after the Awarding Meetings (details of these are provided in the document <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/A_Guide_to_Setting_Grade_Boundaries_v1.3.pdf">A Guide to Setting Grade Boundaries</a> which was provided in our previous response to you).  The Course Report provides information on the performance of the year's cohort and is provided as a guide for those who may be preparing candidates for future assessments in this subject.  Here is a link to the <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/2019N5CourseReportEnglish.pdf">Course Report</a> for National 5 English in 2019.   If you are interested in the Course Reports for other subjects here is a link to the <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/45625.html">National Qualifications</a> pages.  Select the subject and then the required level and the Course Report is listed on this page.</p> <p>You have also asked about the qualitative and quantitative data that is used.   This data allows the Awarding Meetings to judge whether the assessment has performed as expected.   And this is the qualitative and quantitative data referred to in the Guide to Setting Grade Boundaries.</p> <p>The range of qualitative information that the Awarding Meetings takes into consideration relates to:</p> <ul> <li>The setting of the assessment — was there any change in the team(s) involved in setting the question paper and/or coursework, has there been a change in course structure, components, the length of the examination, the maximum marks, the grade descriptors or intended demand of the assessment?</li> <li>The marking of the assessment — was there any change to how marking was carried out (for instance, a move to central marking)?</li> <li>Assessment performance — did questions and/or coursework tasks perform as planned?</li> </ul> <p>The range of quantitative information relates to the full cohort for that year.   The key point to note here is that no individual candidate or centre information is considered as part of this process.</p> <p>The key statistical information which SQA uses to judge assessment performance for each subject and level contains information such as the average mark nationally for each assessment component.   The 2019 Component Marks and National Mean Marks can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/91418.html">here</a>.   The Awarding Meeting will also look at a statistical item analysis of the performance of each question. </p> <p>This combination of qualitative and quantitative data allows the Awarding Meetings to judge whether the assessment has performed as expected.</p>

<p>Can I request the appeal uphold rates by school and school area for the last decade for National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers?</p><p>This is the first year that there have been appeals and as they are still in progress, there is no finalised data available as yet.  The Results Services Statistical Tables will be published in December as per our <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48513.8316.html">Publication Schedule</a>.    Please note these tables are published by course.</p> <p>Since Curriculum for Excellence started in 2014 until 2019, centres could request a clerical check or review of marking through the post results service (PRS) and the statistics have been published for this and are available on the SQA website <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57518.8313.html">Statistics Archive</a>.   Select the year required from the drop down menu.  Then select the Results Services Statistical Tables.</p> <p>From 2010 until 2013, there was an appeals service which was different to Post Results Service.  Again these tables are published on our website and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57518.8313.html">here</a>.   Select the year required from the drop down menu.    Then select the National Qualifications Appeals Analysis.</p>

<p>Any information held regarding the consultation that allegedly took place between the Scottish Government and the SQA regarding the Ministerial direction issued to the SQA on the evening of 11 August 2020. This should include any communications between the Scottish Government and the SQA on this matter, any briefings produced or notes of relevant meetings, or any typed or hand written notes produced in relation to this consultation.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.</p>

<p>How many requests did the SQA receive from centres to change individual pupil estimates ahead of the deadline (i.e. total number of individual grade changes requested)? What percentage of all such requests were rejected?</p><p>SQA received 57 requests from centres before the 29 May deadline to change an estimated grade, of which 6 impacted the final estimated grade.</p>

<p>Communications (including letters, emails, text messages and phone calls) between the SQA and OFQUAL regarding the awarding of qualifications in 2020. I would like this information from 03 August to 2020 to 30 August 2020.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached files. The correspondence has been redacted for personal details only.</p>

<p>I would like names of the three schools which had the three highest amount of Higher's increased from grade C to grade B and grade B to A in this years exams</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the tables attached.</p>

<p>I would like to know the following information in relation to the National Progression Awards in Business and IT being delivered in Secondary Schools Name of Awarding Centre (Secondary School) Number of Level 6 awards in 2020 Number of Level 6 awards in 2019 Number of Level 6 awards in 2018 Number of Level 5 awards in 2020 Number of Level 5 awards in 2019 Number of Level 5 awards in 2018</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than five, SQA does not report the actual figure to protect individuals' personal information.  Where the number is smaller than five the figure has been replaced with an asterisk*.</p>

<p>Number of students achieving 5As or more at Higher from maintained/state schools in the years: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.</p>

<p>Please can you tell me about post-results requests (by schools ) to alter in-school estimates. How many requests for individual candidates estimates to be changed i.e. not how many schools made a request, but how many candidates in total was a grade change request made in respect of nationally. What percentage of those requests were successful (i.e. what percentage of individual candidates estimates were changed as requested).</p><p>SQA will be publishing the requested information in the Appeals Tables 2020, which will be released on 01 December 2020.</p> <p>This publication will show, amongst other things, the total entries (by course) for which an appeal was received, the reason for the appeal and whether the appeal was accepted or rejected.</p> <p>Our publication schedule, which provides a forward look at planned SQA publications can be found at: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48513.8316.html">Publication Schedule.</a></p>

<p>May I ask that these data be supplied under a FOI request to SQA as a public authority as an alternative please. My understanding is that this route removes the risk of people misunderstanding the information, in the way you set out, as a factor you need to consider.</p> <p> </p> <p>Specifically the request is for the SCQF level 6 Higher and SCQF level 7 Advanced Higher grade distributions by subject and sex, as reported here -</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/Attainment_Statistics_(August)_2020_Male.xls">Male Attainment Statistics in August 2020</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/Attainment_Statistics_(August)_2020_Female.xls">Female Attainment Statistics in August 2020</a></p> <p>but for the grade distribution resulting from the 4 August ACM process, please see <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/Attainment_Statistics_(August)_2020.xls">the distribution reported for men and women in aggregate.</a></p><p>A request for information under either of the Freedom of Information Acts in the UK is a request to put the information into the public domain where it can then be interpreted and used for any purpose.    SQA has a responsibility to ensure that any information about candidate attainment that is available in the public domain is accurate in terms of the grades awarded and certificated.</p> <p>SQA has published a summary analysis contained in the Equality Impact Assessment for the Alternative Certification Model published on 4 August  and this can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2020-sqa-alternative-certification-model-equality-impact-assessment.pdf">2020 Alternative Certification Model: Equality Impact Assessment </a></p> <p>However as we have already indicated to you SQA has no plans to publish a breakdown of the ACM grades by sex in the format specified by you in your request for several reasons.  Firstly, to do so would result in inaccurate information about candidate achievement being deliberately published by SQA which would not be in the public interest.   Secondly, under the Alternative Certification Model the moderation was carried out without reference to  any personal characteristics of candidates. Therefore, to imply any causal effect was attributable to differences in sex would be inaccurate.   Thirdly, regardless of the awarding process used to generate the candidate achievement in 2020, the total number of awards made by sex for each subject was unaffected. </p>

<p>Request for review</p><p>Please find attached SQA's response to your request for review under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p>

<p>On page 13 of the recent report into the summer exams scandal, led by Prof Priestley, the authors note that: "SQA had clearly debated the pros and cons of releasing this information, and told us that the decision not to share more details about the implications of the model was based on a perceived need to avoid undue stress for students, parents/carers and teacher."</p> <p>The "information" being referred to relates to the ACM method developed by the SQA, in particular (but clearly not limited to) the possibility of "warning schools" about aspects of the system.</p> <p> Under FOISA, I would like you to release the following information:</p> <p>•           All communications (external and internal) in which the matter of releasing or not releasing the information in question is discussed</p> <p>•           Full details and documents (dates, attendees, minutes, personal notes etc) of all meetings at which this matter was discussed</p><p>In our review response to you on 07 October 2020 the reviewer stated that “I can confirm that there is nothing recorded which meets your request as no decision was taken to delay publication of the methodology for awarding grades and the Equality Impact Assessment”.  This is still the case and SQA does not hold any written information which meets your request.</p>

<p>In the SQA News publication in May 2020 the following information was provided:</p> <p> </p> <p>Ashbrook Research & Consultancy</p> <p>Every year, we ask Ashbrook to carry out a programme of research among our key stakeholders. Even though the current social distancing measures are proving a challenge to us all, we still need to ensure that you have the opportunity to share your views with us.</p> <p>This research will commence with employers and training providers over the next couple of weeks. We will carry out the school and college fieldwork in early June so that the research doesn't clash with the 29 May deadline for submitting National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher estimates.</p> <p>Carrying out this research helps us to measure how we support you and identifies improvements that we can make. If you are contacted by one of the Ashbrook researchers and are able to take part in their short survey, we will be extremely grateful, as you will be helping to shape the way in which we continue to support you.</p> <p>Under FOISA I would like the SQA to release material relating to the research referred to above.</p> <p>Please provide:</p> <p>1.         The final report provided to the SQA</p> <p>2.         Any supporting material provided to the SQA if not also included in the report (for example, details of the question)</p> <p>3.         Any submissions to the research by the SQA if not also included in full in the report</p><p>The research referred to in your quote above from the SQA News Publication in May 2020 is part of our Scottish stakeholder research programme.   SQA has a contract to provide an ongoing programme of stakeholder research to inform the work that SQA carries out. This is awarded under the Scottish Government Marketing Services framework. All research companies on the framework are asked to tender for the contract as and when it comes up for renewal, in line with the framework rules.</p>

<p>In the SQA News publication in May 2020 the following information was provided:</p> <p>Ashbrook Research & Consultancy</p> <p>Every year, we ask Ashbrook to carry out a programme of research among our key stakeholders. Even though the current social distancing measures are proving a challenge to us all, we still need to ensure that you have the opportunity to share your views with us.</p> <p>This research will commence with employers and training providers over the next couple of weeks. We will carry out the school and college fieldwork in early June so that the research doesn't clash with the 29 May deadline for submitting National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher estimates.</p> <p>Carrying out this research helps us to measure how we support you and identifies improvements that we can make. If you are contacted by one of the Ashbrook researchers and are able to take part in their short survey, we will be extremely grateful, as you will be helping to shape the way in which we continue to support you.</p> <p>Under FOISA I would like the SQA to release material relating to the research referred to above.</p> <p>Please provide all internal communications discussing the content of the report on the research detailed above.</p><p>The research referred to in your quote above from the SQA News Publication in May 2020 is part of our Scottish stakeholder research programme.   SQA has a contract to provide an ongoing programme of stakeholder research to inform the work that SQA carries out. This is awarded under the Scottish Government Marketing Services framework. All research companies on the framework are asked to tender for the contract as and when it comes up for renewal, in line with the framework rules.</p> <p>There are three tranches of research for this programme every year, of which the research mentioned above is the first of 2020. We ask a core set of questions which are asked in all three tranches. The report that covers these questions are only provided to SQA once all three tranches have been completed. This happens annually, and the report should be complete in February 2021.</p> <p>Since the final report has not yet been provided to SQA there is no internal communications discussing the content of this report.  Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</p>

<p>I would like to request the following information under FOISA:</p> <p>1.         How much, in total, has the SQA spent on services from Ashbrook Research & Constultancy since 2001?</p> <p>2.         How much, in total, has the SQA spent on services from Ashbrook Research & Consultancy each year since 2001?</p><p>All information about SQA Procurement is available on our website and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/35865.html">here</a>.  SQA has a contract to provide an ongoing programme of stakeholder research. This is awarded under the Scottish Government Marketing Services framework. All research companies on the framework are asked to tender for the contract as and when it comes up for renewal, in line with the framework rules. The current version of the contract expires in March 2022, although SQA has an option to extend it for a further year.</p> <p>Ashbrook Research & Consultancy currently hold this contract and have carried out SQA's stakeholder research under this and previous contracts.  The stakeholder research programme is longitudinal, so allowing SQA to track changes in views over time and to gather feedback from SQA's stakeholder groups. In the past, a considerable focus for the programme was the introduction of Curriculum for Excellence. Ashbrook also carry out a range of smaller ad hoc pieces of research for SQA which are procured in line with public sector procurement policy.</p> <p>Research work is also recorded in SQA's annual <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39108.html">PSRA</a> submission to Scottish Government.</p> <p>The overall spend on services from Ashbrook Research & Consultancy since 2006 is £2,291,456.90.  SQA does not hold information from 2001 as you request.  This figure is broken down by year, below, as requested.</p> <p> </p> <p>2006 - £3,452.87</p> <p>2007 - £98,131.88</p> <p>2008 - £89,451.71</p> <p>2009 - £94,678.66</p> <p>2010 - £134,037.82</p> <p>2011 - £98,139.15</p> <p>2012 - £180,339.29</p> <p>2013 - £217,387.38</p> <p>2014 - £194,368.12</p> <p>2015 - £215,731.28</p> <p>2016 - £204,918.58</p> <p>2017 - £193,915.16</p> <p>2018 - £205,050.80</p> <p>2019 - £213,516.16</p> <p>2020 - £148,338.04</p>

<p>The Scottish Government recently announced that National 5 examinations would not go ahead in 2021 but that Higher and Advanced Higher exams are currently being planned for. Clearly - and as admitted by politicians - there is a significant risk of ongoing disruption to education through the winter months, and as such I would like to request material regarding contingency planning.</p> <p> </p> <p>Please release the following under FOISA:</p> <p>1.         All materials detailing plans to deal with different eventualities regarding the 2021 Higher and Advanced Higher exams</p> <p>2.         Details of any meetings at which such plans were discussed (this includes dates, attendees, minutes, personal notes etc)</p><p>Please see the attached paper regarding National Qualifications for Academic Year 2020/21.</p> <p> </p> <p>This paper was presented and discussed at the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group Meeting on 31 July 2020.The Scottish Government has published information about the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group on their website.The minutes from the meeting on 31 July 2020 and all other minutes from the meetings of this group can be accessed <a href="https://www.gov.scot/groups/covid-19-education-recovery-group/">here</a> along with a list of members of the group.</p>

<p>As I've not had a response to my chasing emails on the following, please accept this email as a fresh FOI request for copies of the minutes of the SQA Audit Committee meetings from May 2017 until the date of this request.</p><p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/96018.html">The minutes of the SQA Audit Committee meetings </a>to date have now been published. You can find them by selecting the year and then the Month you looking for, e.g. 2017 and May.</p> <p> </p>

<p>I wish to submit a request for some of the organisation's information around the internal plans and strategy documents around ICT. The ICT documents I require is the most recent update.I wish to obtain the following documents:</p> <p>1. ICT/IM&T/IS Strategy- The IT department strategy or plans, highlights their current and future objectives.</p> <p>2. ICT Org Chart- A visual document that presents the structure of the IT department, please include name and job titles. If this cannot be sent, please work towards a structure with job titles.</p> <p>3. ICT Annual or Business Plan- Like the ICT strategy but is more annually focused.</p> <p>4. ICT Capital Programme/budget- A document that shows financials budget on current and future projects.</p> <p>If some of these documents are not valid, please state when the 2020 ICT documents are planned to be published.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/64717.html">https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/64717.html</a> Following from last year's exams and the number of issues after, I am requesting statistics of those who passed at N5, Higher and Advance Higher level. The time periods I'm looking for academic year 2018/19 in comparison with 2019/20 results.</p><p>The information you have requested is published on our website and can be accessed at the following link: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/64717.html">Statistics and Information</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Select the file Attainment Statistics (December) 2020.   Within this spreadsheet the tab SCQF 5 covers National 5 attainment, SCQF 6 covers Higher and SCQF 7 covers Advanced Higher.   For each level the attainment from 2019 and 2020 are shown side by side for comparison.</p>

<p>Please release the following information under FOISA:</p> <p>•   Which systems provided by the SQA currently require users to install Adobe Flash on their device? This may include materials for candidates, markers, SQA staff etc.</p> <p>•   By which date will each of these systems be updated so that Flash is no longer required for their use? (if no date has been set then please make this clear)</p><p>SQA has appropriate plans in place to manage our various systems.  It is our view that publicly confirming details of any plans could introduce an additional risk, and potentially compromise the security of services delivered.  We therefore apply section 35(1)(a) to your request. Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in transparency about the systems SQA uses.</p>

<p>I was looking into the topic of SQA certificates</p> <p>1  How many students sat exams in 2019?<br /> 2  How many students sat exams in 2018?<br /> 3  How many students sat exams in 2017?<br /> 4  I would like to know the number of SQA certificates that have been reported as delivered in 2019?<br /> 5  I would like to know the number of SQA certificates that have been reported as delivered in 2020?<br /> 6  The number of enquiries about replacement certificates in 2019 and 2020?<br /> 7  How much money has the SQA made from replacement certificate orders in 2019?<br /> 8  How much money has the SQA made from replacement certificate orders in 2020 so far?</p><p>1.  How many students sat exams in 2019?   SQA publishes entries and attainment by subject and level on our website and individual candidates can be entered for several subjects.  The figure provided covers the number of candidate certificates produced. This figure is for National Qualifications only and includes non-exam-based certification - 135,212</p> <p>2  How many students sat exams in 2018?   As above the figure provided covers the number of candidate certificates produced.  This figure is for National Qualifications only and includes non-exam-based certification - 136,102</p> <p>3  How many students sat exams in 2017?   As above the figure provided covers the number of candidate certificates produced.  This figure is for National Qualifications only and includes non-exam-based certification - 138,355</p> <p>4 and 5  I would like to know the number of SQA certificates that have been reported as delivered in 2019 and 2020?  All certificates are sent out via 1st or 2nd class via Royal Mail but we have no functionality to report how many are actually delivered.   Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>6  The number of enquiries about replacement certificates in 2019 and 2020?  SQA offers a replacement certificate service.   Information about this service can be obtained <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/64808.html">here</a>.  This service covers replacement certificates, credit value statements and authentication of certificates and qualifications.   Enquiries to this service can be for qualifications gained from 1960 onwards where certificates have been lost or misplaced by the candidate eg when moving house or returning to work after a prolonged absence.   Please note the figures given below cover all aspects of this service as we have no way of separating out requests for credit value statements and authentications from replacement certificates.</p> <p>In 2019 we had 7617 enquiries to the service</p> <p>In 2020 we have had 4687 enquiries (up to 07 December) - please note this figure for 2020 is lower than normal as SQA was unable to offer this service between the end of March and July due to the COVID 19 pandemic.</p> <p>7 and 8  How much money has the SQA made from replacement certificate orders in 2019 and 2020 to date?  The annual income from the replacement certificate service is reported annually in our Annual Report and Accounts which is subject to External Audit. Given the timing of your request we have included income received for the financial year 2020-21 covering the period from 1 April to 7 December 2020.</p> <p>Year ended 31 March 2020 - £265,000</p> <p>For financial year 20/21 to date (up to O7 December)  - £67,709</p>

<p>I would like to know the number of secondary schools in each of the 32 Local Authorities that deliver the following subjects (I appreciate this is often delivered in partnership with local further education colleges/organisations, I am looking for the number of schools even where one college/organisation is associated with more than one school) for the school years 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21: Agriculture SCQF level 6 Countryside Management SCQF level 5 Greenkeeping SCQF level 5 Introduction to Horticulture SCQF level 4 Horticulture SCQF level 5 Rural Skills SCQF level 4 Angling and the Aquatic Environment SCQF level 3 Aquaculture SCQF level 4 Aquaculture SCQF level 5 Beekeeping SCQF level 5 Crofting SCQF level 5 Fish Husbandry & Fish Health and Nutrition SCQF level 5 Horticulture SCQF level 4 Investigation of Modern Agriculture SCQF level 5 Local Food Production SCQF level 6 Rural Skills SCQF level 5 Skills for Work: Rural Skills (National 4) SCQF level 4 Skills for Work: Engineering Skills (National 4) SCQF level 4 Skills for Work: Engineering Skills (National 5) SCQF level 5.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.  SQA does not hold data on school/college partnerships so the information provided relates only to the centre that entered a candidate.</p>

<p>I am looking for some assistance with your organisation's Spend/Transparency data, available on the following weblink:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/78634.html">SQA Expenditure 2015-16</a></p> <p>There appears to be no file available for the month of October 2019 to September 2020. Could you advise when the file will be made available to view online? Would it be possible for you to email me a copy of the October 2019 to September 2020 file please and thank you.</p><p>The link you have provided above is for the PSRA information for 2015/16 only.   SQA reports PSRA as required supplementary information with the Annual Report and Accounts . PSRA information is therefore collected and reported for the same period and published at the same time as the Annual Report and Accounts.  The period specified in your request straddles two PSRA periods from Oct 2019 to March 2020 which has been published in the 2019/20 figures which can be accessed at:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39108.8273.html">Annual Reports and Review</a></p> <p>The information from April to Sept 2020 will be included in the PSRA information for 2020/21, which has not yet been collated or published. </p>

<p>Please can you confirm the person responsible for IT/Information Security. Different organisations have different job titles for this responsibility, I've listed below the possible job titles:</p> <p>Manager or Head for IT, Cyber, Information Security, IT Security, Information Governance</p> <p>or</p> <p>CIO (Chief Information Officer)</p> <p>or</p> <p>CISO (Chief Information Security Officer)</p> <p>Please can you provide name, job title, email, direct phone number/mobile number.</p><p>The person in SQA responsible for IT Security is the IT Security Manager. For all enquiries to SQA our contact details - telephone 0345 279 1000, our <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/77338.html?id=1">Customer enquiry form</a> - are available on our website and can also be accessed at the following link: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39083.html">Contact Us</a></p> <p> </p>

<p>All correspondence or documentation (including emails, attachments, typed or handwritten notes, letters, notes/records of phone calls, texts or instant messages, minutes of meetings, briefings or otherwise) between SQA and Skills Development Scotland that relates to the planned arrangements for the awarding of Foundation Apprenticeships or the proposed  'letter of recognition', as announced on 22 May 2020.</p> <p>If possible I would like this information from 20 March 2020 to 22 May 2020.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached files.  Some of this has been redacted for personal data and in some cases where the emails provided contain information not relevant to your request.</p>

<p>1. All briefing notes, meetings, minutes, memos, emails and written notes regarding meetings between any Cabinet Secretary, minister, advisor or representative of the Scottish and the Scottish Qualifications Authority regarding the marking and grading methodology for the 2020 Scottish National 4, National 5 and Higher qualifications.</p> <p>2. All briefing notes, meetings, minutes, memos, emails and written notes regarding meetings between any Cabinet Secretary, minister, advisor or representative of the Scottish and the Scottish Qualifications Authority between July 31, 2020, and August 7, 2020, both dates inclusive.</p> <p>3. Any written information regarding the marking and grading methodology for the 2020 Scottish National 4, National 5 and Higher qualifications.</p><p>1.  SQA has provided the correspondence between the Deputy First Minister and SQA Chief Executive Fiona Robertson in the attached file - titled Q1.  The letters have been redacted for personal data.</p> <p>2.  The information you have requested is provided in the attached files - titled Q2.   These files have been redacted for personal data.</p> <p>3.  SQA has published the National Qualifications 2020 Awarding — Methodology Report which can be accessed at the following link: <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/SQAAwardingMethodology2020Report.pdf">SQA Awarding Methodology 2020 Report</a> </p>

<p>Please could you provide me with details of advice and guidance issued to the Cabinet Secretary for Education regarding the staging and timing of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher examinations for 2020.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached files.</p>

<p>I would like to have annual progression statistics for higher to advanced higher maths. These are available on your website by grade but I would like to have them further broken down by band.</p><p>As you mention in your request SQA publishes grade to grade progression statistics and these tables can be accessed on our website at the following link: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/91419.html">2019 Statistics</a>.   SQA does not hold the information in the format specified by you and to produce the summary information by band requested by you would incur costs exceeding £600.  This cost is based on the work required to write the programming code to interrogate the raw data and this work would have to be carried out regardless of the number of subjects requested.   Section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 provides that where the costs exceed £600 a public body is not required to produce the summary requested.  Please see Decision 201800816 on 28 August 2018 (Band-to-Grade progression data) on the Scottish Information Commissioner's website for a detailed breakdown of the costs involved.   In his decision the Commissioner was satisfied that the work involved in providing the statistical information in the band format as you have requested would exceed the £600 cost ceiling and that it is not reasonably practicable for SQA to provide you with the summary requested.</p>

<p>1  I am writing to request you provide me with an electronic copy of your organisation's Gaelic Language Plan under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.  If this is available online, please could you provide me with a static URL directing me to this plan.  </p> <p>2  I also request you provide me with electronic copies of any periodical reports about your plan which you may have submitted to the Bòrd na Gàidhlig since the approval of your plan.</p><p>1  SQA's Gaelic Language Plan is published on our website and can be accessed at the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/GLP%202015-2020%20Final%20for%20Publication.pdf">SQA Gaelic Language Plan</a></p> <p>2  SQA has provided the monitoring reports from 2018 and 2019 which relate to this plan in the attached file.   The 2020 monitoring report will be sent to Bòrd na Gàidhlig at the end of January 2021.</p>

<p>In 2020 the exams did not go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic and they were replaced with the alternative certificate model (ACM). I'm looking to understand how much the ACM cost and how that compared to the costs SQA would have incurred if it had run a traditional exam diet.</p> <p> Therefore could you please:</p> <p> -            Outline how much the 2020 exam diet was expected to cost (before the exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic)- breaking this figure down into the key costs the SQA expected to incur, including the money it expected to spend on markers and invigilators?</p> <p>-             How much of these costs were covered by the fees schools and colleges pay for their pupils and students to sit SQA qualifications?</p> <p>-             Please then outline how much was spent on the alternative certification model - breaking this figure down into the key costs?</p> <p>-             The final stage of the alternative certification model - the appeals process - did not go ahead. How many appeals was the SQA geared up to receive, and how much was this final stage of the ACM expected to cost?</p> <p>-             How many appeals did the SQA receive in the end (please breakdown into the three categories of appeal that were available) and how much did the SQA actually spend?</p> <p>-             In total how much did the alternative certification model cost? Was this more or less than the traditional exam diet was expected to cost?</p> <p>-             If the ACM cost less, what happened to the money SQA saved?</p> <p>-             How much does the SQA expect it will cost to certificate school qualifications in 2020-21 - is this more or less than it would expect a traditional exam diet to cost? By how much?</p> <p>-             If it is more please state the key reason for the increase in cost; if it is less please state the key reasons for the decrease in costs.</p><p><a class="downloadPdf" href="files_ccc/foi-161-response.pdf">FOI 161 Response</a> (144 KB)</p>

<p>Please provide details of all contact between the Education Secretary, John Swinney, or his officials or special advisers and Chief Executive of the SQA, Fiona Robertson, or other SQA staff or board members between 19 March and 11 August 2020</p><p>A log of all diarised contact between SQA's Executive Management Team, Board and Heads of Service and the Education Secretary, John Swinney, his officials and special advisers is provided in the attached file.  Note there are 4 tabs to break down attendance at the key meetings, of which SQA and John Swinney or his officials, are represented.  These are the Further and Higher Education Covid-19 Ministerial Leadership Group (MLG), Covid-19 Education Recovery Group (CERG) and Qualifications Contingency Group (QCG).</p> <p>In addition to the dates provided, colleagues from the Scottish Government's Learning Directorate, Advanced Learning and Science Directorate, and SQA met virtually on a regular basis, throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic. Due to an administrative change, SQA no longer holds a record of many of these meetings between April and June.</p>

<p>Please can I have a copy of the SQA's 2019-20 Annual Fraud Report.</p><p>The Annual Fraud Report 2019-20 presented to the Audit Committee on 1 June 2020 you requested is provided in the attached file.</p>

<p>In the minutes of the SQA audit committee of October, 2019 it makes reference to a Fraud Response Group investigation into an instance of financial irregularity. Please can you provide me with a copy of any reports which relate to the outcome of this investigation and any 'lessons learned' reports from the instance.</p><p>As reported in our Annual Fraud Report of 2019-20 and already supplied to you the outcome of the investigation is recorded as follows:</p> <p>The first instance was of a member of staff, immediately prior to leaving SQA employment, making personal use of a hotel booking (which was no longer required for business purposes) and charging it to an SQA credit card. </p> <p>The former member of staff agreed to pay back the full amount of the cost - £2,069 - to SQA.  This was due to have been repaid in full by 31 March 2020.  It was agreed between the former member of staff and SQA that the repayments would be made in monthly instalments. </p> <p>SQA agreed to extend the deadline for the final payment (of £469) as the former member of staff was temporarily unable to pay due to a change in circumstances brought about by the Covid-19 situation.</p> <p>Lessons learnt from this investigation - Amend the leaver process to include credit card check if appropriate.  On an ongoing basis the Audit Committee monitors the progress of any fraud investigations.</p>

<p>1. I am looking to ascertain the number of candidates Achieving 5A+ Highers at band 1in any single year in Education Authority Schools over the years 2014 to 2019.</p> <p>2. I am looking to ascertain the number of candidates Achieving 3A+ Advanced Highers in any single year in Education Authority Schools over the years 2014 to 2019.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached files.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than 5, SQA does not report the actual figure to protect individuals' personal information.  Where the number is less than 5 the figure has been replaced with an asterisk*.</p>

<p>As a result of using teacher estimates to grade pupils receiving qualifications in 2020 there were large increases in the pass rate at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.</p> <p>At the time SQA chief executive Fiona Robertson suggested that one reason teacher estimates were above historic attainment was because “some teachers and lecturers may have been optimistic, given the circumstances”.</p> <p> It is now four months since the results were first published.  Can you please tell me:</p> <p> - what work has been done/activities been undertaken to better understand why teacher estimates were so much higher than historic attainment</p> <p>- please provide me with any written information exploring this issue - including, but not exclusive to, emails, briefings and reports</p> <p>I would like to receive this information via email. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if the above is unclear.</p><p>In the period following 2020 Awarding a number of initiatives have been instigated by the Scottish Government and SQA to better understand the process of awarding in 2020 and to prepare for Awarding 2021 in the face of the continuing pandemic and its effects on education.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Scottish Government commissioned Prof Mark Priestley to undertake an independent review of the processes through which National Qualifications were awarded in 2020.  Prof Priestley spoke with a range of stakeholders, including teachers; and made recommendations for the awarding process.  This report can be accessed at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/rapid-review-national-qualifications-experience-2020/pages/5/">National Qualifications Experience 2020: Rapid Review (www.gov.scot)</a></p> <p>In planning for 2021, SQA has taken an approach that draws on the recommendations of the Priestley Report.</p> <p>Specifically, SQA has been working co-constructively with stakeholders, and has incorporated their views on how best to provide support to teachers in 2021 to improve the nature of estimates.  SQA has set up two NQ 2021 groups - a working group and a steering group - with wide ranging membership across the educational sector.  These groups are meeting weekly at the moment to jointly develop our approaches this session. </p> <p>SQA appeared at the Education and Skills Committee on Wednesday 13 January 2021 to discuss this approach.  A paper explaining SQA's approach was provided to the Committee and is attached here.   This paper provides details of all SQA activities - development of generic guidance, subject specific guidance, assessment resources that teachers and lecturers can use, understanding standards support and a Quality Assurance process to support certification this year.  The mechanics of the QA process may change due to the new lockdown and we are working our way through that in conjunction with external partners.</p> <p>The subject specific guidance (for 143 subjects) has been developed and published on each subject page on the website.   These can be accessed at the web address below.  An important distinction between 2020 and this session is that the grades awarded to candidates for 2021 will be based on demonstrated evidence of attainment rather than the inference of their potential performance in an examination.  This session SQA has provided a range of additional subject specific guidance, assessment resources and enhanced understanding standards support.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/95157.html">National Qualifications</a></p> <p> </p>

<p>The FULL contract register should display all the organisations existing/live contracts I would like the register to display the following columns/headings:</p> <p> </p> <p>1.Contract Reference</p> <p>2.Contract Title</p> <p>3.Procurement Category</p> <p>4.Supplier Name</p> <p>5.Spend (Total or Annual)</p> <p>6.Contract Duration</p> <p>7.Contract Extensions</p> <p>8.Contract Starting Date</p> <p>9.Expiration Date</p> <p>10.Contract Description [Please provide me with as much detail as possible.]</p> <p>11.Contact Owner (Full contact details if possible.)</p> <p>12.CPV codes/ProClass</p> <p> </p> <p>IMPORTANT</p> <p>1.For those organisations planning to make an exemption around spend, the spend information I have requested is an overall figure and I am not requesting a complete breakdown of services relating to the spend.</p> <p> </p> <p>2.If the organisation has a CRM system or a similar system, there should be a facility to download and extract contract data.</p> <p> </p> <p>3.You may forward me a Weblink to a portal to download the contract register, please make sure all of the organisation's contracts are provided as doing prior research I have found that most organisations have only uploaded a small portion of all of their contracts.</p> <p>Please do not think that this is the only information I require if you could provide me with more information that would be great.</p> <p> </p> <p>Contract Data/API Contact Details</p> <p>13.   Can you also provide me with contact details of the person responsible for the actual contract's register or someone responsible for API? [Name, Job Title, Telephone, Email Address] At the very least provide me with their actual job title.</p> <p> </p> <p>(Meaning of API “a set of functions and procedures that allow the creation of applications which access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.”)</p><p>1-10 The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.  Please note the total contract value is from the beginning of the contract until 12 January 2021 unless it is an annual renewal contract which includes the annual cost only.</p> <p>11 + 13  For all contracts the contact details are given on our website and can be accessed at: <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39640.2424.html">The Procurement Team</a></p> <p>12  SQA do not hold a record of CPV codes. They are available on the Public Contracts Scotland Advertising Portal that can be accessed from the link on our website at: <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/35865.html">SQA Procurement</a>.  Scroll down to the Related Information section and the Portal is the first link provided.</p>

<p>I am looking for some assistance with your organisation's Spend/Transparency data, available on the following weblink: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/78634.html">SQA Expenditure 2015-2016</a></p> <p> </p> <p>There appears to be no file available for the month of October 2020. Could you advise when the file will be made available to view online? Would it be possible for you to email me a copy of the October 2020 file please and thank you.</p><p>SQA responded to a similar request from you in June 2019, on 26 August 2019, on 13 September 2019, on 28 October 2019 and on 15 December 2020. </p> <p>As required by <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2010/8/section/31">section 31 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 </a>SQA will publish the April 2020 to March 2021 PSRA data on our website along with the Annual Report and Accounts for the same period once the Annual Report and Accounts (including the PSRA data) has been approved by the Scottish Parliament.   The earliest the Annual Report and Accounts will be laid before the Scottish Parliament is November 2021.   Once the Annual Report and Accounts has been approved by the Scottish Parliament SQA will publish the Annual Report and Accounts and the PSRA data for April 2020 to March 2021 on our website.  </p> <p>The October 2020 figures you are requesting will be included in the Annual Report and Accounts for April 2020 to March 2021.   This report will only be published once it has been approved by the Scottish Parliament in November 2021.</p>

<p>1. What is your current Invoice Process, manual/technology</p> <p>2. How many invoices do you process per month</p> <p>3. How many duplicate/error invoices do you have</p> <p>4. How many full time AP staff</p> <p>5. What challenges do you face with the current process</p> <p>6. What type of invoices do you process: email, physical, etc</p> <p>7. When does your current contract expire</p> <p>8. Who owns current Invoice process</p> <p>9. What type of matching do you use</p><p>1. ERP system</p> <p>2. 3,192 invoices (based on general supplier invoices paid for the calendar year 2020) Average 266 per month.</p> <p>3. Not recorded, but not of significance as very few</p> <p>4. 2</p> <p>5. Nothing of significance</p> <p>6. Predominantly emailed, minimal physical</p> <p>7. 31/10/22, with the option of 2 x 1 year extensions</p> <p>8. SQA Finance Systems</p> <p>9. Purchase orders to invoices; Invoices to payments</p>

<p>Please could you provide the following information. How many people in the U.K. qualified by undertaking the SQA DGSA (Road) exam are there currently In date holding a VTC certificate.</p><p>As of 21 January 2021, there are 2,002 people with valid DGSA Road certificates.</p>

<p>I would like to request the following material under FOISA.</p> <p>Please release all communication related to Surpass Viewer and /or Flash Player between the SQA and BTL Group (makers of the Surpass Viewer software)</p> <p>The time frame for this request is Jan 2018 - present</p><p>As part of the ongoing work to provide a digital assessment service to our customers SQA works with our supplier (BTL) to ensure that the service provided is effective.   The contract with BTL is a 4 year contract which started on 18 February 2019 and ends 17 February 2023.   This information is provided on our website and can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/35879.1911.html">Procurement Contracts</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Communications related to Surpass Viewer and /or Flash Player between the SQA and BTL Group (makers of the Surpass Viewer software) are provided in the attached file.  These have been redacted for personal information and where the information is not relevant to your request.   In addition to this regular meetings are held between SQA and BTL Group as part of the service they provide.   Under FOI 20/21 175 we have provided you with the information SQA provided to centres in December 2020 as a result of the withdrawal of Adobe Flash.</p>

<p>I would like to make the following request under FOISA.</p> <p>•     Please release documents (such as briefing papers, or analyses of options) held by the SQA regarding the decision to make use of Surpass Viewer software.</p> <p>•     Please release all internal communication discussing the decision to make use of Surpass Viewer software</p><p>As part of the ongoing work to provide a digital assessment service to our customers SQA works with our supplier (BTL) to ensure that the service provided is effective.   SurpassViewer was the BTL response to the decision by Adobe to cease support for Flash from January 2021, to enable SQA, at no additional cost, to continue to deliver flash-based assessment content and functionality.  This was delivered as part of our ongoing contract with them for the use of the Surpass eAssessment System, of which the viewer is a very minor part.</p> <p>As explained in the FAQ paper provided whilst it would have been a preferred option for SQA to migrate over to more current technology, such as HTML5, the reality is that this was not a feasible option to offer all re-authored content in our question banks within the new HTML system by Jan 2021.  This means that SQA needs to continue the delivery of the current qualifications on the Flash based systems in place until their withdrawal. The use of Surpass Viewer is one part of this work and facilitates the delivery of current qualifications on the Flash based system.  In the attached document we have provided the published guidelines and FAQs for clients on the use of Surpass Viewer.   This is the only written information SQA holds regarding the decision to make use of Surpass Viewer software.</p>

<p>Please provide us with copies of:</p> <p>A) All published policy and/or strategic documents relating to race equality produced by your organisation from 1999-2021, including (but not limited to) race equality strategies, action plans and public sector equality duty publications, including progress reports and updates</p> <p>B) All other published policy and/or strategic documents containing commitments or actions that pertain to race equality published by your organisation from 1999-2021, including progress reports and updates</p><p>SQA has attached the following documents</p> <ul> <li>SQA's Race Equality Scheme RES 2007-10 - this document was published on our website in 2007 along with a redacted version of an action plan for the same time period. </li> <li>Between publication of SQA's RES 2007-10 and the enforcement of the Equality Act 2010 SQA commenced work to develop a single Equality Scheme to combine its Race, Gender and Disability Equality Schemes.  This work was not complete due to the requirements of the Equality Act coming into force and the impending responsibilities relating to the new single Public Sector Equality Duty.</li> <li>As part of the Public Sector Equality Duty SQA publishes a wide range of documents on the Equality pages on our website and they can be accessed at the following web link</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/25339.html">Equality and diversity within SQA - SQA</a></p> <p>The published documents on this page include the following</p> <ul> <li>Annual Equality Review in 2011 and later it's Equality Strategy 2013-17.   These are included in the Related Information section at the bottom of this page.</li> <li>SQA Equality Mainstreaming Reports published in <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/EqualityMainstreamingReport2012-13.pdf">2013</a>, <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/EqualityMainstreamingReport2013-15.pdf">2015</a>, <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/Equality%20Mainstreaming%20Report%202015-17.pdf">2017</a> and <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/EqualityMainstreamingReport%20201-19.pdf">2019</a>.</li> <li><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/Equality%20Outcomes.pdf">SQA's Equality Outcomes 2017-21</a></li> <li>SQA's Equality Review of Qualifications</li> </ul> <p>In addition to the above SQA has attached the following files which we consider relevant to your request</p> <ul> <li>SQA's submission to the Equalities and Human Rights Committee Inquiry into Race Equality, Employment and Skills</li> <li>Information about our commitment and support to Show Racism the Red Card which is detailed in our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report 2013 attached.</li> <li>In August 2020, SQA became a signatory of the Business In The Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter.   We have published the logo and information on our equality web page.</li> <li>In 2020 SQA published the Equality Impact Assessment of the 2020 Alternative Certification Model and this can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2020-sqa-alternative-certification-model-equality-impact-assessment.pdf">2020 Alternative Certification Model: Equality Impact Assessment</a></li> </ul> <p> </p>

<p>Under the Freedom of Information Act we formally request the information below in relation to the Crown Commercial Services Non Clinical Temporary and Fixed Term Staff Framework.</p> <p>1.         Spend ranked by Agency</p><p>SQA has no spend under the framework specified by you.  Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</p>

<p>Please can I request the following information:</p> <ul> <li>SQA's Annual Report and Account for the following years: 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11.</li> </ul><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached files.   These have been redacted for personal information only.</p>

<p>1. Can you please set out how many FTE frontline communications staff/press officers there have been for each of the ten years to 2019/20. If an average number cannot be sourced, pick March as a snapshot.</p> <p>1b. How many FTE frontline communications staff/press officers were there in January (snapshot) 2021.</p> <p>1c. What was the annual cost of employing those frontline staff in all those years 2009/10 - 2019/20.</p> <p>2. How many FTE frontline communications staff/press officers have been employed that have been outsourced, In other words, not in-house but external PR/communications supplied by a private company in all those years 2009/10 - 2019/20</p> <p>2b. How much was spent in those outsourced frontline PR/communications/press office functions, in other words, not in-house but external PR/communications supplied by a private company (as per Q2).</p><p>The information you have requested under questions 1, 1b and 1c is provided in the attached file.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than 5, SQA does not report the actual figure to protect individuals — personal information.  Where the number is less than 5 the figure has been replaced with an asterisk*.</p> <p>Please note that although your request asks for details re "frontline communications staff/press officers" SQA does not employ individuals exclusively in this capacity. The activity comes under the remit of the Communications team who are responsible for wider activities.  Due to this wider remit of their role, it is not feasible to isolate the proportion of their annual salary that could be classed as "frontline communications/press officer" cost.  However, the attached report provides the figures for those employees who deal with the press as part of their wider communications activities.</p> <p>For questions 2 and 2b SQA holds information from 2013 only.   In the period 2013 to 2020 SQA has had two contracts with private companies for external PR/Communications.   The total amount paid for these over this period is £534,419.</p> <p>SQA does not hold information about the number of staff they employ.   Details of our present contract for Strategic Communications Support are available on our website in the Contracts Directory section of the Procurement pages and can be accessed at the following weblink: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/35879.1911.html">Procurement Contracts</a></p>

<p>Of your current board of management members, I would like to know (a) how many are currently GTCS-registered teachers or lecturers and (b) how many have frontline teaching or lecturing experience.</p><p>SQA¿s Board of Management has a wide range of skills and experiences that allow it to function effectively with the CEO and the Executive Management Team.</p> <p> </p> <p>a) Of our 9 Board of Management members, 2 are GTCS registered teacher/lecturers.</p> <p>b) Of our 9 Board of Management members, 4 have front line teaching/lecturing experience. </p>

<p>I would like to know what contingency plans the SQA put in place/developed regarding potential disruption to the 2021 examinations diet, which has of course ultimately been cancelled.</p> <p> </p> <p>I therefore ask that you release under FOISA any planning, briefings, reports etc regarding options/plans for the awarding of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2021.</p> <p> </p> <p>The time frame for this request is April 1 2020 - present</p><p>1 On 3 August SQA responded to a similar request we received from you on 10 May 2020. In response to your request SQA is a member of the Qualifications Contingency Group. The Scottish Government convened this group initially on 17 March 2020. The <a href="https://www.gov.scot/groups/coronavirus-covid-19-qualifications-contingency-group/">remit of the group and the minutes of the 4 meetings</a>. This is where the plans to cancel examinations and instead use teacher judgements to award grades this year were discussed.</p> <p>SQA has already sent you the contingency plan and scenario planning - see our responses to FOI 002 and 003 sent to you on 10 July 2020.</p> <p>Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you and can be accessed at the links above. If, however, you do not have access to the internet to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.</p> <p>This exemption is not subject to the 'public interest test'.</p> <p>2 Then on 27 November 2020 SQA responded to a similar request from you on 19 October with the following response:</p> <p>1. Please see the attached paper regarding National Qualifications for Academic Year 2020/21.</p> <p>This paper was presented and discussed at the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group Meeting on 31 July 2020. The Scottish Government has published information about the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group on their website. The minutes from the meeting on 31 July 2020 and all other minutes from the meetings of this group along with a list of members of the group can be accessed at the following weblink <a href="https://www.gov.scot/groups/covid-19-education-recovery-group/">COVID-19 Education Recovery Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)</a></p> <p>Since then the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group has continued to meet and the minutes from these meetings are published at the link given above.</p> <p>3 Please note that SQA has also published updates on our website which can be accessed at the following weblink <a href="98803.html">Qualifications in 2021 news - SQA</a> including the following:</p> <p>Following the cancellation of Highers and Adv Highers on 8 Dec, there was broad agreement that the 2021 alternative certification model (ACM) could be adopted in principle. This was advised on our website on 16 December.</p> <p>Following the announcement on 4 Jan that schools would be moving to remote learning, we advised on 12 January that the National Qualifications 2021 Group was considering potential flexibilities to the model.</p> <p>On 27 January, the NQ 2021 Group advised on an extension to the date for the submission of provisional results from 28 May to 18 June.</p> <p>SQA publishes updates on an ongoing basis to support centres delivering and assessing SQA qualifications (including National Qualifications) in 2020/21 and this can be accessed <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/35834.html">Archived News</a></p>

<p>I would like to know what plans the SQA put in place regarding potential disruption to the 2021 examinations diet, which has of course ultimately been cancelled.<br />  <br /> I therefore ask that you release under FOISA any correspondence (including email attachments) between the SQA and the Scottish Government regarding options/plans for the awarding of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2021.<br />  <br /> The time frame for this request is April 1 2020 - present</p> <p> </p><p><br /> SQA has already provided you with information regarding plans for 2021 Awarding.  It is a very fluid situation that SQA is operating in and updated plans co-created with the NQ 2021 Group are published regularly on our website and can be accessed at the following weblink <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/95157.html">National Qualifications in 2020-21 - SQA.</a>   These plans are produced in line with changes to the public health advice as issued by the Scottish Government.<br /> In order to provide you with the information you have requested SQA requires to review all correspondence to retrieve the relevant information, redact where necessary and check.  To do this for all the correspondence requested would cost well in excess of £600.   Under section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 where an authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would result in costs in excess of £600 they are not required to comply.<br /> Under section 15 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Duty to provide advice and assistance - if you can substantially refine your request this could bring the cost below the £600 and SQA will look at this again.  In order to avoid this exemption SQA suggest you may want to <br /> 1) Narrow down the scope from 'SQA' to 'members of the SQA executive management team' and<br /> 2) Narrow down the request for 'all correspondence' to 'papers, letters and submissions' and<br /> 3) Narrow the time frame for the request.<br />  </p>

<p>1. Any application you made in 2019 or 2020 to be a "Stonewall Diversity Champion" or to be included on Stonewall's "Workplace Equality Index," including any attachments or appendices to those applications. Please redact personal details if necessary.</p> <p>2. Any feedback you received in 2019 or 2020 from Stonewall in relation to either application or programme.</p> <p>3. Any other communication you have received from Stonewall in 2019 or 2020 unless privileged or otherwise exempt from disclosure (but if you claim privilege or exemption in relation to any material, please say in broad terms what the material is and the basis on which you claim to be entitled to withhold it).</p> <p>4. Full details of any equality impact assessment you carried out connected with any of these applications (including any equality impact assessment carried out prior to an earlier application of the same kind, if no further assessment was done).</p> <p>5. Details of the total amount of money you paid to Stonewall (i) in 2019; (ii) in 2020, whether or not as payment for goods or services.</p> <p>6. Whether you intend to continue your membership of any Stonewall scheme in the future, and if so which.</p><ol> <li>SQA renewed its membership to the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme in 2019 and 2020.</li> <li>SQA did not receive any feedback from Stonewall following renewal of our Diversity Champions Membership.</li> <li>The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 provides a right of access to information and not a right of access to copies of specific documents.   SQA has indicated above that we have had no feedback from Stonewall regarding our membership.   You have not specified what information you require communications in connection with.  As part of our membership fee SQA receives on an ongoing basis communications as part of their support under this contract covering a wide range of information.   </li> <li>SQA are committed to reviewing our memberships and accreditations and look at both their desirability to SQA and how they align with our strategic priorities.  We did not complete an equality impact assessment to inform our decision to renew our Diversity Champion membership.</li> <li>We paid £3000 in 2019 and £3000 in 2020 for SQA's membership to the Stonewall Scotland's Diversity Champions Programme.</li> <li>SQA has taken the decision to renew its membership as a Stonewall Diversity Champion for 2021.</li> </ol>

<p>[1] List of recruitment agencies currently being used for the supply of agency staff.</p> <p>[2] Breakdown of current spend per agency [2019-2021]</p> <p>[3] What framework/DPS this spend is going through</p><p>[1] List of recruitment agencies currently being used for the supply of agency staff.</p> <p>Pertemps</p> <p>Harvey Nash</p> <p>Hays</p> <p>Spring Technology</p> <p>Capita</p> <p>Parity</p> <p>Lorien Resourcing</p> <p>Venesky Brown</p> <p>ASA</p> <p> </p> <p>[2] Breakdown of current spend per agency [1 April 2019 - 25 February 2021]</p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="stripeMe" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Recruitment Agency</th> <th scope="col">Current Spend</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Capita</td> <td>£310,764.82</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Harvey Nash</td> <td>£767,017.16</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Hays</td> <td>£261,672.49</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Spring Technology</td> <td>£863,023.20</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Parity</td> <td>£540,792.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Lorien Resourcing</td> <td>£771,819.29</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Venesky Brown</td> <td>£460,202.10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>ASA Recruitment</td> <td>£76,909.61</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Pertemps</td> <td>£629,465.00</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p>[3] What framework/DPS this spend is going through</p> <p>Scot Gov-Interim IT Staff-Framework Ref: SP-13-023</p> <p>Scot Gov-Interim IT Staff-Framework Ref: SP-18-015</p> <p>Crown Commercial Services Framework RM971 - Non Medical Non Clinical - LOT5</p> <p>Scot Gov-Interim Staff Services -Framework Ref: SP-18-014</p> <p>Framework for the provision of Temporary Administrative, Catering & Manual Staff Services SP-18-13</p> <p>Swan Framework</p> <p>SQA Contract</p>

<p>I wish to know how many NQ candidates sitting National 5 English, between the years of 2016- 2018, that achieved a Band 4 or 5 or 6, who then went on to achieve a Band 6 or above in Higher English. Ie. What is the pass conversion rate from those achieving a 4 - 6 at N5 English to a pass at Higher English.</p><p>SQA publishes grade to grade progression statistics and these tables can be accessed on our website at <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/91419.html">Statistics 2019</a>.   SQA does not hold the information in the format specified by you and to produce the summary information by band requested by you would incur costs exceeding £600.  This cost is based on the work required to write the programming code to interrogate the raw data and this work would have to be carried out regardless of the number of subjects requested.   Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 provides that where the costs exceed £600 a public body is not required to produce the summary requested.  Please see Decision 201800816 on 28 August 2018 (Band-to-Grade progression data) on the Scottish Information Commissioner's website for a detailed breakdown of the costs involved.   In his decision the Commissioner was satisfied that the work involved in providing the statistical information in the band format as you have requested would exceed the £600 cost ceiling and that it is not reasonably practicable for SQA to provide you with the summary requested. </p>

<p>1.   How many staff have undergone unconscious bias training over the last five calendar years? Please could you break down the number by year for 2021 (up to and including the end of February), 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017.</p> <p>2.   How much money has been spent unconscious bias training for staff over the last five calendar years? Please could you break down the figure by year for 2021 (up to and including the end of February), 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017. In each case where there has been expenditure on unconscious bias training, please could you state which company the money went to, how much, and the date of the payment.</p> <p>3.   If unconscious bias training has been provided to staff, please could you provide details of the format of the training is - its title, how many hours/days the training lasts, and any other relevant detail which summarises what it entails.</p> <p>4.  If possible, please could you provide a copy of any training material - documentation including, but not limited to, training packs, worksheets, fact sheets etc - distributed to staff as part of the unconscious bias training in any of the above years. Please note, if this is not possible, please proceed with the remainder of the request.</p><ol> <li>In September 2019 one member of staff attended Unconscious Bias Training.</li> <li>This was a free event.</li> <li>It was a breakfast time event for 1.5 hours.</li> <li>There were no training materials provided.</li> </ol> <p> </p>

<p>1. Contact Centre/Call Centre Contracts (Contracts and Costs associating to all/any systems used to manage Inbound Contact to SQA from Citizens. (i.e Call/Telephony Management Systems, Email Management Services/software, Help Desk Agents and Hotlines etc.)</p> <p> </p> <p>2. Inbound Network Services Contracts (by "Inbound Network Services", I am referring to Inbound Call, Telephony and Email Management Services, and any other inbound channels used by citizens to make contact with SQA.)</p> <p> </p> <p>3. Website Traffic Spend/Analysis (even if hosted by an Agency)</p> <p>a) Number of Visits per month (Average)</p> <p>b) Who is the supplier/agency/internal stakeholder responsible for hosting/maintaining and managing the website(s)?</p> <p>c) Does your organisation's website(s) have an on-site search bar?</p> <p>- What Content Management System is your site-search connected to (if so)?</p> <p>- What is the Search Bar Utilisation? (If known, % of Website visitors)</p> <p>- Who is the Supplier/Owner of the on-site search on your website?</p> <p> </p> <p>Please send me the following information for each:</p> <p>1. Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) can you please provide me with the supplier of the Contract?</p> <p>2. Annual Average Spend: the annual average (over 3 years) spend for each supplier?</p> <p>3. Who is the senior officer (outside of procurement) responsible for these contract areas (including website)?</p><p><strong>Questions 1 and 2 </strong>-  Telephony Supplier - ATOS</p> <p>Spend -</p> <p>1st April 2018 - 31st March 2019 - £252k,</p> <p>1st April 2019 - 31st March 2020 - £131k,</p> <p>1st April 2020 - 23rd March 2021 - £199k</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Question 3</strong> -  Content Management System Supplier - Civic Computing,</p> <p>Spend -</p> <p>1st April 2018 - 31st March 2019 - £201k,</p> <p>1st April 2019 - 31st March 2020 - £182k,</p> <p>1st April 2020 - 23rd March 2021 - £201k </p> <p>All contracts are handled by the Procurement Team.  Their contact details are provide on our website and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39640.2424.html">here</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Question 3 (a)</strong> Number of Visits per month (Average)</p> <p>This can be shown in multiple ways:</p> <p>Page views: 1,905,221</p> <p>Users: 293,684</p> <p>Sessions: 621,797</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Question 3 (c) </strong>Does your organisation's website(s) have an on-site search bar?   What is the Search Bar Utilisation? (If known, % of Website visitors)</p> <p>Yes SQA has an on-site search bar and 47.5% of sessions on average used site search, this was 10,632,329 or 295,342 a month.</p>

<p>1. How many reports did you receive from whistleblowers in 2019 and in 2020?</p> <p>2. How many people do you have in your organisation that are trained/permitted to take reports from whistleblowers?</p> <p>3. What training have the people in question number 2 received in whistleblowing?</p> <p>4. What cost, if any, was there for this training?  5. Which organisation delivered each course?</p> <p>6. What is the name of the person that arranged this training and what is their email address?</p> <p>7. What methods do you have for whistleblowers to contact a person that is authorised to take their report and what are the specific details of these, i.e., email addresses, telephone numbers etc?</p> <p>8. What are the email addresses for the people authorised to receive whistleblower reports?</p> <p>9. How many whistleblowers have left the organisation within 12 months of making a report?</p> <p>10. How many whistleblowers have made an allegation of 'detriment' against your organisation?</p><ol> <li>The number is less than 5.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than 5, SQA does not report the actual figure to protect individuals' personal information.</li> <li>SQA does not have individuals solely trained to take whistleblowing cases.  If a whistleblowing case was logged with Human Resources it would be passed to an Investigatory Case Manager.</li> <li>Our Investigatory Case Managers have received training to carry out investigations which would include those from whistleblowers. For any investigations they would consult with internal specialists, internal auditors or legal advisors as required.</li> <li>Internal costs only</li> <li>Not applicable</li> <li>Not applicable</li> <li>SQA has a Whistleblowing Policy that offers a range of individuals to contact depending on the preferences of the whistleblower and the nature or severity of the matter.</li> <li>Not applicable as SQA does not have authorised individuals identified to receive whistleblower reports.</li> <li>The number is less than 5.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than 5, SQA does not report the actual figure to protect individuals' personal information.</li> <li>The number is less than 5.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than 5, SQA does not report the actual figure to protect individuals' personal information.</li> </ol>

<p> </p> <p>I have been looking at your Annual Statistical Excel Table for 2004 in relation to Higher exam results that year. You state what percentage of candidates achieve 1, 2, 3.. up to 7 'A' grades. I was wondering if you could please provide me with the percentage of candidates who achieved 5, 6 or 7 band 1 'A' grades in the 2004 sitting (i.e. specifically 'A's at band 1 level).</p> <p> </p> <p>You later clarified your request that you accidentally asked for the wrong year group when requesting this information - I am looking for the information stated in my previous email but for the year 2003, not 2004.</p><p>The information you have requested for 2003 is provided in the attached file.</p>

<p>Please could you supply me with the following information on gender balance in the organisation?</p> <p>1. How many women are now on the board of your organisation and how many people of other genders are there?</p> <p>2. Is the current Chairperson (or person with an equivalent role) a woman or someone of another gender?</p> <p>3. What is the current median FTE pay for men and women in the organisation?</p> <p>In addition, I would be grateful if you could provide me with the following information about board members.</p> <p>4. Please supply the names of everyone currently on the board along with their registers of interest and the date that their register was last updated.</p> <p>5. Please supply details of any payments made to any of the board members in the last 12 months, and a summary of the purpose of each payment.</p><p>Questions 1,2 and 4 - The information you have requested is available on our website and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/138.html">SQA Board of Management</a>.   The Register of Interests is provided in the Related Information section at the bottom of this page.   The Register of Interests was last updated at the beginning of March 2021.  Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you and can be accessed at the links above.   If, however, you do not have access to the internet to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.</p> <p>Question 3 - As at 31 January 2021, the median FTE male salary was £36,848 and the median FTE female salary was £34,911.  This is a pay gap of 5.26%, a decrease of 3.15% since the 2020 equal pay audit.  The 2021 equal pay audit will be published alongside our equality mainstreaming report by 30 April 2021.</p> <p>Question 5 - Board members are paid a monthly fee on the basis of their duties, which are set and reviewed annually by the Scottish Government (effective 1 April). The Chairman's level of remuneration is set and reviewed annually by the Scottish Government (effective 1 April).  Details of this remuneration to each member is published in our Annual Report and Accounts which can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf">Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20</a> for 2019-20.  Page 64 details the salary range paid to each Board Member and page 65 notes the total paid out for travel expenses.   The 2020-21 Annual Report and Accounts will be published on our website once it has been approved by the Scottish Government later this year.  Our Annual Report and Accounts are prepared and audited in accordance with the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) for the appropriate year in question.   </p> <p>We can confirm that each Board Member received their salary payment and that due to the circumstances of COVID-19 where meetings were held on line no travel expenses were paid out for the financial year 2020-21.   Under the Data Protection Act 2018 SQA can publish the salary range for individual named Board Members but to provide you with the actual payments made which are the personal data of the individual would breach this legislation.</p>

<p>I am writing to you to request details of the remuneration of your non-executive board members. I am looking for figures on:</p> <p>a) The number of days of paid work claimed by each individual member of your board members from Jan to Dec 2020, including the chair.  (Please break this figure down so it show the totals for each member.)</p> <p>b) The total paid to each board member from Jan to Dec 2020.</p><p>a) Board members are paid a monthly fee on the basis of their duties, which are set and reviewed annually by the Scottish Government (effective 1 April). The Chairman's level of remuneration is set and reviewed annually by the Scottish Government (effective 1 April).  Details of this remuneration to each member is published in our Annual Report and Accounts which can be accessed using this link <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf">Annual Report and Accounts</a> for 2019-20.  Page 64 details the salary range paid to each Board Member and page 65 notes the total paid out for travel expenses.   The 2020-21 Annual Report and Accounts will be published on our website once it has been approved by the Scottish Government later this year.  Our Annual Report and Accounts are prepared and audited in accordance with the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) for the appropriate year in question.   </p> <p> </p> <p>b) We can confirm that each Board Member received their salary payment and that due to the circumstances of COVID-19 where meetings were held on line no travel expenses were paid out for the financial year 2020-21.   Under the Data Protection Act 2018 SQA can publish the salary range for individual named Board Members but to provide you with the actual payments made which are the personal data of the individual would breach this legislation.</p>

<p>I am currently embarking on a research project around Cyber Security and was hoping you could provide me with some contract information relating to following information:</p> <p>1. Standard Firewall (Network) - Firewall service protects your corporate Network from unauthorised access and other Internet security threats</p> <p>2. Anti-virus Software Application - Anti-virus software is a program or set of programs that are designed to prevent, search for, detect, and remove software viruses, and other malicious software like worms, trojans, adware, and more.</p> <p>3. Microsoft Enterprise Agreement - is a volume licensing package offered by Microsoft.</p> <p>The information I require is around the procurement side and we do not require any specifics (serial numbers, models, location) that could bring threat/harm to the organisation.   For each of the different types of cyber security services can you please provide me with:</p> <p>1. Who is the existing supplier for this contract?</p> <p>2. What does the organisation annually spend for each of the contracts?</p> <p>3. What is the description of the services provided for each contract?</p> <p>4. Primary Brand (ONLY APPLIES TO CONTRACT 1&2)</p> <p>5. What is the expiry date of each contract?</p> <p>6. What is the start date of each contract?</p> <p>7. What is the contract duration of contract?</p> <p>8. The responsible contract officer for each of the contracts above? Full name, job title, contact number and direct email address.</p> <p>9. Number of Licenses (ONLY APPLIES TO CONTRACT 3)</p><p>1    SQA believes that releasing this information would enable cyber criminals to identify and take advantage of any weaknesses within the security of the services delivered by these providers. This would put SQA's information at risk, including financial and sensitive personal data. We therefore apply section 35(1)(a) to this part of your request. Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in contract transparency.</p> <p> </p> <p>2    1 -  £ 45k        2 -     £18k         3 -  £130k all figures are per annum</p> <p> </p> <p>3    SQA believes that releasing this information would enable cyber criminals to identify and take advantage of any weaknesses within the security of the services delivered by these providers. This would put SQA's information at risk, including financial and sensitive personal data. We therefore apply section 35(1)(a) to this part of your request. Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in contract transparency.</p> <p> </p> <p>4    SQA believes that releasing this information would enable cyber criminals to identify and take advantage of any weaknesses within the security of the services delivered by these providers. This would put SQA's information at risk, including financial and sensitive personal data. We therefore apply section 35(1)(a) to this part of your request. Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in contract transparency.</p> <p> </p> <p>5    1 -     31/3/24    2 -   1/4/22           3 - 1/4/22</p> <p> </p> <p>6    1 -   1/10/20       2 -    1/4/21         3 - 1/4/21</p> <p> </p> <p>7    1 -      3 ½ years      2 -    4 years     3 - 4 years</p> <p> </p> <p>8    Details of how to contact the Procurement team <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39640.2424.html">Procurement team</a>.  The phone number is <strong>0345 213 6720</strong> and procurement contact form <a href="77338.html?id=54">procurement contact form</a></p> <p> </p> <p>9    Approx 1500 licences</p>

<p>The 2021 exams have been cancelled and will be replaced with the alternative certification model (ACM). I'm looking to understand how much the ACM is expected to cost this year and what impact that has had on SQA funding.</p> <p>1  Therefore could you please outline how much the alternative certification model is expected to cost this year and break this figure down into the key costs the SQA expects to incur, including how much it expects the appeals process to cost in 2021 and how much has been budgeted for quality assurance and evidence gathering.</p> <p>2  Could you also provide information on how these costs will be covered and outline SQA's main sources of income, including SQA's main sources of income for the previous two years so it's possible to make a comparison between the body's funding this year as compared to previous years?</p> <p>3  In a previous FOI the SQA told me it anticipated that "the cost of awarding National Qualifications in 2021 will be less than had an exam diet been held" - has funding from the Scottish government reduced to reflect this? if so please give details, making it clear how much SQA receives in a typical year and how much it is receiving this year?</p> <p>4  Has the levy paid by local authorities reduced to reflect the fact that the ACM will cost less? If so, please give details, making it clear how much SQA receives in a typical year and how much it is receiving this year? If not, could you please outline how much funding the SQA will receive via the levy this year?</p> <p><strong>Clarification received on 1 April 2021</strong></p> <p>I'm asking for the total cost of delivering the alternative certification model regardless of financial or calendar year</p> <p>I receive an foi about the cost of the alternative certification model last year; an update of this foi based on the figures relevant to 2021 exam diet is what I'm looking for ( I received that foi response on 24th December 2020 and I have pasted its contents below)</p><p><a class="downloadDocx" href="files_ccc/foi-202-response.docx">FOI 202 Response</a> (20 KB)</p> <p> </p>

<p>For the academic year and exam results based on the Alternative Certification Model rather than final results based on teacher estimates, please provide the following statistical breakdowns:</p> <p>1) How many candidates in 0-20% SIMD range saw two grades reduced from teacher estimates to final marks across all of their entries? 1b) How many candidates in 80-100% SIMD range saw two grades reduced from teacher estimates to final marks across all of their entries?</p> <p>2) How many candidates in 0-20% SIMD range saw three grades reduced from teacher estimates to final marks across all of their entries?</p> <p>2b) How many candidates in 80-100% SIMD range saw three grades reduced from teacher estimates to final marks across all of their entries?</p> <p>3) How many candidates in 0-20% SIMD range saw four grades reduced from teacher estimates to final marks across all of their entries? 3b) How many candidates in 80-100% SIMD range saw four grades reduced from teacher estimates to final marks across all of their entries?</p> <p>4) How many candidates in 0-20% SIMD range saw five grades or more reduced from teacher estimates to final marks across all of their entries?</p> <p>4b) How many candidates in 80-100% SIMD range saw five grades or more grades reduced from teacher estimates to final marks across all of their entries?</p><p>SQA still holds the SIMD data matched to candidate attainment on 4 August 2020 and from this we have been able to provide you with the information requested.   Please note that this data is based on 4 August figures derived from the Alternative Certification Model (ACM).  Following the Ministerial direction issued to SQA on 11 August,  the results generated by the ACM have been replaced by the estimates SQA received from centres which is now the final, certificated output.   The attainment tables for the revised 2020 results can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48269.html">Statistics and Information</a></p>

<ol> <li>How many P60s were issued by the SQA for the tax year ending 2020-21?</li> <li>How many of these P60s recorded 0 earnings for the above tax year?</li> <li>How much does it cost the SQA to issue one P60?</li> <li>What was the total cost of issuing P60s for the tax year 2020-21?</li> </ol><ol> <li>SQA issued 20842 P60s for the tax year 2020-21</li> <li>18333 P60s were issued with zero earnings</li> <li>The cost for SQA to issue one P60 is £0.45</li> <li>The total cost of issuing P60s for the tax year 2020-21 was £9475.84</li> </ol>

<p>If you certificate the qualifications are you able to shed light on how many have completed say the SVQ3 healthcare support (clinical).</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.   It shows the numbers completing the SVQ 3 Healthcare Support (clinical) in academic years 2016/17 to 2020/21.</p>

<ol> <li>If the appropriate decision has been made, on what date(s) do SQA officials have clearance to return to their offices at SQA with appropriate mitigations in the current circumstances of the pandemic?</li> <li>Have officials now the choice/ opportunity to continue working from home or working at their SQA office site? Thank you for your assistance in this matter</li> </ol><ol> <li>SQA offices have been adapted to meet current requirements to support a small number of SQA staff who are undertaking essential office based activities. No decision has been taken on what date SQA's offices will reopen to all SQA officials. We will continue to monitor and adhere to Scottish Government advice.</li> <li>SQA officials will continue to work from home until our offices reopen. However, we are considering how we can work more flexibly in the future</li> </ol>

<p>The Education Scotland website carried details of parent and learner surveys being carried out in January of this year.</p> <p> </p> <ol> <li>Could you please provide me with the questions parents and learners were asked in these surveys and also the results - including any reports/briefings etc that were generated summarising key messages</li> <li>Also could you please tell me if the SQA has carried out any surveys of teachers or school leaders from January 2020 to present; what questions were asked, and what the results were - including any reports/briefings etc that were generated summarising key messages?</li> </ol><p>SQA and Education Scotland along with 8 other organisations involved in Scottish Education are members of the National Qualifications 2021 Group which was established in autumn 2020 and has developed the Alternative Certification Model (ACM) for 2021 Awarding.   A key part of this development has been the work by various members of this group to consult with a wide range of interested stakeholders on a range of pertinent issues to ensure that learners in 2021 get the national qualification grades they deserve. </p> <p> </p> <ol> <li>SQA carried out research looking at how both learners and educational practitioners view our website, with the intention of finding ways of improving the organisation's digital estate. This included surveys of both learners and teachers and lecturers. The questions asked, and the results of these surveys are provided here in response to your request regarding the parent and learner surveys that SQA carried out in January 2021.  The questions asked and the reports summarising key messages are provided as separate files.  These have been redacted for personal data only.</li> <li>At the start of academic session 2020/21 SQA held extensive consultations on proposed modifications to National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher course assessments and contingency arrangements for the 2021 exam diet. View the: <ul> <li><a class="downloadPdf" href="files_ccc/outcomes-national-consultation-2021.pdf">Report on the national consultation</a> (1.36 MB)</li> <li><a class="downloadPdf" href="files_ccc/equality-impact-assessment-modifications-to-national-courses-2020-21.pdf">Equality Impact Assessment</a> (215 KB)</li> <li><a class="downloadPdf" href="files_ccc/child-rights-wellbeing-impact-assessment-modifications-to-national-courses-2020-21.pdf">Child Rights and Well-being Impact Assessment</a> (163 KB)</li> <li><a class="downloadPdf" href="files_ccc/exam-timetable-consultation-analysis-2021.pdf">Report on consultation on contingency arrangements for the 2021 exam timetable</a> (383 KB)</li> </ul> </li> </ol>

<p>Could you give me the corresponding figures for my four questions for 2019-20?</p> <ol> <li>How many P60s were issued by the SQA for the tax year ending 2019-20?</li> <li>How many of these P60s recorded 0 earnings for the above tax year?</li> <li>How much does it cost the SQA to issue one P60?</li> <li>What was the total cost of issuing P60s for the tax year 2019-20?</li> </ol><p>For the tax year 2019-20</p> <ol> <li>SQA issued 25562 P60s for the tax year 2019-20</li> <li>11041 P60s were issued with zero earnings</li> <li>The cost for SQA to issue one P60 is £0.42</li> <li>The total cost of issuing P60s for the tax year 2019-20 was £10740.37</li> </ol>

<p>Any materials held by the SQA discussing, referring to or recording criticism of the SQA and/or the 2021 Alternative Certification Model on social media sites between Jan 1 2021 - present</p> <p>This may include, but is not necessarily limited to, email exchanges, other communications (such as Slack, Whatsapp, OneNote, Teams), analysis documents, records from meetings etc.</p> <p>It may include specific references to comments made by individuals or more general discussions of criticism that the SQA has received</p><p>As part of ongoing awareness of the environment in which SQA operates as an organisation we monitor where SQA is mentioned in the public domain.   This includes but is not limited to social media and is a list of the links to the relevant public sites where SQA has been mentioned.  This information is already in the public domain and under section 25(1) of FOISA, SQA is not obliged to provide you with the information which is already reasonably accessible to you and can be accessed from public sites.  </p> <p>SQA has no other written information that meets your request in terms of correspondence, analysis documents, minutes of meetings etc.  Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</p>

<p>I would like to make a Freedom of Information request. I would like information on:</p> <ol> <li>The amount spent on digital advertising in the 2020/21 financial year and the amount spent so far this financial year, both broken down by platform</li> <li>The audience to which each advert was/is targeted for the above information</li> <li>A copy of the current social media advertising plan or strategy or equivalent document which explains the purpose of the ads.</li> </ol><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.</p>

<p>Please can I have all information about the Alternative Certification Model - draft papers , final reports , minutes of all meetings with stakeholders including the Scottish government, letters and emails to and from the Scottish government as well as other stakeholders</p><p>SQA has already published information regarding plans for 2021 Awarding including the Alternative Certification Model.  It is a very fluid situation that SQA is operating in and updated plans co-created with the NQ 2021 Group are published regularly on our website and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/58062.html">National Qualifications</a>.   These plans are produced in line with changes to the public health advice as issued by the Scottish Government.</p> <p>In order to provide you with the information you have requested SQA requires to review all correspondence to retrieve the relevant information, redact where necessary and check.  To do this for all the correspondence requested would cost well in excess of £600.   Under section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 where an authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would result in costs in excess of £600 they are not required to comply.</p> <p>Under section 15 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Duty to provide advice and assistance - if you can substantially refine your request this could bring the cost below the £600 and SQA will look at this again.  In order to avoid this exemption SQA suggest you may want to</p> <ol> <li>Narrow down the scope to members of the SQA executive management team and</li> <li>Narrow down the request for - all information - to papers, letters and submissions and</li> <li>Narrow the time frame for the request.</li> </ol>

<p>Please see a FOI request for -</p> <ol> <li>The value and duration of contract the SQA has with the Big Partnership</li> <li>What services the Big Partnership carry out for the SQA as part of the contract</li> </ol><ol> <li>SQA has had a contract with the BIG Partnership, renewed annually since November 2016. The current contract is due to expire at the end of October 2021. The value of the contract from November 2016 to date is £229,000.</li> <li>The Big Partnership provides a press office function, answering media enquiries, and advice and support for strategic communications,</li> </ol>

<p>Under the 2021 ACM for N5, Higher and Advanced Higher, if a teacher believes that a student deserves an A, but the student has only been able to demonstrate attainment at the level of a B or C, is the teacher permitted to award an A?</p> <p> </p> <p>Please note that I am aware of existing documentation around the ACM and do not need this provided. I have asked for a single piece of information which should be provided as a simple yes or no response.</p><p>Please note this is not an FOI request for information held by a public body but rather an enquiry about a hypothetical scenario. The Alternative Certification Model (ACM) is based on demonstrated attainment so the provisional result must be based on the assessment evidence generated by the learner during the year. This is consistent with the approach for all SQA qualifications, where learners need to meet evidence requirements.</p>

<p>Firstly, the SQA claims that material I have requested is in the public domain but has not told me where I can find it, but does not seem to me to be in keeping with the requirement of public bodies to assist requesters in accessing the information they seek.</p> <p><br /> Secondly, I do not believe that the allegedly online material will in fact cover all of my request. I asked specifically about critical social media comments relating either to the SQA as a whole or to it's Alternative Certification Model for 2021, not a list of 'SQA in the news' type links, which seems to be the sort of thing to which the original response refers.</p> <p><br /> The SQA response admits that the organisation monitors social media, and it is not therefore credible to suggest that no records of that monitoring exist.</p> <p><br /> I also simply do not believe that no other information exists that would fall within the scope of my request. Given that you have already confirmed that the SQA monitors social media, and given the scale of the criticism to which the organisation has been subjected, the idea that there are no emails or other communications in which the situation is mentioned is simply beyond credibility.</p> <p><br /> Given all of this, I reiterate my original request for any material referring to or recording criticism social media criticism of the SQA.</p><p><a class="downloadPdf" href="files_ccc/foi-21-22-018-review-response.pdf">Review Response</a> (122 KB)</p>

<p>Can you clarify the following as to what these actually are <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/96277.html">(in the FOI link)</a>:</p> <p>(a) Qualification Development</p> <p>(b) Logistics & Events</p> <p>(c) why were there markers fees when everything in 2020 and 2021 is in a school?</p> <p>Finally, why is it anticipated that the costs associated with evidence gathering and quality assurance will be higher this year? In comparison to previous years (ie. before 2020) this cost would be small and yet money saved on printing and postage does not play a part in budgetary forecasts? Why? It still does not answer why full fees are being charged, when quite clearly, there is less 'to do' generally.</p><p>(a) Qualification Development<br /> <br /> Qualifications Development is an area of the organisation which is responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining qualifications and assessments.   <br />  </p> <p>(b) Logistics & Events<br /> <br /> Logistics & Events relates to the planning and execution of all meetings and events, whether physical or virtual, that are required for the delivery of an exam diet and certification.  These meetings and events cover things like marking, understanding standards and training. </p> <p> </p> <p>(c) why were there markers fees when everything in 2020 and 2021 is in a school?</p> <p>The cancellation of the 2020 exam diet was announced on the 19th March 2020, however prior to this, external assessment of practical components had already been taking place e.g. performance of musical instruments.   We are liable to pay appointees for this work when we receive their reports, which we continued to receive into the new financial year (April onwards).   The Marker Fees and expenses quoted in the previous FOI response relates to this specific work, there were no marking costs associated with exam scripts.</p> <p> </p> <p>Finally, why is it anticipated that the costs associated with evidence gathering and quality assurance will be higher this year?</p> <p>The 2020 exam diet was cancelled at short notice, therefore it was not possible to implement an evidence-based quality assurance process in the timescales available.  In contrast, the cancellation of the 2021 diet was announced much further in advance and the resulting Alternative Certification Model, which was co-created with a wide range of stakeholders, includes an evidence-based quality assurance component, this carries an associated cost. </p> <p>In comparison to previous years (ie. before 2020) this cost would be small and yet money saved on printing and postage does not play a part in budgetary forecasts? Why? It still does not answer why full fees are being charged, when quite clearly, there is less 'to do' generally.</p> <p>Direct income received by SQA for all our awarding and commercial activities ¿ not just National Qualifications ¿ does not cover the full cost of SQA activities. The remaining net expenditure is funded by Grant in Aid from the Scottish Government. </p> <p>In 20/21 there was a notable reduction in the level of funding we received and this was reflective of the reduction in our operating costs as a result of the cancellation of the exam diet and the wider impact of Covid-19. Please note that the actual figure for 20/21 is net of £24.4 million of Grant in Aid previously agreed but not drawn down from the Scottish Government. In 21/22, the actual cost of delivery of all SQA activities will be monitored closely on a monthly basis and any movement in  the cost of delivery will be communicated to Scottish Government and our level of funding will be adjusted accordingly through the normal formal process.</p>

<p>Please release copies of communications between the SQA and centres (schools and colleges) regarding the application of the ACM 2021. Specifically, this request replies to communication on the topic of pupils who have been unable to demonstrate what their teacher / school regards as their genuine level of ability. Such communication may, for example, take the form of requests for advice in relation to specific candidates, or general enquiries for what to do under circumstances where such students are being affected.</p><p>SQA has provided the following information to Centres and it has been published on our website at the links provided.   Whenever centres request information, guidance or advice in relation to specific candidates they are provided with the link to this published guidance.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/97964.html">Contingency arrangement for incomplete evidence for graded National Courses in 2021</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/72074.html#Section7">Incomplete evidence contingency arrangement - centres (Eligibility and Criteria questions)</a></p> <p>The incomplete evidence message was issued to centres and local authorities on 7 June 2021 - <a href="https://pages.sqa.org.uk/index.php/email/emailWebview?md_id=4115">https://bit.ly/3iTf1Ue</a></p> <p>SQA News (issued to all Scottish centres) on Thursday 10 June 2021 also included information on the incomplete evidence option.</p> <p>In addition, this information is published on our website in FAQs:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/72074.html">FAQs </a>- Incomplete evidence contingency - learners: 'how are you taking into account disruption to my learning?'</p> <p>There are also two Centre FAQs on this topic published on this page.</p> <p><strong>SQA's focus remains on supporting our young people to succeed</strong></p> <p>Following the publication of the new appeals process which, for the first time, gives learners the right to appeal directly - and for free - to SQA, our Chief Executive and Scotland's Chief Examiner, Fiona Robertson reflects on this exceptional year in Scottish education.</p> <p>Read more  <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/97997.html?utm_source=sqanews&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nq2021_appeals&utm_content=appeals_ceo_blog">https://bit.ly/2TKCwo1</a></p>

<p>1) Please outline how many international trips members of SQA's senior management team went on in the year 2020/21?</p> <p>2) For each business trip please outline where the destination was, the length of stay, the purpose of the visit/trip, who went on the visit/trip, what accommodation the party stayed in, the mode of transport taken and if it involved air travel, what class they flew?</p> <p>3) For each trip, please outline the cost of transport and accommodation stay separately.</p> <p>4) For each member of staff please outline the type of hotel/accommodation stay (i.e single room, suite etc) the trip involved.</p> <p>5) Please also include the name of the hotel stayed in and the airline travelled with.</p> <p>6) Please outline what new and existing international agreements were made by the SQA in this year.</p> <p>7) For each international agreement, please outline what Further Education establishment it was made with, its location and if, possible, how much the contract was worth and how long it runs for.</p> <p>For each of the questions 1-7 above please also answer for the year 2019/20.</p><p>Q1 - 5</p> <ul> <li>There were no international trips in 2020/21.</li> <li>The information for 2019/20 is provided in the attached file.</li> </ul> <p>SQA and its predecessor bodies have been working internationally for over 25 years, reflecting our globally recognised expertise in qualifications development and delivery and supporting the Scottish Government's international strategy to enhance Scotland's standing around the world. There continues to be a demand for SQA qualifications and services. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic this has slowed down in most regions.</p> <p>Q6 - No new international consultancy contracts were awarded during 2019/20 or 2020/21.</p> <p>Q7 - As is the case with UK centres on an ongoing basis SQA received income from awarding sales through international centres totalling £2,383,233 in 2019/20 and £2,354,369 in 2020/21.</p>

<p>To fulfil its obligations defined in the FOISA, the SQA needs:</p> <p>1. To provide a precise and full description of how the grade boundaries are actually determined from year to year.</p> <p>2. To answer why the annual percentage of the different grades (A to D) for each of the National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher National Qualifications and across subjects is remarkably consistent year on year if norm referencing is not used?</p> <p>3. To give a full explanation as to why the grade boundaries are determined after the exams have been taken and marked.</p> <p>4. To explain and justify why the grade boundaries are not set before an exam is taken using, for example, the Angoff process.</p><p>In addition to the Grade Boundary document that you reference in your request - <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/A_Guide_to_Setting_Grade_Boundaries_v1.3.pdf">A Guide to Setting Grade Boundaries</a> - SQA provides a response to each question of your request in the attached file. </p>

<p>I wish to submit a request to the organisation around their hosting contract(s) with 3rd party providers.</p> <p>The type of contract I wish to see is below:</p> <p>1.       Cloud Hosting - Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resource from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.</p> <p>Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation.</p> <p>For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:</p> <p>1.       Type of hosting - Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?</p> <p>2.       Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?</p> <p>3.       What is the annual contract value for each contract?</p> <p>4.       What type of cloud environment?</p> <p>Private Cloud - a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate.</p> <p>Public Cloud - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet.</p> <p>Hybrid - integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.</p> <p>5.       What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the start date for each contract.</p> <p>6.       What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.</p> <p>7.       When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the review date for each contract.</p> <p>8.       What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?</p> <p>9.       What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,</p> <p>10.   Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details if possible name, title, contact email and number.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.</p>

<p>As part of the ACM 2021 the SQA has been carrying out a process of quality assuring centres by reviewing a sample of assessment material and judgements. I understand that feedback has now been provided to centres.</p> <p>I would therefore like to request the following under FOISA:</p> <p>Please release all feedback provided to centres as part of the above-described quality assurance process for the 2021 ACM. This should be provided on a centre-by-centre basis and make clear which subject/level it relates to. I would expect that the name of the centre in each case would be redacted but would ask that you do specify whether each centre is a state school, private school or FE college.</p><p>The Quality Assurance process is an integral part of how SQA works with and supports centres individually and as a whole to understand standards.</p> <p>As part of the ACM 2021 Awarding process to ensure centres understand standards and apply them appropriately per subject SQA carried out the ACM national quality assurance exercise. All centres delivering national qualifications at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher were included in the quality assurance exercise. The purpose of the exercise was to determine whether marking was to the national standard, not to consider the full evidence being used to determine provisional results as partial or incomplete candidate evidence could be used.  And crucially it was also not necessary for the submitted material to be part of the final evidence base to be used for determining provisional results, if this was not yet available. </p> <p>As part of the support to individual centres feedback reports were produced to provide specific feedback to them on the subjects and levels for which they were selected.  However the main intention of the exercise was to communicate with all centres and provide guidance in understanding standards for all subjects. 109 Key Message reports are published on the SQA website on the qualification-specific pages. These give a good overview of the collated feedback from all the centre feedback reports, including the assessments used, to what extent assessment approaches and judgements were in line with national standards and the common areas of advice provided to centres where they were not fully meeting national standards. These reports were published in June 2021 and can be accessed here <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/45625.html">National Qualifications Subjects</a>.  Select the subject, then the level of qualification required, then select 2021 Key Messages. These key message reports provide information on any common themes and key points from the evidence submitted and reviewed across all the selections. The report is provided for all delivering centres to reflect upon and make any appropriate adjustments.  </p> <p>Due to the volume of reports generated as part of this exercise to provide you with a copy of each feedback report as requested by you would cost SQA well in excess of £600 to produce. Under section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, where an authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would result in costs in excess of £600, they are not required to comply.</p> <p>We also consider that it is not in the public interest to put these individual centre reports into the public domain since the stated objective of the exercise is to provide written guidance on understanding standards at a subject level to all delivering centres.</p> <p>Please note the centre type (state school, independent school, college, training provider) was not recorded in the feedback reports.</p> <p> </p>

<p><br /> 1. How many appeals were lodged to the SQA in the 5 years before 2014 (2009-2013). Please break this down into each different subject across the different levels of qualifications, e.g, Advanced Higher, Higher, National 5 etc. <br /> 2. How many appeals were lodged from and including 2014 until the present with the SQA. Please break this down into each different subject across the different levels of qualifications e.g. Advanced Higher, Higher National 5 etc. <br /> 3. Please provide the breakdown of how many appeals were successful, providing a breakdown of how the grades changed as a result.<br />  </p><p>The information you have requested is published on our website and can be accessed at the following links.  Please note that from 2009 - 2013 SQA provided an appeals service.  From 2014 under Curriculum for Excellence provided a Post Results Service covering Clerical checks, Priority Marking Reviews and Marking Reviews.</p> <p>For point 1 our statistical archive section  <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57518.html">Statistics Archive</a> contains appeals data for each individual year (2009-2013).   Select the year you require from the drop down menu.</p> <p>For point 2  our statistical archive section  <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57518.html">Statistics Archive</a> contains results services data for each individual year (2014 - 2019).   Again select the year required from the drop down menu.</p> <p>In the absence of exams in 2020 for point 2 our information archive section <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57520.html">Information Archive</a> contains appeals data for 2020.</p> <p>For point 3 information about successful appeals and upgrades/downgrades under the Post Results Service is provided in the links above.   SQA does not publish grade changes on our website.  However in the attached table we have provided this for 2014-2020.   To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than five, SQA does not report the actual figure.to protect individuals' personal information.  Where the number is smaller than 5 the figure has been replaced with 3 asterisks***.</p>

<p>1) Please advise what technologies (including version) you use for HR, Payroll, L&D, Finance, Procurement and Contact Centre.</p> <p>2) Please advise if your HR, Payroll, L&D, Finance, Procurement and Contact Centre services are outsourced to third parties, and if so, when does the contract end?</p><p>1)  While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the information requested is exempt under section 35(1)(a) of the Act as the public disclosure of information about our IT systems would potentially compromise the security of the services delivered.  Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in transparency about the systems SQA uses.</p> <p>2) None are outsourced.</p>

<p>I would like to request the information as to how the decision was reached to 1st of all drop the assignment from Higher History and then to find out who was consulted on which topics to not assess this year in Advanced Higher History.</p> <p>The decisions, it seems, were taken without the consultation of practitioners and as such I would like to know who was involved in the making decision and how the decision was reached.</p><p>The response to your request is provided in the attached document.</p>

<p>The National Qualifications 2021 Group put in place contingency arrangements which mean some pupils 'disproportionately disrupted by the pandemic' have been allowed to delay some assessment until schools return following the summer holidays, with the final deadline for submission 3 September.<br /> <br /> The guidance for the 'Incomplete Evidence Contingency' states that the deadline by which schools had to tell SQA if they intended to use this service was 25 June.<br /> <br /> As this deadline has now passed, could you please tell me how many pupils SQA has been told plan to use this contingency?<br /> <br /> How many schools have indicated they want to use the contingency? (if possible broken down into state, private and grant-aided).<br /> <br /> Is it just pupils sitting National 5, Highers or Advanced Highers who will be able to use this contingency?<br /> <br /> And could you please put the figure for the number of pupils schools have indicated will use the contingency in context - what proportion of pupils taking national qualifications is this?</p><p>I can confirm that the Incomplete Evidence Contingency service only applies to candidates taking National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications. </p> <p>In regard to your other questions, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the information is exempt from disclosure under section 27(1) of the Act as it is held with a view to being published at a future date, and in all the circumstances it is reasonable that the information be withheld from disclosure until that time. Information will be published in August 2021 as part of our attainment statistics and will be available on our website <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48269.8311.html">Statistics and Information</a>.</p>

<p>What was the membership fee given to Stonewall as part of their Diversity Champions programme in each of 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 by your organisation?</p> <p>What additional monies have been given to Stonewall in each of 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21? Specifically, this incorporates:</p> <ul> <li>Events/conferences (where, for example, your organisation has purchased tickets to attend or entered raffles or auctions organised by Stonewall). Please name any events/conferences that your organisation attended and the date attended.</li> <li>Other programmes (such as LGBT Leadership programme, LGBT Role Model programme, Ally and/or Trans Ally programmes, as well as Train the Trainer programmes).</li> </ul><p>Membership fee:</p> <p>2018-19 £3000</p> <p>2019-20 £3000</p> <p>2020-21 £3000</p> <p> </p> <p>Additional monies:</p> <p>17/11/17       Stonewall Scotland Workplace Conference                 £240</p> <p> </p> <p>17/05/18       Stonewall Scotland Allies Programme                         £720</p> <p>18/05/18       Stonewall Scotland LGBT Role Models Programme   £720</p> <p>23/11/18       Stonewall Scotland Workplace Conference                 £720</p> <p> </p> <p>12/06/19       Stonewall Scotland LGBT Role Models Programme    £390</p> <p>29/11/19       Stonewall Scotland Workplace Conference                 £756</p>

<p>Please breakdown the appeals in the 5 years prior to 2014 into those lodged from the private and independent sector as opposed to the state sector. Please provide the rate of success of appeals from the private and independent sector compared to the state sector during that period. Please provide the results of any analysis that has been carried out on the impact of pupil performance as a result of the changes introduced in 2014. Please provide any information provided to parents informing them of the changes introduced in 2014.</p><p>The statistical information you have requested is provided in the attached file.</p> <p>In regard to your question about the impact of pupil performance, the attainment performance of each subject is kept under review by SQA on an annual basis and all aspects are given scrutiny during the awarding (grade boundary) process.</p> <p>SQA produced a leaflet - A Guide for Parents and Carers to the new National Qualification - which includes a section explaining the Post Results Service introduced in 2014.   This is no longer available on our website but a copy is attached.  It was published in November 2013.</p>

<p>Can I please have details of provisional grades submitted by schools and colleges for those completing National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher awards in 2021. Please provide the information in the following way National 5/Higher/Advanced Higher</p> <p>Grade A - Number of provisional awards at this level</p> <p>Grade B - Number of provisional awards at this level</p> <p>Grade C - Number of provisional awards at this level</p> <p>Grade D - Number of provisional awards at this level</p> <p>No award - Number of provisional awards at this level</p><p>As part of our statutory obligation to publish the national results the information you have requested will be published on our website once candidates have received their certificates of attainment.  In this instance the information is exempt from disclosure under section 27(1) of the Act as it is held with a view to being published at a future date, and in all the circumstances it is reasonable that the information be withheld from disclosure until that time. Information will be published in August 2021 as part of our attainment statistics and will be available on our website <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48269.8311.html">Statistics and Information</a>.</p>

<p>Do course specifications for N4, N5, Higher or Advanced Higher courses in Geography or any other subject for 2021-22 include any text relating to benefits of Climate Change?</p> <p>On 20/06/2020 SQA website course specification document for N5 Geography said... "Equal consideration should be given to environmental and economic benefits that could be created... " from Climate Change.</p><p>SQA can confirm that no SQA Course Specification for 2021/22 for N4, N5, Higher or Advanced Higher, for any subject, includes reference to ‘benefits’ or ‘equal consideration’ in relation to climate change.</p> <p> </p> <p>The terms referred to above only ever appeared in the Support Notes Appendix of the Course Specification for N5 Geography, as optional support for teachers.  However, course content for N5 Geography was devised a number of years ago, and since then views on climate change have evolved to a point whereby this terminology became open to misinterpretation so SQA have worked with the teaching profession to remove both these terms to ensure the National 5 wording is appropriate for today’s learners.  The revised Course Specification for N5 Geography was posted on our website on 15 July 2021 and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47446.html">National 5 Geography</a> and then select Course Specification.</p>

<p>I'm looking for the following information under freedom of information please. How much do you pay external companies to handle your PR and comms please? Can I have an annual breakdown of the figure for the last three years? Please contact me via phone or email with any questions or clarifications.</p><p>SQA responded to a similar request on 17 June 2021.  The response is published on our Disclosure Log and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/98141.html">FOI Request FOI21/22 023</a>,   Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you and can be accessed at the link above. </p>

<p>Please could you provide me with information about your organisation's ICT expenditure.</p> <p>Please include expenditure for the period April to March (or closest based on your financial year) for 2019/20 and 2020/21. Please enter in £s, not in £000s, or £ms. Please include revenue and capital expenditure, if possible. The items include:</p> <p>Networking Services - please exclude equipment - see below</p> <p>Networking Equipment - please exclude services - see above</p> <p>Mobility Services (includes voice (calls), messaging and data. If possible please exclude cost of mobile devices.</p> <p>Mobile Devices - Mobile handsets or smartphones. If possible, please exclude cost of mobile services.</p> <p>Fixed Line Services - Line rental or broadband. Please exclude mobile services.</p> <p>Fixed Line Devices - Telephones and conferencing equipment. Please exclude mobile devices.</p> <p>Security Equipment - Example: network firewall (hardware, not software)</p> <p>Please do not include spend through a managed service. If any or all of the above are provided through a managed service, please enter "0", and state 'Managed Service' in Comments column.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.</p>

<ol> <li>Please send me all policy documents which inform/ govern/ guide the way your organisation handles media requests and the publication of information. Please include all such documents which mention the Scottish Government, ministers or Scottish Government departments.</li> <li>Please also send me any emails. minutes, memos and documents which update that policy or affect the way it is implemented which have been sent from the Scottish Government to your organisation or from your organisation to the Scottish Government since January 1 2020.</li> </ol><ol> <li>SQA does not have a media handling policy document.   Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.   With regard to your request about the publication of information please see our web page on <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57734.html">How do I access information?</a></li> <li>SQA has no correspondence with the Scottish Government about a media handling policy. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</li> </ol>

<ul> <li>Full details (date, attendees, location if in person) of any Learner Panel events held by the SQA</li> <li>Copies of minutes from each of the events</li> <li>Copies of any personal notes made by SQA staff during each of the events</li> </ul><p>The information you have requested has taken longer than usual to collate. However we can now provide you with the information below.</p> <p>Six events involving learner panels took place between November 2020 and April 2021. The details you requested about learner panels and SQA notes related to these events, are provided in the attachment. Please note that SQA will not provide the names of any SQA staff below the level of head of service, nor will it provide the names of non-SQA staff and learners who attended these panels.   The information provided has been redacted for personal data only.</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, SQA does not hold some of the information requested. SQA did not produce formal notes for two of these events and there are no personal notes from SQA staff who attended the events. As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold the information requested, we must advise you accordingly.  However the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) notes from the panel on 26 April can be accessed <a href="https://syp.org.uk/project/learner-panel/">Scottish Youth Parliament Learner Panels.</a></p>

<p>The number of Expressive Arts Scottish Baccalaureate's taken and awards for 2021/22, rather than the overall number recently published for all four frameworks.</p><p>SQA has recently published the 2021 Awards for academic year 2020/21.   The information you have requested regarding the Expressive Arts Scottish Baccalaureate entries and awards for 2020/21 can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/64717.8312.html">here</a>.   Select the Attainment Statistics (August) 2021 – Provisional, then select the SCQF 7 tab in the spreadsheet.   The first table under Full Attainment is the Scottish Baccalaureate and the Expressive Arts entries and attainment for 2021 and 2020 are listed.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than five, SQA does not report the actual figure.to protect individuals’ personal information. Grade distributions are suppressed where qualification entries are fewer than 5 or where, if shown, it would be possible to calculate grade distributions where entries are fewer than 5 and the figure has been replaced with 3 asterisks***.</p> <p>The information for academic year 2021/22 which is just starting now will be published by SQA when it is available in August 2022.</p>

<p>I am dissatisfied with your response and am requesting a review. This specifically relates to my request for </p> <p>"the results of any analysis that has been carried out on the impact of pupil performance as a result of the changes introduced in 2014."</p> <p>I cannot see anything in your response which provides information on the results of such an analysis other than a very generalised reference which does not meet the requirements of my request,</p><p>See attached review response.</p>

<p>The percentage of pupils that were awarded 5 A grades at higher level in 2021. The percentage of pupils that were awarded 5 A grades at higher level in 2020. The percentage of pupils that were awarded 5 A grades at higher level in 2019. The percentage of pupils that were awarded 5 A grades at higher level in 2018. The percentage of pupils that were awarded 5 A grades at higher level in 2017.</p><p>The information you have requested for the years 2017 – 2020 is published on SQA’s website and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57518.8313.html">Statistics Archive</a>.  Select the year required from the drop down menu.   From the Annual Statistical Report select the level of qualification required.   Table 6c lists the Grade As per learner for that year.</p> <p> </p> <p>Similar information for 2021 will be published in February 2022 as per the <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48513.8316.html">Statistical Publication Schedule</a>.   This will be based on the December attainment figures which will include any changes to grades as a result of the appeals process.   However based on the August attainment figures I can confirm that 5,164 candidates (7.8%) attained 5 A grades at Higher.</p>

<p>I would please like to know the percentage of students, of those who sat at least one Advanced Higher, that achieved 3  band 1 As or more at Advanced Higher in the 2019 exam diet.</p><p>The number of candidates who achieved 3 or more Grade A band 1s at Advanced Higher in the 2019 exam diet is 84 (0.6%). </p>

<p>I would like to know how many candidates got 5A'S 6A'S AND 7A'S in higher in the session 2020-2021 and how many candidates got 9 A'S in national 5 in 2019-2020.</p><p>The information you have requested for 2020 Awarding is published on SQA’s website and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/57518.8313.html">Statistics Archive</a>.  Select the year required (2020) from the drop down menu.   From the Annual Statistical Report select the level of qualification (National 5) required.   Table 6c lists the Grade As per learner for that year.</p> <p> </p> <p>Similar information for 2021 will be published in February 2022 as per the <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48513.8316.html">Statistical Publication Schedule</a>.   This will be based on the December attainment figures which will include any changes to grades as a result of the appeals process.   However based on the August attainment figures I can confirm that 5,164 candidates attained 5 A grades, 375 attained 6 A grades and 15 attained 7 A grades at Higher.</p>

<p>All communication between the SQA and Scottish Government regarding / referring to the appeals system for 2021 results, the details of which have now been published on the SQA website: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/79049.html">Appeals Service</a></p> <p>The time frame for this request is 1/3/2021 - 2/6/2021</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached files.   The information provided has been redacted for personal data.</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible SQA has withheld some information where exemption 30(b)(ii) – the free and frank exchange of views - applies.   Where this exemption has been applied is indicated on the emails included in the attached files.  The exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.   The exemption recognises the need for individuals to have a private space within which to seek advice and views from others before reaching a settled public position.   Disclosing the content would substantially inhibit the provision of advice and the exchange of views in the future.</p> <p>This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of being an open, transparent and accountable public body, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in allowing a private space within which officials can provide free and frank advice and views to other officials.</p>

<p>Internal comms regarding/referring to responses to, or analysis of, the responses to the SQA appeals consultation, the details of which are now published on the SQA website: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/79049.html</p> <p>The time frame for this request is 1/3/2021 - 2/6/2021</p><p>The information you have requested has been provided in the attached file.   The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) provides the right of access to information and not documents and SQA has provided a table of the references to, or analysis of, the SQA appeals consultation from a variety of internal documents.   This has been redacted for personal data only.</p> <p>Internal email correspondence has also been included and this has been redacted for personal data.  While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance SQA is unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemption 30(b)(ii) (free and frank exchange of views) of FOISA applies to this information.  The exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.   The exemption recognises the need for individuals to have a private space within which to seek advice and views from others before reaching a settled public position.   Disclosing the content would substantially inhibit the provision of advice and the exchange of views in the future.</p> <p>This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of being an open, transparent and accountable public body, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in allowing a private space within which officials can provide free and frank advice and views to other officials.</p>

<p>Any communication discussing / responding to concerns about the quantity of appeals that the SQA may receive in relation to any 2021 appeals processes</p> <p>The time frame for this request is 1/2/2021 - 2/6/2021</p> <p> </p><p>Please note SQA has published the 2021 <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/nq-appeals-2021-consultation-analysis.pdf">National Qualifications Appeals Process Consultation Analysi</a>s and the <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/97678.html">Consultation responses</a>.</p> <p>In addition to this the information you have requested has been provided in the attached file.  The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) provides the right of access to information and not documents and SQA has provided a table of the references to the quantity of appeals that SQA may receive in relation to the 2021 appeals process from a variety of internal documents.   This has been redacted for personal data only.</p>

<p>All correspondence between the Scottish Government (including Ministers, officials and special advisors), with the Scottish Qualifications Authority between the 24th May 2021 - 3rd June 2021 in relation to the development of the appeals process for the 2021 national qualifications. </p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached files.  These have been redacted for personal data only.</p>

<p>I am looking for information about bullying complaints made by civil servants. Please could you provide me with the following:</p> <p>1.     How many civil servants have made complaints that they have been bullied by another civil servant/staff member in the last three calendar years (up to and including August 2021)? To be clear, I’m asking for information for 2019, 2020 and 2021. Please could you break this information down by year and gender.</p> <p>2.      How many civil servants/staff have faced civil service disciplinary investigations as a result of an accusation of bullying made against them by a civil servant in the last three calendar years (up to and including August 2021)? Please could you break this information down by year, gender. In each case, please could you state whether any misconduct was found and, if so, what type of disciplinary action was taken including verbal/written/final warnings, suspension, dismissal etc.</p><p>SQA does not hold any information relevant to your request.   Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect. </p> <p>For future reference please note that SQA is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) and as such staff are not civil servants.</p>

<p>Under the FOISA, I would be grateful if you could now provide me with the number of malpractice investigations undertaken by the SQA in each of the last five years. Of these, please provide the numbers where the outcome found against the Centre and the numbers that were subsequently appealed and appeals upheld. The figures should show the split between Scotland College Centres and “Others”. Can you also provide the same information for the SQA group award GN2A 44 and the SQA unit HX12 04.</p><p>As a public body SQA is obliged to respond to requests made to us under the Freedom of Information legislation.   However there are many other communication channels through which SQA responds to requests for information.   Indeed your FOI request came in the middle of ongoing correspondence with SQA and if asked as part of that communication we would have provided you with the same information.</p> <p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.   Please note that in order to ensure the confidentiality of the data where the value is less than 5 (1 to 4), it is represented as * and 0 represents zero values.</p>

<p>I am looking for information about sexual harassment complaints. Please could you provide me with the following:</p> <p>1.   How many civil servants have made complaints that they have been sexually harassed by another civil servant/staff member in the last three calendar years (up to and including August 2021)? To be clear, I’m asking for information for 2019, 2020 and 2021. Please could you break this information down by year and gender.</p> <p>2.      How many civil servants/staff have faced civil service disciplinary investigations as a result of a sexual harassment claim made against them by a civil servant in the last three calendar years (up to and including August 2021)? Please could you break this information down by year, gender. In each case, please could you state whether any misconduct was found and, if so, what type of disciplinary action was taken including verbal/written/final warnings, suspension, dismissal etc.</p> <p>3.      Please could you state in any of the cases above whether the police was notified of the staff member’s sexual harassment complaint/if any investigation/charges were brought. Please could you break this information down by year.</p><p>SQA does not hold any information relevant to your request.   Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect. </p> <p>For future reference please note that SQA is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) and as such staff are not civil servants.</p>

<p>Please provide the following information for 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21:</p> <ul> <li>The value of grants made to each of the organisations listed below. Please provide the information for each of the three financial years separately, and list all grants separately.</li> <li>The value of loans made to each of the organisations listed below. Please provide the information for each of the three financial years separately, and list all loans separately.</li> </ul> <p>The payments made to charities and third sector organisations relate to the following only:</p> <ul> <li>Operation Black Vote          </li> <li>U.K. Black Pride    </li> <li>Mermaids </li> <li>Ozanne Foundation</li> <li>Gendered Intelligence      </li> <li>British Medical Association </li> <li>ActionAid UK</li> <li>Hope Not Hate       </li> <li>Led by Donkeys </li> <li>Extinction Rebellion</li> <li>Migrants Organise</li> <li>CLASS   </li> <li>Black Lives Matter </li> <li>Action on Smoking and Health   </li> <li>Action on Smoking and Health Scotland</li> <li>Action on Smoking and Health Wales       </li> <li>Breath 2025</li> <li>Association of Directors of Public Health</li> <li>Improving Performance in Practice (previously Public Management Associates)</li> </ul><p>SQA does not provide grants or loans therefore we do not hold any information relevant to your request.  Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.  </p>

<p>In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, I would be grateful if you could comply with the following request:</p> <p>1.         Please provide a copy of each draft report received by the SQA of the OECD's independent review of the Curriculum for Excellence.</p> <p>2.         Please provide a copy of all the SQA's discussions with (a) the OECD (b) Scottish ministers or other agencies such as Education Scotland and (c) any other person or organisation regarding the draft reports.</p> <p>3.         Please provide a copy of all the SQA's requests for changes to draft reports of the independent review, including any proposals for changes that were taken to any meetings with the OECD, partners such as Education Scotland or the Scottish Government, or the Scottish Practitioner Forum.</p><p>1   SQA received one draft copy of the OECD’s independent review of Curriculum for Excellence (point 1 above).   This was a confidential copy of the report sent to SQA by the Scottish Government to enable them to gather comments on this draft as per the instruction from the OECD.   Please refer to the email chain from Fiona Robertson attached. </p> <p>2   SQA had no other meetings with the OECD team carrying out the independent review or with Scottish ministers or other agencies such as Education Scotland or any other person or organisation regarding the draft report. However we have included an email and attached document sent by Scottish Government on 11 March in advance of a meeting to discuss a ‘Stakeholder seminar to discuss OECD preliminary draft findings’ held on 16 March 2021.</p> <p>SQA, along with a wide range of other stakeholders, attended this Seminar. Its purpose is set out clearly in the paragraph in italics at the bottom of the first page of the document attached to the email.   This Seminar did allow SQA, along with the other stakeholders, the opportunity to explore and comment on the report’s findings but in a large event at which SQA was just one of many participants contributing on an equal basis.</p> <p>The email was circulated to SQA and a small number of others ‘in confidence, as members of the Scottish Practitioner Forum, who have been advising the OECD during the Review.’  to inform a pre-meeting of the Scottish Practitioner Forum on 11 March before the event on 16th. As the email indicates the purpose of this pre-meeting was to discuss the conduct of the 16 March workshop and not to provide feedback on the extracts of the draft report contained in the doc attached to the email.</p> <p>3  The draft copy of the report and SQA’s comments are provided in the attached files.   These have been redacted for personal data only.</p>

<p>National A-C Higher attainment rate broken down by SIMD deciles for 2021, 2020 and 2019</p><p>The information you have requested for the years 2017 to 2021 is provided in the attached file.</p>

<p>In excel spreadsheet form, please list any public relations, communications, media consultancy or lobbying firms hired by your organisation in the last five years:</p> <p>Please provide:</p> <p>The name of the firm (or individual/freelancer)</p> <p>The contract number</p> <p>The start and end date of each contract</p> <p>The amount of money paid to each firm (including VAT)</p> <p>The remit/purpose of the hire, and detail of what activities they undertook for your organisation</p> <p>For avoidance of doubt, please provide more detail than, for example, "communications and PR support". Instead, please detail what specific issues were communicated and how this was done.</p><p>SQA responded to a similar request on 17 June 2021.  The response is published on our Disclosure Log and can be accessed <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/98141.html">FOI21/22 023</a>.   There has been no change to the information provided then.  Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you and can be accessed at the link above.  If, however, you do not have access to the internet to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.</p>

<p>1  Would it be possible to compile and release a record of the number of students who sat each number of advanced higher exams in the 2019 exam diet, for example the number of students who sat 1 advanced higher, the number who sat 2, and so on up to the number who sat the highest amount of advanced higher exams? Alongside this I would be interested to see the number of A grades achieved among each group, for example how many students who sat 3 advanced highers achieved A in 1,2,3, or none of their advanced highers taken.</p> <p> </p> <p>2  This second part of the request may be more difficult, but would it be possible to compile a second set of data containing the number of students with each number of advanced higher qualifications passed up to and including the 2019 exam diet? For example, if a student sat 3 advanced highers in 2019 but had sat one the previous year they would be considered to have 4 overall. Similarly I would be interested to see the rate of A grades for these groups of students.</p><p>The information you have requested is provided in the attached file.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than five or could be deduced from the total, SQA does not report the actual figure.to protect individuals’ personal information.  In this case the figure has been replaced with an asterisk *.</p>

<p>I would be grateful if you would provide details of your current contract covering reprographics/print arrangements as follows</p> <p>1. Number of MFDs (Multi-functional devices) & photocopiers at the Scottish Qualification Authority</p> <p>2. Name of incumbent</p> <p>3. Start/end date of contract</p> <p>4. Details of any extension options</p> <p>5. Is this a managed service</p> <p>6. What framework used</p> <p>7. Number of regular/desktop printers (in addition to above)</p> <p>8. Is there a support contract on above, if yes state start/end date</p> <p>9. Does SQA have a Print Room</p> <p>10. If yes, name of supplier, number of devices and start/end date of contract, also details of any extension options</p> <p>11. What print software does SQA run</p> <p>12. Who supplies your outsourced print requirements</p> <p>13. Start/end date of contract</p> <p>14. Name of person responsible for print at SQA</p><p>1. There are 18 devices</p> <p>2. Xerox UK Ltd</p> <p>3. The duration of the contract is from 01/04/2021 to 31/03/2026</p> <p>4. There is an extension option of 2 years</p> <p>5. It is a managed service</p> <p>6. Equipment Framework SP-016-013</p> <p>7. 3</p> <p>8. Yes runs in tandem with the contract</p> <p>9. Yes</p> <p>10. Print room is run by SQA staff, 5 devices – Start Date 1/12/20 – 30/11/25 with the option to extend for 2 years.</p> <p>11.   What print software does SQA run – SQA will not disclose this information under clause 35.</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the information requested is exempt under section 35(1)(a) of the Act as the public disclosure of information about our IT systems would potentially compromise the security of the services delivered.  Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in transparency about the systems SQA uses.</p> <p>12. Run Mini competitions against Scot Gov framework - Print and Associated Services (2019) Lot 1 – Litho / Digital Print Services Reference: SP-18-001</p> <p>13. 01/04/19 – 31/03/23</p> <p>14. The Print and Dispatch Manager is the person responsible for print at SQA</p>

<p>Would it be possible to have a list of A-type questions for the revised higher chemistry past paper 2012-2015?</p><p>Unfortunately, SQA cannot provide you with Question Paper Setting Grids for the other years requested.  These would not have been retained once the qualifications changed under Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), as the way knowledge and skills were categorised changed for CfE.   SQA does not hold the information requested.  Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect. </p> <p>On 30 October 2017 SQA responded to a similar request from you and, amongst a range of other material requested, we provided the 2015 Higher Chemistry Question Paper Grids. </p>

<p>I would like to request release of the following information under FOISA.</p> <ul> <li>The total number of FOI requests received by the SQA in each month shown below</li> <li>The total number of those FOI requests answered within the statutory time limit of 20 working days</li> </ul><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col"> </th> <th scope="col">Total number of FOI requests received by SQA</th> <th scope="col">Total number of that month's FOI requests answered within the statutory time limit of 2 working days</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>August 2021</td> <td>21</td> <td>19</td> </tr> <tr> <td>July 2021</td> <td>4</td> <td>4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>June 2021</td> <td>26</td> <td>16</td> </tr> <tr> <td>May 2021</td> <td>11</td> <td>10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>April 2021</td> <td>5</td> <td>5</td> </tr> <tr> <td>March 2021</td> <td>10</td> <td>9</td> </tr> <tr> <td>February 2021</td> <td>10</td> <td>10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>January 2021</td> <td>16</td> <td>16</td> </tr> <tr> <td>December 2020</td> <td>11</td> <td>10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>November 2020</td> <td>15</td> <td>14</td> </tr> <tr> <td>October 2020</td> <td>20</td> <td>14</td> </tr> <tr> <td>September2020</td> <td>18</td> <td>15</td> </tr> <tr> <td>August 2020</td> <td>68</td> <td>51</td> </tr> <tr> <td>July 2020</td> <td>12</td> <td>12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>June 2020</td> <td>5</td> <td>5</td> </tr> <tr> <td>May 2020</td> <td>10</td> <td>9</td> </tr> <tr> <td>April 2020</td> <td>7</td> <td>4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>March 2020</td> <td>14</td> <td>14</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Februarty 2020</td> <td>15</td> <td>15</td> </tr> <tr> <td>January 2020</td> <td>30</td> <td>30</td> </tr> <tr> <td>December 2019</td> <td>22</td> <td>20</td> </tr> <tr> <td>November 2019</td> <td>31</td> <td>30</td> </tr> <tr> <td>October 2019</td> <td>31</td> <td>31</td> </tr> <tr> <td>September2019</td> <td>46</td> <td>43</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>The information requested is contained with the table above.</p> <p>We strive to ensure that all requests received are responded to within the statutory timescale of 20 working days. However, there are occasions when this will not be possible, and it will take longer than the 20 working days to respond.</p> <p>There are periods when both the volume of requests received and their complexity will pose challenges when seeking to respond within the required timescale. For example, if requests are for correspondence from multiple sources over a period of time.</p> <p>During 2020, both the complexity and number of concurrent requests posed such challenges. Around August in particular, there was an increase in the number of complex requests relating to results and appeals requiring information from multiple sources.</p>

<p>I would like to request a review of how this FOI response has been handled. It appears that the SQA has provided me with redacted email chains but in the case of documents has simply extracted some text and placed it into the table at the top of the document? This is not an acceptable approach, nor is it in line with previous disclosures or those from other public bodies. Please reissue this response providing the actual documents being referenced, with material then redacted from them if necessary</p><p>Please see response document.</p>

<p>I am seeking information on the Attainment gap between pupils with Additional Education Needs (who require Adjustments when sitting exams, for example additional time or a scribe) and those who do not have Additional Education Needs (who do not require Adjustments when sitting exams).</p> <p>How many pupils in Scotland sat Higher Physics from each of the above distinct groups?</p> <p>How many pupils in Scotland sat Higher Mathematics from each of the above distinct groups?</p> <p>What percentage of each of the above described groups gained a "C" grade + in Higher Mathematics?</p> <p>What percentage of each of the above described groups gained a "C" grade + in Higher Physics?</p> <p>Covering the Academic years of - 2020/21 - 2019/20 - 2018/19</p> <p>Finally, what was the difference, if any, between those at State school and those at Private school in Scotland for each of the years stated</p><p>We had stated that we are unable to provide any information for 2020 and 2021 but can provide the information for 2019.</p> <p>How many pupils in Scotland sat Higher Physics from each of the above distinct groups?”</p> <p>In 2019, there were 7,486 learners entered for Higher Physics without one (or more) Assessment Arrangements requested.</p> <p>There were 841 learners entered for Higher Physics with one (or more) Assessment Arrangements requested.</p> <p>How many pupils in Scotland sat Higher Mathematics from each of the above distinct groups?”</p> <p>In 2019, there were 16,902 learners entered for Higher Maths without one (or more) Assessment Arrangements requested.</p> <p>There were 1,724 learners entered for Higher Maths with one (or more) Assessment Arrangements requested.</p> <p>“What percentage of each of the above described groups gained a "C" grade + in Higher Mathematics?”</p> <p>In 2019, of the learners entered for Higher Maths without one (or more) AAs requested, 12,303 attained an A-C grade. This is 72.8% (to one d.p).</p> <p>Of the learners entered for Higher Maths with one (or more) AAs requested, 1,182 attained an A-C. This is 68.6% (to one d.p)</p> <p>“What percentage of each of the above described groups gained a "C" grade + in Higher Physics? Covering the Academic years of - 2020/21 - 2019/20 - 2018/19”</p> <p>In 2019, of the learners entered for Higher Physics without one (or more) AAs requested, 5,672 attained an A-C grade. This is 75.8% (to one d.p).</p> <p>Of the learners entered for Higher Physics with one (or more) AAs requested, 570 attained an A-C. This is 67.8% (to one d.p)</p> <p>“Finally, what was the difference, if any, between those at State school and those at Private school in Scotland for each of the years stated.”</p> <p>The difference in A-C attainment rates between Education Authority Schools and Independent Schools can be found in our Centre Type publications published in September 2021 for historical years, including 2019.</p> <p>Notes: December attainment data was used for this analysis as it represents the most complete data available for diet 2019. Candidates indicated in the figures could be entered for one or more Assessment Arrangements, and could have requested different Assessment Arrangements for different subjects (e.g. Maths vs Physics). Candidates requesting Assessment Arrangements do not necessary use the requested Assessment Arrangements on the day of assessment. Candidates requesting Assessment Arrangements but who did not enter for the qualification are not included in the above figures. Mathematics figures include both Mathematics and Matamataig (Gaidhlig version) entries</p>

<p>I am writing to ask some Freedom of Information questions. I hope I have worded them correctly and they can be understood.</p> <p>Subject list - chemistry, physics, biology, maths, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Urdu, Gaelic, Gàidhlig, Latin, history, economic history, geography, modern studies and economics.</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 5 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p> How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 4 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 3 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 2 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 1 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p>What is the average number of National 5 entries per learner in S4 for each of the past 20 years, broken down by a) State Schools, b) independent sector</p> <p>What is the average number of National 5 awards per learner in S4 for each of the past 20 years, broken down by a) State schools, b) independent sector.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached tables.</p>

<p>Please could you confirm if you can provide the following information Free of Charge or if a fee will be applicable – If a fee is applicable please confirm the price (before providing any information)?</p> <p>I would be most grateful if you would provide me, under the Freedom of Information Act, details in respect to the contract below.</p> <p>Confidential Waste</p> <p>The details I require are:</p> <ul> <li>Has confidential waste being procured via tender or framework or another means?</li> <li>If a framework, could you confirm the name of the framework please?</li> <li>Actual contract values of each framework/contract (& any sub lots)</li> <li>Start date & duration of contract</li> <li>Is there an extension clause in the framework(s)/contract(s) and, if so, the duration of the extension?</li> <li>Has a decision been made yet on whether the framework(s)/contract(s) are being either extended or renewed?</li> <li>Who is the procurement officer responsible for this contract and could you provide their email address and phone number please?</li> <li>Who is the senior officer (outside of procurement) responsible for this contract and could you provide their email address and phone number please?</li> <li>Who is the current supplier?</li> <li>If your current supplier is a Facilities Management/Waste/Cleaning Company, which sub-contractor services your organisation?</li> </ul><ul> <li>Has confidential waste been procured via tender or framework or another means?</li> </ul> <p><strong>Quick Quote  </strong>                                 </p> <ul> <li>If a framework, could you confirm the name of the framework please?  </li> </ul> <p><strong>n/a </strong>                                                     </p> <ul> <li>Actual contract values of each framework/contract (&any sub lots).    </li> </ul> <p><strong>n/a  </strong>                                                   </p> <ul> <li>Start date & duration of contract.         </li> </ul> <p><strong>1st April 2018 for 3 years   </strong>                                                                                                         </p> <ul> <li>Is there an extension clause in the framework(s)/contract and, if so, the duration of the extension?    </li> </ul> <p><strong>Yes, extension is included. Extension period is for 12 months </strong></p> <ul> <li>Has a decision been made yet on whether the framework(s)/contract(s) are being either extended or renewed?      </li> </ul> <p><strong>Discussion is underway regarding the renewal of this contract  </strong>                                                                                </p> <ul> <li>Who is the procurement officer responsible for this contract and could you provide their email address and phone number?  </li> </ul> <p><strong>Details on the Procurement team can be found on the SQA website at the following link:</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39640.html">The Procurement Team - SQA </a>  </strong>             </p> <ul> <li>Who is the senior officer (outside of procurement) responsible for this contract and could you provide their email address and phone number please?      </li> </ul> <p><strong>The senior officer outside of Procurement is the Health, Safety and Environmental Officer. The phone number for contact is 0131 444 6942   </strong>                                                                                                          </p> <ul> <li>Who is the current supplier?                                                                                                 </li> </ul> <p><strong>Restore Datashred       </strong>                                                                                                                                 </p> <ul> <li>If your current supplier is a Facilities Management/Waste/Cleaning Company which sub-contractor services your organisation?                       </li> </ul> <p><strong>n/a</strong></p>

<p>Under the Freedom of Information Act we formally request the information listed below: </p> <ol> <li>Permanent Recruitment Agency Spend for the last 2 calendar years.</li> </ol><p>The spend for 2019 was £105,439</p> <p>The spend for 2020 was £56,517</p>

<p>Previously I asked, and the information was provided, for the following:</p> <p>Subject list - chemistry, physics, biology, maths, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Urdu, Gaelic, Gàidhlig, Latin, history, economic history, geography, modern studies and economics.</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 5 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p> How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 4 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 3 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 2 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total number of candidates in S5 in a)state schools b) independent schools, achieved 1 Highers passes from subjects in the above list in each of the past 10 years?</p> <p>In addition to the information previously provided, could I have the data from 2000 to 2011, broken down on the same basis and in relation to the same basis.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the document below.</p>

<p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total in S5, achieved an A grade at Higher Maths in a) State Schools, b)independent schools in each of the past 20 years?</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total in S5, achieved a B grade at Higher Maths in a) State Schools, b)independent schools in each of the past 20 years?</p> <p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total in S5, achieved a C grade at Higher Maths in a) State Schools, b)independent schools in each of the past 20 years?</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached table.</p>

<p>Under the FOI, I would like to request the total students number domiciled in China that successfully get a HND qualification for the academic years of 20/21 and 21/22.</p><p>For academic year 2020/2021 there were 4723 students domiciled in China who successfully gained a HND qualification.</p> <p>For academic year 2021/2022 there have been 1636 students domiciled in China who have successfully gained a HND qualification to date.</p> <p>The final certification year for  SQA HNDS in China was  academic year 20/21. All International centres now offer the SQA Advanced Diploma not HND</p>

<p> I would be grateful if you could provide the following information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p> <p>Earlier this year it was revealed that pupils <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tes.com%2Fnews%2FSQA-exam-questions-shared-tiktok-sqa-black-market&data=04%7C01%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7C13b9794f80384312bb1408d987d32748%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C637690163245788101%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=7IMRdsJrTVHCkj6GYOAtPJFvkVIEU2FZxhGqoZGfsuw%3D&reserved=0">were sharing information about the question papers they were sitting online using social networking sites like TikTok</a>. In response SQA said<a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tes.com%2Fnews%2Fsqa-warns-penalties-exam-details-tiktok&data=04%7C01%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7C13b9794f80384312bb1408d987d32748%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C637690163245798094%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=DeRm5eZXDsTt3VNgOfF%2FcR939IqOUfO3r5Gv8BpXUzw%3D&reserved=0"> that "appropriate penalties should be applied" if cases of "candidate malpractice" were identified.</a></p> <p>SQA also said it had contacted centres “to ensure that posts are removed as soon as possible”</p> <p>Could you please tell me:</p> <ul> <li>How many centres did SQA contact to ensure posts were removed as soon as possible – can you make it clear how many of the centres were schools</li> <li>Could you please provide the communication(s) that was/were sent by SQA to these schools/centres</li> <li>How many candidates were accused of malpractice by centres in 2020-21</li> <li>Can you please set out the different categories of candidate malpractice and make it clear how many candidates were in each category in 2020-21</li> <li>Can you please set out the penalties available to schools in 2020-21 and the total number of each penalty issued to candidates</li> <li>How many candidates were penalised for sharing exam questions on social media; what penalties did they receive</li> <li>Could you provide candidate malpractice data for 2018-19</li> </ul><ul> <li>How many centres did SQA contact to ensure posts were removed as soon as possible – can you make it clear how many of the centres were schools <ul> <li>Only centres where it was possible to identify the candidate and centre were contacted. Fewer than five centres were contacted and these were all schools.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li>Could you please provide the communication(s) that was/were sent by SQA to these schools/centres <ul> <li>Where the centre and candidate could be established, the following standard response was issued to the relevant SQA co-ordinator at the centre by e-mail:</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p><em>Dear [SQA Coordinator]</em></p> <p><em>We have been advised that a candidate [insert SCN] at your centre has posted information online in relation to [level/subject].  The following information was posted:</em></p> <p><em>[screenshot information]</em></p> <p><em>We ask that you take immediate action to notify the candidate and ensure that this information is removed as soon as possible. Please respond to SQA within one working day to confirm that this action has been taken. We also request that you notify your Head Teacher of this concern.</em></p> <p><em>You will be aware that in our subject-specific guidance on gathering evidence in session 2020-21, which is available from our NQ subject webpages, we advise that if you use a question paper in part or in its entirety, you should remind candidates that they must not discuss the content of the paper on social media. Please ensure that this guidance is communicated to all teaching staff and candidates. </em></p> <p><em>SQA will not take any action against your candidate. However, we strongly recommend that you instigate your centre’s internal malpractice procedures to investigate this incident, given the seriousness of this concern and its potential impact on the integrity of certification for all candidates nationally.</em></p> <p><em>Thank you for your cooperation and support.</em></p> <p> </p> <ul> <li>How many candidates were accused of malpractice by centres in 2020-21 <ul> <li>All candidate malpractice was devolved to centres in 2020-21. SQA did not collect this information from centres and does not hold the information requested. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li>Can you please set out the different categories of candidate malpractice and make it clear how many candidates were in each category in 2020-21 <ul> <li>Here is the link to the Malpractice: information for centres document. Categories of Candidate Malpractice are detailed in Appendix 2, which is the last page of the document. <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/2020-malpractice-information-centres.pdf">https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/2020-malpractice-information-centres.pdf </a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>All candidate malpractice was devolved to centres in 2020-21. SQA did not collect information from centres relating to the number of candidates in the various categories and does not hold the information requested. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li>Can you please set out the penalties available to schools in 2020-21 and the total number of each penalty issued to candidates <ul> <li>Here is the link to the Malpractice: information for centres document. Possible penalties for Candidate Malpractice are detailed in Appendix 2, which is the last page of the document. <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/2020-malpractice-information-centres.pdf">https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/2020-malpractice-information-centres.pdf</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>All candidate malpractice was devolved to centres in 2020-21. SQA did not collect the information from centres relating to penalties issued to candidates and does not hold the information requested. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li>How many candidates were penalised for sharing exam questions on social media; what penalties did they receive. <ul> <li>All candidate malpractice was devolved to centres in 2020-21. SQA did not collect the information from centres and does not hold the information requested. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li>Could you provide candidate malpractice data for 2018-19 <ul> <li>Here is the link to candidate malpractice data for 2018-19: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/nq-2018-19-20-candidate-malpractice-data.pdf">https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/nq-2018-19-20-candidate-malpractice-data.pdf</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul>

<p>Please release details of all Equality Impact Assessments carried out by the SQA in the past 7 years. This should include:</p> <ul> <li>The title / topic / focus (ie the policy or decision that was being assessed)</li> <li>The date of completion</li> <li>The date of publication</li> <li>The date of subsequent review (if a review has been carried out)</li> </ul> <p>I have included the following table to help clarify this (although I would of course expect there to be a lot more entries than just the 6 for which I have provided space).</p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Title / topic / focus</th> <th scope="col">Date of completion</th> <th scope="col">Date of publication</th> <th scope="col"> <p>Date of review</p> </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table><p>The completed Equality Impact Assessments are published on the website and can be found using the following link. All assessments, when completed, will also be published there.</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F25339.html&data=04%7C01%7CAlan.Redhead%40sqa.org.uk%7C6633366453e6473a8f0c08d9994637d7%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C637709349121638366%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=dLHE3XhCGpJ9ciC0qV4dN8vMMLwN6EvQPiM0PDCN8UY%3D&reserved=0">Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - SQA</a></p>

<p>I am writing to you to request the following information.</p> <p>1) For each financial year since 2007, what has been the value of the Chief Executive's salary?</p> <p>2) For each year, please break down basic salary, the value of pension contributions, and any bonuses provided to the chief executive.</p><p>The information requested, relating to the salary  is contained within the organisation’s Annual Report and Accounts. Copies of these for 2015/2016 to the latest available are held on the SQA website at the following address:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39108.html">Annual Report - SQA</a></p> <p>Attached are copies for the years 2007/2008 to 2014/2015 inclusive.</p> <p>The presentation in the accounts is prescribed for public sector bodies.</p>

<p>Many thanks for these answers.  Further to this information, I would like to ask the following Freedom of Information requests:</p> <p>1. The answers provided indicate the average number of National 5 entries and the average number of awards per learner in S4, broken down by a) State Schools, b) independent sector going back to 2014.</p> <p>On that same basis, can I ask what is the average number of Standard Grade entries per learner for each year from 1995 to 2013 broken down by a)State Schools, b) independent sector.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the table below.</p>

<p>How many candidates, and as a percentage of the total in S4, achieved passes (either Nat 5 or Standard Grade 1-4) in Physics, Biology, and Chemistry in a)State Schools, b) independent sector in each of the past 20 years.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the table below. These tables show the proportion of S4 learners entered for National 5 (or previously for Standard Grade), who achieved an A-C grade at National 5 or grade 1-4 at Standard Grade in all three subjects, namely Physics, Biology and Chemistry.</p> <p>Please note that prior to 2014, learners were also able to sit Intermediates, i.e., Intermediate 1 (equivalent to SG 3-4 (General) which is SCQF level 4) and Intermediate 2 (equivalent to SG 1-2 and National 5 which is SCQF level 5). The figures do not include the information for Intermediates. If you would like this information, please let me know.</p> <p> </p>

<p>I would appreciate if you can provide the following information in respect of the new application of maths qualification: Academic Year 2020/2021:</p> <p>1. How may individual schools entered pupils for the N5 qualification and if possible their names?</p> <p>2. How many individual local authorities entered pupils for the N5 qualification and if possible their names?</p> <p>3. Can you provide attainment levels in terms of grades against number of pupils entered?</p><p>The information requested is contained within the table below.</p> <p>A range of attainment data has been published relating to various breakdowns <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48269.html">Statistics and Information</a></p>

<p>I would appreciate if you can provide the following information in respect of the new application of maths qualification: Academic Year AY Academic Year 2021/2022 </p> <p>1. How many individual schools entered pupils for the N5 qualification and if possible their names?</p> <p>2. How many individual local authorities entered pupils for the N5 qualification and if possible their names?</p> <p> </p> <p>1. How may individual schools entered pupils for the Higher qualification and if possible their names ?</p> <p>2. How many individual local authorities entered pupils for the Higher qualification and if possible their names ?</p><p>We are unable to provide the information for the current academic year as the information is not available. It will be collated as the information becomes available and will be complete by the end of the academic year.</p> <p>Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</p>

<p>1. has SQA complete any consultation with universities in respect of acceptance of the higher qualification as an alternative to the standard higher maths?</p> <p>2. If yes for above how many universities and if possible their names and courses considered?</p><p><strong>1. has SQA complete any consultation with universities in respect of acceptance of the higher qualification as an alternative to the standard higher maths?</strong></p> <p>The Higher in Applications of Mathematics is not intended as an alternative to Higher Mathematics.</p> <p>Higher Mathematics is a well-respected qualification that is valued by end users: employers, colleges and universities, providing a supply of mathematically literate persons to the STEM pipeline.  </p> <p>The Higher in Applications of Mathematics is intended to widen participation in Mathematics at SCQF level 6. It is distinctive from Higher Mathematics as it covers statistics, finance, mathematical modelling and the use of technology (spreadsheets and R) and its assessment includes a statistics project and a question paper completed with the use of digital technology. Full details are available in the specification available on the SQA website.</p> <p>Prior to developing the qualification, SQA ran a national consultation. There were 22 university respondents, seven were from non-STEM disciplines (the intended target) and all were strongly supportive, particularly around the proposal to include applications of statistics.</p> <p>Representatives from the University of Edinburgh and University of Strathclyde were fully involved in the development of the new Higher.</p> <p>The University of Strathclyde has developed training course for teachers that have been well received, with hundreds of teachers participating.</p> <p>Scottish Government supported the development of online teaching resources for the new Higher. These have been developed by Scholar, based at Heriot Watt University.</p> <p>Education Scotland hosted a meeting with universities about the new Higher on 15 January 2021, attended by representatives from Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Glasgow Clyde, Stirling and Strathclyde universities.</p> <p>In March 2021, there was a presentation on the new Higher to admissions tutors from all universities (see list below) in Scotland, except the Open University</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>2. If yes for above how many universities and if possible their names and courses considered?</strong></p> <p>The centres are listed below:</p> <p>Glasgow School of Art</p> <p>University of Aberdeen</p> <p>University of St Andrews</p> <p>University of Abertay</p> <p>Heriot-Watt University</p> <p>Scotland's Rural College</p> <p>Robert Gordon University</p> <p>University of Edinburgh</p> <p>Glasgow Caledonian University</p> <p>Queen Margaret University</p> <p>Edinburgh Napier University</p> <p>University of Dundee</p> <p>University of Glasgow</p> <p>University of the West of Scotland</p> <p>University of Stirling</p> <p>Royal Conservatoire Scotland</p> <p>University of Strathclyde</p> <p>University of the Highlands and Islands</p>

<p>The amount of revenue the SQA has generated on all international activities (all activity outwith Scotland) since the 21st June 2021.</p> <p>A breakdown of the revenue sources</p><p>We are unable to provide the information for the period since 21 June 2021. However, we are able to provide the information for the first six months of the current financial year. We hope that this will be acceptable.</p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Income</th> <th scope="col">P1-6 FY21/22</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Asia Pacific</td> <td>61,196</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Europe, Middle East & Africa</td> <td>79,636</td> </tr> <tr> <td>South Asia</td> <td>360,458</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong>Total</strong></td> <td><strong>501,289</strong></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p>

<p>Further to below response (FOI 21/22 032), E-Learn & Design  cloud hosting contract has expired. Can you please confirm whether this contract is extended or replaced by any other supplier. If so please provide the full information.</p><p>The current contract was extended until the 31st March 2022. SQA is currently retendering for this requirement. The advert can be viewed on <a href="http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk">www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk</a>.</p>

<p>Please provide the following: Years 2017, 2018, 2019 Pupils with ASN who achieved 5 Nat 5?s and those that achieved 5 highers in the Scottish Borders Council region. If possible broken down by high school. Also this figure for Scotland as a whole. Please also provide these figures for those that do not have an ASN. If it is possible to separate the reason for ASN then please also provide the above information for those who are dyslexic.</p><p>We are unable to provide the information requested as it is not held by the SQA. We do not hold Additional Support Needs (ASN) data for learners.</p> <p> </p> <p>However, we do hold some data relating to Assessment Arrangements (AA). These are for candidates with a disability or additional support needs, although in some cases these will be for a temporary disability, for example a broken arm. AAs are needs-led and in many cases learners don’t require or decide not to request an AA for some or all of their subjects, or may request it but then in reality do not use the provisions. As such, we wouldn’t know if all ASN learners required/registered for the AA service. If requested, we could provide the relevant analysis based on the AA data we have for 2019, inferences from this data would be limited given the caveats mentioned above. NB We can only provide 2019 as we don’t retain the data for more than 2 years as per our Records Retention Schedule.</p> <p> </p> <p>Section 25 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect. As stated, we don’t hold the information for the ASN. However, we believe that the Scottish Government may hold the information relevant to your requests and you should direct your requests to that organisation.</p> <p>You can submit your requests via the Scottish Government’s FOI Department at the following link; <a href="mailto:ceu@gov.scot">ceu@gov.scot</a></p> <p>Or the specific department (Education Analysis) can be reached at: <a href="mailto:school.stats@gov.scot">school.stats@gov.scot</a></p>

<p>If possible please provide the average leaver tariff score for those with dyslexia, those with ASN and those without. For Scottish Borders council secondary schools and the figure for Scotland as a whole. For 2017, 2018 and 2019.</p><p> </p> <p>We are unable to provide the information requested as it is not held by the SQA. We do not hold Additional Support Needs (ASN) data for learners.</p> <p> </p> <p>However, we do hold some data relating to Assessment Arrangements (AA). These are for candidates with a disability or additional support needs, although in some cases these will be for a temporary disability, for example a broken arm. AAs are needs-led and in many cases learners don’t require or decide not to request an AA for some or all of their subjects, or may request it but then in reality do not use the provisions. As such, we wouldn’t know if all ASN learners required/registered for the AA service. If requested, we could provide the relevant analysis based on the AA data we have for 2019, inferences from this data would be limited given the caveats mentioned above. NB We can only provide 2019 as we don’t retain the data for more than 2 years as per our Records Retention Schedule.</p> <p>Section 25 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect. As stated, we don’t hold the information for the ASN. However, we believe that the Scottish Government may hold the information relevant to your requests and you should direct your requests to that organisation.</p> <p>You can submit your requests via the Scottish Government’s FOI Department at the following link; <a href="mailto:ceu@gov.scot">ceu@gov.scot</a></p> <p>Or the specific department (Education Analysis) can be reached at: <a href="mailto:school.stats@gov.scot">school.stats@gov.scot</a></p>

<p>I have been going over the figures and further to you comment about Intermediaries 1 and 2, I was wondering if I could take you up on the offer to also provide the information of those who studied for those qualifications. Would it be comparable with the table you already provided (relates to FOI 21/22 094)?</p><p>The information requested is contained within the table below.</p>

<p>As an additional follow up could I ask </p> <p>What is the average number of Standard Grade awards (1-4) per learner in S4 for each year from 2002 to 2013 broken down by a)State Schools, b) independent sector</p><p>The information requested is contained within the table below.</p>

<p>I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:</p> <p>Total number of days of employee sickness for the years:</p> <p>2018,2019,2020 and 2021 (to date)</p><p>In 2018 there were 10034 days taken. During this year there was an average of 966 staff at SQA.</p> <p>In 2019 there were 10574 days taken. During this year there was an average of 957 staff at SQA.</p> <p>In 2020 there were 6456 days taken. During this year there was an average of 949 staff at SQA</p> <p>In 2021 until end of October there were 6544 days taken. During this period there has been an average of 988 staff at SQA.</p>

<p>I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:</p> <p>Employee turnover figures for years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 (to date)</p> <p>Please can this be broken down by:</p> <p>Resignation</p> <p>Retirement</p> <p>Dismissal</p> <p>Redundancy </p><p>The information requested is contained in the  table below.</p>

<p>In respect of each of the years 2015-2021, please confirm what funding has been provided to Stonewall by:</p> <p>Scottish Qualifications Authority</p> <p>2. Please specify whether the funding in 1 above has been in the form of:</p> <p>(a) direct grants for unlimited purposes;</p> <p>(b) direct grants for limited purposes (in that event, stating the purpose);</p> <p>(c) payment for goods or services (specifying the relevant goods and services).</p> <p>3. Where the funding in 1 above has been by way of payment for goods or services, please specify:</p> <p>(a) what analysis has been conducted to ascertain whether these goods or services meet contractual and/or legal requirements;</p> <p>(b) what contractual or other recourse exists to reclaim in respect of goods or services that are defective, substandard or delivered in contravention of the law;</p> <p>(c) what steps are being taken to seek recourse for any such contractual or legal shortfalls.</p> <p>4. In respect of the payments referred to in 1 above, please state:</p> <p>(a) What criteria were applied in deciding to make payments by way of direct grants;</p> <p>(b) What tendering process was conducted with regard to provision of goods or services;</p> <p>(c) What alternative suppliers of goods or services were considered.</p><p>In respect of each of the years 2015-2021, please confirm what funding has been provided to Stonewall by:</p> <p>Scottish Qualifications Authority</p> <p> </p> <p>2. Please specify whether the funding in 1 above has been in the form of:</p> <p>(a) direct grants for unlimited purposes;</p> <p>(b) direct grants for limited purposes (in that event, stating the purpose);</p> <p>(c) payment for goods or services (specifying the relevant goods and services).</p> <p> </p> <p>All the payments made to Stonewall were for goods or services, as listed below:</p> <p> </p> <p>2017/2018    Stonewall Membership                                   £3000             </p> <p>                     Stonewall Scotland Workplace Conference      £240</p> <p>                     Total                                                                 £3240</p> <p> </p> <p>2018/2019       Stonewall Membership                                  £3000</p> <p>                        Stonewall Scotland Allies Programme             £720</p> <p>                        Stonewall Scotland Workplace Conference     £720</p> <p>                        Total                                                                £5160</p> <p> </p> <p>2019/2020       Stonewall Membership                                                           £3000</p> <p>                        Stonewall Scotland LGBT Role Models Programme                £390</p> <p>                        Stonewall Scotland Workplace Conference                              £756 </p> <p>                        Total                                                                                        £4146</p> <p> </p> <p>2020/2021       Stonewall Membership                                                           £3000</p> <p>                        Total                                                                                        £3000</p> <p> </p> <p>                       Overall Total                                                                           £15546</p> <p> </p> <p>3. Where the funding in 1 above has been by way of payment for goods or services, please specify:</p> <p>(a) what analysis has been conducted to ascertain whether these goods or services meet contractual and/or legal requirements;</p> <p>There is a mechanism in place for feedback by participants attending events and conferences via the Rainbow network and the equality and diversity teams. There is no record of any instances where goods or services did not meet the proposed objectives.</p> <p> </p> <p>(b) what contractual or other recourse exists to reclaim in respect of goods or services that are defective, substandard or delivered in contravention of the law;</p> <p>Stonewall has a dedicated account manager for SQA and they meet with the named SQA contact frequently to discuss support required and received.</p> <p> </p> <p>(c) what steps are being taken to seek recourse for any such contractual or legal shortfalls.</p> <p>When a public authority does not hold information requested, section 17 of the Act states that it must inform a requester. There is no information available for this request as there has been no shortfall recorded.</p> <p> </p> <p>4. In respect of the payments referred to in 1 above, please state:</p> <p>(a) What criteria were applied in deciding to make payments by way of direct grants;</p> <p>When a public authority does not hold information requested, section 17 of the Act states that it must inform a requester. No direct grants were paid to Stonewall.</p> <p> </p> <p>(b) What tendering process was conducted with regard to provision of goods or services;</p> <p>No tendering process was undertaken. All the services procured were under £10,000 so there was no tender required.</p> <p> </p> <p>(c) What alternative suppliers of goods or services were considered.</p> <p>No alternatives were considered as these goods or services are unique/specific to this supplier.</p>

<p>I am currently researching the extent to which individuals outside of the UK are studying for professional, technical and vocational qualifications offered by awarding bodies in the UK. It is very noticeable that, while considerable research has been undertaken on the growth of transnational education among British universities, so little is known about the size and other features of these important overseas education markets.  Unfortunately, Ofqual does not collect any relevant information (unlike HESA for universities), so I am writing to you now to ask if you could share with me some very basic information on the total number of individuals who were studying for SQA qualifications in overseas locations in 2019 (i.e. before COVID), ideally broken down by qualification type and continent. </p><p>The information requested is within the table below.</p>

<p>I was looking for the following information: -List of Presenting Centres for HNC Music from AY 2010-2011 until AY 2020-2021 -Numbers of candidates presented for each centre in each year between AY 2010-2011 and AY 2020-21</p><p>The information requested is within the table below.</p>

<p>I wish to obtain the following documents:</p> <p>1.      ICT/IM&T/IS Strategy- The IT department strategy or plans, highlights their current and future objectives.</p> <p>2.      ICT Org Chart- A visual document that presents the structure of the IT department, please include name and job titles. If this cannot be sent, please work towards a structure with job    titles.</p> <p>3.      ICT Annual or Business Plan- Like the ICT strategy but is more annually focused.</p> <p>4.      ICT Capital Programme/budget- A document that shows financials budget on current and future projects.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached document</p>

<p>The information I require is to do with the organisation’s CCTV maintenance and support contract.</p> <p>Please can you send me the information stated below: </p> <p>1.       Supplier of the contract for CCTV maintenance and support</p> <p>2.       How much the Organisation spend annually with the supplier? (if multiple suppliers please list the annual spend for each)</p> <p>3.       What is the expiry date of this contract?</p> <p>4.       What is the duration of the contract?</p> <p>5.       What is the review date of this contract? If possible the likely outcome of this review</p> <p>6.       The primary brand of the CCTV equipment. I don’t require the model just the brand. If there is various brands could you please list?</p> <p>7.      What is the total number of cameras in use/under this contract?</p> <p>8.       The description of the services provided under this contract. Please state if this contract includes more than just CCTV services.</p> <p>9.       Contact details of the employee responsible for the contract between the supplier and the organisation. Can you please provide me with their full contact details </p> <p>If there is no CCTV maintenance contract in place</p> <p>1.      What is the brand of CCTV cameras in use? if there is variety could you please send me a list? I do not need the serial number or model just the brand.</p> <p>2.      How much is the average annual spend on the in-house maintenance?</p> <p>3.      How many cameras are in use?</p> <p>4.      Is there a plan to review this at any point, if so what would the date be?</p> <p>5.      Who is in charge of overseeing the in-house maintenance? </p> <p>If there is no maintenance contract or in-house maintenance in place, is there a ad-hoc agreement?</p> <p>If yes,</p> <p>1.      Who is the supplier? Is this varies could you please list?</p> <p>2.      What is the brand of CCTV cameras in use? if there is variety could you please send me a list? I do not need the serial number or model just the brand. </p> <p>3.      How many cameras are in use?</p> <p>4.      How much is the average annual spend on the ad-hoc agreement?  </p> <p>5.      What is the date it is to be reviewed?</p> <p> </p><p>1.       Supplier of the contract for CCTV maintenance and support</p> <p>The supplier is Emtec Group Ltd.</p> <p>2.       How much the Organisation spend annually with the supplier? (if multiple suppliers please list the annual spend for each)</p> <p>CCTV maintenance and support is built into the contract and is not shown as a separate cost. The approximate spend per year is £45k.</p> <p>3.       What is the expiry date of this contract?</p> <p>The expiry date of the contract is 30 October 2024.</p> <p>4.       What is the duration of the contract?</p> <p>The duration of the contract is three years with the option to extend for 12 months.</p> <p>5.       What is the review date of this contract? If possible the likely outcome of this review</p> <p>The review of the contract will take place in the September 2023 to determine whether to extend or start the re-tender process. The likely outcome is that the tender will be extended.</p> <p>6.       The primary brand of the CCTV equipment. I don’t require the model just the brand. If there is various brands could you please list?</p> <p>The primary brand is Panasonic</p> <p>7.      What is the total number of cameras in use/under this contract?</p> <p>There are 24 cameras at the Lowden building at Dalkeith and eight at the Optima building in Glasgow.</p> <p>8.       The description of the services provided under this contract. Please state if this contract includes more than just CCTV services.</p> <p>The contract covers more than just CCTV. The contract title is Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Services.</p> <p>9.       Contact details of the employee responsible for the contract between the supplier and the organisation. Can you please provide me with their full contact details</p> <p>The contact for this is the Procurement Manager, <a href="77338.html?id=54">contact them by completing the form</a></p> <p>As there is a CCTV maintenance contract in place, the following requests are not applicable.</p> <p>If there is no CCTV maintenance contract in place</p> <p>1.      What is the brand of CCTV cameras in use? if there is variety could you please send me a list? I do not need the serial number or model just the brand.</p> <p>2.      How much is the average annual spend on the in-house maintenance?</p> <p>3.      How many cameras are in use?</p> <p>4.      Is there a plan to review this at any point, if so what would the date be?</p> <p>5.      Who is in charge of overseeing the in-house maintenance? </p> <p>If there is no maintenance contract or in-house maintenance in place, is there a ad-hoc agreement?</p> <p>If yes,</p> <p>1.      Who is the supplier? Is this varies could you please list?</p> <p>2.      What is the brand of CCTV cameras in use? if there is variety could you please send me a list? I do not need the serial number or model just the brand. </p> <p>3.      How many cameras are in use?</p> <p>4.      How much is the average annual spend on the ad-hoc agreement?  </p> <p>5.      What is the date it is to be reviewed?</p> <p> </p>

<p>Please provide me with the total number of electronic devices reported lost or stolen within your organisation over the last five calendar years (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017)</p> <p>Example:</p> <p>2020</p> <p>·       15 Laptops reported stolen, 34 lost</p> <p>·       13 Mobile phones reported stolen 130 lost</p> <p>·       40 Tablet computers reported stolen, 200 lost</p> <p>Please also provide an estimated cost per device.</p> <p> </p><p>The information requested is below.</p> <p>Year          Details                                  Cost reported</p> <p>2017        6 laptops (stolen)                  £3000 replacement cost</p> <p>2017        1 laptop (lost)                        £500 replacement cost</p> <p>2018        1 laptop (stolen)                    £500 replacement cost</p> <p>2018        1 phone (stolen)                    £150 replacement cost</p> <p>2018        1 phone (lost)                        £459 replacement cost</p> <p>2018        1 laptop (stolen)                    £500 replacement cost</p> <p>2018        1 phone (lost)                        £185 replacement cost</p> <p>2019        1 phone (lost)                        £185 replacement cost</p> <p>2019        1 phone (lost)                        £185 replacement cost</p> <p>2020        1 laptop (lost)                        £500 replacement cost</p> <p>All the devices noted above were covered by full encryption.</p>

<p>This is an information request relating to social media spending.</p> <p>Please include the information for each of the following periods; 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22:</p> <p>The total spend by the organisation on social media advertising, including a breakdown by year and by form of social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)</p> <p>If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.</p><p>Year     LinkedIn       Facebook & Instagram     Snapchat     Twitter      Tiktok      Totals</p> <p>2019    £14,305.95   £10,201.88                      £374.95        Nil             Nil           £24,882.78</p> <p>2020    £1,697.76     £15,571.59                      £2,016.01    £3,608.27  Nil           £22,893.63</p> <p>2021    £169.02        £8,872.40                        £2,123.59    £3,584.77  £643.80  £15,393.58</p> <p>Totals  £16,172.73   £34,645.87                      £4,514.55    £7,193.04   £643.80  £63,169.99</p> <p>The purpose of the social media advertising is to disseminate important information and to support key organisational activity with each audience by delivering a regular stream of valuable support and content through the most appropriate channel.</p>

<p>Please provide me with the total number of malicious emails blocked by your organisation over the last three calendar years (2021, 2020, 2019) broken down by year and categorised accordingly.</p> <p>Example:</p> <p>2020</p> <p>·       23,000 suspected phishing emails</p> <p>·       250,000 spam emails</p> <p>·       13,000 malware</p><p>SQA does not keep historical data on the information requested. Current systems only store the past three months of data.</p> <p>Please find the data we have below.</p> <p><strong>November 2021:</strong></p> <p>Phishing: 7746</p> <p>Malware: 461</p> <p>Spam:     244,110</p> <p><strong>December 2021:</strong></p> <p>Phishing: 6865</p> <p>Malware: 196</p> <p>Spam:     3,429,683</p> <p><strong>January 2022 1st to 24th (partial month):</strong></p> <p>Phishing: 6218</p> <p>Malware: 256</p> <p>Spam:     74,253</p>

<p>Please provide the following information for Peebles High School for the academic years 2017 through to 2021.</p> <p>The number of requests (number of students, number of assessments) for Additional Assessment Arrangements with the following requirements:</p> <ul> <li>extra time</li> <li>readers</li> <li>numerical support in maths</li> <li>separate accommodation</li> <li>supervised rest breaks (separated by reason for rest break - medical, dyslexia etc)</li> </ul><p>Information relating to your request is in the document below.</p> <p>These are for candidates with a disability or additional support needs, although in some cases these will be for a temporary disability, for example a broken arm. AAs are needs-led and in many cases learners don’t require or decide not to request an AA for some or all of their subjects, or may request it but then in reality do not use the provisions.</p> <p>This data is taken from information provided by the centre to SQA through our Assessment Arrangement Requests (AAR) system.</p> <p>In both 2019/20 and 2020/21 the exam diet was cancelled and, as a result, the AAR system closed early. The data for those years is incomplete and unlikely to be valid for comparison purposes therefore it has not been provided.</p> <p>Note however that we have only been able to provide the requested data for 2018 and 2019.</p>

<p>I was hoping I could ask a follow up Freedom of Information request following the previous answer (FOI 21/22 103).</p> <p>I would like to ask:</p> <p>What is the average number of Standard Grade Credit entries per learner in S4 for each year from 2002 to 2013 broken down by a)State Schools, b) independent sector?</p> <p>What is the average number of Standard Grade awards (1-2) per learner in S4 for each year from 2002 to 2013 broken down by a)State Schools, b) independent sector?</p> <p>What is the average number of Intermediate 2 entries per learner in S4 for each year from 2002 to 2013 broken down by a)State Schools, b) independent sector?</p> <p>What is the average number of Intermediate 2 awards per learner in S4 for each year from 2002 to 2013 broken down by a)State Schools, b) independent sector?</p><p>The information requests is contained within the information table below.</p>

<p>This is an information request relating to losses and special payments</p> <p> </p> <p>Please include the information for each of the following periods; 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21:</p> <p> </p> <p>·         The total number of cases of losses in each year.</p> <p>·         The total cost of losses in each year.</p> <p>·         An itemisation of each loss including what it was for and how much it cost.</p> <p>·         The total number of special payments in each year.</p> <p>·         The total value of special payments in each year.</p> <p>·         An itemisation of each special payment including what it was for and how much it cost.</p><p>Information relating to losses and special payments is contained within the Annual Reports and Accounts for the SQA. These are available on the SQA website using the following links:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/Annual_Report_and_Accounts2018-19.pdf">Annual_Report_and_Accounts2018-19.pdf (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf">2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2020-21-annual-report-accounts.pdf">Annual Report and Accounts 2020–21 (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p>Within the 2018/2019 Annual Report and Accounts, information for exit packages can be found on page 67 of the document. There were no losses or special payments within this financial year.</p> <p>Within the 2019/2020 Annual Report and Accounts information on exit payments can be found on page 70 of the document . Information on losses and special payments within this year can be found on page 71 of the document.</p> <p>Within the 2020/2021 Annual Report and Accounts information on exit packages can be found on page 75 of the document. Information on losses and special payments within this year can be found on page 76 of the document.</p>

<p>All or some of the information provided previously has expired, I require an update on the questions below.</p> <p>See my request below:</p> <p><strong>Contract 1 - Telephony/Voice Services (Analogue, ISDN VOIP, SIP etc) </strong></p> <p>1.Telephony/Voice Services Provider- Please can you provide me with the name of the supplier for each contract.</p> <p>2.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>3.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p>4.Telephony/Voice Services - Type of Lines - Please can you split the type of lines per each supplier? PSTN, Analogue, SIP, ISDN, VOIP</p> <p>5.Telephony/Voice Services Number of Lines / Channels / SIP Trunks- Please can you split the number of lines per each supplier? SIP trunks/connections, PSTN, Analogue, ISDN</p> <p><strong>Contract 2 - Incoming and Outgoing of call services.</strong></p> <p>6.Minutes/Landline Provider- Supplier’s name (NOT Mobiles) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>7.Minutes/Landline Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract.</p> <p>8.Minutes Landline Monthly Spend- Monthly average spend on calls for each provider. An estimate or average is acceptable. If SIP services, please provide me with the cost of services per month.</p> <p> 9.Minute’s Landlines Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p>10.Number of Extensions- Please state the number of telephone extensions the organisation currently has. An estimate or average is acceptable. </p> <p><strong>Contract 3 - The organisation's broadband provider.</strong></p> <p>11.Broadband Provider- Supplier’s name if there is not information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>12.Broadband Renewal Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>13.Broadband Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each broadband provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</p> <p><strong>Contract 4 - Contracts relating to Wide Area Network [WAN] services, this could also include HSCN network services.</strong></p> <p>14. WAN Provider- please provide me with the main supplier(s) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>15.WAN Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>16.Contract Description: Please can you provide me with a brief description for each contract</p> <p>17.The number of sites: Please state the number of sites the WAN covers. Approx. will do.</p> <p>18. WAN Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each WAN provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</p> <p>19.For each WAN contract can you please provide me with information on how this was procured, especially around those procurement that used frameworks, please provide me with the framework reference.</p> <p>20.Internal Contact: please can you send me their full contact details including contact number and email and job title for all the contracts above.</p><p><strong>Contract 1 - Telephony/Voice Services (Analogue, ISDN VOIP, SIP etc) </strong></p> <p>1 ATOS It Services</p> <p>2. 30th October 2022</p> <p>3. As 1 & 2 above</p> <p>4. All with ATOS</p> <p>5. All with ATOS</p> <p><strong>Contract 2 - Incoming and Outgoing of call services.</strong></p> <p>6. ATOS</p> <p>7. End date is 30th October 2022</p> <p>8. For the last 12 months the average call charges have been £250 a month</p> <p> 9. All with ATOS. Current contract was 1 year with the option to extend for 1 year . Ends 30th October 2022</p> <p>10.1581 extensions</p> <p><strong>Contract 3 - The organisation's broadband provider.</strong></p> <p>11. Capita</p> <p>12. Part of service supplied via the SWAN framework. SWAN framework ends 31st March 2023.</p> <p>13. Part of our managed service costs with Capita.</p> <p><strong>Contract 4 - Contracts relating to Wide Area Network [WAN] services, this could also include HSCN network services.</strong></p> <p>14. Capita IT Services</p> <p>15. 31st March 2023</p> <p>16. Internet Services, Wifi, Managed Services, Technical Resources.</p> <p>17. 2</p> <p>18. £30k</p> <p>19. Procured through the SWAN framework.</p> <p>20. Justin Lilley, Procurement Manager, email <a href="mailto:procurement@sqa.org.uk">procurement@sqa.org.uk</a></p>

<p>I wish to submit a request to the organisation around their hosting contract(s) with 3rd party providers.</p> <p>The type of contract I wish to see is below:</p> <p>1.       Cloud Hosting- Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resources from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.</p> <p>Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation.</p> <p>For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:</p> <p>1.       Type of hosting – Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?</p> <p>2.       Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?</p> <p>3.       What is the annual contract value for each contract?</p> <p>4.       What type of cloud environment?</p> <p><strong>Private Cloud</strong> - a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate. </p> <p><strong>Public Cloud</strong> - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet.</p> <p><strong>Hybrid </strong>- integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.</p> <p>5.       What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the start date for each contract.</p> <p>6.       What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.</p> <p>7.       When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the review date for each contract.</p> <p>8.       What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?</p> <p>9.       What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,</p> <p>10.   Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details if possible name, title, contact email and number.</p> <p>You may have received the same request in the past. The information sent has now expired and I required an update as soon as possible. If all the information besides the contract dates are the same, I am happy to just receive an update on the contract dates</p><p>The information requested is in the document below</p>

<p>I would like to request the SQA's Corporate Risk Register in its current form and any revisions (or older versions) dating between 1 January 2015 and 13 February 2022.</p> <p>To specify it down more, I am specifically requesting entries in the register relating to (open or closed/delegated risks) issues of reputational risks that might be due to ministerial actions/decisions/or speech.</p><p>The information requested is within the document below.</p>

<p><strong>Contract 1 - contact centre/call centre contracts</strong></p> <p>Please send me the following information for each provider:</p> <p>1.       Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) please can you provide me with the supplier of the contract.</p> <p>2.       Annual Average Spend: the annual average (over 3 years) spends for each supplier</p> <p>3.       Contract Expiry: the date of when the contract expires.</p> <p>4.       Contract Review: the date of when the contract will be reviewed.</p> <p>5.       Contract Description: a brief description of the services provided of the overall contract.</p> <p>6.       Contact Details: The person from within the organisation responsible for the contract. Please provide me with their full name, actual job title, contact number and direct email address.</p> <p>7.       Number of Agents; please provide me with the total number of contact centre agents.</p> <p>8.       Number of Sites; please can you provide me with the number of sites the contact centre covers.</p> <p>9.       Manufacturer of the contact centre: Who is the manufacturer of the contact centre system that you operate?</p> <p>10.   Busy Periods: Please state the month(s) which the contact centre is at its highest/busiest during the year. This can be based upon the number of calls. Your provider may be able to tell you quicker. E.g., JAN-MAR, APR, JUNE.</p> <p>11.   Do you use Microsoft Exchange 2003 as your email server? If not, then which product do you use?</p> <p>12.   Number of email users: Approximate number of email users across the organisations.</p> <p>Please add any further comments attached to this contract if there are any changes coming to the organisation with regards to contact centres.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet below.</p>

<p><strong>My request relates to the use inbound network services contracts which could relate to one of the following: </strong></p> <p>1.       0800, 0845, 0870, 0844, 0300 number</p> <p>2.       Routing of calls</p> <p>3.       Caller Identifier</p> <p>4.       Caller Profile- linking caller details with caller records</p> <p>5.       Interactive voice response (IVR)</p> <p><strong>For contract relating to the above please can you provide me with?</strong></p> <p>1.       Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) please can you provide me with the supplier of the contract.</p> <p>2.       Annual Average Spend: the annual average (over 3 years) spends for each supplier</p> <p>3.       Contract Expiry: the date of when the contract expires.</p> <p>4.       Contract Review: the date of when the contract will be reviewed.</p> <p>5.       Contract Description: a brief description of the services provided of the overall contract.</p> <p>6.       Contact Details: The person from within the organisation responsible for the contract. Please provide me with their full name, actual job title, contact number and direct email address.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet below.</p>

<p>I would like to obtain the results of the last two Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) staff surveys that were carried out, including the verbatim comments - qualitative and quantitative.</p> <p> </p><p>The results of the last two surveys are contained within the attached documents. Please note that the employee engagement score is based on six questions asked in this survey and is an average of the total Strongly Agree and Agree responses for each of these questions.</p> <p>Whilst we are providing the results of the last two staff surveys, we consider the comments submitted by the respondents to the survey to be exempt under section 30(c) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 which states:</p> <p><strong>30 Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs</strong></p> <p>Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act—</p> <p>(a) would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the maintenance of the convention of the collective responsibility of the Scottish Ministers;</p> <p>(b) would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially—</p> <p>(i) the free and frank provision of advice; or</p> <p>(ii) the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation; or</p> <p><strong>(c) would otherwise prejudice substantially, or be likely to prejudice substantially, the effective conduct of public affairs.</strong></p> <p>Every year, SQA undertakes a staff survey to seek the opinions of all staff on a variety of issues relating to their work. This is closely aligned to the surveys undertaken by other public bodies. The surveys are undertaken on the SQA’s behalf by Ashbrook Research. The results are obtained and compiled by Ashbrook Research and then provided to SQA.</p> <p>Within each survey there is the opportunity for staff to enter any comments they feel are appropriate. These are provided by staff on the basis that such comments are given on an anonymised and confidential basis. This approach helps the organisation to understand staff sentiment and identify  opportunities for further development and improvement.</p> <p>We therefore consider that if staff feedback was to be made public, it would undermine the confidence that staff would have in expressing their views and would therefore diminish the input of staff to future surveys. This would substantially prejudice the conduct of public affairs both to staff relationships and trust and would adversely affect the ability of the SQA to conduct future surveys. It should be noted that the Ashbrook Research stated in the introductory information that “responses to this survey are strictly confidential”.</p> <p>We accept that when applying a section 30 exemption, a public authority is obliged to undertake a public interest test.</p> <p>It is considered that there may be a public interest in the comments being disclosed as this would show openness, transparency and accountability in the process. However, it is believed that, on balance, this is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption. It is important that the SQA is permitted to carry out its affairs effectively, which includes being able to obtain the honest opinions and comments of staff. The anonymous survey results data that is being released in response to your request provides a lot of information on staff opinion.</p> <p>The comments are collected by Ashbrook Research and are anonymised before they being provided to the SQA. However, whilst the obvious identifiers are removed it will still be possible for staff to be identified through the comments and it could be possible to further identify staff if released into the public domain.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p> <p>In compiling this response, SQA has also considered a previous decision made by the Scottish Information Commissioner which ruled on a request made to the Edinburgh Napier University for a University Staff Engagement Survey in 2018. The full decision notice is available at the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website at the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itspublicknowledge.info%2FApplicationsandDecisions%2FDecisions%2F2019%2F201800916.aspx&data=04%7C01%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7C95066eb9f7ab4d93d33808da00e44384%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C637823277762286992%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=bgAps5RBp0HZR1NuzTC6VN0q4fogCeY9uZRuKF27wNs%3D&reserved=0">Decision 007/2019 (itspublicknowledge.info)</a></p>

<p>For the 2022 SQA National Qualifications exam diet could you please tell me:</p> <ul> <li>How many invigilators have been recruited to date – and how many the SQA estimates will be required (please also provide a breakdown by local authority of the number required and the number recruited to date)</li> <li>How many markers the SQA requires for the National 5; Higher; and Advanced Higher exams – and how many have been recruited to date. Please provide a universal figure as well as a breakdown by subject and qualification of the number of markers required, and the number recruited to date. So when we receive this information we should be able to see, for instance, the number of markers the SQA estimates are required for Higher English, and the number recruited to date.</li> <li>Full details of invigilator fees</li> <li>Full details of marker fees</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>For the 2019 SQA National Qualifications exam diet could you please tell me:</p> <ul> <li>How many markers did the SQA employ to mark National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher papers?</li> <li>How many invigilators were recruited?</li> </ul><p>The information on the number of invigilators and markers is below.</p> <p>The calculation of number of invigilators required and the sourcing of invigilators is the responsibility of centres and therefore centres determine their own overall requirement based on a set of factors.</p> <p>The factors used by centres to determine invigilator requirements are:</p> <ul> <li>candidate entries (based on a ratio of one Invigilator to 35 candidates)</li> <li>the number of candidates which require alternative arrangements (separate accommodation requirements)</li> <li>the unique layout of the centre</li> </ul> <p>These factors can fluctuate from year to year which means recruitment requirements could be different for each year.</p> <p>The recruitment of invigilators can take place up to the day prior to the examination date to accommodate any changes to the above factors or the availability of already contracted invigilators. The stats provided are not therefore like for like – 2019 figure is the total number of invigilators contracted at the date of the first examination, the 2022 figure is the number contracted at 11 March 2022 and this figure will increase over the coming weeks.</p> <p>Please note that the breakdown provided does not include the requirements for independent schools or colleges.</p> <p>The Marker requirements are based on assumptions which are constantly monitored/adjusted throughout the recruitment process. The stats provided are therefore only accurate at that point in time.</p> <p>The recruitment of markers continues until the marker meeting date for individual marking teams.  The stats provided are not therefore like for like – 2019 figure is the total number of markers contracted, the 2022 figure is the number contracted at 11 March 2022 and this figure will increase over the coming weeks.</p> <p>The factors used by SQA to calculate marker requirements are:</p> <ul> <li>Candidate entries for each subject/level (stats have been run on projected entries for 2022 exams)</li> <li>Anticipated marking throughput rate for each subject/level</li> <li>Marking period for each subject/level</li> </ul> <p>Assumptions:</p> <ul> <li>Stats have been run at mid-point allocations on projected entries per subject/level - this allows for contingency if markers drop out immediately before or during the marking period.</li> <li>Figures provided are for Markers who have confirmed their ‘acceptance’ of their marking contract for 2022 at 11 March 2022.</li> </ul> <p>Information relating to invigilators’ fees is below.</p> <p>With regard to the markers’ fees:</p> <p>Marker fees are paid at a script rate for each script marked. Rates are based on the anticipated average time to mark a script for each subject/level. The script rates vary between marking teams and range from £1.20 - £28.80</p> <p>The total fee paid to markers therefore varies dependent on the number of scripts marked.</p>

<p>For the 2022 SQA National Qualifications exam diet could you please tell me:</p> <p>How many entries are there this year for each subject at National 5; Higher; and Advanced Higher. So, when we receive this information we should be able to see, for instance, the number of entries for Higher maths this year.</p><p>For a variety of reasons, entries for the annual National Qualifications examination diet are subject to considerable movement and cannot be finalised until closure of the examination timetable procedures.</p> <p>Centres work to entry submission dates of 5 November for schools, and 31 January for colleges.  All centres should have their initial entries submitted by these dates.</p> <p>At the point of submission entries are indicative, and are still subject to considerable movement. Throughout the session, centres work with candidates, and may decide for example, that changes of level are required or candidates should be withdrawn from a particular course/level.</p> <p>Centres are asked to notify SQA of all changes to initial entries by the end of March. However, changes can, and do frequently happen throughout the examination timetable. Where candidates do not sit an examination, the centre can decide to withdraw the entry. A candidate can also turn up on the day of an examination, and with the agreement of the centre undertake an examination which they have not been entered for. We work with centres to progress such cases.</p> <p>While we cannot currently provide fully collated and finalised figures, these will be available on our website on results day in August</p>

<p>Can you please give me the definition of guided learning hours. Does this mean face to face teaching for those hours? Does the lecturer have the discretion to set tasks for students to complete On their own without supervision?</p><p>Specifically in the context of SQA’s qualifications, guided learning hours is an historical term used by Ofqual that applies to some of SQA’s regulated qualifications. The term was changed to a combination of Total Qualification Time (TQT)  and Guided Learning in 2017. Under these new definitions Guided Learning is defined as follows:</p> <p>‘Guided Learning (GL):</p> <ul> <li>learning activity under the immediate guidance or supervision of a lecturer, supervisor, tutor or other appropriate provider of education or training.</li> <li>includes the activity of being assessed if the assessment takes place under the immediate guidance or supervision of a lecturer, supervisor, tutor or other appropriate provider of education or training. <ul> <li>Classroom-based learning supervised by a teacher</li> <li>Live webinar or telephone tutorial with a teach in real time</li> <li>E-learning supervised by a teacher in real time</li> <li>All forms of assessment which take place under the immediate guidance or supervision of an appropriate provider of training</li> <li>Exam time’</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p>

<p>With regard to the study support guides which were published online on 07/03/2022 but were intended to be released on 08/03/2022 please could you provide me with the following information:</p> <ol> <li>Who produced these study guides within SQA? Who was responsible for their preparation, what role did the individual hold?</li> <li>What time commitment was given for the preparation and review of these documents before being finalised?</li> <li>Who, if anyone, reviewed these documents externally to SQA before being finalised?</li> <li>What sign-off process was adopted to ensure parity across subjects and/or a consistent approach to providing support for students?</li> <li>Was there any senior sign off process in place for these, and if so, who signed them off? In addition to these questions please provide copies of any meeting notes, emails or other correspondence relating to the sign-off of these documents and any briefing documents / emails / correspondence relating to the initial process of drafting these - terms of reference etc.</li> </ol><p><strong>1) Who produced these study guides within SQA? Who was responsible for their preparation, what role did the individual hold?</strong></p> <p>Scenario 2 Revision Support For Learners documents were produced by Qualifications teams, which include Qualifications Managers, Qualifications Officers and Subject Implementation Managers employed by SQA for their teaching background and significant experience. Qualifications teams were responsible for drafting the documents or working with key appointees. Principal Assessors and/or Depute Principal Assessors and/or Principal Verifiers and/or Senior Team Leaders, many of whom are practising teachers/lecturers and all are experienced practitioners created or assisted with the creation of the subject specific content of these documents. This involvement varied between subjects relative to the nature of the revision support materials and original modifications made at the start of the session. If/when an opportunity allowed, some Qualifications teams were also able to discuss the type of Scenario 2 support being produced with teachers at meetings which were focusing on other aspects of SQA's work.</p> <p>It is also important to note that there was considerable discussion externally on the original modifications both for session 2020/21 via an external consultation (for further details please see <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/outcomes-national-consultation-2021.pdf" class="downloadPdf">Analysis of consultation responses</a> and for session 2021/22. The creation of Scenario 2 Revision Support For Learners documents was an extension of this early work.</p> <p><strong>2) What time commitment was given for the preparation and review of these documents before being finalised?</strong></p> <p>The process to enable the creation of Scenario 2 Revision Support For Learners documents started in mid-September 2021 and this process involved a number of steps before Qualifications teams started to draft the documents from early December 2021 onwards. Throughout this process and time period there were several review points by Qualifications teams and the Qualifications Development Management Team (consisting of the Director of Qualifications Development and all Qualifications Development Heads of Service). There was also engagement as detailed below in the response to question 3.</p> <p>The planning for Scenario 2 Revision Support For Learners documents started in mid-September 2021 with drafting of the documents beginning from early December 2021 onwards.</p> <p>SQA is not able to separate out the time/cost of creating Scenario 2 revision support materials from the overall time/cost of the Awarding 2022 Programme. Core staff time was utilised in the creation of these documents and that is not tracked at this level of activity.</p> <p>An extract of the project plan for Scenario 2 has been included along with this FOI response to further detail the activity and related time commitments associated with this piece of work. However, it is not possible to be more specific than this as SQA are not able to separate out the time/cost of creating Scenario 2 revision support materials from the overall time/cost of the Awarding 2022 Programme. Core staff time was utilised in the creation of these documents and that is not tracked at this level of activity.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>3) Who, if anyone, reviewed these documents externally to SQA before being finalised?</strong></p> <p>The documents were reviewed by senior key appointees for example, Principal Assessors and Depute Principal Assessors. In some cases, representatives from the following groups were also involved: National Qualifications Support Teams (NQSTs), Subject Implementation Manager networks, exam teams and/or subject associations. The level of engagement depended on the complexity of the subject requirements.</p> <p>Furthermore, a group of learners (who are also members of the SQA Learner Panel) provided feedback that reassured SQA that the support was suitable for the intended audience. The group sense checked the approach being taken via the review of three examples of blank templates. SQA could only share blank templates because of the confidential nature of the content of the documents (to give early sight of the Revision Support for Learners documents would put those learners at an advantage, since many of the documents detail content which will be assessed in the examination). In addition to this, some Qualifications teams worked directly with a small number of presenting centres to enable learners to provide direct feedback on subject specific documents (content, language and layout); this was used to shape the documents before publication.</p> <p><strong>4) What sign-off process was adopted to ensure parity across subjects and/or a consistent approach to providing support for students?</strong></p> <p>SQA's Research, Policy and Statistics team created a principles document to consistently guide Qualifications teams in the creation of Scenario 2 support. Based on this guidance and taking the original modifications into consideration, Qualifications teams created proposals for each of their courses. These proposals were then presented to the Qualifications Development Management Team (QDMT) for review and approval. This was an iterative process which involved several loops for some courses, before approval was finally given. A high level summary/overview of the proposals was also presented to the SQA Code of Practice Governance Group (comprised of the Chief Executive, the Director of Qualifications Development, the Director of Operations, the Director of Policy, Research and Statistics and the Director of Communications) prior to presentation to SQA's Advisory Council*; following which the proposals for several courses were again reviewed.</p> <p>*The SQA Advisory Council was established under the Scottish Qualifications Authority Act 2002 as a body independent from the SQA Board to consider and provide advice to SQA and Scottish Ministers. The Advisory Council is a unique partnership that provides a representation of SQA's stakeholders. The Council’s primary role is to consider and advise on matters relating to SQA’s qualifications, awards and functions. The aim of the Council is to offer sound and well-informed advice to SQA on the needs and views of stakeholders as well as working in such a way that recognises and involves key stakeholders as part of a commitment to openness.</p> <p><strong>5) Was there any senior sign off process in place for these, and if so, who signed them off?</strong></p> <p>The proposals for the Scenario 2 Revision Support for Learners documents were signed off by the Qualifications Development Heads of Service and also collectively by the Qualification Development Management Team. The final documents themselves were signed off (following the editing process) by the Qualifications Managers.</p> <p><strong>In addition to these questions please provide copies of any meeting notes, emails or other correspondence relating to the sign-off of these documents and any briefing documents / emails / correspondence relating to the initial process of drafting these - terms of reference etc.</strong></p> <p>Please see documents. The names of staff below Head of Service level at SQA have been redacted under section 38(1)(b) as this is deemed to be personal information and accordingly should not be released into the public domain.</p> <p>It should be noted that much of the initial process of drafting these documents was done verbally both within Qualifications teams and between Qualifications teams and senior appointees, prior to the draft documents being produced and shared with the key appointees (content discussions were held via Microsoft teams meetings); and as such, there are not any meeting notes in this regard. Nevertheless, please find the following documents below:</p> <p>(1) Policy, Research and Statistics Principles document</p> <p>(2) Email from Qualifications Portfolio Management to Qualifications teams with the 2022 Revision Support for Learners documents template</p> <p>(3) 2022 Revision Support for Learners documents template</p> <p>(4) Email from QD Editorial Team to Qualifications teams re Revision Support for Learners documents being ready for editing</p> <p>(5) Email from QD Editorial Team to Qualifications teams re Revision Support for Learners documents being ready for sign off</p> <p>(6) Action Log for the Qualifications Development Management Team Quality Assurance (QDMT QA) meetings</p> <p>(7) Extract from the Action Log for the Assessment Resources Project Team meetings</p>

<p>The numbers of staff and experience of individuals in Geography teaching and curriculum, who are responsible for setting National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Geography exam questions papers in 2022, and the Revision Guides released on 8th March 2022.</p><p>The information requested is as follows.</p> <p><u>2022 National 5 Geography</u></p> <p>11 teachers, with 3 to 9 years of senior Appointee experience</p> <p><u>2022 Higher Geography</u></p> <p>11 teachers, with 2 to 8 years of senior Appointee experience</p> <p><u>2022 Advanced Higher Geography</u></p> <p>9 teachers, with 2 to 6 years of senior Appointee experience</p> <p>The SQA does not hold the number of years of experience a teacher has in the profession. However, for a teacher to be considered for a senior Appointee role, they must be experienced teachers or lecturers and usually have completed a number of years as a Marker.</p> <p><u>Revision support 2022</u></p> <p>The revision support material was produced by SQA in consultation with Senior Appointees as mentioned above.</p>

<p>I am writing to request the following information about Higher Results in the 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 exam diets. Please provide:</p> <ul> <li>Percentage of pupils receiving 5 A’s</li> <li>Percentage of BAME students sitting 5 highers (if known)</li> <li>Percentage of BAME students receiving 5 A’s (if known)</li> </ul> <p>(band for A grades doesn’t matter)</p><p>Information relating to numbers attaining Highers is in the document below.</p> <p>Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>The SQA does not hold any information relating to ethic split in results. However, you may want to contact the Scottish Government at the following address:</p> <p>email <a href="mailto:ceu@gov.scot">ceu@gov.scot</a></p> <p>They may have some information relating to your request.</p>

<p>My information request regards the Scenario 2 option chosen by SQA to support learners in their upcoming examinations, beginning April 2022. Specifically for the study guide? resources provided for Chemistry and Physics at National 5 and Higher level. For each subject and level, I would like to know:</p> <ol> <li>How much consultation with current practising full time Chemistry and/or Physics teachers (not SQA team leaders or senior staff) took place to create these specific subject resources? Please provide notes of feedback received and changes made as a result of this consultation.</li> <li>Please inform me of how many people were consulted and their experience in teaching Chemistry and/or Physics. Please also include the number of people who were involved in the physical typing/planning of what would be presented in the study guide? for N5 and H Chemistry and Physics.</li> <li>Please give me details on how the Chemistry and Physics ?study guide? resources were moderated with resources and guides for other subject areas such as Mathematics, English and Business Education.</li> <li>Please inform me of which areas of the study guide? were specifically generated for the purpose of scenario 2 and not simply copied from other SQA documents such as course specifications and markers briefings.</li> <li>Please inform me of how candidates responded to the anonymised samples of the ?study guide? specifically for Chemistry and Physics before publication of the information on 7th/8th March. Please include any feedback comments on the content of the study guide and any suggestions that candidates felt may have improved the resource.</li> <li>Please inform me how much money it cost in GBP for a school to present one candidate for National 5 Chemistry in 2019</li> <li>Please inform me how much money it costs in GBP for a school to present one candidate for National 5 Chemistry in 2022.</li> </ol><p>For questions 1 to 5 inclusive, please see the information sheet below.</p> <p>For questions 6 and 7, local authority schools do not pay for individual National Qualification entries. Local authorities pay an agreed levy which has been set at the same amount since 2012-13 and does not vary based on the number of entries in any given year. This levy provides a contribution towards the cost of National Qualifications with the balance of funding provided by the Scottish Government through Grant in Aid.</p> <p>For independent schools the charge made for an individual entry for Chemistry would be £38.50 which would be same in 2019 as 2022.</p>

<p>Further to the original Hosting request, the contract below has expired. Please provide the current status.</p> <p>Ivanti Uk - cloud contract</p> <p>I wish to submit a request to the organisation around their hosting contract(s) with 3rd party providers.</p> <p>The type of contract I wish to see is below:</p> <ol> <li>Dedicated hosting- Managed environment</li> <li>Co-Location- hosting allows a business to still own their own server equipment; however, instead of storing it in their own data centre, they instead are able to store it in rented space in a colocation hosting centre.</li> <li>Cloud Hosting- Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resources from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.</li> </ol> <p>Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation.</p> <p>For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:</p> <ol> <li>Type of hosting – Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?</li> <li>Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?</li> <li>What is the annual contract value for each contract?</li> <li>What type of cloud environment? <ol> <li>Private Cloud- a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate. </li> <li>Public Cloud - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet.</li> <li>Hybrid- integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.</li> </ol> </li> <li>What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the start date for each contract.</li> <li>What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.</li> <li>When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the review date for each contract.</li> <li>What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?</li> <li>What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,</li> <li>Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details if possible name, title, contact email and number.</li> </ol><p>The information requested is in the document below.</p>

<p>How many leaflets your exams 2022 were produced (BD8491). In addition what was the budget allocated to the production of this booklet, including printing, graphic design and time. Was it produced in other languages; if so, which ones, and how many copies.</p><p>Your Exams 2022 was produced in the following editions and quantities:</p> <p>English (schools edition) – 155,000 copies</p> <p>English (colleges edition) – 7,500 copies</p> <p>Gaelic (schools edition) – 1,500 copies</p> <ul> <li>The cost for printing all copies of Your Exams was £33,828 exclusive of VAT.</li> <li>The cost of translating the English text into Gaelic was £476.82 exclusive of VAT.</li> </ul> <p>Graphic design was carried out by SQA’s in-house Communications Directorate.</p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold the information requested, we must advise you accordingly.</p> <p>No information is held on time spent by staff working on Your Exams.</p>

<p>1) Any internal communications from 28th February 2022 - 7th March 2022 inclusive on the content or release of the study guides.</p> <p>2) If number 1 is not possible, any internal communications from 28th February 2022 - 7th March 2022 inclusive on the content or release of Higher level (SCQF 6) study guides.</p> <p>3) Any internal communications on 7th March 2022-8th March 2022 inclusive on the content of the study guides and the subsequent updates made to the study guides.</p> <p>4) If number 3 is not possible, internal communications on 7th March 2022-8th March 2022 inclusive on the content of the Higher level (SCQF 6) study guides and the subsequent updates made to the Higher level (SCQF 6) study guides.</p> <p>5) Any internal communications from 28th February 2022-8th March 2022 inclusive on the content or release of the Higher English (SCQF 6) study guides.</p> <p>6) As offered, any evidence of engagement between parents/carers, young people, and teaching staff and the SQA.</p> <p>7) Any internal communications on the social media response to the study guides from 7th March 2022-14th March 2022 inclusive.</p><p>Information relating to questions 1-4 is in document Information Sheet Part 1 below</p> <p>Below is a link to the final version of the document mentioned in the email exchange relating to AH Computing Science</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2022-revision-support-learners-ah-computing-science.pdf">https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2022-revision-support-learners-ah-computing-science.pdf</a></p> <p><strong>5) Any internal communications from 28th February 2022-8th March 2022 inclusive on the content or release of the Higher English (SCQF 6) study guides.</strong></p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold the information requested, we must advise you accordingly. There is no internal communications on the content or release of the Higher English (SCQF 6) study guides during the requested time period.</p> <p><strong>6) As offered, any evidence of engagement between parents/carers, young people, and teaching staff and the SQA.</strong></p> <ul> <li>Scenario 2 Revision Support For Learners documents were produced by Qualifications teams, which include Qualifications Managers, Qualifications Officers and Subject Implementation Managers. Please note, that Subject Implementation Managers are employed by SQA for their teaching background and significant experience. Qualifications teams were responsible for drafting the documents or working with key appointees, to draft the documents. Namely, Principal Assessors and/or Depute Principal Assessors and/or Principal Verifiers and/or Senior Team Leaders (many of whom are practising teachers/lecturers and all are experienced practitioners) created or assisted with the creation of the subject specific content of these documents. This involvement varied between subjects relative to the nature of the revision support materials and original modifications made at the start of the session. It is important to note that there was considerable discussion externally on the original modifications both for session 2020/21 via an external consultation (for further details please see https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/outcomes-national-consultation-2021.pdf) and for session 2021/22. The creation of Scenario 2 Revision Support For Learners documents was an extension of this early work. </li> <li>If/when an opportunity allowed, some Qualifications teams were able to discuss the type of Scenario 2 support being produced with teachers at meetings which were focusing on other aspects of SQA's work.</li> <li>In some cases, representatives from the following groups were also engaged with regarding the documents: National Qualifications Support Teams (NQSTs), Subject Implementation Manager networks, exam teams and/or subject associations. The level of engagement depended on the complexity of the subject requirements. </li> <li>Furthermore, a group of learners (who are also members of the SQA Learner Panel) provided feedback that reassured SQA that the support was suitable for the intended audience. The group sense checked the approach being taken via the review of three examples of blank templates. It should be noted that SQA could only share blank templates because of the confidential nature of the content of the documents (to give early sight of the Revision Support for Learners documents would put those learners at an advantage, since many of the documents detail content which will be assessed in the examination). Some of the feedback from the group can be summarised in the bullet points below: <ul> <li>The learners liked the layout and format of the documents</li> <li>It seemed clear and easy to follow</li> <li>The learners felt the resource will be a benefit to them</li> <li>The learners expect the resources to be used by their teachers to shape revision guidance in class and for teachers to talk them through it</li> <li>Following that, the learners will use the resources personally as part of their own exam study/prep</li> <li>The learners would like a central hub of info for each subject (modifications, revision support, BBC bitesize links, past papers etc) so it’s easy to access</li> <li>A lot of discussion about having an integrated App for everything related to exams</li> <li>The learners will access the resource on their phones or tables rather than a laptop or PC</li> </ul> </li> <li>In addition to this, some Qualifications teams also worked directly with a small number of presenting centres to enable learners to provide direct feedback on subject specific documents (content, language and layout); this was used to shape the documents before publication.</li> </ul> <p><strong>7) Any internal communications on the social media response to the study guides from 7th March 2022-14th March 2022 inclusive.</strong></p> <p>Please see the document Information Sheet Part 2 below</p>

<p>This is an information request relating to the cost of producing an annual gender pay gap report.</p> <p>Please include the information for each of the following periods; 2019-20; 2020-21, 2021-22:</p> <ul> <li>The cost of producing each gender pay gap report, including a breakdown of the cost such as the number of FTE staff working on the report. This should cover the full process of producing the report including research, drafting, proof-reading, communications etc.</li> <li>Any internal assessments of the costs and benefits of producing the report</li> </ul><p>The total cost for each of the years as outlined within the request is outlined below: -</p> <p> </p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Year</th> <th scope="col">Cost (Approximate)</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>2019-2020</td> <td>£2,024.88</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2020-2021</td> <td>£2,066.20</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2021-2022</td> <td>£2,108.37</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>The total time in hours of producing the gender pay gap report is approximately 94.5 hours – this includes pulling, checking and analysing data, researching and writing the report, reviewing and revising the report as necessary, final review of the report, any final revisions, editing of the report and communication of the report.</p> <p>The total FTE of individuals involved in producing the gender pay gap report is 6.71 (this may vary from year to year).</p> <p>As a public body, SQA must comply with legislative requirements and produce a gender pay gap report. The report is a key part of our equality action plan and is linked to our equality outcomes. Its findings are used to help inform our actions and progress our equality agenda. There is no formal internal assessment of the costs and benefits of producing the report.</p>

<p>Please could you provide the following attainment statistics: The number of candidates who took four Advanced Highers in 2021 and received four band 1 A grades, split by state school vs independent school vs other. The number of candidates who took five Highers in 2020 and received five band 1 A grades, split by state school vs independent school vs other.</p><p>Please find the information requested within the table below:</p> <p>The information you have requested is provided in the table below.  To ensure that we comply with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, where the figure is less than five or could be deduced from the total, SQA does not report the actual figure.to protect individuals’ personal information.  In this case the figure has been replaced with an asterisk *.</p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 600px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Year</th> <th scope="col">Level</th> <th scope="col">Centre Type</th> <th scope="col"> <p>Number of</p> <p>Course Entries</p> </th> <th scope="col"> <p>Number of 'A'</p> <p>grade at Band 1</p> </th> <th scope="col"> <p>Number of </p> <p>Candidates</p> </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>2019/20</td> <td>Higher</td> <td>Education Authority</td> <td>5</td> <td>5</td> <td>338</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2019/20</td> <td>Higher</td> <td>Independent</td> <td>5</td> <td>5</td> <td>129</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2019/20</td> <td>Higher</td> <td>Other</td> <td>5</td> <td>5</td> <td>0</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2020/21</td> <td>Advanced Higher</td> <td>Education Authority</td> <td>4</td> <td>4</td> <td>32</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2020/21</td> <td>Advanced Higher</td> <td>Independent</td> <td>4</td> <td>4</td> <td>24</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2020/21</td> <td>Advanced Higher </td> <td>Other</td> <td>4</td> <td>4</td> <td>*</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p>

<p>I would like to submit a request for some information from the organisation, in relation to their contract’s register.</p> <p>The FULL contract register should display all the organisations existing/live contracts I would like the register to display the following columns/headings:</p> <ol> <li>Contract Reference -Unique reference number associated with the contract.</li> <li>Contract Title</li> <li>Procurement Category –Please state the category name of the contract, I wish to know the category the contract is under.</li> <li>Supplier Name</li> <li>Spend (Total, Annual or contract value)</li> <li>Contract’s Duration</li> <li>Contract’s Extensions</li> <li>Contract’s Start Date</li> <li>Contract’s Expiry Date</li> <li>Contract Description [Please provide me with as much detail as possible.]</li> <li>Contact Owner (Person that manages the contract register)</li> <li>CPV codes/Pro-Class</li> </ol> <p><strong>Contract Data/API Contact Details</strong></p> <ol> <li>Can you also provide me with contact details of the person responsible for the actual contract’s register or someone responsible for API? [Name, Job Title, Telephone, Email Address] At the very least provide me with their actual job title.</li> </ol> <p>(Meaning of API “a set of functions and procedures that allow the creation of applications which access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.”)</p> <p><strong>IMPORTANT</strong></p> <ol> <li>If the organisation has a CRM system or a similar system, there should be a facility to download and extract contract data.</li> <li>You may forward me a Weblink to a portal to download the contract register, please make sure all the organisation’s contracts are provided as doing prior research I have found that most organisations have only uploaded a small portion of all their contracts.</li> <li>For those organisations planning to make an exemption around spend, the spend information I have requested is an overall figure and I am not requesting a complete breakdown of services relating to the spend.</li> </ol> <p>Please provide me with the contract’s register file in an excel format.</p><p>The following link provides the information requested.</p> <p>This shows all the live contracts and can be filtered to include term and expired contracts.</p> <p><a href="https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Contracts/Contracts_Search.aspx?AuthID=AA00386">https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Contracts/Contracts_Search.aspx?AuthID=AA00386</a></p>

<p>I am writing to request information about this year’s marker appointees for English. Specifically, I am interested to discover what proportion of appointees for each component of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher English are currently teaching and what proportion are retired from the profession or not currently teaching.</p><table class="stripeMe" title="Appointee percentages in teaching"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Marking Team</th> <th scope="col">Teaching</th> <th scope="col">Retired/Not Currently Teaching</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>English Advanced Higher Paper 1 Literary Study</td> <td>94.29%</td> <td>5.71%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English Advanced Higher Paper 2 Textual Analysis</td> <td>85.29%</td> <td>14.71%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English Advanced Higher Portfolio: Writing</td> <td>91.43%</td> <td>8.57%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English Advanced Higher Project: Dissertation</td> <td>94.55%</td> <td>5.45%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English Higher Paper 1 Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation</td> <td>96.25%</td> <td>9.75%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English Higher Paper 2 Critical Reading</td> <td>96.05%</td> <td>3.95%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English Higher Portfolio: Writing</td> <td>95.03%</td> <td>4.97%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English National 5 Paper 1 Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation</td> <td>95.91%</td> <td>4.09%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English National 5 Paper 2 Critical Reading</td> <td>97.60%</td> <td>2.40%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>English National 5 Portfolio: Writing</td> <td>96.02%</td> <td>9.98%</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

<p>Please provide me with the Nat 5 and Higher 2022 pass rates for each individual school (public and private) in Scotland.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Further to the original Hosting request, the contract below has expired. Please provide the current status.</p> <p>I wish to submit a request to the organisation around their hosting contract(s) with 3rd party providers.</p> <p>The type of contract I wish to see is below:</p> <p>1.       Dedicated hosting- Managed environment</p> <p>2.       Co-Location- hosting allows a business to still own their own server equipment; however, instead of storing it in their own data centre, they instead are able to store it in rented space in a colocation hosting centre.</p> <p>3.       Cloud Hosting- Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resources from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.</p> <p>Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation.</p> <p>For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:</p> <p>1.       Type of hosting – Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?</p> <p>2.       Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?</p> <p>3.       What is the annual contract value for each contract?</p> <p>4.       What type of cloud environment?</p> <p>Private Cloud- a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate. </p> <p>Public Cloud - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet.</p> <p>Hybrid- integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.</p> <p>5.       What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the start date for each contract.</p> <p>6.       What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.</p> <p>7.       When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the review date for each contract.</p> <p>8.       What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?</p> <p>9.       What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,</p> <p>10.   Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details if possible name, title, contact email and number.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the sheet.</p>

<p>In 2016, what percentage of students *in 5th year* attained 5As at Higher, 4As, etc.? The statistics page lumps together people who took Highers in 5th & 6th year, and in college.</p> <p>Similarly, can you provide the same data for Nat 5 achievement in 2015 for 4th year students only.</p><p>The information you requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>What percentage of students, upon completing their studies in S6, have attained 5A's at Higher Level where B at Advanced Higher = A at Higher?.</p> <p>Clarification was requested and this was received on 27 June 2022, as follows</p> <p>Year: 2016.</p> <p>Consider a B at Advanced Higher equal to an A at Higher. So 5As under that condition. </p> <p>e.g. 3As at Higher and 2 Bs at Advanced Higher would equal 5As</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>I wish to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). Please contact me back in the first instance so I can confirm that the request has been received and passed to the correct person. The information I require is as follows (all queries relate to the current SQA examinations diet) : </p> <p>1. Please provide the percentage or ratio of your staff that are working from home during the exam diet period, versus working at an SQA office.</p><p>As part of our Smarter Working Programme, SQA introduced hybrid working arrangements during 2021. This enables colleagues, where business needs allow, to work from either their home or the office.</p> <p>The number of colleagues in our offices vary on a daily basis and the figures quoted below are therefore indicative and are based on all colleagues, not only those directly working on exam diet activities.</p> <p>Total head count              -              1113 (this includes 78 permanent home-based colleagues)</p> <p>Office working                   -              144</p> <p>Home working                   -              969</p>

<p>I wish to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). Please contact me back in the first instance so I can confirm that the request has been received and passed to the correct person. The information I require is as follows (all queries relate to the current SQA examinations diet) : </p> <p>2. Please provide the rationale or policy information regarding the 'live' management of telephone enquiries from Chief Invigilators. This should specifically detail which sections/ departments have been selected to provide a 'live' person answering queries from SQA Co-ordinators/ Chief Invigilators, and which sections/ departments' telephone numbers are unstaffed and/ or play a recorded message.</p> <p>3. Please provide the rationale or policy for the recorded message (invigilator enquiries) indicating that 'We are currently dealing with a high volume of enquiries... put your enquiry in an email to....'</p> <p>4. Please provide evidence of the organisational risk assessment (if any) when formulating the policy of contact management/ office staffing for invigilator enquiries during this year's exam diet. This should include any contingency or risks relating to 'on-the-day' urgent enquiries.</p> <p>5. Please provide the guidance or directive on the permitted/ recommended timescale for answering email queries from Chief Invigilators who have not been able to make any telephone contact to SQA.  </p><p><strong>Please provide the rationale or policy information regarding the 'live' management of telephone enquiries from Chief Invigilators. This should specifically detail which sections/ departments have been selected to provide a 'live' person answering queries from SQA Co-ordinators/ Chief Invigilators, and which sections/ departments' telephone numbers are unstaffed and/ or play a recorded messages</strong></p> <p>All telephone numbers to support SQA Co-ordinators/Chief Invigilators are manned. There are no specific recorded messages on invigilation helplines, but a recorded message is played on contact numbers within a call circuit when all lines are engaged.</p> <p>SQA’s Appointee Management and Operations business areas provide live telephone answering for queries for SQA Co-ordinators/Chief Invigilators.</p> <p>Our online guidance directs Chief Invigilators to our Invigilator Helpline  “Our online guidance directs invigilators to this helpline. (If you do have any difficulties, we have a dedicated support team to answer any questions you may have about the role of an invigilator. The team is available Monday to Thursday from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, and Friday from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm.  You can contact them either via email at  invigilation@sqa.org.uk or by calling on 0345 213 6987)”</p> <p><strong>Please provide the rationale or policy for the recorded message (invigilator enquiries) indicating that 'We are currently dealing with a high volume of enquiries... put your enquiry in an email to....' </strong></p> <p>During periods of peak activity we encourage callers to use email for enquiries that do not require an immediate response ie non urgent enquiries. This allows colleagues to focus on urgent telephone calls and to respond to email enquiries at quieter periods throughout the working day.</p> <p><strong>Please provide evidence of the organisational risk assessment (if any) when formulating the policy of contact management/ office staffing for invigilator enquiries during this year's exam diet. This should include any contingency or risks relating to 'on-the-day' urgent enquiries. </strong></p> <p>As part of our planning process for Diet 2021, we considered the impact our current working arrangements would have on the support we provide to customers and appointees. Arrangements were put in place to allow relevant colleagues, whether working in the office or at home, to access all systems, including connectivity to telephone helpdesks. Daily monitoring of calls to our contact numbers is carried out and resources realigned where necessary. Emails are prioritised on a daily basis to identify any enquiries that require immediate action.</p> <p><strong>Please provide the guidance or directive on the permitted/ recommended timescale for answering email queries from Chief Invigilators who have not been able to make any telephone contact to SQA.   </strong></p> <p>We have no directive on timescales to respond to email enquiries from Chief Invigilators. However, we aim to respond to email enquiries within 7 working days. However, this will depend on the volume and the nature of the enquiry that may require further investigation.</p>

<p>I am requesting the following information via email: -</p> <p>The current annual cost of press and media for your organisation, and the total number of personnel employed to handle press and media for your organisation</p> <p>What guidelines have been issued to your organisation by the Scottish Government on press releases and media.</p><p>SQA has three members of staff who handle press and media relations as a core part of their role; one at Grade 8, one at Grade 7, and one at Grade 6. The salary cost associated with these grades can be found below.</p> <p>Pay Bands – 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022</p> <p>Grade 8: £43,662 - £49,192</p> <p>Grade 7: £37,585 - £42,799</p> <p>Grade 6: £30,813 - £35,609</p> <p>SQA has received no guidance from the Scottish Government on press releases and media. However, the Scottish Government provides guidance, including on communications, to all public bodies for conduct during elections, the most recent of which was the local council elections in May 2022.</p>

<p>Please send any information relating to the provision of BSL in schools. Please send information relating to the development of Nat Certificate 5 (BSL) Please send a copy of your BSL plan or direct me to it.</p><p>Provision of BSL in schools</p> <p>SQA offers a few standalone units that can be delivered by schools and these units have been available since 2013:</p> <p>Unit Title                          SCQF level         Unit code        Web link</p> <p>British Sign Language    SCQF  level 3      F8Y0 09          <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files/nq/F8Y009.pdf">British Sign Language SCQF 3</a></p> <p>British Sign Language     SCQF level 4      H3PA 10          <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files/nq/H3PA10.pdf">British Sign Language SCQF 4</a></p> <p>British Sign Language     SCQF level 5      H3PA 11          <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files/nq/H3PA11.pdf">British Sign Language SCQF 5</a></p> <p>British Sign Language     SCQF level 6      H3PA 12          <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files/nq/H3PA12.pdf">British Sign Language SCQF 6</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/65528.html">British Sign Language (BSL) - National Units</a></p> <p>More recently SQA has developed awards in BSL at SCQF levels 3, 4, 5 and 6. The award at SCQF level 3 is made up of two units and the awards at SCQF levels 4, 5 and 6 each contain three units.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/90359.html"> Awards in British Sign Language</a></p> <p>Development of Nat Certificate 5 (BSL)</p> <p>SQA offers many different types and sizes of qualification, each designed to cater for different groups of learners. The type of qualification we call National Certificates are large group awards that usually contain around 12 units (or 72 SCQF credit points). National Certificates are usually vocational qualifications and mainly delivered by colleges. We do not intend to develop a National Certificate in BSL.</p> <p>When SQA was looking to develop new qualifications for BSL that could be offered in schools, it was decided that we needed a qualification of an equivalent size and level as a National Course, so that it would fit easily into the normal school timetable. We therefore used the category or type of qualifications referred to as Awards. This allowed us to develop qualifications comprising 18 SCQF Credit Points at level 3 and 24 SCQF Credit Points at SCQF levels 4, 5 and 6, the same size as National Courses at these levels.</p> <p>SQA’s BSL plan</p> <p>SQA does not have a specific plan in relation to BSL.</p> <p>The British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 made it a requirement that all listed authorities prepare and publish plans in relation to BSL. However, SQA was not one of the listed authorities.</p> <p>SQA is specifically mentioned in Action 19 of the British Sign Language National Plan 2017 2023: <a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/british-sign-language-bsl-national-plan-2017-2023/">BSL National Plan 2017</a></p> <p>Action 19 states that Scottish Ministers will:</p> <p>‘Work with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to develop an initial suite of awards in BSL, which will form the basis for any future development of BSL qualifications up to Level 6 of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)’.</p> <p>As mentioned above, SQA has already developed awards in BSL at SCQF levels 3, 4, 5 and 6, in line with the national plan.</p>

<p>By the end of S5 in 2016, what percentage of students had attained at least 7 As at Nat 5 + 4 Highers at A level.</p><p>From the 41,577 S5 learners taken from the Data & Analytics statistical data set, in December 2016 4.7% attained at least 7 A’s at National 5 and at least 4 A’s at Higher over the course of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.</p>

<p>For the 2019 HND Counseling cohort which is the number of practice hours required by SQA for completion of Unit HL9K 35, Counselling: Supervised Practice?</p><p>As stated in the Group Award Specification for HND in Counselling, p23, Section 6.1 ‘Learners must achieve a total of 100 hours in placement to complete the HN Diploma.’</p> <p>The Group Award Specification can be found on the SQA website via this link: <a href="http://https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/G8H615_GM4H16.pdf">Group Award Specification HNC & HND in Counselling</a></p>

<p>In line with freedom of information legislation, I would be grateful if you could comply with the following requests.</p> <p>Please give me a list of human rights due diligence checks your organisation has conducted since the publication of the Scottish Government document, Guidance on due diligence: human rights, detailing in each case whether or not you proceeded with an investment relationship or business agreement following the undertaking of these checks. Please also detail any instances of non-compliance with the guidance that have been reported. If unable to provide such a list, please confirm for me whether your organisation was previously aware of or has ever given consideration to this guidance, including whether you are aware of having been notified of it by a representative of the Scottish Government or other public body.</p><p>SQA's response</p> <p>1 The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is fully aware of the ‘Guidance on Due Diligence: Human Rights’ document as published by Scottish Government on 14 June 2018.</p> <p>2 SQA acknowledges and fully accepts the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and, the aforementioned advice and guidance issued by the Scottish Government on human rights.</p> <p>3 Based on this guidance from Scottish Government, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) developed and implemented a Human Rights and Due Diligence Policy with appropriate Guidance and checks undertaken. This can be accessed on the SQA website at Human Rights Policy and Due Diligence Guidance - SQA  </p> <p>4 SQA has zero financial investments with any organisation as noted in the Guidance document from Scottish Government.</p> <p>5 As a result of the implementation of our Human Rights Policy and Guidance, there has been no non-compliance of organisations or individuals that SQA wishes to engage with.</p> <p>6 In light of information from various sources during our checks, SQA decided to step back from markets in:</p> <p>Myanmar</p> <p>Kingdom of Saudi Arabia</p> <p>Brunei</p> <p>Sri Lanka</p> <p>Bangladesh</p> <p>Kingdom of Bahrain</p>

<p>1. Confirm whether your organisation applied to be part of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index in A) 2018 (for 2019), B) 2019 (for 2020) or C) 2021 (for 2022)  (NB the index was suspended in 2020/21 because of Covid)</p> <p>2. Give details of the total amount of money you paid to Stonewall in 2021 whether or not as payment for goods or services.</p> <p>3. State whether you intend to continue your membership of any Stonewall scheme in the future, and if so which.</p> <p>If the answer to any part of 1 is yes please supply:</p> <p>4.  Any application you made in 2021 to be included on Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, including any attachments or appendices to those applications. Please redact personal details if necessary.</p> <p>5. Any feedback you received in 2018/19 or 2019/20 or 2021/22  from Stonewall in relation to either application or programme. This must include the priorities or objectives written by your organisation’s representative at the end of the feedback form (under the heading ‘Priorities for the year ahead’ in 2019; ‘Your priorities’ in 2020).</p><p>1. SQA made no application to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index in A) 2018 (for 2019), B) 2019 (for 2020) or C) 2021 (for 2022)</p> <p>2. SQA paid £3,000 to Stonewall Scotland in 2021 to renew its Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership.</p> <p>3. Each year we review our membership and accreditations, looking at both their desirability to SQA and how they align with our strategic priorities. We haven’t yet taken a decision whether to continue our Stonewall Diversity Champion membership in 2023.</p> <p>If the answer to any part of 1 is yes please supply:</p> <p>4.  Not applicable.</p> <p>5. Not applicable.</p>

<p>I’d like to find out how many SQA exam papers went missing this year (2021-2022), for all levels of assessment from Nat 5 to Advanced Higher. In other words, students papers that were lost while in the possession of the SQA, either physically or digitally. If I could receive a total number of missing papers and a breakdown for each qualification level</p><p>SQA handles almost a million exam papers a year. Given the volume of papers that are handled, a small number do go missing, which is regrettable. This is an issue common to all awarding bodies. Therefore, SQA has an established contingency process in place to cater for such instances.</p> <p>In session 2021/22, there were a total of c837000 exam papers processed by SQA. Of these, a total of 63 were confirmed by SQA as missing. The breakdown by qualification level is as follows:</p> <p>National 5 : 16</p> <p>Higher: 40</p> <p>Advanced Higher: 7</p>

<p>I am asking for the following under freedom of information legislation:</p> <p>In the financial years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 how much has money the SQA lost as a result of fraud?</p> <p>In the financial years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 how much has been spent by the SQA to retrieve money lost to fraud?</p><p>For the financial years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 there was no money lost as a result of fraud and accordingly no money was spent to retrieve money lost to fraud.</p>

<p>I am asking for the following under freedom of information legislation:</p> <p>Employee turnover figures for years 2021 and 2022 (to date)</p> <p>Please can this be broken down by:</p> <p>Resignation</p> <p>Dismissal</p> <p>Redundancy </p> <p>For the financial years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 how much has been spent to recruit staff as a result of resignation and dismissal.<br /> How much has been spent on recruitment agencies currently being used for the supply of agency staff? For 2021-2022 and 2022-2023</p><p>Employee turnover figures for years 2021 and 2022 (to date)</p> <p>Please can this be broken down by</p> <p>Resignation</p> <p>Dismissal</p> <p>Redundancy</p> <p>                                 2021 Calendar Year         2022 Calendar Year (Year to date)<br /> Resignation                         55                                       64<br /> Dismissal                             2                                          1<br /> Redundancy                        0                                          0</p> <p><br /> <strong>For the financial years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 how much has been spent to recruit staff as a result of resignation and dismissal. </strong></p> <p><br />                                  2020-2021 Financial Year £  2021-2022 Financial Year £<br /> Resignation                       £5,455                                £22,683<br /> Dismissal                           £0                                       £0<br /> Redundancy                      £0                                       £0</p> <p><br /> <strong>How much has been spent on recruitment agencies currently being used for the supply of agency staff? For 2021-2022 and 2022-2023</strong></p> <p><br /> 2021-2022 Academic Year (1st August 2021 to 30 June 2022)         £1,275,420            </p> <p>2022-20223 Academic Year (Year to date 1st -12th August 2022)    £22,718<br />                                  </p>

<p>How much was spent in severance pay in the years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022.</p> <p> </p><p>The costs of severance payments for 2020-21 can be found on page 75 within the SQA published Annual Report and Accounts accessible at:  <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2020-21-annual-report-accounts.pdf">Annual Report and Accounts 2020–21</a></p> <p>The Annual Report and Accounts for 2021-22 are still subject to approval and will be laid in Parliament in accordance with statutory requirements prior to 31st December  2022. As the Annual Report and Accounts are prepared in accordance with the Financial Reporting Manual the information requested will be publicly available within the notes to the accounts as is the case in previous years.</p>

<p>I would be grateful if you could provide the following information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p> <p>This year students sitting exams in Scotland received their results from the SQA – however ahead of schools finishing for the summer break they were told to share the school/teacher estimated grade with pupils</p> <p>I would like to understand the extent to which these grades [estimated by teachers] differed from the results students received from the SQA earlier this month</p> <p>Could you please provide me with any information showing the difference between the final grades awarded by SQA in 2022 and teacher estimated grades provided to SQA.</p> <p>Please note for the 2019 results the SQA carried out an analysis of how accurately teachers predicted their pupils final awards. That analysis found 48 per cent of grades estimated at National 5 in 2019 had resulted in those grades. The equivalent figure for Higher was 44 per cent; at Advanced Higher, it was 43 per cent.</p> <p>I would like this information - but for 2022.</p> <p>I would also like to understand if teacher estimates were higher or lower than the grades awarded by SQA earlier this month</p><p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance, the information is exempt from disclosure under section 27(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 as it is held with a view to being published at a future date. The information will be published on our website on 02 November 2022. We consider it to be reasonable that the information be withheld from disclosure until that time. The information will be available within our statistics section on the website, <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48269.html">Statistics and information - SQA</a>. If this changes we will contact you to let you know. </p>

<p>This is an information request relating to the number of staff who are contractual home workers.</p> <p>Please include the following information:</p> <p>The number of staff that currently work employed by the organisation that are contractual home workers</p> <p>Please also include the following information:</p> <p>The number of contractual home workers employed by the organisation in each of the last three financial years: 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22</p> <p>By “the department” I mean the core department</p> <p>By “contractual home workers” I mean employees who have it written into their contracts that their normal working arrangements are to work from home.</p><p><strong>The number of staff that currently work employed by the organisation that are contractual home workers</strong></p> <p>There are 78 members of staff employed at SQA who are contractual home workers.</p> <p><strong>The number of contractual home workers employed by the organisation in each of the last three financial years: 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22</strong></p> <p>For the financial year 2019-2020 there were 62 contractual home workers.</p> <p>For the financial year 2020-2021 there were 71 contractual home workers.</p> <p>For the financial year 2021-2022 there were 77 contractual home workers.</p>

<p>I would like to get information on the experience level of the markers for National 5 and Higher Art and Design in both Design and Expressive practical exams. For instance o Percentages of teaching experience by years in post , how many markers were marking this year for the first time and how many were sent home from marking due to inconsistant assessment. Also how many were told they would not be re-employed next year due to inconsistant or unnacceptable performance<br />  </p><p>SQA's response<br /> <strong>Experience level of markers</strong><br /> We do not hold details of teaching experience for our markers. Markers are asked to confirm that they are currently teaching the subject/level at each annual appointment cycle and that they meet the criteria for the role.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Markers marking this year for the first time</strong></p> <p>The undernoted stats show the total number of markers contracted to each team during 2022 examinations and the number of markers who were new to each of these teams this year. While these markers marked for the first time this year in these teams, they may have previously marked other subjects/levels or marked other subjects/levels this year.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Marking team                                                       2022 total markers        Markers new to team in 2022</strong><br /> Art and Design Higher Portfolio: Design                         55                                               27<br /> Art and Design Higher Portfolio: Expressive                   52                                               31<br /> Art and Design National 5 Portfolio: Design                    59                                               30<br /> Art and Design National 5 Portfolio: Expressive              53                                               27</p> <p><br /> <strong>Number of markers sent home from marking during 2022 due to inconsistent assessment</strong><br /> No markers in these teams were sent home due to inconsistent assessment during the 2022 marking period.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Number of markers not being offered contracts for 2023</strong><br /> No markers in these teams were told they would not be offered a marking contract in 2023 due to inconsistent or unacceptable performance.</p>

<p>I am doing a research project investigating call-off contracts in the public sector. I have identified some potential call-off contracts awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, but I can't find details of the framework agreements they were awarded from. </p> <p>I have attached an Excel file that contains the information I am looking at. The last two columns ("Title of framework used" and "Contracts Finder or TED link of framework agreement") is where I am missing information - please could you fill these in. </p> <p>Please note that I have identified these contracts as possible call-off contracts, so some of them might not be. Some could be, for instance, procured directly (without being called off from a framework agreement), or could be themselves notices of the establishment of a framework agreement. Therefore I would kindly ask you to specify in these incidences what kind of procurement was used in the "Title of framework used" column. </p> <p>I have provided the title, description, details of the email contact from the notice, the publication date, and procedure type used to award each potential call-off, as well as a URL link to the call-off in question and a unique reference ID for each potential call-off. Please let me know if there is anything else you need to complete the request.</p> <p>If you do not feel like this request could be completed in good time, please could you work down the list and do as much of a subset as you can?</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Further to the original Hosting request, the contract below has expired. Please provide the current status.</p> <p>I wish to submit a request to the organisation around their hosting contract(s) with 3rd party providers.</p> <p>The type of contract I wish to see is below:</p> <p>1.       Dedicated hosting- Managed environment</p> <p>2.       Co-Location- hosting allows a business to still own their own server equipment; however, instead of storing it in their own data centre, they instead are able to store it in rented space in a colocation hosting centre.</p> <p>3.       Cloud Hosting- Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resources from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.</p> <p>Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation.</p> <p>For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:</p> <p>1.       Type of hosting – Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?</p> <p>2.       Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?</p> <p>3.       What is the annual contract value for each contract?</p> <p>4.       What type of cloud environment?</p> <p>Private Cloud- a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate. </p> <p>Public Cloud - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet.</p> <p>Hybrid- integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.</p> <p>5.       What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the start date for each contract.</p> <p>6.       What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.</p> <p>7.       When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the review date for each contract.</p> <p>8.       What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?</p> <p>9.       What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,</p> <p>10.   Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details if possible name, title, contact email and number.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I wish to obtain the following documents:</p> <p>ICT/IM&T/IS Strategy- The IT department strategy or plans, highlights their current and future objectives.</p> <p>ICT Org Chart- A visual document that presents the structure of the IT department, please include name and job titles. If this cannot be sent, please work towards a structure with job titles.</p> <p>ICT Annual or Business Plan- Like the ICT strategy but is more annually focused.</p> <p>ICT Capital Programme/budget- A document that shows financials budget on current and future projects.</p> <p>Clarification Received: I am seeking all the documents for the year 2022. Please provide.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the document.</p>

<p>I am looking for details of any discussions (letters, emails, reports/ papers about introducing a BSL SCHOOL qualification e.g. a Nat 5, including information relating to the decision not to "develop a National Certificate in BSL". I'd like to better understand the rationale for this. Please provide information e,g, reports/ recommendations/ emails relating to this decision</p><p>In September 2015 a briefing paper was prepared for SQA’s then Chief Executive, which raised the possibility of developing new qualifications in British Sign Language (BSL). The briefing note is attached, entitled ‘BSL Update Sept 2015’.</p> <p>After the briefing paper was produced, the Scottish Government arranged a series of three workshops to discuss taking forward BSL in Scottish schools. These were held in November 2015, January 2016 and May 2016. We only have information relating to the May 2016 meeting and a transcript of this meeting is attached, entitled ‘Meeting Note of Building a Sustainable Framework for BSL in Schools’. Please note that the names of non-SQA staff have been redacted from the meeting note under section 38(1)(a) of the Act.</p> <p>SQA participated fully in these workshops, along with other key partners, and presented in workshop 1 and workshop 3. A way forward, which involved a commitment to develop new group awards in BSL, was agreed to enhance existing qualification provision. These presentations are attached, entitled ‘BSL Seminar RQ’ and ‘BSL Seminar3 RQ’.  Following this, SQA agreed internally via its Business Case Group to develop and support centres with the new awards.</p> <p>The Scottish Government created a National Plan for BSL, and our response to that draft is attached. As part of the final plan, we were tasked with developing new awards in BSL. The final plan can be found on the Scottish Government website using the following link:</p> <p><a href="http://British Sign Language (BSL): National Plan 2017 to 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)">British Sign Language (BSL): National Plan 2017 to 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)</a></p>

<p>Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would request you to respond to questions included in the attachment.</p> <p>For any reason if you are unable to open the attachment do let me know. I can then send the questions within the email itself.</p> <p>Please note: If you do not have records relating to the questions in the attachment, please pass on this request to your IT department to provide us with the required information.</p><p>The information for questions 1 and 2 is contained within the attached document.</p> <p>However, the information requested is question 3 is considered exempt under section 35(1)(a) of the Act which states:</p> <p>35        Law enforcement</p> <p>(1)        information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially—</p> <p>(a) the prevention or detection of crime;</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the information requested is exempt under section 35(1)(a) of the Act as the public disclosure of information about our IT systems would potentially compromise the security of the services delivered. Providing details of specific systems or products used by SQA would leave the organisation vulnerable to potential cyber-attack</p> <p>When applying a section 35 exemption we have to consider the public interest.</p> <p>We consider that there is likely to be very little public interest in the types of software applications that are used by the organisation. It is much more in the public interest that the security of our IT systems is not compromised. Accordingly, the public interest in maintaining the exemption, outweighs that of releasing the information.</p>

<p>You asked SQA for the following information:</p> <p>SVQ 2 Health and Social Care at SCQF level 6</p> <p>How many learners enrolled, and separately how many passed (and/or a pass conversion rate) for this qualification in the last 3 years (separated out by year, either calendar year or financial year will suffice), based on:<a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47015.html"> SVQ 2 Health and Social Care SCQF level 6  </a></p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet. Please note that we operate on academic years, from 01 August to 31 July.</p>

<p>I would like to request information for the following years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 1) What were the number of SVQ level 3 Dental Nursing applicants? 2) How many people completed the SVQ level 3 Dental Nursing qualification?</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Please publish the highest mark achieved at National 5 in all subjects 2022</p><p>Response to your request is held within the information table</p>

<p>How many markers did the SQA require for the 2022 National 5; Higher; and Advanced Higher exams – and how many were actually recruited.</p> <p>Please provide a universal figure as well as a breakdown by subject and qualification of the number of markers required, and the number actually recruited. So when we receive this information we should be able to see, for instance, the number of markers the SQA estimated were required for Higher English, and the number that were actually recruited.</p> <p>Please provide any information setting out how SQA ensures markers are marking to the national standard? For clarity this is to include: how is the markers’ marking checked/verified? And any guidance issued by SQA to staff or appointees re. how they go about ensuring markers mark to national standards.</p> <p>Please share any information/data/figures collected by the SQA on the outcome of any quality assurance of marking for the 2022 exams. For clarity I’m seeking to understand how frequently markers have their marking checked and how often marking is found to not be in line with national standards</p> <p>For the 2022 exams how many markers were found to be not marking in line with national standards?</p> <p>For the 2022 exams how many markers were discontinued due to failure to mark to the national standards?</p><p><strong>How many markers did the SQA require for the 2022 National 5; Higher; and Advanced Higher exams – and how many were actually recruited.</strong></p> <p><strong>Please provide a universal figure as well as a breakdown by subject and qualification of the number of markers required, and the number actually recruited. So when we receive this information we should be able to see, for instance, the number of markers the SQA estimated were required for Higher English, and the number that were actually recruited.</strong></p> <p>The information is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>The marker stats have been run at 20 June 2022 as this was the end of our recording period for 2022 examinations.</p> <p>The factors used by SQA to calculate marker requirements are:</p> <p>Candidate entries for each subject/level (stats have been run on live entries for 2022 exams as live entries had been confirmed at that time)<br /> Anticipated marking throughput rate for each subject/level<br /> Marking period for each subject/level</p> <p>Assumptions:</p> <p>Stats have been run on live entries per subject/level at max-point allocations.<br /> Figures provided are for markers who, on 20 June 2022, were an active marker on our system.<br /> Throughout the marking process marker numbers change daily due to markers withdrawing, not attending the briefing session or being withdrawn by SQA during the marking period for their subject.</p> <p>Please note that the stats provided are only accurate at the point in time when the report was run.</p> <p>Where marker numbers drop below the required number either immediately before the marking period eg markers who have accepted their contract but do not attend the Marker Briefing, contingency arrangements are invoked to ensure marking is completed e.g. additional allocations to the remainder of the marking team or an extension to the marking period.</p> <p><strong>Please provide any information setting out how SQA ensures markers are marking to the national standard? For clarity this is to include: how is the markers’ marking checked/verified? And any guidance issued by SQA to staff or appointees re. how they go about ensuring markers mark to national standards.</strong></p> <p>Before the marking period guidance materials are issued to all markers and online training is also provided. Marker briefing sessions are held immediately before marking begins. Many marker briefings include in depth group discussion in small groups looking at exemplars and discussing the standard so that markers leave with a clear understanding of what is expected of them and the support that will be in place to assist them.</p> <p>For subjects that are electronically marked (MFI - Marked from Image)</p> <p>Prior to commencing marking, appointees must undertake a number of Qualification scripts and perform to a sufficiently high pre agreed level of marking to be allowed to proceed to live marking. Appointees failing to achieve the pre agreed standard of marking are placed on hold and must be approved for marking by their Team Leader following feedback to bring them on standard. The number of Qualification scripts for each component is varied and is determined by Qualifications colleagues prior to the diet. During the marking period - marking is checked at regular intervals throughout the marking process by the use of ‘seeded scripts’. The normal ratio for seeded scripts is 1 in 20.  The marking is also sampled by a Team Leader at a minimum ratio of 1 in 20.  The Team Leader will increase sampling where necessary. Where there are issues in the marking, the marker is put on hold until a conversation takes place with their Team Leader. This is a supportive process to highlight where the marker is off standard and to provide guidance/support to ensure they continue on standard.</p> <p>For subjects that are marked from paper (MFP - Marked from Paper)</p> <p>A marker check procedure takes place after the marking has been completed and returned to SQA.  Each marker has a sample of their marking checked and if found not to be to national standard then it is finalised at a later procedure so that no candidate is affected by a marker that is lenient, severe or inconsistent. </p> <p><strong>Please share any information/data/figures collected by the SQA on the outcome of any quality assurance of marking for the 2022 exams. For clarity I’m seeking to understand how frequently markers have their marking checked and how often marking is found to not be in line with national standards</strong></p> <p>The information for this is contained within the responses above and below.</p> <p>For the 2022 exams how many markers were found to be not marking in line with national standards?</p> <p>182 markers who completed the marking process were found to not have met the national standards.</p> <p>For the 2022 exams how many markers were discontinued due to failure to mark to the national standards?</p> <p>There were 27 markers discontinued. This information relates only to those subjects that have qualification and seeded scripts as part of the marking process, so relates only to subjects which are marked electronically (MFI).</p>

<p>Please send the total number of entries and awards for the years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 for: 1) SVQ level 3 dental nursing 2) PDA Dental Nursing SCQF level 7 If possible, please also include entries and awards per each age</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>Can you please tell me (out of all the students that sat at least one advanced higher in 2018) got 0, 1, 2 etc. A grades, and what percentage of candidates fell into this category (i.e. out of all the students sitting advanced highers, what percentage of them got one A).</p> <p>And ditto but for A band one grades, please.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I am asking for the following under freedom of information legislation:</p> <p>For the years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 how much was spent on external companies to handle PR, comms and lobbying?</p> <p>Please provide:</p> <p>The total cost for the years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022.<br /> The amount of money paid to each firm (including VAT)</p> <p>For the years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, how much was spent social media advertising, including a breakdown by year and by form of social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)</p><p>Thank you for your request for information from SQA.</p> <p> </p> <p>1 SQA used the services of The Big Partnership to support communications activity in these years – please find the costs attached. SQA brought all media relations activity in-house at the end of March 2022 and therefore no longer uses a communications agency.</p> <p>2 A breakdown of paid-for social media costs is attached. Paid-for social media activity is highly cost-effective and helps ensure SQA gets important information to learners, parents and other audiences. Examples include signposting learners to information and support ahead of SQA exams, and the appeals service.</p>

<p>I am requesting the following under freedom of information legislation:</p> <p>For the years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 what was the financial loss on written off inventory and IT equipment.</p> <p>For the years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 what was the cost of replacing/fixing broken or out of date IT equipment.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>For information, a shift to hybrid working has created a one-off increase in replacement costs as noted in the figures.</p>

<p>Please could you provide me with the attached information about your organisation's ICT expenditure<br /> Please include expenditure for the period April to March (or closest period based on your financial year). Please enter in £s, not £000s or £ms.<br /> Please include revenue and capital expenditure, if possible.<br /> Item<br /> Networking Services<br /> Networking Equipment<br /> Mobility Services<br /> Mobile Devices<br /> Fixed Line Services<br /> Fixed Line Devices<br /> Security Equipment<br /> Please do not include spend through a managed service. If any or all of the above are provided through a managed service, please enter '0', and state 'Managed service' in Comments column.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I am writing to request the following information about marks in 2022. Please provide: - the highest mark achieved in each subject (National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher) - the number of candidates who achieved said mark - the highest mark achieved in each component of assessment for each subject, e.g. the highest mark in paper 1 and paper 2 in Mathematics for N5, Higher and Adv. Higher</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would like to know what the highest mark achieved in each subject (National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher) in 2022 was, and how many candidates achieved said mark?</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Hi, Can you give me the following details please</p> <p>1. The number of pupils who were presented for N3, N4, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher Chemistry but NOT also presented for a Biology or Physics or Environmental Science qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for chemistry and no other science subjects)</p> <p>2. The number of pupils who were presented for N3, N4, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher Physics but NOT also presented for a Biology or Chemistry or Environmental Science qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for physics and no other science subjects)</p> <p>3. The number of pupils who were presented for N3, N4, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher Biology but NOT also presented for a Chemistry or Physics or Environmental Science qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for biology and no other science subjects)</p> <p>4. The number of pupils who were presented for N3, N4, N5, Higher Environmental Science but NOT also presented for a Chemistry or Physics or Biology qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for Environmental Science and no other science subjects)</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Can I please make a request under the Freedom of Information Act and I would like to request the following information about the organisation’s Local Area Network (LAN) environment. You may have received the same request in the past and this information sent has now expired and I require an update as soon as possible.</p> <p>Please can you send me the organisation’s Local Area Network (LAN) contract, which may include the following:</p> <p>·         Support and Maintenance- e.g. switches, router, software etc</p> <p>·         Managed- If this includes services than just LAN.</p> <p>1.       Contract Type: Managed or Maintenance</p> <p>2.       Existing Supplier: Who is the current supplier?</p> <p>3.       Annual Spend for each supplier: What is the annual average spending on the supplier above? If there is more than one supplier, please split the annual averages spent for each supplier.</p> <p>4.       Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable.</p> <p>5.       Number of Sites: The number of sites, where equipment is supported by each contract.</p> <p>6.       Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment?</p> <p>7.       Contract Description: Please provide me with a brief description of the overall contract.</p> <p>8.       Contract Duration: What is the duration of the contract is and can you please also include any extensions this may include.</p> <p>9.       Contract Expiry Date: When does the contract expire?</p> <p>10.   Contract Review Date: When will the organisation be planning to review the contract?</p> <p>11.   Responsible Officer: Contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address?</p> <p>If the LAN maintenance is included in-house please include the following information:</p> <p>1.    Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment?</p> <p>2.    Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable.</p> <p>3.    Number of Sites: Estimated/Actual number of sites the LAN covers.</p> <p>4.    Responsible Officer: Who within the organisation is responsible for LAN please provide me with contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address?</p> <p>If the contract is managed by a 3rd party e.g. Can you please provide me with</p> <p>1.       Existing Supplier: Who is the current supplier?</p> <p>2.       Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable.</p> <p>3.       Number of Sites: Estimated/Actual number of sites the LAN covers.</p> <p>4.       Contract Type: Managed, Maintenance, Installation, Software</p> <p>5.       Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment?</p> <p>6.       Contract Description: Please provide me with a brief description of the overall contract.</p> <p>7.       Contract Duration: What is the duration of the contract is and can you please also include any extensions this may include.</p> <p>8.       Contract Expiry Date: When does the contract expire?</p> <p>9.       Contract Review Date: When will the organisation be planning to review the contract?</p> <p>10.   Responsible Officer: Who within the organisation is responsible for each of these contract(s) please provide me with contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address?</p><p>Please can you send me the organisation’s Local Area Network (LAN) contract, which may include the following:</p> <p>·         Support and Maintenance- e.g. switches, router, software etc</p> <p>·         Managed- If this includes services than just LAN.</p> <p>1.       Contract Type: Managed or Maintenance  - <strong>Managed</strong></p> <p>2.       Existing Supplier: Who is the current supplier?  - <strong>Capita</strong></p> <p>3.       Annual Spend for each supplier: What is the annual average spending on the supplier above? If there is more than one supplier, please split the annual averages spent for each supplier. <strong>£112k excluding vat approx</strong></p> <p>4.       Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable. – <strong>circa 1000 end users</strong></p> <p>5.       Number of Sites: The number of sites, where equipment is supported by each contract. - <strong>2</strong></p> <p>6.       Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment? Cisco</p> <p>7.       Contract Description: Please provide me with a brief description of the overall contract.      – <strong>Network Infrastructure Maintenance and Support</strong></p> <p>8.       Contract Duration: What is the duration of the contract is and can you please also include any extensions this may include. <strong>Contract was renewed via the SWAN framework for 1 year on 29/06/2022</strong></p> <p>9.       Contract Expiry Date: When does the contract expire? - <strong>30 June 2023</strong></p> <p>10.   Contract Review Date: When will the organisation be planning to review the contract? <strong>December 2022 / Jan 2023</strong></p> <p>11.   Responsible Officer: Contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address? <strong>Purchasing Manager, email procurement@sqa.org.uk, Tel 0345 213 5208</strong></p> <p>If the LAN maintenance is included in-house please include the following information: <strong>Not applicable</strong></p> <p>1.    Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment?</p> <p>2.    Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable.</p> <p>3.    Number of Sites: Estimated/Actual number of sites the LAN covers.</p> <p>4.    Responsible Officer: Who within the organisation is responsible for LAN please provide me with contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address?</p> <p>If the contract is managed by a 3rd party e.g. Can you please provide me with</p> <p>1.       Existing Supplier: Who is the current supplier? - <strong>Capita</strong></p> <p>2.       Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable. - <strong>circa 1000 end users</strong></p> <p>3.       Number of Sites: Estimated/Actual number of sites the LAN covers. - <strong>2</strong></p> <p>4.       Contract Type: Managed, Maintenance, Installation, Software – <strong>Managed</strong></p> <p>5.       Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment? - <strong>Cisco</strong></p> <p>6.       Contract Description: Please provide me with a brief description of the overall contract. - <strong>Network Infrastructure Maintenance & Support</strong></p> <p>7.       Contract Duration: What is the duration of the contract is and can you please also include any extensions this may include. <strong>Contract was renewed via the SWAN framework for 1 year on 29/06/2022</strong></p> <p>8.       Contract Expiry Date: When does the contract expire? - <strong>30 June 2023</strong></p> <p>9.       Contract Review Date: When will the organisation be planning to review the contract?- <strong>December 2022 / Jan 2023</strong></p> <p>10.   Responsible Officer: Who within the organisation is responsible for each of these contract(s) please provide me with contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address? <strong>Purchasing Manager, email procurement@sqa.org.uk, Tel 0345 213 5208</strong></p>

<p>I wish to make an FOI request, as set out under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.</p> <p>Please can your organisation provide in Excel CSV format, the following information:</p> <p>a)         The number of roles in your association (expressed in numbers of FTE), that are mainly or exclusively focussed on issues of equality, diversity, or inclusivity. For example, this could include (amongst other guises) “EDI officers” or “diversity and inclusion project managers” but would not include general HR managers.</p> <p>b)         Either a) the pay band of each of these roles, or b) the combined total salaries for these roles. Whichever measure is more in accordance with your data preferences.</p> <p>c)         In the past 12 months the number of staff days across your organisation which have been committed to attending equality training programmes, whether internally run or with external consultants. (staff days = duration of the training programme multiplied by the number of staff in attendance for the course).</p> <p>d)         The contractual cost of any consultants hired, in the past twelve months, to provide any external training or advice on issues of diversity, equality, or inclusivity.</p> <p>e)         In the past twelve months, the number of staff days committed to attending conferences relating mainly or exclusively to matters of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. (duration of conference multiplied by the number of staff in attendance).</p> <p>f)          The costs of attending these conferences.</p> <p>g)         Membership costs the organisation pays for participation in equality charters such as the Stonewall Equality Champions, or Diversity and Inclusion Workplace champions.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>Please release all communication between the Scottish Government (ministers, special advisers, staff from education-focused directorates) and the SQA regarding the grading of 2022 exams. To be clear, this would include discussions / information related to grade boundaries, pass rates, attainment gaps, and likely public/media response to any of those</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached documents.</p> <p>However, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible SQA has withheld some information where exemption 30(b)(ii) – the free and frank exchange of views - applies. Where this exemption has been applied is indicated on the emails included in the attached documents.  The exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.   The exemption recognises the need for individuals to have a private space within which to share advice and views with others before reaching a settled public position.   Disclosing the content would substantially inhibit the provision of advice and the exchange of views in the future.</p> <p>This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of being an open, transparent, and accountable public body, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in allowing a private space within which staff can provide free and frank advice and views to other staff.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p> <p>All the names of SQA staff below Head of Service level and non-SQA staff have also been redacted under section 38(1)(b).</p>

<p>I am writing to request information about marks in 2022. Please provide the following: - the number of candidates who achieved 114 marks or above in Higher Biology and Higher Chemistry; - the number of candidates who achieved 115 marks or above in Higher Physics; - the number of candidates who achieved 91 marks or above in Higher English.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Please may you provide me with: The percentage and total number of S4 students achieving 8 A grades or more at National 5 in 2019. The percentage and total number of S5 students achieving 5 A grades or more at Higher in 2019. The percentage and total number of S5 students achieving 5 A grades or more at Higher in 2019 who also achieved 8 A grades or more at National 5 in 2018. The percentage and total number of S6 students achieving 3 A grades or more at Advanced Higher in 2019. The percentage and total number of S6 students achieving 3 A grades or more at Advanced Higher in 2019 who also achieved 5 A grades or more at Higher in 2018 who also achieved 8 A grades or more at National 5 in 2017</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Can you give me the following details please 1. The number of pupils who were presented for N3, N4, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher Chemistry but NOT also presented for a Human Biology or Biology or Physics or Environmental Science qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for chemistry and no other science subjects) 2. The number of pupils who were presented for N3, N4, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher Physics but NOT also presented for a Human Biology or Biology or Chemistry or Environmental Science qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for physics and no other science subjects) 3. The number of pupils who were presented for N3, N4, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher Biology but NOT also presented for a Human Biology or Chemistry or Physics or Environmental Science qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for biology and no other science subjects) 4. The number of pupils who were presented for N3, N4, N5, Higher Environmental Science but NOT also presented for a Human Biology or Chemistry or Physics or Biology qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for Environmental Science and no other science subjects) 5. The number of pupils who were presented for Higher Human Biology but NOT also presented for a Environmental Science or Chemistry or Physics or Biology qualification, from 2014-2022 (i.e. pupils who were presented for Higher Human Biology and no other science subjects).</p> <p>Apologies for the second request - I forgot to take Higher Human Biology into account in my previous request. I'm basically trying to find out if interest in chemistry qualifications is declining compared to the other science qualifications. Thanks for the quick reply to the previous request and thanks for your help.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>For EACH of the last four fiscal years (i.e. 2019/20 - 2022/23, as of September 30), please can you tell me: The TOTAL number of data protection breaches under GDPR recorded by the SQA. The TOTAL number of data protection breaches under GDPR reported to the Information Commissioner's Office. Ideally, I wish this information to be broken down by type of breach (i.e. security, incorrect disclosure, etc.).</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p>

<p>This is an information request relating to monies given to Stonewall.</p> <p>Please provide the following information:</p> <p>What was the membership fee given to Stonewall as part of their Diversity Champions programme in 2021-22 by your organisation?<br /> Is your organisation currently a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme?<br /> What additional monies have been given to Stonewall in 2021-22? Specifically, this incorporates:</p> <p>Events/conferences (where, for example, your organisation has purchased tickets to attend or entered raffles or auctions organised by Stonewall). Please name any events/conferences that your organisation attended and the date attended.<br /> Other programmes (such as LGВТ Leadership programme, LGВТ Role Model programme, Ally and/or Trans Ally programmes, as well as Train the Trainer programmes). </p><p>What was the membership fee given to Stonewall as part of their Diversity Champions programme in 2021-22 by your organisation?</p> <p>£3000 was the membership fee paid to Stonewall for their Diversity Champions programme in 2021-22.</p> <p>Is your organisation currently a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme?</p> <p>Yes, SQA is a member for 2022-23 with the fee level the same as for 2021-22.</p> <p>What additional monies have been given to Stonewall in 2021-22? Specifically, this incorporates:</p> <p>Events/conferences (where, for example, your organisation has purchased tickets to attend or entered raffles or auctions organised by Stonewall). Please name any events/conferences that your organisation attended and the date attended.<br /> Other programmes (such as LGВТ Leadership programme, LGВТ Role Model programme, Ally and/or Trans Ally programmes, as well as Train the Trainer programmes).</p> <p>No other payments were made to Stonewall within 2021-2022.</p>

<p>This is a request for information that relates to the organisation’s contracts around ICT contract(s) for Server Hardware Maintenance, Server Virtualisation Licenses and Maintenance and Storage Area Network (SAN) Maintenance/Support, which may include:</p> <p>●        Server Hardware Maintenance- contracts relating to the support and maintenance of the organisation’s physical servers.</p> <p>●        Virtualisation Maintenance/Support/ Licensing (VMware, Solaris, Unix, Linux, Windows Server)</p> <p>●        Storage Area Network Maintenance/Support (EMC, NetApp etc)</p> <p>For each of the type of contract described above, please can you provide me with the following data. If there is more than one contract, please split the information for each separate supplier this includes annual spend</p> <p>1.       Contract Title: Please provide me with the contract title.</p> <p>2.       Type of Contracts (ABOVE): Please can you provide me with one or more contract types the contract relate to: Server Hardware, Virtualisation, SAN (Storage Area Network)</p> <p>3.       Existing/Current Supplier:  Please provide me with the supplier’s name for each contract.</p> <p>4.        Brand:  Please state the brand of hardware or software </p> <p>5.       Operating System / Software (Platform): (Windows, Linux, Unix, vSphere, AIX, Solaris etc.) Please state the operating system used by the organisation.</p> <p>6.       Annual Average Spend: Please provide me with the most recent annual spend for this contract?</p> <p>7.       Contract Duration: (Please can you also include notes if the contract includes any contract</p> <p>Extension periods.)</p> <p> 8.       Contract Expiry Date: Please can you provide me with the date of when the contract expires.</p> <p> 9.       Contract Review Date: (An approximate date of when the organisation is planning to review this particular contract.)</p> <p> 10.   Purchase of Servers: Could you please provide me with the month and year in which most/bulk of servers were purchased.</p> <p> 11.   Number of Physical Server: Please can you provide me with the number of physical servers.</p> <p> 12.   Number of Virtual Servers: Please can you provide me with the number of Virtual servers’ servers.</p> <p> 13.   Brief Contract Description: I require a brief description of the service provided under this contract. Please do not just put maintenance. I need at least a sentence.</p> <p> 14.   Contract Owner: (The person from within the organisation that is responsible for reviewing and renewing this particular contract. Please include their full name, job title, direct contact number and direct email address.)</p> <p>If this service is part of a managed contract, please can you send me the contract information for this managed service including Hardware Brand, Number of Users, Operating System, and contact details of the internal contact responsible for this contract</p><p>1.       Contract Title: Please provide me with the contract title.</p> <p><strong>Managed Services/Virtual Server Infrastructure/ Direct Purchases under the Scottish Government framework (SWAN)</strong></p> <p>2.       Type of Contracts (ABOVE): Please can you provide me with one or more contract types the contract relate to: <strong>Server Hardware, Virtualisation, SAN (Storage Area Network)</strong></p> <p><strong>Server Hardware</strong></p> <p><strong>Virtualisation</strong></p> <p><strong>Storage</strong></p> <p>3.       Existing/Current Supplier:  Please provide me with the supplier’s name for each contract.</p> <p><strong>Capita</strong></p> <p>4.        Brand:  Please state the brand of hardware or software</p> <p><strong>Hardware – HP, Sun, IBM, Cisco, Lenovo</strong></p> <p><strong>Virtual – Vmware</strong></p> <p><strong>Software – Windows, Centos, RHEL, Debian, Nettapp</strong></p> <p>5.       Operating System / Software (Platform): (Windows, Linux, Unix, vSphere, AIX, Solaris etc.) Please state the operating system used by the organisation. –</p> <p><strong>Windows, Linux, Unix, SQL, Ingres, Oracle</strong></p> <p>6.       Annual Average Spend: Please provide me with the most recent annual spend for this contract? –</p> <p><strong>Current year spend so far is £265K,</strong></p> <p>7.       Contract Duration: (Please can you also include notes if the contract includes any contract Extension periods.)</p> <p><strong>Swan Framework was awarded in 2014 and expires in March 2023. There is an option to extend for 3 years to March 2026</strong></p> <p>8.       Contract Expiry Date: Please can you provide me with the date of when the contract expires. –</p> <p><strong>As per 7 above</strong></p> <p>9.       Contract Review Date: (An approximate date of when the organisation is planning to review this particular contract.)</p> <p><strong>The current SWAN framework has been retendered, SQA await news on the award of the new framework. Under the current framework we can extend for 3 years, as per point 7 above</strong></p> <p>10.   Purchase of Servers: Could you please provide me with the month and year in which most/bulk of servers were purchased. –</p> <p><strong>Servers have been bought at various over the years. We are unable to give definitive dates on when they were purchase.</strong></p> <p>11.   Number of Physical Server: Please can you provide me with the number of physical servers. –</p> <p><strong>35</strong></p> <p>12.   Number of Virtual Servers: Please can you provide me with the number of Virtual servers’  servers. –</p> <p><strong>390</strong></p> <p>13.   Brief Contract Description: I require a brief description of the service provided under this contract. Please do not just put maintenance. I need at least a sentence.</p> <p><strong>Network Infrastructure Maintenance and Support – entails “maintenance and support for key IT network infrastructure equipment, including switches, routers, firewalls, and peripheral equipment”</strong></p> <p><strong>Virtual Server Infrastructure – SQA went to the market to refresh their virtual server infrastructure. We gave bidders details on our current estate and provided a list of requirements under hardware and software that they should price on.</strong></p> <p><strong>SWAN Framework – Allows SQA to purchase hardware, services and added value services under the framework. SQA has migrated services over to this framework</strong></p> <p>14.   Contract Owner: (The person from within the organisation that is responsible for reviewing and renewing this particular contract. Please include their full name, job title, direct contact number and direct email address.) .</p> <p><strong>Justin Lilley, Procurement Manager, 0345 213 5208, justin.lilley@sqa.org.uk ,</strong></p> <p>If this service is part of a managed contract, please can you send me the contract information for this managed service including Hardware Brand, Number of Users, Operating System, and contact details of the internal contact responsible for this contract. – <strong>See above</strong></p> <p> </p>

<p>Please provide me with the following information:</p> <p>(1)  the number of higher economics students who achieved full marks in their assignments from the years 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021</p> <p>(2) assignment topic/title beside each full mark candidate</p> <p>(3) the number of students per year achieving full marks (100%) in their higher economics EXAM (excluding assignment)</p> <p>(4) list the top 5 per year for the most commonly used assignment topics for higher economics for the years 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021</p> <p>(5) the percentage of marks for each candidate from 0-10 , 11-20 , 21-27 , 28-30  for the higher economics assignment.</p> <p>if anyone of the following information is unable to be given out, please continue with any requests that are available and make clear why you could not include the requests you did not and also make clear WHICH information you did not include e.g (5) (6) etc</p><p>The information for questions 1, 3 and 5 are contained within the spreadsheet.</p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly. We are unable to provide any information for questions 2 and 4 as the SQA does not hold information relating to assignment topics.</p>

<p>I am writing to ask if you could kindly provide me with some statistical information in relation to my attainment; how this quantity and grade of SQA qualifications placed me nationally, and how many other SQA candidates have attained this before.</p> <p>I would be very interested to find this out. Any help and information would be much appreciated.</p> <p>If possible, I would like information as far back as records can go on: the percentage/number of candidates who have achieved 4 advanced higher A’s and the percentage/number of candidates who have achieved a net total of 18 A’s.</p> <p>Additionally, I would be grateful to find out the percentage of students who partook in the last three examination periods (since 2020) who achieved the equivalent of 18 A’s and 4 advanced higher A’s.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Please release the following information for the 2022 exam appeals process:</p> <p>Total entries for each centre (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)<br /> Total appeals for each centre (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)<br /> Successful appeals for each centre (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Please release the following information for the 2022 exam appeals process:</p> <p>Total entries for state schools, private schools and colleges (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)<br /> Total appeals for state schools, private schools and colleges (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)<br /> Successful appeals for state schools, private schools and colleges (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)</p><p>Under section 25(1) of FOISA, where the information is reasonably accessible, we are not obliged to provide the information.</p> <p>The information requested can be found on our website using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105152.html">Appeals Statistics - SQA</a></p>

<p>Please release the following information for the 2022 exam appeals process:</p> <p>Total entries for each SIMD decile (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)<br /> Total appeals for each SIMD decile (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)<br /> Successful appeals for each SIMD decile (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)</p><p>Under section 25(1) of FOISA, where the information is reasonably accessible, we are not obliged to provide the information.</p> <p>The information requested can be found on our website using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105152.html">Appeals Statistics - SQA</a></p>

<p>Please release the following information for the 2022 exam appeals process:</p> <p>Total entries for each subject (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)<br /> Total appeals for each subject (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)<br /> Successful appeals for each subject (National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher)</p><p>Under section 25(1) of FOISA, where the information is reasonably accessible, we are not obliged to provide the information.</p> <p>The information requested can be found on our website using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105152.html">Appeals Statistics - SQA</a></p>

<p>Please provide me with the following relating to the Higher History SQA Examination 2022:</p> <p>Number of total candidates Number of candidates who achieved Grade C</p> <p>Number of candidates who achieved Grade B</p> <p>Number of candidates who achieved Grade A</p> <p>Total number of appeals received from candidates</p> <p>Number of successful appeals from Grade C to Grade B</p> <p>Number of successful appeals from Grade B to Grade A</p> <p>Total number of unsuccessful appeals from Grade B to A</p> <p>Total number of unsuccessful appeals where predicted result was higher than what was awarded by SQA</p> <p>I also require the identical information in tabular form for years 2019, 2020 and 2021.</p> <p>In addition - please provide data of total number of appeals received versus total number of successful / unsuccessful appeals across all Higher examinations for 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019</p><p><strong>Number of total candidates Number of candidates who achieved Grade C</strong></p> <p><strong>Number of candidates who achieved Grade B</strong></p> <p><strong>Number of candidates who achieved Grade A</strong></p> <p>The attainment statistics are published on our website and can be found using the following link.  These will be updated on 13 December.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105123.html">Attainment Statistics - SQA</a></p> <p><strong>Total number of appeals received from candidates</strong></p> <p>The number of appeals received from candidates is on our website and can be found using the following link</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105152.html">Appeals Statistics - SQA</a></p> <p>Number of successful appeals from Grade C to Grade B - 183</p> <p>Number of successful appeals from Grade B to Grade A - 340</p> <p>Total number of unsuccessful appeals from Grade B to A - 188</p> <p>Total number of unsuccessful appeals where predicted result was higher than what was awarded by SQA - 515</p> <p>I also require the identical information in tabular form for years 2019, 2020 and 2021.</p> <p>In addition - please provide data of total number of appeals received versus total number of successful / unsuccessful appeals across all Higher examinations for 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019</p> <p>The information is not identical between years as the appeals service was fundamentally different in each of these years. The attainment stats and the appeals outcomes are already published and can be accessed using the following links:</p> <p>2021: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/98571.html">Information 2021 - SQA</a> and <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/98566.html">Statistics 2021 - SQA</a></p> <p>2020: <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/94721.html">Information 2020 - SQA</a> and <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/94723.html">Statistics 2020 - SQA</a></p> <p>2019: both at <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/91419.html">Statistics 2019 - SQA</a></p> <p> </p>

<p>Please accept my email as a request for the information in relation to Appeals 2022,</p> <p>I wish to request the percentage of successful appeals,</p> <p>total number of submitted appeals,</p> <p>geographical location breakdown of appeals, with success rates.</p> <p>Appeals outcome from private schools and home educated</p><p>The information relating to appeals and successful appeals is available on our website using the following link</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105152.html">Appeals Statistics - SQA</a></p> <p>The Geographical location breakdown of appeals, with success rates is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>Appeal statistics by education authority often involve very small numbers meaning that comparisons may not be meaningful. Additionally, the appeals systems in place in each year from 2019 to 2022 have varied fundamentally as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is therefore extremely challenging to compare statistics between years.</p> <p>The Appeals outcome from independent will also be available via the link above </p> <p>We are unable to provide any information on home educated candidates as we do hold this information.</p>

<p>I wish to submit to the organisation a freedom of information request relating to the organisation’s ICT contracts, specifically around:     </p> <p>1.          contact centre contract(s)</p> <p>2.          inbound network services contract (s)</p> <p> Please send me the following information for each provider: </p> <p>1.            Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) please can you provide me with the supplier of the contract.</p> <p>2.            Annual Average Spend: For each supplier, please state the annual average (over 3 years) spend for each supplier</p> <p>3.            Contract Duration: For each supplier, please state the contract duration of the contract expires. If available please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p>4.            Contract Expiry: For each supplier, please state the date of when the contract expires.</p> <p>5.            Contract Review: For each supplier, please state the date of when the contract will be reviewed.</p> <p>6.            Contract Description: For each supplier, please state a brief description of the services provided of the overall contract.</p> <p>7.            Contact Details: For each supplier, please state the person from within the organisation responsible for the contract. Please provide me with their full name, actual job title, contact number and direct email address. At the very least please provide me with their actual job title.</p> <p>8.            Number of Agents; please provide me with the total number of contact centre agents;</p> <p>9.            Number of Sites; please can you provide me with the number of sites the contact centre covers.</p> <p>10.        Manufacturer of the contact centre: Who is the manufacturer of the contact centre system that you operate?</p> <p>11.        Do you use Microsoft Exchange 2003 as your email server? If not, then which products do you use?</p> <p>12.        Number of email users: Approximate number of email users across the organisations.</p> <p>The second part of my request relates to the use inbound network services contracts which could relate to one of the following:</p> <p>1.            0800, 0845, 0870, 0844, 0300 number</p> <p>2.            Routing of calls</p> <p>3.            Caller Identifier</p> <p>4.            Caller Profile- linking caller details with caller records</p> <p>5.            Interactive voice response (IVR)</p> <p> For a contract relating to the above please can you provide me with?</p> <p>1.       Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) please can you provide me with the supplier of the contract.</p> <p>2.       Annual Average Spend: For each supplier, please state the annual average (over 3 years) spend for each supplier</p> <p>3.       Contract Expiry: For each supplier, please state the date of when the contract expires.</p> <p>4.       Contract Review: For each supplier, please state the date of when the contract will be reviewed.</p> <p>5.       Contract Description: For each supplier, please state a brief description of the services provided of the overall contract.</p> <p>6.       Contact Details: For each supplier, please state the person from within the organisation responsible for the contract. Please provide me with their full name, actual job title, contact number and direct email address.</p> <p>Also, I would appreciate it if the contract information was included within a spreadsheet.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Please can SQA provide the following information in relation to Higher Drama Appeals 2022:</p> <p>1. on the clerical check, whether SQA confirmed in relation to each entry that the exam script is the relevant candidate’s script (i.e. that there is no possibility of a mix up over scripts) and information on the process SQA followed to ensure a summer exam script from the main examination diet is correctly attributed to the relevant learner;</p> <p>2. where alternative assessment evidence (AAE) was supplied in relation to the Question Paper component of the exam only and such AAE was the most robust form of evidence as set out in SQA’s Appeals 2022:</p> <p>General Information, May 2022 and as described in the Additional Information section below:</p> <p>a. how SQA carried out the review of the AAE and, as the SQA has stated that all appeals consisted of a holistic review of all alternative evidence, what a holistic review consisted of, how this process was carried out and what notes and records were maintained of such reviews;</p> <p>b. specifically, whether a review of the AAE involved remarking the AAE and whether a precise mark was given to the AAE in the SQA’ s review;</p> <p>c. the process used to determine the success of the appeal and whether, following SQA’s review, a revised/appeal mark for the Question Paper component of the exam was then totalled, scaled and added to the marks achieved by a candidate for the Performance component of Higher Drama;</p> <p>d. if not covered by a-c above, how decisions were arrived at by the SQA in terms of an appeal in the circumstances set out in the Additional Information or Comments? section of this FOI request;</p> <p>e. what were SQA’s policies and/or practices as to how to maintain consistency between reviews (i.e. what was the policy to ensure one marker’s holistic review was consistent with another marker’s holistic review); and</p> <p>f. where identical types of AAE were submitted for several learners from the same centre, what were SQA’s policies and procedures to ensure that there was consistency between the reviews of the identical types of AAE submitted for several learners from the same centre; and</p> <p>3. in grading the AAE and/or the learner on appeal, whether the grade boundary for an A was the same as the summer exam (set at 65%) or if a different A grade boundary was set for review of the AAE. If a different A grade boundary was set for review of the AAE, what the A grade boundary was and the rationale for this decision.</p> <p>The information requested is in relation to the SQA processes and procedures for Higher Drama Appeals in 2022 in circumstances where:</p> <p>(i) an appeal was submitted in accordance with the appeals process set out in the SQA brochure Appeals 2022: What you need to know and all conditions for the appeal were met;</p> <p>(ii) a Higher Drama prelim paper covering all (or substantially all) of the skills, knowledge and understanding assessed in the question paper component was submitted as the alternative assessment evidence for the Question Paper component of the Higher Drama exam and such prelim was sat under exam conditions with an external invigilator;</p> <p>(iii) the prelim question paper was produced from a mix of questions from commercially produced question papers and past papers and the prelim was submitted with the accompanying marking scheme (again, according to SQA’s Appeals 2022: General Information, May 2022, the most robust form of alternative evidence that could be provided).</p> <p>It is noted that:</p> <p>(a) SQA’s Awarding Body Code of Practice (Code of Practice) dated March 2017 provides that, SQA will endeavour to ensure that processes for assessment and the maintenance of national standards are as open and transparent as possible;</p> <p>(b) SQA’s Governing Principle for assessment set out in the Code of Practice provides that, SQA will ensure that all assessments used in its qualifications are valid and reliable. Validity being a measure of the accuracy of an assessment and reliability being concerned with the consistency of an assessment; and</p> <p>(c) SQA’s document entitled Appeals 2022: General Information, May 2022, provides that, Appeals must be based on valid and reliable evidence of demonstrated attainment against national standards and Prelims are likely to be the most reliable indicator of performance in a question paper component</p><p>1. on the clerical check, whether SQA confirmed in relation to each entry that the exam script is the relevant candidate’s script (i.e. that there is no possibility of a mix up over scripts) and information on the process SQA followed to ensure a summer exam script from the main examination diet is correctly attributed to the relevant learner;</p> <p>The clerical check process undertaken to support the 2022 Appeal Service confirmed that the examination scripts and all associated marks were credited to the correct candidate. </p> <p>During the main examination diet the majority of examination scripts/answer booklets are e-marked – this means that scanned images are made available to markers for marking. The following key processes are in place to ensure that scripts do not become mixed up.</p> <p>For each subject/level SQA provides each candidate with a script booklet which has a barcode on the front page which aligns with the subject/level and has a set number of pages.<br /> When taking the examination, on the front page of each booklet provided, candidates enter their centre ID (centre name and town), candidate ID (Scottish Candidate Number), candidate name, candidate Date Of Birth, and seat number.<br /> Post examination, scripts are securely packed by SQA invigilators, collected from centres and delivered to the scanning house via a secure carrier.<br /> At the scanning house, an indexing process is also in place to ensure that script images are associated with the correct candidate entry.<br /> After indexing, the images of the scripts are made available to markers for marking by our subject experts.<br /> The marking process also ensures that the integrity of a script has been maintained throughout.</p> <p> Where a script/answer booklet is not e-marked, the reconciliation, preparation for marking, marking and associated quality assurance processes are undertaken using the physical scripts by staff and appointees (subject experts). Any queries eg change in hand writing would be flagged and investigated.</p> <p>2. where alternative assessment evidence (AAE) was supplied in relation to the Question Paper component of the exam only and such AAE was the most robust form of evidence as set out in SQA’s Appeals 2022:</p> <p>General Information, May 2022 and as described in the Additional Information section below:</p> <p>a. how SQA carried out the review of the AAE and, as the SQA has stated that all appeals consisted of a holistic review of all alternative evidence, what a holistic review consisted of, how this process was carried out and what notes and records were maintained of such reviews;</p> <p>For each appeal candidate, SQA’s senior appointees reviewed all the AAE that the centre had presented for that candidate. The evidence was reviewed against the required skills, knowledge and understanding of the national course for that Question Paper component and judged against national standards.</p> <p>The appointee considered AAE alongside candidate coursework component(s) (centres were not expected to provide alternative evidence of coursework components). Putting all of this evidence together, the coursework and the AAE, the appointee considered the weighting of the course components as stipulated in the course assessment specification and determined the grade that the evidence, altogether, represented.</p> <p>In the context of a Higher Drama, if AEE was provided for the QP component only, the VA Performance mark stood, and this was considered in the holistic review of evidence ie QP AAE & VA Performance mark. Higher Drama QP component holds 40% weighting and Performing 60% weighting. A holistic review would have included a review of the QP assessment instrument (to ensure it was valid), the associated marking instructions, and the application of the marking instructions to the candidate’s evidence.</p> <p>The appointee recorded a grade outcome only for each candidate - no further feedback was recorded.</p> <p>b. specifically, whether a review of the AAE involved remarking the AAE and whether a precise mark was given to the AAE in the SQA’ s review;</p> <p>The appointees needed to judge the AAE against the national standards for the course. This was not re-marking, however if there were issues with reliability in the marking of the AAE then appointees had to use their professional judgement as to what the evidence indicated, in terms of attainment against the national standard. Appointees didn’t record a separate mark for the AAE, as it is the totality of the evidence, including coursework attainment, and weighted appropriately, that determines the grade outcome</p> <p>c. the process used to determine the success of the appeal and whether, following SQA’s review, a revised/appeal mark for the Question Paper component of the exam was then totalled, scaled and added to the marks achieved by a candidate for the Performance component of Higher Drama;</p> <p>See above</p> <p>d. if not covered by a-c above, how decisions were arrived at by the SQA in terms of an appeal in the circumstances set out in the Additional Information or Comments section of this FOI request;</p> <p>e. what were SQA’s policies and/or practices as to how to maintain consistency between reviews (i.e. what was the policy to ensure one marker’s holistic review was consistent with another marker’s holistic review); and</p> <p>All appointees involved in appeals were experienced appointees who are involved in developing SQA assessments and supporting markers throughout the year. They all received significant training prior to starting appeal reviews. Appointees were provided with guidance materials outlining principles and processes to be followed and were briefed by Qualifications Development staff to ensure consistency in approach when carrying out appeal reviews. Subject specific training included the use of exemplar material to exemplify national standards.</p> <p>Quality assurance of decision making is built into the appeals process in the form of collaborative working, sampling and monitoring of decision making by the Principal Assessor with support from the Qualifications Manager</p> <p>f. where identical types of AAE were submitted for several learners from the same centre, what were SQA’s policies and procedures to ensure that there was consistency between the reviews of the identical types of AAE submitted for several learners from the same centre; and</p> <p>Appointees were allocated full centres to work on to ensure consistency of decision-making during appeals. Quality assurance of decision making is  built into the appeals process in the form of collaborative working, sampling and checking by the Principal Assessors with support from the Qualifications Manager</p> <p>3. in grading the AAE and/or the learner on appeal, whether the grade boundary for an A was the same as the summer exam (set at 65%) or if a different A grade boundary was set for review of the AAE. If a different A grade boundary was set for review of the AAE, what the A grade boundary was and the rationale for this decision.</p> <p>The focus of appeals reviews was on the grade-worthiness of the assessment evidence presented, irrespective of any grade boundaries or cut-offs – the 2022 SQA grade boundaries were not applied to the assessment evidence</p>

<p>This information request is supplementary to the information request of 10 November 2022 with SQA Identifier: JGmrAE:</p> <p>Please can SQA provide the following information in relation to Higher Drama Appeals 2022:</p> <p>4. please can you provide information on the process SQA used to ensure the experienced marker reviewing the alternative assessment evidence (AAE) supplied in relation to the Question Paper component of the exam was not aware of the learner’s estimate where a learner’s A1 mark was shown on the front page of the AAE (as the Estimated Grade is then obvious)?</p> <p>Please can you provide information on whether the experienced marker had access to the mark for the Performance component of the exam (which the SQA has said was not re-marked as part of the appeal process)?</p> <p>The SQA has written that to ensure fairness, the marker did not know the learner’s estimate, or the grade shown on their certificate.</p> <p>If the experienced marker did not have access to the mark for the Performance component of the exam, please can you provide information as to how the reviewed grade was actually calculated (i.e. please provide information as to how the mark from the experienced marker on the AAE was then scaled and totalled with the Performance mark, which must have involved the mark from the reviewed AAE to be recorded).</p><p>Appointees reviewing appeals were not provided with details of system generated candidate estimates as part of the process. Reviewers were told to disregard any estimate indication on the alternative assessment. AAE in most cases would be marked and a total mark would be visible to the appointee, but the appointee would also be reviewing the validity of the assessment instrument alongside the reliability of marking, in terms of how these aligned with national standards.</p> <p>The performance in Drama is the external coursework component for the course and, as with all externally assessed coursework, this mark was made available to appointees as part of the holistic review of the grade worthiness of the evidence, and a clerical check of marksheets was carried out.</p> <p>The coursework mark (following clerical check) was taken alongside the appointee review of AAE and a final grade outcome was recorded.</p>

<p>Scottish Candidate Numbers, email addresses and Health & Wellbeing Census. I would be grateful if you could provide me with answers to the following questions.</p> <p>a. Who is responsible for allocating a specific Scottish Candidate Number to a specific child?</p> <p>b. A Scottish Candidate Number is 9 digits long. Do the first two digits signify the academic year that the number was allocated to a child?</p> <p>c. What do the third and fourth digits signify?</p> <p>d. Please can you supply the formula which calculates digit 9 which is the check digit, that might be used in surveys to help ensure a child has entered their number correctly?</p> <p>e. Why are there clusters of consecutive/near consecutive Scottish Candidate Numbers for groups of children with shared characteristics? (For example, in groups of siblings coming into Scottish schools from outside Scotland, or whole year groups of children in a specific school who joined that school in primary 1)</p> <p>f. Is the SQA aware that some local authorities use Scottish Candidate Numbers for children?s school email addresses?</p> <p>g. Did the SQA formally approve use of Scottish Candidate Numbers as email addresses?</p> <p>h. Did the SQA provide councils with guidance saying it is ?best practice? to use Scottish Candidate Numbers as email addresses?</p> <p>i. Did the SQA formally approve the capture of Scottish Candidate Numbers in the recent Scottish Government Health & Wellbeing Census?</p> <p>j. When should parents/children be notified that their child/they has/have been allocated a Scottish Candidate Number and all the purposes it is used for?</p> <p>k. My understanding is that when Scottish Candidate Numbers were first used, it was for tracking exam results with allocation of the numbers in secondary school. Then the use was extended for child protection purposes to support tracking children across local authority areas so children would not go missing from the system, which meant that allocation of the number was done in primary 1, or when a child enrolled in Scottish education.</p> <p>Now it seems Scottish Candidate Numbers are used for multiple purposes. For example, capturing a Scottish Candidate Number in the recent Health & Wellbeing Census, meant that in effect, an email address was being captured as well, but in at least one council area, parents and children were not told that, and nor were all teachers who implemented the census in schools.</p> <p>Who has overall responsibility for providing oversight of all contexts in which Scottish Candidate Numbers are used when capturing, publishing, processing and manipulating children's data, to ensure data processors do not work in silos and so there are no unintended consequences and potential data protection breaches from using Scottish Candidate Numbers in different contexts?</p><p>a. Who is responsible for allocating a specific Scottish Candidate Number to a specific child?</p> <p>Blocks of Scottish Candidate Numbers are sent to SEEMis, the management information system used by Local Authority schools, which are then allocated to primary schools. We are not involved in the process after we send them blocks of SCNs.</p> <p>We provide the SCN blocks directly to independent secondary schools.</p> <p>b. A Scottish Candidate Number is 9 digits long. Do the first two digits signify the academic year that the number was allocated to a child?</p> <p>Yes, the first two digits indicate the year in which a learner is allocated their number.</p> <p>c. What do the third and fourth digits signify?</p> <p>The third and fourth digits do not signify anything specific.</p> <p>d. Please can you supply the formula which calculates digit 9 which is the check digit, that might be used in surveys to help ensure a child has entered their number correctly?</p> <p>The formula is as follows:</p> <p>Check digit = 11 - [(1st digit * 3 + 2nd digit * 2 + 3rd digit * 7 + 4th digit * 6 + 5th digit * 5 + 6th digit * 4 + 7th digit * 3 + 8th digit * 2) modulus 11]</p> <p>If the remainder from the modulus was 1 and the result of the subtraction is therefore 10 the number is invalid. If there is no remainder from the modulus, apply a check digit of 0.</p> <p>e. Why are there clusters of consecutive/near consecutive Scottish Candidate Numbers for groups of children with shared characteristics? (For example, in groups of siblings coming into Scottish schools from outside Scotland, or whole year groups of children in a specific school who joined that school in primary 1)</p> <p>As schools are provided with batches of numbers, it is likely that schools allocate them to whole classes or groups. Learners from outside Scotland will be allocated SCNs when they join a Scottish school, which is why siblings may have consecutive or near consecutive numbers.</p> <p>f. Is the SQA aware that some local authorities use Scottish Candidate Numbers for children’s school email addresses?</p> <p>SQA is not aware and does not provide guidance to schools on the use of SCNs.</p> <p>g. Did the SQA formally approve use of Scottish Candidate Numbers as email addresses?</p> <p>Schools are not required to seek approval from SQA on the use of SCNs or the formulation of email addresses.. This would be a local authority decision.</p> <p>h. Did the SQA provide councils with guidance saying it is ?best practice? to use Scottish Candidate Numbers as email addresses?</p> <p>SQA does not provide guidance to schools on the use of SCNs.</p> <p>i. Did the SQA formally approve the capture of Scottish Candidate Numbers in the recent Scottish Government Health & Wellbeing Census?</p> <p>SQA had no involvement in the Health & Wellbeing Census.</p> <p>j. When should parents/children be notified that their child/they has/have been allocated a Scottish Candidate Number and all the purposes it is used for?</p> <p>Communications relating to SCNs and how they might be used by individual schools is not determined by SQA.</p> <p>k. My understanding is that when Scottish Candidate Numbers were first used, it was for tracking exam results with allocation of the numbers in secondary school. Then the use was extended for child protection purposes to support tracking children across local authority areas so children would not go missing from the system, which meant that allocation of the number was done in primary 1, or when a child enrolled in Scottish education.</p> <p>Now it seems Scottish Candidate Numbers are used for multiple purposes. For example, capturing a Scottish Candidate Number in the recent Health & Wellbeing Census, meant that in effect, an email address was being captured as well, but in at least one council area, parents and children were not told that, and nor were all teachers who implemented the census in schools.</p> <p>Who has overall responsibility for providing oversight of all contexts in which Scottish Candidate Numbers are used when capturing, publishing, processing and manipulating children's data, to ensure data processors do not work in silos and so there are no unintended consequences and potential data protection breaches from using Scottish Candidate Numbers in different contexts?</p> <p>Local authorities and the Scottish Government are not data processors for SQA, they are both data controllers. This means that they exercise overall control of the personal data being processed, including the Scottish Candidate Number, and are responsible for deciding the purposes and means of processing.</p> <p>Below is a link to the health and Wellbeing Census. Privacy notices for parents and carers, and for children and young people, can be found on this page. Also provided are a frequently asked questions document and a contact email address for further information.</p> <p><a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-and-wellbeing-census-2/">Health and Wellbeing Census - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)</a></p>

<p>I am carrying outcome research about Direct Claim Status. I was wondering if you could help me with my research. Once a centre becomes an accredited centre and is approved to offer a qualification. After how many years of approval, a centre would be eligible for Direct Claim Status? For example a training provider becomes an accredited training provider to offer qualifications for your awarding organisation, how many months/years do they have to wait before they can apply for Direct Claim Status?</p><p>There are no set timescales relating to centres obtaining Direct Claim Status.</p> <p>New centres looking to become SQA approved must go through a Systems Approval process and Qualifications Approval process. Existing centres looking to deliver additional qualifications must go through the Qualification Approval process. Direct and Indirect Claim status depends on the qualification the centre is applying for.</p> <p>Direct Claim status can change for a centre depending on the outcomes of Quality Assurance activity which measure the centre’s qualification delivery against SQA Quality Assurance Criteria and determines the risk against the integrity of our certification which can result in appropriate sanctions being imposed accordingly, one of which can be Indirect Claim status.</p> <p>Details of all these processes can be found at:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/97360.9336.html">Quality assurance documents and videos - SQA</a></p> <p> </p>

<p>I am writing to you to request the following information.</p> <p>1) The total spend, broken down by financial or calendar year, on external legal advice since April 1, 2020. (I.e. 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 to date)</p> <p>1a) Please break this down by the list of associated cases or disputes, and their individual cost.</p> <p>1b) If possible, please provide the final settlement or damages or other court mandated payment cost for any cases during which external legal advice was sought. If it is not possible to link each case to a settlement agreement, please provide the total cost of the settlements or payments</p><p>The information you requested is contained within the document.</p> <p>There were no settlements or payments made in respect of the legal advice received.</p>

<p>We have noticed that the SQA have newly developed an NPA in Climate Change and Sustainability at levels 3 and 4, using existing units from within the Geography and Environmental Science courses. I imagine that lots of the questions above re: teaching, cross-over etc would have applied - even more so as it contains existing units that are already widely delivered by Geog and Science staff.</p> <p>Developing an NPA in Geology or Earth Science, utilising the existing units from the old Int 1/2/Higher courses would be an excellent way for us to properly credit pupils work in this and without developing additional assessments/specifications etc.</p> <p>Could you please share the business case, as you outlined above, that was completed for the CC&S NPA? This will allow us to look at putting a strong business case together for geology/earth science. I'm happy to go down the FOI route if required to get access to this</p><p>The business case is attached.</p> <p>However, some information is redacted as it is considered exempt from release.</p> <p>The names of staff members below Head of Service level has been removed under section 38(1)(b) as it is considered to be personal information.</p> <p>Financial information has been removed under section 33(1)(b)</p> <p>33        Commercial interests and the economy</p> <p>(1)        Information is exempt information if—</p> <p>(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or</p> <p>(b) its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the commercial interests of any person (including, without prejudice to that generality, a Scottish public authority).</p> <p>The financial information contained within the business case document has been removed as it is considered commercially sensitive. This information, if placed in the public domain, could substantially prejudice the commercial interests of SQA as it would provide information on the costs of establishing new courses for learners. This would provide information that would be useful to other qualification bodies who may have an interest in establishing similar courses. This would adversely affect the commercial interests of the SQA.</p> <p>When applying a section 33 exemption a public authority must undertake a public interest test. This will identify if the public interest is greater in maintaining an exemption than releasing the information.</p> <p>Whilst it is understood that there may be an interest in the costs of establishing new courses, SQA has to have the right to develop business cases for establishing new courses without the costs of this being placed into the public domain and being available to potential competing organisations. This could lead to SQA not establishing some new courses and accordingly affecting the interests of SQA. Accordingly the public interest is deemed to be in favour of maintain the exemption.</p>

<p>This is an information request relating to the number of staff working at the organisation.</p> <p>Please include the information for each of the following financial years; 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22:</p> <p>The number of staff working at the organisation in each of these financial years<br /> The total wage bill for each of these years</p> <p>Please also provide me with the current headcount of staff.</p> <p>If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.</p><p>Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you and can be accessed at the links below. We believe that the information contained within the links will provide the information you requested.</p> <p>The information requested for the three requested financial years is available on our website using the following links.</p> <p>The information for the total staff number and total wage bill can be found at the noted page within the Annual Report and Accounts.</p> <p>2019/2020 <a href="http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf">2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf (sqa.org.uk)</a> p67</p> <p>2020/2021 <a href="http://Annual Report and Accounts 2020¿21 (sqa.org.uk)">Annual Report and Accounts 2020–21 (sqa.org.uk)</a> p71</p> <p>2021/2022 <a href="http://sqa-audited-annual-report-and-accounts-21-22.pdf">sqa-audited-annual-report-and-accounts-21-22.pdf</a> p74</p> <p>The current headcount of staff is 1038.</p>

<p>Please provide copies of the information given to candidates receiving results in autumn 2022 in relation to 1) exception circumstances 2) appeal right, specifying a) how and b) by whom this information was conveyed to them.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached documents.</p> <p>A range of documents and materials were made available to learners (promoted via SQA's social media channels) and to schools and colleges (referred to in some communications as 'centres').</p>

<p>Please provide copies of the information given to candidates receiving results in autumn 2022 in relation to 1) exception circumstances 2) appeal right, specifying a) how and b) by whom this information was conveyed to them.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached documents.</p> <p>A range of documents and materials were made available to learners (promoted via SQA's social media channels) and to schools and colleges (referred to in some communications as 'centres').</p>

<p>I am doing a research project investigating call-off contracts in the public sector. I have identified some potential call-off contracts awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, but I can't find details of the framework agreements they were awarded from. </p> <p>I have attached an Excel file that contains the information I am looking at. The last two columns ("Title of framework used" and "Contracts Finder or TED link of framework agreement") is where I am missing information - please could you fill these in. </p> <p>Please note that I have identified these contracts as possible call-off contracts, so some of them might not be. Some could be, for instance, procured directly (without being called off from a framework agreement), or could be themselves notices of the establishment of a framework agreement. Therefore I would kindly ask you to specify in these incidences what kind of procurement was used in the "Title of framework used" column. </p> <p>I have provided the title, description, details of the email contact from the notice, the publication date, and procedure type used to award each potential call-off, as well as a URL link to the call-off in question and a unique reference ID for each potential call-off. Please let me know if there is anything else you need to complete the request.</p><p>The information requested has been added to the provided spreadsheet</p>

<p>Can you please give me the following information on the appeals procedure</p> <p>1. The number of alternative assessment evidence submitted for scrutiny</p> <p>2. The number of alternative assessments that were 100% scrutinised</p> <p>3. The number of these scrutinised that were awarded a higher grade</p> <p>4. Is teaching authorities opinion of assessed grade accepted as proof of higher performance</p><p>1. The number of alternative assessment evidence submitted for scrutiny</p> <p>Our published statistics quantifies the number of appeals submitted for review. The following link provides the information on appeals. Appeals Statistics 2022 - SQA</p> <p>Each appeal included centre alternative assessment evidence for question paper components, as well as a consideration of any relevant SQA coursework.</p> <p>2. The number of alternative assessments that were 100% scrutinised</p> <p>All centre assessments for each appeal were reviewed as part of the process.</p> <p>3. The number of these scrutinised that were awarded a higher grade</p> <p>Our published statistics quantifies the number of upgrades from the appeals 2022 process. The link above, in the response to question 1, provides this information</p> <p>4. Is teaching authorities opinion of assessed grade accepted as proof of higher performance</p> <p>The appeals process for 2022 involved an independent review of evidence.  The assessment evidence for each appeal was reviewed for grade worthiness by SQA senior appointees (subject experts) without knowledge of the centre's estimated grade or the learner's original result.</p>

<p>I am contacting you at Scottish Qualifications Authority to request payment data. </p> <p>I am requesting information on all payments to external suppliers for purchases of goods and services between 2021-01-01 and 2021-12-31.</p> <p>What is requested is a list of these payments, ideally in Microsoft Excel format, which contains as much of the following information for each payment as possible. </p> <p>Supplier name<br /> Amount paid, excluding VAT<br /> Payment date (or some other relevant transaction date)<br /> A unique invoice-id or a transaction-id number for each payment.<br /> Some description of the nature of the expense</p> <p>I am not asking you to do manual time consuming compiling. I am only asking for an extract from your accounting software with as much of the above stated information as you can conveniently and reasonably provide. </p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet. We have provided the supplier name, the amount paid, the relevant dates and the nature of the expense. However, we have redacted the unique invoice numbers as it is considered to be exempt from release under section 35 of the Act which states:</p> <p>35        Law enforcement</p> <p>(1)        information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially—</p> <p>(a) the prevention or detection of crime;</p> <p>If we were to provide the identifying number for the invoices, this would allow the information to be used in a way that could defraud the organisation. Whilst it is not suggested that is why the information is being requested, as information released under the legislation is deemed to be in the public domain, if anybody else requested the information, we could not refuse it.</p> <p>When applying a section 35 exemption we have to consider the public interest.</p> <p>We consider that there is likely to be very little public interest in the invoice numbers. There is more likely to be interest in the expenditure, which is being provided.</p> <p>It is not in the public interest for us to release information which could potentially be used to defraud the organisation.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs that of releasing the information</p>

<p>Any correspondence including but not limited to emails, letters, texts, WhatsApp messages or internal messaging apps such as Gchat and details of meetings including agendas, minutes, notes, handouts, attendance lists, location, and purpose, on the topic of the SQA exam results for 2021 to and from the Scottish Government and the SQA between July 13 to date.</p><p>The information requested is enclosed within the attached documents. Please note that due to the number of documents to attach, these will be sent in 2 emails. The first</p> <p>However, some information has been redacted as this is considered exempt.</p> <p>The names and personal information of SQA staff below Head of Service level and staff from other organisations have been redacted under section 38(1)(a) as it is considered to be personal information.</p> <p>Other information has been redacted under section 30 (b)(ii) of the Act which states:</p> <p><strong>30        Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs</strong></p> <p>Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act—</p> <p>(b) would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially—</p> <p>(i) the free and frank provision of advice; or</p> <p>(ii) the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation; or</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible SQA has withheld some information where exemption 30(b)(ii) – the free and frank exchange of views - applies. The exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.   The exemption recognises the need for individuals to have a private space within which to seek advice and views from others before reaching a settled public position. Disclosing the content would substantially inhibit the provision of advice and the exchange of views in the future.</p> <p>This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there will be an interest in disclosing information as part of being an open, transparent and accountable public body, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in allowing a private space within which officials can provide free and frank advice and views to other officials.</p> <p>Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.</p> <p>Other information is considered out of scope of the request and has been redacted, where noted in the documents.</p>

<p>Could you please provide the number of exams centres in Scotland that offered a Music Technology Qualification </p> <p>This information is for a presentation I am writing for a social startup supporting music technology Education in Scotland</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I can confirm this the first of my requests and I am applying under FOISA and the information I need to complete my analysis is as follows;</p> <p><strong>Higher 2022</strong></p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Question</th> <th scope="col">Total Requested</th> <th scope="col">Total Granted</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>How many Woodfarm Physics appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many East Ren Physics appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many Scottish Physics appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p><strong>Individual School Work Review in Physics</strong></p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Question</th> <th scope="col">Total Requested</th> <th scope="col">Total Reviewed</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Was my Physics School Work Reviewed? Yes or No</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many Woodfarm Physics appeals Student had their School Work Reviewed?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many Woodfarm Physics appeals Student had their School Work Reviewed?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many East Ren Physics appeals Student had their School Work Reviewed?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many Scottish Physics appeals Student had their School Work Reviewed?</td> <td> </td> <td> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p><strong>Assessor Statistics</strong></p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Question</th> <th scope="col">Total Assessed</th> <th scope="col">Total Granted After School Work Reviewed</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>How many assessors checked All appeals for Physics In East Ren?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many papers did each assessor review?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Did each assessor review a mixture of schools? Yes or No?</td> <td> </td> <td> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p>Also, I would like to see;</p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Question</th> <th scope="col">Total Requested</th> <th scope="col">Total Granted</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>How many Woodfarm Geography appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many East Ren Geography appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many Scottish Geography appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Individual School Work Review in Geography</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Question</th> <th scope="col">Total Requested</th> <th scope="col">Total Reviewed</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>How many Woodfarm Geography appeals Student had their School Work Reviewed?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many East Ren Geography appeals Student had their School Work Reviewed?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many Scottish Geography appeals Student had their School Work Reviewed?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p><strong>Assessor Statistics</strong></p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Question</th> <th scope="col">Total Assessed</th> <th scope="col">Total Granted After School Work Reviewed</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>How many assessors checked All appeals for Geography In East Ren?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many papers did each assessor review?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Did each assessor review a mixture of schools? Yes or No?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p>Lastly for the moment I would like to see;</p> <p><strong>Higher 2022 Private Schools</strong></p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Question</th> <th scope="col">Total Requested</th> <th scope="col">Total Granted</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>How many Greater Glasgow and Edinburgh Private School appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many Glasgow Private Physics appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many Scottish Private Schools Physics appeals were granted?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p><strong>Assessor Statistics</strong></p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Question</th> <th scope="col">Total Assessed</th> <th scope="col">Total Granted After School Work Reviewed</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>How many assessors checked All appeals for Private School Physics In Greater Glasgow and Edinburgh?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>How many papers did each assessor review for Private Schools in Greater Glasgow and Edinburgh?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Did each assessor review a mixture of schools? Yes or No?</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table><p>Firstly, please accept my apologies for the response being a couple of days late. We try to ensure that all requests are responded to within the required timescales, but on this occasion it was not possible.</p> <p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet, where applicable.</p> <p>I understand that our Data Protection team have provided the information relating to your physics review question.</p> <p>However, some information is considered exempt from release for the following reasons:</p> <p>Information relating to the appeals specific to Woodfarm School is considered to be exempt under section 38(1)(b) which states:</p> <p><strong>38        Personal information</strong></p> <p>(1)        Information is exempt information if it constitutes—</p> <p>(a) personal data of which the applicant is the data subject;</p> <p>(b) personal data and the first, second or third condition is satisfied (see subsections</p> <p>(2A) to (3A));</p> <p>(c) personal census information; or</p> <p>(d) a deceased person’s health record.</p> <p>(2A)     The first condition is that the disclosure of the information to a member of the public</p> <p>otherwise than under this Act—</p> <p>(a) would contravene any of the data protection principles, or</p> <p>(b) would do so if the exemptions in section 24(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018</p> <p>(manual unstructured data held by public authorities) were disregarded.</p> <p>(2B)     The second condition is that the disclosure of the information to a member of the</p> <p>public otherwise than under this Act would contravene Article 21 of the (general</p> <p>processing: right to object to processing).</p> <p>(3A)     The third condition is that—</p> <p>(a) on a request under Article 15(1) of the (general processing: right of access by the</p> <p>(b) data subject) for access to personal data, the information would be withheld in reliance on provision made by or under section 15, 16 or 26 of, or Schedule 2, 3 or 4 to, the Data Protection Act 2018, or</p> <p>(c) on a request under section 45(1)(b) of that Act (law enforcement processing: right of access by the data subject), the information would be withheld in reliance on subsection (4) of that section.</p> <p>The numbers of appeals for the subjects for a specific school are likely to be very low and as such the likelihood of being able to identify individuals, particularly as you are associated with the school. We have to ensure that we do not release information into the public domain that would be likely to identify individuals. Appeals information is considered to be personal information, so we are unable to provide the appeals numbers to that level of detail. However, as you will see in the spreadsheet, we are able to provide the numbers of appeals for East Renfrewshire. The appeals information for Scotland is available on our website.</p> <p>When applying a section 38(1)(b) exemption a public authority must apply the public interest test.</p> <p>Information relating the appeals of other students may be of interest to some people, but it is not considered to be in the public interest. The appeals result of individual students is personal to those students and it is important that this is not placed in the public domain.</p> <p>We have also considered whether you have a legitimate interest in receiving the information. Whilst you may have an interest in knowing the appeals information relating to other students, it is considered that due to the personal nature of the information, it is unlikely that you will have a legitimate interest in receiving this information.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in maintaining the information outweighs that of releasing the information.</p> <p>Under section 25(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, an authority is not obliged to provide information if it otherwise and easily accessible. Accordingly, as stated above the appeals information for Scotland is available on our website using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/103173.html">Appeals Statistics 2022 - SQA</a></p> <p>The information for the number of appeals granted for Greater Glasgow and Edinburgh independent schools is available within the disclosure log on our website. This information was released in response to a previous freedom of information request and can be found using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/103431.html">Appeals by school 2022 - SQA</a></p>

<p>I am looking for the raw data that shows the National 5, Highers and Advanced Highers, by school (state schools and private schools), and by subject.</p> <p>Could we get from 2018 to 2022, as I’m sure the Covid years data has unusual patterns (understandably). </p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would like to request information under the Freedom of Information Act. The information that I require relates to a specific telephone maintenance contract.</p> <p>The contract information sent by the organisation previously has now expired please can you provide me with a new update of the telephone maintenance contract:<br /> <br /> Please can you send me the following contract information with regards to the organisation’s telephone system maintenance contract (VOIP or PBX, other) for hardware and Software maintenance and support if all the information is still the same besides the contracts dates, please send just the new contract dates. It would be much appreciated.</p> <p>1.       Contract Type: Maintenance, Managed, shared (If so, please state orgs)</p> <p>2.       Existing Supplier: If there is more than one supplier, please split each contract up individually.</p> <p>3.       Annual Average Spend: The annual average spends for this contract and please provide the average spend over the past 3 years for each provider                       </p> <p>4.       Hardware Brand: The primary hardware brand of the organisation’s telephone system.</p> <p>5.       Number of telephone users:</p> <p>6.       Contract Duration: please include any extension periods.</p> <p>7.       Contract Expiry Date: Please provide me with the day/month/year.</p> <p>8.       Contract Review Date: Please provide me with the day/month/year.</p> <p>9.       Application(s) running on PBX/VOIP systems: Applications that run on the actual PBX or VOIP system. E.g., Contact Centre, Communication Manager.</p> <p>10.   Telephone System Type: PBX, VOIP, Lync etc</p> <p>11.   Contract Description: Please provide me with a brief description of the overall service provided under this contract.</p> <p>12. Go to Market: How where these services procured, please provide me with either the tender notice or the framework reference number. Please specify if procured through other routes.</p> <p>13.   Contact Detail: Of the person from within the organisation responsible for each contract full Contact details including full name, job title, direct contact number and direct email address.</p> <p>If the service support area has more than one provider for telephone maintenance, then can you please split each contract up individually for each provider.  </p> <p>If the contract is a managed service or is a contract that provides more than just telephone maintenance, please can you send me all the information specified above including the person from within the organisation responsible for that particular contract.</p> <p>If the maintenance for telephone systems is maintained in-house, please can you provide me with:</p> <p>1.       Number of telephone Users:</p> <p>2.       Hardware Brand: The primary hardware brand of the organisation’s telephone system.</p> <p>3.       Application(s) running on PBX/VOIP systems: Applications that run on the actual PBX or VOIP system. E.g., Contact Centre, Communication Manager.</p> <p>4.       Contact Detail: Of the person from with the organisation responsible for telephone</p> <p>maintenance full Contact details including full name, job title, direct contact number and direct email address.</p> <p>Also, if the contract is due to expire, please provide me with the likely outcome of the expiring contract.</p> <p>If this is a new contract or a new supplier, please can you provide me with a short list of suppliers that bid on this service/support contract?</p><p>1.       Contract Type: Maintenance, Managed, shared (If so, please state orgs)</p> <p><strong>Managed Service</strong></p> <p>2.       Existing Supplier: If there is more than one supplier, please split each contract up individually.</p> <p><strong>Exchange Communications Ltd</strong></p> <p>3.       Annual Average Spend: The annual average spends for this contract and please provide the average spend over the past 3 years for each provider        </p> <p><strong>Approx £146k for the next 5 years incl vat)     </strong>          </p> <p>4.       Hardware Brand: The primary hardware brand of the organisation’s telephone system. –</p> <p><strong>Avaya</strong></p> <p>5.       Number of telephone users:</p> <p><strong>Handsets 100, Softphones 300, CC Elite voice 332, SIP 200</strong></p> <p>6.       Contract Duration: please include any extension periods.</p> <p><strong>5 years, with 2 x 1 year optional extensions</strong></p> <p>7.       Contract Expiry Date: Please provide me with the day/month/year.</p> <p><strong>July 27, could be extend extended out July 28/29</strong></p> <p>8.       Contract Review Date: Please provide me with the day/month/year.</p> <p><strong>Annual reviews will take place. Review meeting to decide if being extended January 26</strong></p> <p>9.       Application(s) running on PBX/VOIP systems: Applications that run on the actual PBX or VOIP system. E.g., Contact Centre, Communication Manager. –</p> <p><strong>Call Centre, Softphone, Hunt Group, Call routing</strong></p> <p>10.   Telephone System Type: PBX, VOIP, Lync etc –</p> <p><strong>VOIP</strong></p> <p>11.   Contract Description: Please provide me with a brief description of the overall service provided under this contract. –</p> <p><strong>Supply, Maintenance and Support for a new Telephony System</strong></p> <p>12. Go to Market: How where these services procured, please provide me with either the tender notice or the framework reference number. Please specify if procured through other routes. Route to market - <strong>Scottish  Government Dynamic Purchasing System for Telephony Services</strong></p> <p>13.   Contact Detail: Of the person from within the organisation responsible for each contract full Contact details including full name, job title, direct contact number and direct email address.</p> <p><strong>Saima Bashir, Platform Services Manager, Saima.bashir@sqa.org.uk</strong></p> <p>If the service support area has more than one provider for telephone maintenance, then can you please split each contract up individually for each provider.  </p> <p>If the contract is a managed service or is a contract that provides more than just telephone maintenance, please can you send me all the information specified above including the person from within the organisation responsible for that particular contract.</p> <p>If the maintenance for telephone systems is maintained in-house, please can you provide me with:</p> <p>1.       Number of telephone Users:</p> <p>2.       Hardware Brand: The primary hardware brand of the organisation’s telephone system.</p> <p>3.       Application(s) running on PBX/VOIP systems: Applications that run on the actual PBX or VOIP system. E.g., Contact Centre, Communication Manager.</p> <p>4.       Contact Detail: Of the person from with the organisation responsible for telephone</p> <p>maintenance full Contact details including full name, job title, direct contact number and direct email address.</p> <p> Also, if the contract is due to expire, please provide me with the likely outcome of the expiring contract.</p> <p>If this is a new contract or a new supplier, please can you provide me with a short list of suppliers that bid on this service/support contract?</p>

<p>I would like to request the names of all of the 1334 SQA approved training providers in Scotland.</p> <p>I didn’t realise this was potentially a little sensitive so I am happy to pare this back to align better with why I requested this.</p> <p>I am working on a feasibility plan for an island based charity to setup a training centre to deliver NP Horticulture, largely for local employability participants and also to the hobbyist market. For this, I was looking to identify the training centres that are currently delivering NP in Horticulture (that would not be in direct competition) , so I could contact them via their website, to understand if they would be happy to share any learning on systems and resources. Ultimately this was to help ensure the planned training centre was successfully established and managed.</p> <p>Rather than getting a list of all of the training centres, I would be happy with any details you can provide on training centre who are currently offering and deliver this qualification, or similar, that may be happy to work with me.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>Please release all material held by the SQA which relates to the organisation’s policies and processes for receiving, handling and responding to FOI requests. This might include – but is not necessarily limited to – training material, process flow guides, FAQs etc</p><p>The information you requested is contained within the documents</p> <p>Most FOI requests are submitted via a form on SQA’s website. SQA’s FOI process is centralised and managed by experienced and qualified staff who are responsible for the end-to-end process.  Detailed handling procedures are available to all staff and set out the processes that should be followed.  A case management approach is taken to the handling of FOI requests, and this is described in the handling procedures. Awareness training is delivered to members of staff who are likely to act as Case Managers</p>

<p>Can you please tell me the number and percentage of SQA higher candidates who got 5 A's at in 2022?</p> <p>Also, if possible, the number and percentage of people who sat 5 Highers who went on to get 5 A's (such that people who sat less than 5 higher are not included in the data).</p><p>The information requested is below..</p> <p>December Attainment 2022</p> <p><strong>Candidates Attaining at least 5 A's</strong></p> <p><strong>Level      Candidates   5 A's      5 A's %    5+ A's      5+ A's % Higher</strong></p> <p>Higher     64,328           3837      6.0%         4098         6.4%</p> <p> </p> <p>December Attainment 2022</p> <p><strong>Candidates Entering for Exactly 5 Highers</strong></p> <p><strong>Level      Candidates   5 A's       5 A's %</strong></p> <p>Higher     14,329           3,7422     6.1%</p>

<p>I would like to know how much the SQA currently spends on Communication / PR staff, and how this compares to past spending.</p> <p>I would therefore like to request the following information under FOISA:</p> <p>How many comms/PR staff does the SQA employ?<br /> What is the annual total salary cost for the comms/PR staff?<br /> What is the annual salary for the Director of Communications and the Head of Communications & Engagement posts?</p><p>In line with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ definition of ‘PR’, we have understood your reference to ‘comms/PR staff’ to mean those staff whose role relates to managing SQA’s reputation via the media, social media and stakeholder engagement. In SQA, this work is carried out through our External Affairs function.</p> <p>SQA has three members of staff who handle media relations and stakeholder engagement as a core part of their role; one at Grade 8, one at Grade 7, one at Grade 6.</p> <p>SQA has two members of staff who handle social media, using these channels to engage with learners, parents/carers, teachers, lecturers, customers and other stakeholders in Scotland, the UK and internationally; one at Grade 7 and one at Grade 6.</p> <p>In addition, one Grade 5 member of staff provides support to the overall External Affairs function.</p> <p>The salary cost associated with these grades can be found below.</p> <p>In addition, SQA has a Director of Communications and a Head of Communications and Engagement.</p> <p>The annual salary of the Director of Communications is published in our Annual Report & Accounts (p66), and is published on our website.</p> <p>The Head of Communications and Engagement role is a Head of Service; the salary cost associated with this grade can be found below.</p> <p>Pay Bands – 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023</p> <p>Grade 5: £27,295 - £29,795</p> <p>Grade 6: £32,616 - £37,580</p> <p>Grade 7: £39,464 - £44,939</p> <p>Grade 8: £45,845 - £51,652</p> <p>Head of Service: £57,575 - £66,534</p>

<p>I would like to submit a new FOI request.</p> <p>All or some of the information provided previously has expired, I require an update on the questions below.</p> <p>See my request below:</p> <p>Contract 1 - Telephony/Voice Services (Analogue, ISDN VOIP, SIP etc) </p> <p>1.Telephony/Voice Services Provider- Please can you provide me with the name of the supplier for each contract.</p> <p>2.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>3.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p>4.Telephony/Voice Services - Type of Lines - Please can you split the type of lines per each supplier? PSTN, Analogue, SIP, ISDN, VOIP</p> <p>5.Telephony/Voice Services Number of Lines / Channels / SIP Trunks- Please can you split the number of lines per each supplier? SIP trunks/connections, PSTN, Analogue, ISDN</p> <p>Contract 2 - Incoming and Outgoing of call services.</p> <p>6.Minutes/Landline Provider- Supplier’s name (NOT Mobiles) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>7.Minutes/Landline Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract.</p> <p>8.Minutes Landline Monthly Spend- Monthly average spend on calls for each provider. An estimate or average is acceptable. If SIP services, please provide me with the cost of services per month.</p> <p>9.Minute’s Landlines Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p>10.Number of Extensions- Please state the number of telephone extensions the organisation currently has. An estimate or average is acceptable. </p> <p>Contract 3 - The organisation's broadband provider.</p> <p>11.Broadband Provider- Supplier’s name if there is not information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>12.Broadband Renewal Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>13.Broadband Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each broadband provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</p> <p>Contract 4 - Contracts relating to Wide Area Network [WAN] services, this could also include HSCN network services.</p> <p>14. WAN Provider- please provide me with the main supplier(s) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>15.WAN Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>16.Contract Description: Please can you provide me with a brief description for each contract</p> <p>17.The number of sites: Please state the number of sites the WAN covers. Approx. will do.</p> <p>18. WAN Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each WAN provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</p> <p>19.For each WAN contract can you please provide me with information on how this was procured, especially around those procurement that used frameworks, please provide me with the framework reference.</p> <p>20.Internal Contact: please can you send me their full contact details including contact number and email and job title for all the contracts above.</p><p>Contract 1 - Telephony/Voice Services (Analogue, ISDN VOIP, SIP etc) </p> <p>1.Telephony/Voice Services Provider- Please can you provide me with the name of the supplier for each contract. </p> <p><strong>Exchange Communications Ltd</strong></p> <p>2.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers </p> <p><strong>July 27, could be extended out until July 29. All with Exchange </strong></p> <p>3.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p><strong>5 years with the option to extend for 2 x1-year periods. All with Exchange</strong></p> <p>4.Telephony/Voice Services - Type of Lines - Please can you split the type of lines per each supplier? PSTN, Analogue, SIP, ISDN, VOIP </p> <p><strong>As 1 above</strong></p> <p>5.Telephony/Voice Services Number of Lines / Channels / SIP Trunks- Please can you split the number of lines per each supplier? SIP trunks/connections, PSTN, Analogue, ISDN </p> <p><strong>As 1 above</strong></p> <p>Contract 2 - Incoming and Outgoing of call services.</p> <p>6.Minutes/Landline Provider- Supplier’s name (NOT Mobiles) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p><strong>Exchange Communications Ltd</strong></p> <p>7.Minutes/Landline Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract.</p> <p><strong>July 27, could be extended out until July 29. All with Exchange .</strong></p> <p>8.Minutes Landline Monthly Spend- Monthly average spend on calls for each provider. An estimate or average is acceptable. If SIP services, please provide me with the cost of services per month. </p> <p><strong>The new system provided by Exchange has only recently been installed , based of previous information the average monthly cost is £250.</strong></p> <p>9.Minute’s Landlines Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p><strong>5 years with the option to extend for 2 x1-year periods. All with Exchange</strong></p> <p>10.Number of Extensions- Please state the number of telephone extensions the organisation currently has. An estimate or average is acceptable. </p> <p><strong>Approx 1500</strong></p> <p>Contract 3 - The organisation's broadband provider.</p> <p>11.Broadband Provider- Supplier’s name if there is not information available, please can you provide further insight into why? </p> <p><strong>Capita IT Services</strong></p> <p>12.Broadband Renewal Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers 31st March 2026 </p> <p><strong>SWAN framework.( The current contract expires 31/3/23 but there is a 3 years period)</strong></p> <p>13.Broadband Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each broadband provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</p> <p><strong>Part of our managed service contract with Capita</strong></p> <p>Contract 4 - Contracts relating to Wide Area Network [WAN] services, this could also include HSCN network services.</p> <p>14. WAN Provider- please provide me with the main supplier(s) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p><strong>Capita IT Services</strong></p> <p>15.WAN Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers </p> <p><strong>As 12 above</strong></p> <p>16.Contract Description: Please can you provide me with a brief description for each contract</p> <p><strong>Internet Services, Wifi, Managed Services, Technical Resources</strong></p> <p>17.The number of sites: Please state the number of sites the WAN covers. Approx. will do.</p> <p><strong>2</strong></p> <p>18. WAN Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each WAN provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</p> <p><strong>Approx £30k</strong></p> <p>19.For each WAN contract can you please provide me with information on how this was procured, especially around those procurement that used frameworks, please provide me with the framework reference.</p> <p><strong>Procured through the SWAN framework</strong></p> <p>20.Internal Contact: please can you send me their full contact details including contact number and email and job title for all the contracts above.</p> <p><strong>Justin Lilley, Procurement Manager, email procurement@sqa.org.uk</strong></p>

<p>I wish to submit a freedom of information request for the following questions in relation to students studying at secondary school within the whole of Scotland for the past 5 academic years, including the current academic year.</p> <p>1. Please provide the total number of students in each year group (I.e. 1st Year\2nd Year\3rd Year etc.), who have undertaken a computing science related subject, detailing the level e.g. NAT5, Higher etc. for the whole of Scotland providing detail per local authority. Please separate the figures per academic year.</p> <p>2. Please provide an additional breakdown of the above figures to represent how many of these students were female\male.</p> <p>3. Please provide statistics for each of the requested academic years detailing how many students dropped a computing relating science providing a breakdown per female\male.</p> <p>4. Is Computing Science a compulsory subject? If yes, please specify:</p> <p>1. How long is it compulsory for I.e. what year can the student choose to drop this as a subject?</p> <p>5. What measures, if any, are secondary schools putting in place to address the gender imbalance of male to female students studying computing related subjects?</p> <p>6. Are any addition clubs\after school activities provided in relating to computing and technology? If so please provide the statistic of the pupils attending, providing a breakdown per male\female students</p><p>The information relating to questions 1, 2 and 3 is contained within the spreadsheet.</p> <p>4. Is Computing Science a compulsory subject? If yes, please specify:</p> <p>1. How long is it compulsory for I.e. what year can the student choose to drop this as a subject?</p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly.</p> <p>We do not hold any information on the subject matter requested.</p> <p>This is not a question that SQA Awarding Body can provide a response. SQA are responsible for the Computing Science qualifications and assessment and not the curriculum or learning and teaching of the subject. Education Scotland may be best placed to answer this question.</p> <p>5. What measures, if any, are secondary schools putting in place to address the gender imbalance of male to female students studying computing related subjects?</p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly.</p> <p>We do not hold any information on the subject matter requested.</p> <p>This is not a question that SQA Awarding Body can provide a response. SQA are responsible for the Computing Science qualifications and assessment and not the curriculum or learning and teaching of the subject. Education Scotland, individual schools or local authorities may be best placed to answer this question.</p> <p>6. Are any addition clubs\after school activities provided in relating to computing and technology? If so please provide the statistic of the pupils attending, providing a breakdown per male\female students</p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly.</p> <p>We do not hold any information on the subject matter requested.</p> <p>This is not a question that SQA Awarding Body can provide a response. SQA are responsible for the Computing Science qualifications and assessment. Individual schools, or collectively local authorities may be better placed to answer this question.</p>

<p>You want the information for Higher appeals broken down by subject for each school?</p> <p>If available and >5 persons. I meant LA and independent school but all schools for Physics would be good. However, I appreciate 45 appeals and only 2 in ER means there must be a lot somewhere else and I think I read independent schools didn't have a lot of upgraded Physics appeals.</p> <p>Appeals figures for more than five appeals in higher physics by school.</p> <p>You want to know whether the 45 Higher Physics upgraded appeals were upgraded from a D?</p> <p>Yes and how many went from B3 to A2</p> <p>Were all 45 upgraded appeals upgraded from D and how many went B3 to A”</p> <p>You want to know why Higher Physics appears to be out of alignment with the other subjects?</p> <p>And from your previous email, you want to know if the pass mark for Higher Physics was reduced and any changes to the bandings?</p> <p>I think I answered that one myself last night but if you can add more information, then that would be useful. –</p> <p>And you have asked what is meant by accepted appeals? Yes</p> <p>How many other children are sitting on 79 with a rejected appeal?</p> <p>How many schools' prelim exam papers were considered inadequate and unsuitable for referencing against the actual Higher Physics?</p><p><strong>You want the information for Higher appeals broken down by subject for each school?</strong></p> <p><strong>If available and >5 persons. I meant LA and independent school but all schools for Physics would be good. However, I appreciate 45 appeals and only 2 in ER means there must be a lot somewhere else and I think I read independent schools didn't have a lot of upgraded Physics appeals.</strong></p> <p><strong>Appeals figures for more than five appeals in higher physics by school.</strong></p> <p>The information for the schools that received more than five appeals in Higher Physics is contained within the spreadsheet.</p> <p>However, the information relating to the appeals specific to Woodfarm School is considered to be exempt under section 38(1)(b), which states:</p> <p>38        Personal information</p> <p>(1)        Information is exempt information if it constitutes—</p> <p>(a) personal data of which the applicant is the data subject;</p> <p>(b) personal data and the first, second or third condition is satisfied (see subsections</p> <p>(2A) to (3A));</p> <p>(c) personal census information; or</p> <p>(d) a deceased person’s health record.</p> <p>(2A)     The first condition is that the disclosure of the information to a member of the public</p> <p>otherwise than under this Act—</p> <p>(a) would contravene any of the data protection principles, or</p> <p>(b) would do so if the exemptions in section 24(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018</p> <p>(manual unstructured data held by public authorities) were disregarded.</p> <p>(2B)     The second condition is that the disclosure of the information to a member of the</p> <p>public otherwise than under this Act would contravene Article 21 of the (general</p> <p>processing: right to object to processing).</p> <p>(3A)     The third condition is that—</p> <p>on a request under Article 15(1) of the (general processing: right of access by the data subject) for access to personal data, the information would be withheld in reliance on provision made by or under section 15, 16 or 26 of, or Schedule 2, 3 or 4 to, the Data Protection Act 2018, or</p> <p>(b) on a request under section 45(1)(b) of that Act (law enforcement processing: right of access by the data subject), the information would be withheld in reliance on subsection (4) of that section.</p> <p>The numbers of appeals for the subjects for a specific school are likely to be very low and as such the likelihood of being able to identify individuals, particularly as you are associated with the school. We have to ensure that we do not release information into the public domain that would be likely to identify individuals. Appeals information is considered to be personal information, so we are unable to provide the appeals numbers to that level of detail.</p> <p>When applying a section 38(1)(b) exemption a public authority must apply the public interest test.</p> <p>Information relating the appeals of other students may be of interest to some people, but it is not considered to be in the public interest. The appeals result of individual students is personal to those students and it is important that this is not placed in the public domain.</p> <p>We have also considered whether you have a legitimate interest in receiving the information. Whilst you may have an interest in knowing the appeals information relating to other students, it is considered that due to the personal nature of the information, it is unlikely that you will have a legitimate interest in receiving this information.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in maintaining the information outweighs that of releasing the information.</p> <p><strong>You want to know whether the 45 Higher Physics upgraded appeals were upgraded from a D?</strong></p> <p>Eight appeals were upgraded from D</p> <p><strong>Yes and how many went from B3 to A2</strong></p> <p>Nine appeals went from B3 to A</p> <p><strong>You want to know why Higher Physics appears to be out of alignment with the other subjects?</strong></p> <p>All Appeals were dealt with in exactly the same way, regardless of course. Please see section 5.2 in the summary document for Appeals published 6 December 2022 <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/appeals-2022.pdf">Appeals 2022 (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p>The assessment requirements for each subject, as detailed in the course specifications, are very different. Some subjects, such as physics, have more emphasis on being able to apply knowledge and understanding, whereas other subjects have more of an emphasis on skills. That means that the evidence requirements for each subject can be very different.</p> <p>However, the process for all appeals was the same. The evidence submitted for an appeal was allocated to an experienced examiner, who reviewed the evidence to determine what grade it demonstrated. Examiners were not told what grade a candidate had achieved in the exam nor what grade their centre had estimated.</p> <p>A key consideration was the extent to which the evidence was valid. For the sciences, we had told centres that for evidence to be valid it must sample across the whole of the course content, have an appropriate balance of knowledge, skills and their application, the outcomes of the appeal, and provide sufficient opportunity to demonstrate grade A performance. The standard of marking was checked to establish the extent to which it was accurate and reflected the national standard. Issues identified with any or all of these things may be reasons why an appeal was unsuccessful.</p> <p>Having considered all of the evidence submitted by a centre, the examiner then made a professional judgement about the level of attainment demonstrated by the candidate. Where the decision of the examiner was the same as or less than that attained in the exam, the candidate was awarded the grade achieved in the exam. Where the decision of the examiner resulted in a better grade, this was what the candidate was awarded as a result of the appeal. The examiner had no knowledge of the outcome of the appeal, and were not in a position to comment on the success or otherwise of the appeal.</p> <p><strong>And from your previous email, you want to know if the pass mark for Higher Physics was reduced and any changes to the bandings?</strong></p> <p><strong>I think I answered that one myself last night but if you can add more information, then that would be useful.</strong></p> <p>The grade boundaries for Higher Physics were published in August 2022 <a href="https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2Ffiles_ccc%2Fgrade-boundaries-2022.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK">Grade Boundaries 2022</a></p> <p>                        Maximum   Upper A   Grade A    Grade B    Grade C    Grade D</p> <p>Marks                  120           100            80            65              50              35</p> <p>Percentage          100           83.3          66.7          54.2           41.7           29.2</p> <p>The table below summarises the grade A and grade A-C success rates in 2022 compared with 2019 and 2021.</p> <p>               Proportion of grade A       Proportion of grades A-C</p> <p>2019                     28.8%                                 75.0%</p> <p>2021                     42.4%                                 80.8%</p> <p>2022                     37.1%                                 78.0%</p> <p><strong>And you have asked what is meant by accepted appeals?</strong></p> <p>Accepted appeals were valid appeals.</p> <p><strong>How many other children are sitting on 79 with a rejected appeal? –</strong></p> <p>There were 38 candidates who achieved 79 in Higher Physics who appealed their grade. Of these, one was upgraded to an A.</p> <p>Please note that our data was collected at specific times, therefore any changes after the dates listed will not have been included.</p> <p>The candidate marks were taken from data as at 22 July 2022 and the appeals data was taken as at 01 November 2022.</p> <p><strong>How many schools' prelim exam papers were considered inadequate and unsuitable for referencing against the actual Higher Physics?</strong></p> <p>We are not able to provide this information, as it was agreed in advance of undertaking the Appeals service in 2022 between all partners in education, including head teachers, Union representatives, local authorities, learner & parent representatives and Scottish Government that no feedback would be provided to centres on the reasons for unsuccessful appeals. In practice, nothing was recorded by examiners on reasons for their judgements.</p> <p>A key consideration was the extent to which the evidence was valid. For the sciences, we had told centres that for evidence to be valid it must sample across the whole of the course content, have an appropriate balance of knowledge, skills and their application, the outcomes of the appeal, and provide sufficient opportunity to demonstrate grade A performance. The standard of marking was checked to establish the extent to which it was accurate and reflected the national standard. Issues identified with any or all of these things may be reasons why an appeal was unsuccessful.</p>

<p>Hi Under Freedom of Information would you be able to provide me with the following for 2022 Highers Examination diet:</p> <p>Number of applicants taking 4 or more Highers</p> <p>Number of applicants who achieved 5 A1s in Highers in this diet;</p> <p>Number of applicants who achieved 4 A1s and 1 A2 in Highers in this diet;</p> <p>Number of applicants who achieved more than 5A1s in Highers in this diet;</p> <p>Number of applicants who achieved 5 As in Highers in this diet.</p><p>Number of applicants taking 4 or more Highers</p> <p>24,210 took 4 or more highers.</p> <p>Number of applicants who achieved 5 A1s in Highers in this diet;</p> <p>459 achieved 5 A1s</p> <p>Number of applicants who achieved 4 A1s and 1 A2 in Highers in this diet;</p> <p>570 achieved 4 A1s and 1 A2</p> <p>Number of applicants who achieved more than 5A1s in Highers in this diet;</p> <p>55 achieved more than 5 A1s</p> <p>Number of applicants who achieved 5 As in Highers in this diet.</p> <p>3,837 achieved 5 As</p>

<p>As per my records,  BT hosting contract has expired. I would like to know whether this contract is still valid or replaced by any other supplier.</p> <p>If all the information besides the contract dates are the same, I am happy to just receive an update on the contract dates</p> <p>Below highlighted original FOI request for your reference only.</p> <p>I wish to submit a request to the organisation around their hosting contract(s) with 3rd party providers.</p> <p>The type of contract I wish to see is below:</p> <p>1.       Dedicated hosting- Managed environment</p> <p>2.       Co-Location- hosting allows a business to still own their own server equipment; however, instead of storing it in their own data centre, they instead are able to store it in rented space in a colocation hosting centre.</p> <p>3.       Cloud Hosting- Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resources from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.</p> <p>Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation.</p> <p>For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:</p> <p>1.       Type of hosting – Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?</p> <p>2.       Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?</p> <p>3.       What is the annual contract value for each contract?</p> <p>4.       What type of cloud environment?</p> <p>Private Cloud- a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate. </p> <p>Public Cloud - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet.</p> <p>Hybrid- integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.</p> <p>5.       What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the start date for each contract.</p> <p>6.       What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.</p> <p>7.       When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the review date for each contract.</p> <p>8.       What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?</p> <p>9.       What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,</p> <p>10.   Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details if possible name, title, contact email and number.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>I am making a Freedom of Information request for the past 5 years 2018-2023 of the number of candidates and pass rate percentages for those taking the Chief Mates Navigation and Stability exams administered by SQA</p><p>The information is contained within the attached spreadsheet</p>

<p>In a recent FOI response, the government provided me with a document listing the ‘key points’ of a meeting between the SQA, Scottish Government and Universities Scotland on the 3rd of November 2022.</p> <p>This document states:</p> <p>“Purpose of the meeting was to discuss the difficulties and challenges encountered this year in relation to the exam results appeals process. Although there was a priority appeals process in place to prioritise those students who had submitted an appeal, the outcome of which would decide whether the student had achieved the results to attend the university of their choice, the deadlines for the appeals results and the start dates of various universities and courses did not align and this caused issues for some students with conditional offers who were not able to secure a place in the current academic year.”</p> <p>Other parts of the document are redacted, for which I will submit a request for review, but I would like to also submit three further FOI requests.</p> <p>Please release the following information</p> <p>FOI request 1: The total number of students with conditional offers who were not able to secure a place [at university] in the current academic year</p> <p>FOI request 2: Copies of material regarding the meeting from before it took place (this would include communication about the upcoming meeting as well as documents such as briefings and analysis)</p> <p>FOI request 3: Copies of any material (other than that already released to me) from during or after the event (this would include personal/handwritten notes, any other minutes, recordings, subsequent email exchanges etc)</p><p>FOI Request 1. The total number of students with conditional offers who were not able to secure a place [at university] in the current academic year</p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly.</p> <p>This is not a question that SQA can provide a response to as we do not hold any information on how many students with conditional offers were unable to secure a place at university. However, UCAS may be able to help with your request. The contact details are within the following link.</p> <p>Freedom of Information | Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Conservatoires, Teacher Training, 16-18 Choices | UCAS</p> <p>FOI request 2: Copies of material regarding the meeting from before it took place (this would include communication about the upcoming meeting as well as documents such as briefings and analysis)</p> <p>The information requested is contained within the attached document, FOI22-23 143 Emails. Enclosures 1, 2 and 3 in the document relate to the period prior to the meeting taking place.</p> <p>The names of non-SQA staff and SQA staff below the level of Head of Service have been redacted under s38(1)(b) as this is considered personal information.</p> <p>There is also information which is considered exempt under s30(b)(ii) which states:</p> <p>30        Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs</p> <p>Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act—</p> <p>(a) would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the maintenance of the convention of the collective responsibility of the Scottish Ministers;</p> <p>(b) would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially—</p> <p>(i) the free and frank provision of advice; or</p> <p>(ii) the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation; or</p> <p>(c) would otherwise prejudice substantially, or be likely to prejudice substantially, the effective conduct of public affairs.</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, SQA has withheld some information where exemption 30(b)(ii), the free and frank exchange of views applies to certain parts of the information. Where this exemption has been applied is indicated in the documents.</p> <p>The exemption applies because disclosure would, or be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. The exemption recognises the need for individuals to have a private space within which to seek and provide advice and views to and from others before reaching a settled position. If the exempt information was to be released, it would discourage officials from expressing their views and would inhibit the provision of advice and the exchange of views in the future.</p> <p>This exemption is subject to the public interest test. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there may be an interest in disclosing this information as part of being an open, transparent and accountable public body, and to inform public debate. However, it is considered that there is a greater public interest in allowing a private space within in which officials can provide free and frank advice and views to other officials.</p> <p>Therefore, taking into account all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public test in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.</p> <p>FOI request 3: Copies of any material (other than that already released to me) from during or after the event (this would include personal/handwritten notes, any other minutes, recordings, subsequent email exchanges etc)</p> <p>The information requested is contained within the attached document, FOI22-23 143 Emails. Enclosures 4, 5 and 6 in the document relate to the period after the meeting.</p> <p>The names of non-SQA staff and SQA staff below the level of Head of Service have been redacted under s38(1)(b) as this is considered personal information.</p> <p>Also attached are a letter from the Cabinet Secretary regarding conditional places and a document on priority appeals and conditional HE places.</p>

<p>My request in relation to a previous FOI (reference: 22/23 048, responded to on 27/09/2022). Could the same data be requested for all Scottish schools, but showing the pass rates after appeals have been factored in? The initial FOI didn't reflect the impact of the post-exam result service process.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>How many people have qualified in PDA Mental Health Peer Support SCQF level 7 in years 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023</p><p>19 people qualified in academic year 2020-2021</p> <p>51 people qualified in academic year 2021-2022</p> <p>12 people qualified in academic year 2022-2023</p>

<p>Can you please provide any internal or external communications, guidance produced for schools or local authorities, Equalities Impact Assessments or other relevant documentation that has been produced to deal with the impact on learning and inequality in teaching that currently exists between children in the state education system and those in private education, in respect of the current industrial action by teachers and the forthcoming exam diet.</p> <p>I am particularly interested in any actions being proposed to mitigate the inequality and demonstrate how all children will be treated fairly in the exam diet scheduled to start in April 2023.</p> <p>Further can you provide any other information, EQIAs etc that have been prepared to deal with the further inequality that exists for those pupils in areas that have additional strike days due to the targeted industrial action in 5 areas.</p><p>Attached is the correspondence sent to schools and local authorities with regard to the industrial action.</p> <p>The names of SQA staff below Head of Service level and also non-SQA staff have been redacted under section 38(1)(b) as it is considered personal information.</p> <p>Equality and Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments have been produced as part of the high-level decision-making processes in respect of arrangements for assessing NQs in 2023, specifically focusing on Appeals service and Exceptional Circumstances service.  These impact assessments were published on the SQA website on 01 February 2023 and can be found <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/102650.html">here</a></p> <p>The responsibility for learning and teaching lies with the schools and local authorities.</p> <p>There is a national e-learning offer available from Education Scotland, which offers evening sessions for subjects to help learners. We understand that they will also offer Easter holiday support. More information will be available from Education Scotland using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://education.gov.scot/contact-us/how-to-contact-us/">How to contact us | Contact us | Education Scotland</a></p> <p>We also understand that Local authorities and schools have local e-learning offers and alternative arrangements for pupils impacted by targeted industrial action to help mitigate the impact of industrial action. To get more information on this, you should contact the relevant local authorities.</p>

<p>How many appeals were there for the exam year 2022 for National 5 Art & Design?</p> <p>Of those appeals how many were successful in changing the grade and how many were refused?</p> <p>Of these appeals how many resulted in a grade one grade above the initial grade, two grades above the initial grade, or three or more grades above the initial grade?]</p> <p>Of the appeals refused in how many of them were the school estimated grades above the final SQA grade?</p> <p>Of the appeals refused, were all estimated teachers grades above the SQA initial award? If not please provide the number that were not.</p> <p>What was the marking system applied to the portfolios?</p> <p>Was that marking system applied consistently throughout the marking period?</p> <p>How did the SQA ensure that the making system was applied consistently throughout the marking period?</p> <p>Was that marking system applied consistently across Scotland and what steps were taken to ensure it was applied consistently?</p> <p>What proportion of SQA markers were new to marking National 5 Art & Design in this current year (2022) by geographical marking area/section?</p> <p>What if any account was taken for 2022 candidates, for the loss of practical supervised time with qualified Art teachers that the 2022 candidates lost (approx 1 academic year) due to lockdown?</p><p><strong>How many appeals were there for the exam year 2022 for National 5 Art & Design?</strong></p> <p>There were 894 appeals for National 5 Art & Design</p> <p><strong>Of those appeals how many were successful in changing the grade and how many were refused?</strong></p> <p>Of the 894 appeals submitted. 285 were upgraded and there was no change to 609.</p> <p><strong>Of these appeals how many resulted in a grade one grade above the initial grade, two grades above the initial grade, or three or more grades above the initial grade?]</strong></p> <p>There were 279 with a 1 grade increase and 6 with a 2 grade increase.</p> <p><strong>Of the appeals refused in how many of them were the school estimated grades above the final SQA grade?</strong></p> <p>To be eligible for an appeal, a candidates estimate must have been higher than their certificated grade, therefore all 609 unsuccessful appeals.</p> <p><strong>Of the appeals refused, were all estimated teachers grades above the SQA initial award? If not please provide the number that were not.</strong></p> <p>To be eligible for an appeal, a candidates estimate must have been higher than their certificated grade, therefore all 609 unsuccessful appeals.</p> <p><strong>What was the marking system applied to the portfolios?</strong></p> <p>We have robust quality assurance systems in place to ensure that marking of Art and Design portfolios is carried out to the national standard. This begins with the senior examining team selecting benchmark portfolios that are used for marker training prior to marking taking place. These are used, along with a selection of portfolios from previous years, to train markers on the standards.</p> <p>All examiners receive full training before they assess any candidate portfolios, and quality assurance measures are put in place to ensure all work is assessed fairly and to the national standards. For Art and Design, this includes the ‘double-blind’ marking process. This means that all portfolios are independently assessed by two different examiners. If there is a discrepancy between the two examiners’ final judgements, a senior examiner will assess the work for a third time to ensure the candidate receives the correct mark. Senior examiners also carry out sampling to further ensure the national standard is being applied.</p> <p>Senior examiners complete a quality assurance log for each day of marking. This QA log is where senior examiners track the assessment judgements of each examiner, including any discrepancies. They also record discussions and support they have put in place for the examiners in their team, where appropriate.</p> <p>The Principal Assessor and Depute Principal Assessor carry out daily checks on these QA logs to ensure they are regularly updated and reflect the examiners performance accurately. They also complete QA logs for each of the senior examiners, and on each other, to ensure all assessment judgements across the whole team are being carried out consistently.</p> <p>Our examiners are monitored and supported by the Principal Assessor, Depute Principal Assessor, and Qualifications staff throughout the marking process.</p> <p><strong>Was that marking system applied consistently throughout the marking period?</strong></p> <p>Yes, the double-blind marking system and further quality assurance was carried out each day of the central marking meeting.</p> <p><strong>How did the SQA ensure that the making system was applied consistently throughout the marking period?</strong></p> <p>Qualifications staff from SQA attended the central marking meetings, and they carried out daily checks with the PA, DPA, and senior examiners to ensure that quality assurance was carried out and any issues that may have arisen were dealt with appropriately.</p> <p><strong>Was that marking system applied consistently across Scotland and what steps were taken to ensure it was applied consistently?</strong></p> <p>When markers are assessing Art and Design portfolios, the centre details are not visible, and each portfolio is treated and assessed in the exact same way. The ‘double-blind’ marking system and further quality assurance was carried out for each centre across Scotland. Daily checks from the PA, DPA and Qualifications staff were carried out to ensure these processes were carried our fairly and consistently.</p> <p><strong>What proportion of SQA markers were new to marking National 5 Art & Design in this current year (2022) by geographical marking area/section?</strong></p> <p>The information for the proportion of markers new to marking National 5 Art & Design is contained within the  spreadsheet. The figures in the sheet represent the proportion of new markers for 2022 against the total number of markers for each educational area and also against the total number of markers for Scotland overall.</p> <p><strong>What if any account was taken for 2022 candidates, for the loss of practical supervised time with qualified Art teachers that the 2022 candidates lost (approx. 1 academic year) due to lockdown?</strong></p> <p>A package of support was put in place to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic. For National 5 Art and Design, this included a 50% reduction of the question paper component as well as revision support for the question paper. For the portfolios, guidance was provided to show how candidates could submit concise portfolios and still access the full range of marks. SQA also took a generous approach to grading, with the objective to fall in an intermediary position between 2019 and 2021 awarding outcomes.</p>

<p>If possible, please provide the requested information in electronic copies format. </p> <p>For my research I want to analyze why some FOI requests were rejected, and why the data processing of some requests would exceed the 'cost limit'(under s.12 of the Freedom of Information Act (2000).</p> <p>Firstly, I want to ask some questions about your information storage system.</p> <p>1.         What is the electronic systems do you use to store operational data such as excel, email and SQL? </p> <p>2.         Whether the query can be completed by searching keywords in the interactive interface, or need to use the database for the query.  If there are restrictions on this, please provide them.</p> <p>3.         What is the educational background (qualifications) of the staff members handling FOI requests – including those who make estimates under s.12 - and can they search the database using a programming language(eg. SQL)? We are not interested in the names of the staff members, merely their qualifications.</p> <p>I also want to know the common reasons that you may reject requests under s.12.</p> <p>1.         In the past 5 years, how many requests have been denied under s.12.</p> <p>2.         For those requests in (1), can you provide a list of any recorded reasons that you rejected the request? (i.e. the detail of the ‘estimate’ you relied upon under s.12)</p> <p>3.         For those requests in (1), could you please provide us with your search process (or proposed search process) for documents required for these rejected request cases?</p><p>For information, SQA are covered by the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and not the Freedom of Information Act 2000. That is the legislation that covers England and Wales.</p> <p>Firstly, I want to ask some questions about your information storage system.</p> <p>1.        What is the electronic systems do you use to store operational data such as  excel, email and SQL? </p> <p>2.         Whether the query can be completed by searching keywords in the interactive interface, or need to use the database for the query.  If there are restrictions on this, please provide them.</p> <p>SQA has multiple IT systems that hold information. However, the information requested is considered exempt under section 35(1)(a) (Law Enforcement) of the Act which states, “(1) information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially— (a) the prevention or detection of crime”</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, the public disclosure of information about our IT systems would potentially compromise the security of the services delivered. Providing details of specific systems or products used by SQA would leave the organisation vulnerable to potential cyber-attack.</p> <p>When applying a section 35 exemption we have to consider the public interest.</p> <p>We consider that there is likely to be very little public interest in the types of software applications that are used by the organisation. It is much more in the public interest that the security of our IT systems is not compromised. Accordingly, the public interest in maintaining the exemption, outweighs that of releasing the information.</p> <p>3.         What is the educational background (qualifications) of the staff members handling FOI requests – including those who make estimates under s.12 - and can they search the database using a programming language(eg. SQL)? We are not interested in the names of the staff members, merely their qualifications.</p> <p>A small, centralised team manage the requests received under FOISA from receipt to issue and these staff are all trained to Practitioner level. A case management system is in operation whereby requests are issued to the appropriate department to identify and provide the requested information to the FOISA team who are responsible for managing and issuing the final response. Case Managers receive awareness training on FOISA.</p> <p>I also want to know the common reasons that you may reject requests under s.12.</p> <p>1.         In the past 5 years, how many requests have been denied under s.12.</p> <p>In the past five financial years, there have been 12 occasions when a section 12 exemption has been applied to requests.</p> <p>2.         For those requests in (1), can you provide a list of any recorded reasons that you rejected the request? (i.e. the detail of the ‘estimate’ you relied upon under s.12)</p> <p>The reasons for being unable to provide the information are as follows:</p> <p>For four of the requests, the information requested was not held in a readily accessible format and new information would have been required to be created involving the creation of programming code to interrogate raw data across a number of datasets.</p> <p>On three occasions a manual review of a high volume of paper records and electronic files would have been necessary.</p> <p>On five occasions a high volume of documents would have been required to be located, retrieved, reviewed, and exempt information redacted.</p> <p>3.         For those requests in (1), could you please provide us with your search process (or proposed search process) for documents required for these rejected request cases?</p> <p>As explained above, SQA has multiple systems that store information, and we receive a variety of requests. Most searches relate to the production of statistical information or the identification and collation of information held electronically, or on paper.</p>

<p>Please provide me with MCA/SQA diet statistics for each Exam Centre from 2018 to 2022 for both Chief Mates Navigation and Stability. Please restrict the data to Candidates making their first attempt at these examinations</p><p>The information requested is contained within the document</p>

<p>As part of my FOISA discussion with the SQA, I hereby request as follows, “a copy of the procedures that the SQA require the Expert Reviewer to follow in making their Expert decisions</p><p>The information requested is contained within the document.</p>

<p>Under the Freedom of Information [Scotland] Act 2002 we formally request the information listed below in relation to the Scottish Governments Framework for the Provision of Interim IT Staff Services and Provision of Interim Professional Staff Services.</p> <p>Details for all contractors working for ASA Recruitment on IT & Professional Frameworks:</p> <p>- Job role or placement name</p> <p>- Start Date</p> <p>- End date</p><p>ASA – IT & Professional Staff Service placements</p> <p>                                                                        Start Date        End Date</p> <p>Awarding 2021 Programme Manager            23/11/2020            23/09/2022</p> <p>Software Engineer                                          01/02/2021            18/04/2021</p> <p>Software Engineer                                          24/05/2021            30/09/2023</p> <p>Senior Test lead                                              31/05/2021            15/10/2021</p> <p>Support for Evaluation of 2021 ACM             07/02/2022            18/02/2022</p>

<p>Mental Health and Wellbeing Award SCQA levels 4 and 5 - and similar I refer to the above offering regulated by SCQA. You do not allow complaints about educational offerings, and I have to assume that SCQA know what they are doing to the very highest degree? HOWEVER Farming out training in mental health to any third party outfits who have no actual appropriate medical training strikes me as "alarming". More than alarming. It sounds shocking. Arming people off the street - so to speak - with a little knowledge in this topic sounds dangerous even! Given the topic my questions are:</p> <p>1. Is this training in Mental health awareness in any way endorsed by the Scottish Government and specifically the NHS in Scotland?</p> <p>2. Are they in fact aware of these courses?</p> <p>3. Exactly how does SCQA monitor who is allowed to do this training. It is all very well seeing an examination paper or something at the end of a course, and issuing a certificate, but what about the ongoing oversight of the teaching?</p> <p>4. What mental health qualifications do trainers have?</p> <p>5. Would the SCQA care to comment if a company that is part first aid training and part a security guard provider really suitable to host such training>I say host not provide the actual training. Would such a company be allowed to give a day's training in - occupational therapy, speech and language therapy....professions allied to health?</p> <p>Mental Health topics as high street training without medical oversight? I sincerely hope not. I suggest this goes to the front of the queue. I will be very happy to hear that the Scottish Government, but particularly the mental health directorate at NHS Scotland, are satisfied these courses are being provided in a fully medically appropriate framework by the private sector, with the correct medically trained oversight. Personally, getting people into a shop and giving them training in mental health awareness sounds absurd, alarming. I am not an expert, I have a doctorate, I am not a doctor of medicine. Thank you for answering my questions.</p><p>1. Is this training in Mental health awareness in any way endorsed by the Scottish Government and specifically the NHS in Scotland?</p> <p>The Awards in Mental Health and Wellbeing are qualifications at SCQF levels 4 and 5 and not a training programme.  They are not endorsed by the Scottish Government or the NHS Scotland.  The awards in Mental Health and Wellbeing support the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategy 2017–2027. Its guiding ambition for mental health is simple but, if realised, will change and save lives: ‘We must prevent and treat mental health problems with the same commitment, passion and drive as we do with physical health problems.’</p> <p>2. Are they in fact aware of these courses?</p> <p>The Scottish Government were involved during the development stage and have collaborated with SQA since their implementation.</p> <p>3. Exactly how does SCQA monitor who is allowed to do this training. It is all very well seeing an examination paper or something at the end of a course, and issuing a certificate, but what about the ongoing oversight of the teaching?</p> <p>SQA quality assures the delivery of these Awards by selecting centres for verification each year and reviewing their assessment approaches and judgements. The awards are suitable for a wide range of learners, however, the main target groups are:  </p> <p>Young people<br /> Adults<br /> People working with voluntary and charitable organisations supporting individuals</p> <p>4. What mental health qualifications do trainers have?</p> <p>The Awards at levels 4 and 5 are auto-approved for schools and colleges. This means that these types of centres do not need to formally seek approval from SQA to deliver them. Other types of centres, such as employers and training providers need to seek and gain approval from SQA before they can deliver these qualifications. Regardless of how they gain approval, all centres are required to ensure that assessors are competent. Competence can be demonstrated through qualifications and/or occupational experience. All centres are subject to on-going quality assurance checks of the assessment process by SQA. Education Scotland is responsible for evaluating the quality of learning and teaching in Scottish schools and education services through inspection and review.</p> <p>5. Would the SCQA care to comment if a company that is part first aid training and part a security guard provider really suitable to host such training>I say host not provide the actual training. Would such a company be allowed to give a day's training in - occupational therapy, speech and language therapy....professions allied to health?</p> <p>Only centres approved by SQA are able to deliver and have their candidates certificated in SCQF Level 4 and 5 awards in Mental Health & Wellbeing.</p>

<p>The numbers of pupils taking SQA Music exams in schools - broken down by instrument, level (National 5, Higher, Advance Higher) and local authority</p><p>Firstly, apologies for the slightly late response to your request. We try to ensure that we respond to requests within the timescales permitted but on occasion, this is not possible.</p> <p>We are able to provide the information for the numbers taking music broken down by education authority area. This is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly. We are unable to provide a break down by instrument as the information is not held by SQA. We do not record the information by instrument and the candidate marksheets are disposed of by SQA in the January after the exam diet, as per retention schedules. As such candidate marksheets were destroyed in January 2023.</p>

<p>I would be grateful if you could furnish me with the following information: - Membership of National Qualifications Strategic Group I do not appear to be readily able to access such information on your website</p><p>The membership of the NQ23 Strategic Group comprises of the following organisations.</p> <p>Association of Directors of Education in Scotland</p> <p>Colleges Scotland</p> <p>Education Institute for Scotland</p> <p>Education Scotland</p> <p>National Parent Forum of Scotland</p> <p>Scottish Council of Independent Schools</p> <p>Scottish Government</p> <p>Scottish Leaders Scotland</p> <p>Scottish Qualifications Authority</p> <p>Scottish Youth Parliament</p> <p>Student Participation in Quality Scotland</p> <p>Universities Scotland</p> <p>The membership of the NQ23 Strategic Group comprises of the organisations rather than individuals. Each organisation nominates a member to attend each meeting.</p>

<p>Under the Freedom of Information [Scotland] Act 2002 we formally request the information listed below in relation to the Scottish Governments Framework for the Provision of Admin, Catering and Manual Staff Services [North & South]</p> <p>Details for all contractors working for Pertemps Recruitment:</p> <p>- Job role or placement name</p> <p>- Start Date</p> <p>- End date</p><p>The information available is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would like to submit a freedom of information request in relation to the statement here: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/104788.html In particular, I am interested in the content of "discussions with the National Qualifications Strategic Group and SQA?s Advisory Council" and of the membership of these groups. I am also particularly interested in the evidence for the claim that " engagement with teachers, lecturers, training providers, universities, colleges and subject experts, also suggests that, if retained for longer than necessary, the modifications to assessment could have a detrimental impact on .." And finally, I would like to understand the background to the claim that learners enjoy assessed coursework</p><p>The documents provide the information requested. However, information relating to the results of the evaluation have been redacted under section 27(1(a) Information intended for future publication</p> <p>(1)        Information is exempt information if—</p> <p>(a) it is held with a view to its being published by—</p> <p>(i) a Scottish public authority; or</p> <p>(ii) any other person,</p> <p>at a date not later than twelve weeks after that on which the request for the information is made;</p> <p>(b) when that request is made the information is already being held with that view; and</p> <p>(c) it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information be withheld from disclosure until such date as is mentioned in paragraph (a).</p> <p>It is stated in the document dated 10 February 2023 that the full results of the evaluation will be published in March 2023. Unfortunately, the publication of this has been delayed and it is now intended to be published within 12 weeks of receipt of the request, in early summer.</p> <p>The names of SQA staff below Head of Service level have been redacted from documents under section 38(1)(b) as this is considered personal information.</p> <p>SQA’s evidence is that learners’ attainment in coursework makes a positive contribution to their overall attainment in our courses. Anecdotally, many learners do value the opportunity for personalised learning that coursework offers.</p> <p>The membership of the Advisory Council can be found on our website using the following link: SQA Advisory Council - SQA</p> <p>The membership of the NQ23 Strategic Group comprises the following organisations:</p> <p>Association of Directors of Education in Scotland</p> <p>Colleges Scotland</p> <p>Education Institute for Scotland</p> <p>Education Scotland</p> <p>National Parent Forum of Scotland</p> <p>Scottish Council of Independent Schools</p> <p>Scottish Government</p> <p>Scottish Leaders Scotland</p> <p>Scottish Qualifications Authority</p> <p>Scottish Youth Parliament</p> <p>Student Participation in Quality Scotland</p> <p>Universities Scotland</p> <p>The membership of the NQ23 Strategic Group comprises organisations rather than individuals. Each organisation nominates a member to attend each meeting.</p>

<p>I would like a summary of the responses to the survey conducted to gauge opinions from stake holders on the proposed return of coursework components to qualifications from which they had been removed due to modifications brought in during the pandemic. Ideally the summary should be accompanied by an anonymised version of the all responses received to each of the survey questions - presumably these exist in the form of a spreadsheet or database file. I further request copies of any minutes from any meetings and any email correspondence where the responses to this survey were discussed, and any documents associated with the decision making process prior to the announcement made on Wed 29th March 2023</p><p> </p> <p>The documents provide the information requested. However, information relating to the results of the evaluation have been redacted under section 27(1(a) Information intended for future publication</p> <p>(1)        Information is exempt information if—</p> <p>(a) it is held with a view to its being published by—</p> <p>(i) a Scottish public authority; or</p> <p>(ii) any other person,</p> <p>at a date not later than twelve weeks after that on which the request for the information is made;</p> <p>(b) when that request is made the information is already being held with that view; and</p> <p>(c) it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information be withheld from disclosure until such date as is mentioned in paragraph (a).</p> <p>It is stated in the document dated 10 February 2023 that the full results of the evaluation will be published in March 2023. Unfortunately, the publication of this has been delayed and it is now intended to be published within 12 weeks of receipt of the request, in early summer.</p> <p>However, we consider the survey responses to be exempt under section 30(c) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, which states:</p> <p>30 Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs</p> <p>Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act—</p> <p>(a) would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the maintenance of the convention of the collective responsibility of the Scottish Ministers;</p> <p>(b) would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially—</p> <p>(i) the free and frank provision of advice; or</p> <p>(ii) the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation; or</p> <p>(c) would otherwise prejudice substantially, or be likely to prejudice substantially, the effective conduct of public affairs.</p> <p>In October 2022 SQA began an evaluation of the arrangements for National Courses in 2022-2023. This involved an initial survey. The main objective was to understand how the modifications to assessment had impacted on learners and practitioners. A short summary of the results of the survey is contained within the Modifications documents dated February 2023. </p> <p>The survey provided the opportunity for respondents to provide feedback on how modifications to assessment had impacted on learners and practitioners. It also provided the opportunity to comment in a confidential and anonymous manner. We consider all responses were received with the expectation that they would be treated confidentially, and any potentially identifying information would not be released. If the responses were to be made public and any individual was to be able to be identified it would undermine the confidence that respondents have in expressing views and could diminish the participation in future surveys. This would substantially prejudice the conduct of public affairs both to relationships with and trust between SQA and respondents and would adversely affect the ability of the SQA to conduct future surveys.</p> <p>We accept that when applying a section 30 exemption, a public authority is obliged to undertake a public interest test.</p> <p>It is considered that there may be a public interest in the comments being disclosed as this would show openness, transparency and accountability in the process. However, it is believed that, on balance, this is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption. It is important that the SQA is permitted to carry out its affairs effectively, which includes being able to obtain the honest opinions and comments of respondents. The summary data contained within the Modifications document provides a lot of information relating to the survey. Also, it is stated in the Modifications document from February 2023 that the full results of the evaluation will be published in March 2023. Unfortunately the publication of this has been delayed and it is now likely to be in June 2023.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p> <p>In compiling this response, SQA has also considered a previous decision made by the Scottish Information Commissioner, which ruled on a request made to the Edinburgh Napier University for a University Staff Engagement Survey in 2018. The full decision notice is available at the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website at the following link:</p> <p>Decision 007/2019 (itspublicknowledge.info)</p> <p> </p>

<p>* I would like to see in full the minutes of all meetings relating to the consultation of teachers in the Secondary Schools sector on the reinstatement of the Assignment in National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Music.</p> <p>* I wish to know the results for all questions in the survey relating to the consultation on the reinstatement of the Assignment in National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Music.</p> <p>* How many Music teachers took part in this survey?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many wished for the Assignment to be reinstated in its entirety at Nat 5 level?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many wished for the Assignment to be reinstated in its entirety at Higher level?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many wished for the Assignment to be reinstated in its entirety at Advanced Higher Level?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many did not wish for the Assignment to be reinstated at Nat 5 level?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many did not wish for the Assignment to be reinstated at Higher Level?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many did not wish for the Assignment to be reinstated at Advanced Higher Level?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many wished for the composing element to be reinstated, but for the review to be dropped at Nat 5 level?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many wished for the composing element to be reinstated, but for the review to be dropped at Higher level?</p> <p>* Of those who took part in the survey, how many wished for the composing element to be reinstated, but for the review to be dropped at Advanced Higher level?</p> <p>* Did SQA consider gradually reinstating the Assignment beginning with Nat 5 for the 2024 course followed by the Higher course in 2025 and the Advanced Higher in 2026?</p><p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly.</p> <p>SQA did not systematically collect evidence on specific subjects, so it is not possible to provide feedback at this level of granularity. SQA drew on survey responses and a range of other evidence to inform the decision to return to full course assessment as set out in the attached papers.</p> <p>With respect to the final question, yes a phased return was considered but as the main reason for returning to full course assessment is to ensure that learners are as well prepared for progression as possible, it was not considered appropriate.</p> <p>The attached documents provide the information requested. However, information relating to the results of the evaluation have been redacted under section 27(1(a)Information intended for future publication</p> <p>(1)        Information is exempt information if—</p> <p>(a) it is held with a view to its being published by—</p> <p>(i) a Scottish public authority; or</p> <p>(ii) any other person,</p> <p>at a date not later than twelve weeks after that on which the request for the information is made;</p> <p>(b) when that request is made the information is already being held with that view; and</p> <p>(c) it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information be withheld from disclosure until such date as is mentioned in paragraph (a).</p> <p>It is stated in the document dated 10 February 2023 that the full results of the evaluation will be published in March 2023. Unfortunately, the publication of this has been delayed and it is now intended to be published within 12 weeks of receipt of the request, in early summer.</p> <p>However, we consider the survey responses to be exempt under section 30(c) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, which states:</p> <p>30 Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs</p> <p>Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act—</p> <p>(a) would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the maintenance of the convention of the collective responsibility of the Scottish Ministers;</p> <p>(b) would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially—</p> <p>(i) the free and frank provision of advice; or</p> <p>(ii) the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation; or</p> <p>(c) would otherwise prejudice substantially, or be likely to prejudice substantially, the effective conduct of public affairs.</p> <p>In October 2022 SQA began an evaluation of the arrangements for National Courses in 2022-2023. This involved an initial survey. The main objective was to understand how the modifications to assessment had impacted on learners and practitioners. A short summary of the results of the survey is contained within the Modifications documents dated February 2023. </p> <p>The survey provided the opportunity for respondents to provide feedback on how modifications to assessment had impacted on learners and practitioners. It also provided the opportunity to comment in a confidential and anonymous manner. We consider all responses were received with the expectation that they would be treated confidentially, and any potentially identifying information would not be released. If the responses were to be made public and any individual was to be able to be identified it would undermine the confidence that respondents have in expressing views and could diminish participation in future surveys. This would substantially prejudice the conduct of public affairs both to relationships with and trust between SQA and respondents and would adversely affect the ability of the SQA to conduct future surveys.</p> <p>We accept that when applying a section 30 exemption, a public authority is obliged to undertake a public interest test.</p> <p>It is considered that there may be a public interest in the comments being disclosed as this would show openness, transparency and accountability in the process. However, it is believed that, on balance, this is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption. It is important that the SQA is permitted to carry out its affairs effectively, which includes being able to obtain the honest opinions and comments of respondents. The summary data contained within the Modifications document provides a lot of information relating to the survey. Also, it is stated in the Modifications document from February 2023 that the full results of the evaluation will be published in March 2023. Unfortunately the publication of this has been delayed and it is now likely to be in June 2023.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p> <p>In compiling this response, SQA has also considered a previous decision made by the Scottish Information Commissioner which ruled on a request made to the Edinburgh Napier University for a University Staff Engagement Survey in 2018. The full decision notice is available at the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website at the following link:</p> <p>Decision 007/2019 (itspublicknowledge.info)</p>

<p>Having read today that all parts of the national Music curriculum that were removed due to Covid have now been reinstated, I am left wondering what lessons, if any, have been learned regarding assessment. To that end, I would be grateful to know what the feedback from music practitioners was regarding from the most recent survey. I ask for this under the freedom of information act. Additionally, I would be grateful if you could explain the rationale which resulted in this decision</p><p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly.</p> <p>SQA did not systematically collect evidence on specific subjects, so it is not possible to provide feedback at this level of granularity. SQA drew on survey responses and a range of other evidence to inform the decision to return to full course assessment as set out in the attached papers.</p> <p>A phased return was considered but as the main reason for returning to full course assessment is to ensure that learners are as well prepared for progression as possible, it was not considered appropriate.</p> <p>The attached documents provide the information requested. However, information relating to the results of the evaluation have been redacted under section 27(1(a)Information intended for future publication</p> <p>(1)        Information is exempt information if—</p> <p>(a) it is held with a view to its being published by—</p> <p>(i) a Scottish public authority; or</p> <p>(ii) any other person,</p> <p>at a date not later than twelve weeks after that on which the request for the information is made;</p> <p>(b) when that request is made the information is already being held with that view; and</p> <p>(c) it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information be withheld from disclosure until such date as is mentioned in paragraph (a).</p> <p>It is stated in the document dated 10 February 2023 that the full results of the evaluation will be published in March 2023. Unfortunately, the publication of this has been delayed and it is now intended to be published within 12 weeks of receipt of the request, in early summer.</p> <p>However, we consider the survey responses to be exempt under section 30(c) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, which states:</p> <p>30 Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs</p> <p>Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act—</p> <p>(a) would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the maintenance of the convention of the collective responsibility of the Scottish Ministers;</p> <p>(b) would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially—</p> <p>(i) the free and frank provision of advice; or</p> <p>(ii) the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation; or</p> <p>(c) would otherwise prejudice substantially, or be likely to prejudice substantially, the effective conduct of public affairs.</p> <p>In October 2022 SQA began an evaluation of the arrangements for National Courses in 2022-2023. This involved an initial survey. The main objective was to understand how the modifications to assessment had impacted on learners and practitioners. A short summary of the results of the survey is contained within the Modifications documents dated February 2023. </p> <p>The survey provided the opportunity for respondents to provide feedback on how modifications to assessment had impacted on learners and practitioners. It also provided the opportunity to comment in a confidential and anonymous manner. We consider all responses were received with the expectation that they would be treated confidentially, and any potentially identifying information would not be released. If the responses were to be made public and any individual was to be able to be identified it would undermine the confidence that respondents have in expressing views and could diminish participation in future surveys. This would substantially prejudice the conduct of public affairs both to relationships with and trust between SQA and respondents and would adversely affect the ability of the SQA to conduct future surveys.</p> <p>We accept that when applying a section 30 exemption, a public authority is obliged to undertake a public interest test.</p> <p>It is considered that there may be a public interest in the comments being disclosed as this would show openness, transparency and accountability in the process. However, it is believed that, on balance, this is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption. It is important that the SQA is permitted to carry out its affairs effectively, which includes being able to obtain the honest opinions and comments of respondents. The summary data contained within the Modifications document provides a lot of information relating to the survey. Also, it is stated in the Modifications document from February 2023 that the full results of the evaluation will be published in March 2023. Unfortunately the publication of this has been delayed and it is now likely to be in June 2023.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p> <p>In compiling this response, SQA has also considered a previous decision made by the Scottish Information Commissioner which ruled on a request made to the Edinburgh Napier University for a University Staff Engagement Survey in 2018. The full decision notice is available at the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website at the following link:</p> <p>Decision 007/2019 (itspublicknowledge.info)      </p>

<p>I have looked at the assessment arrangements 2022 statistics on the website but was wondering if it was possible to obtain this at a school level?</p> <p>I am looking specifically at Edinburgh schools</p><p>The information is contained within the sheets.</p> <p>However, where the numbers are four or less, disclosure control has been applied and the numbers removed from the tables. This is to prevent possible identification of individuals.</p> <p>Under section 38(1)(b) we have a duty to protect the personal information of individuals and if the low numbers were to be released, it could lead to the identification of individuals and their assessment needs. Information relating to someone’s assessment needs is deemed to be special category data and we need to ensure that this is not put into the public domain.</p>

<p>As per my records, Atos contract has expired. I would like to know whether this contract is still valid or replaced by any other supplier.</p> <p>If all the information besides the contract dates are the same, I am happy to just receive an update on the contract dates</p> <p>Below highlighted original FOI request for your reference only.</p> <p>I wish to submit to the organisation a freedom of information request relating to the organisation’s ICT contracts, specifically around:     </p> <p>1.          contact centre contract(s)</p> <p>2.          inbound network services contract (s)</p> <p> The first part of my request relates to contact centre service contracts which could relate to one of the following:</p> <p>1.       Advanced call distribution to control the flow of calls and maximise customer experience</p> <p>2.       Email, website live chat and integrations with popular social media apps like Facebook and Instagram</p> <p>3.       Performance monitoring tools to track performance, customer satisfaction and other key sales metrics</p> <p> This could be part of a whole package or separate service applications.  </p> <p>Please send me the following information for each provider: </p> <p>1.            Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) please can you provide me with the supplier of the contract.</p> <p>2.            Annual Average Spend: For each supplier, please state the annual average (over 3 years) spend for each supplier</p> <p>3.            Contract Duration: For each supplier, please state the contract duration of the contract expires. If available please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p>4.            Contract Expiry: For each supplier, please state the date of when the contract expires.</p> <p>5.            Contract Review: For each supplier, please state the date of when the contract will be reviewed.</p> <p>6.            Contract Description: For each supplier, please state a brief description of the services provided of the overall contract.</p> <p>7.            Contact Details: For each supplier, please state the person from within the organisation responsible for the contract. Please provide me with their full name, actual job title, contact number and direct email address. At the very least please provide me with their actual job title.</p> <p>8.            Number of Agents; please provide me with the total number of contact centre agents;</p> <p>9.            Number of Sites; please can you provide me with the number of sites the contact centre covers.</p> <p>10.        Manufacturer of the contact centre: Who is the manufacturer of the contact centre system that you operate?</p> <p>11.        Do you use Microsoft Exchange 2003 as your email server? If not, then which products do you use?</p> <p>12.        Number of email users: Approximate number of email users across the organisations.</p> <p>The second part of my request relates to the use inbound network services contracts which could relate to one of the following:</p> <p>1.            0800, 0845, 0870, 0844, 0300 number</p> <p>2.            Routing of calls</p> <p>3.            Caller Identifier</p> <p>4.            Caller Profile- linking caller details with caller records</p> <p>5.            Interactive voice response (IVR)</p> <p> For a contract relating to the above please can you provide me with?</p> <p>1.       Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) please can you provide me with the supplier of the contract.</p> <p>2.       Annual Average Spend: For each supplier, please state the annual average (over 3 years) spend for each supplier</p> <p>3.       Contract Expiry: For each supplier, please state the date of when the contract expires.</p> <p>4.       Contract Review: For each supplier, please state the date of when the contract will be reviewed.</p> <p>5.       Contract Description: For each supplier, please state a brief description of the services provided of the overall contract.</p> <p>6.       Contact Details: For each supplier, please state the person from within the organisation responsible for the contract. Please provide me with their full name, actual job title, contact number and direct email address.<br /> Please can you acknowledge my request so that I know that the request is being dealt with. If you have any questions or queries in relation to this request, please send me an email and I will respond accordingly.</p> <p>Also, I would appreciate it if the contract information was included within a spreadsheet</p><p>The information is contained within the sheet</p>

<p>I am making a freedom of information request for the following details:</p> <p>1. How many Advanced Higher Maths appeals were submitted nationally for the following years, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022.</p> <p>2. Please advise the percentage of successful appeals nationally for these years</p> <p>3. Please advise the percentage of unsuccessful appeals nationally for these years.</p> <p>4. How many Advanced Higher Maths appeals were submitted in East Dunbartonshire for 2016,2017,2018,2019,2022? </p> <p>5. How many of the appeals in point 4 were successful?</p> <p>6. Please advise the number of appeals for Advanced Higher Maths at Lenzie Academy in the following years: 2016,2017,2018, 2019.</p> <p>7. Please advise of the number of successful appeals for Advanced Higher Maths for Lenzie Academy in the following years: 2016,2017,2018, 2019</p><p>1. How many Advanced Higher Maths appeals were submitted nationally for the following years, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022.</p> <p>2. Please advise the percentage of successful appeals nationally for these years</p> <p>3. Please advise the percentage of unsuccessful appeals nationally for these years.</p> <p>Mathematics Advanced Higher - National</p> <p>Year         Appeals               Successful                       Unsuccessful</p> <p>2016          69                       7      10.1%                      62                 89.9%</p> <p>2017          88                       4         4.5%                     84                 95.5%</p> <p>2018          73                       2          2.7%                    71                 97.3%</p> <p>2019          82                       7          8.5%                    75                 91.5%</p> <p>2022        624                    87         13.9%                  537                 86.1%</p> <p>4. How many Advanced Higher Maths appeals were submitted in East Dunbartonshire for 2016,2017,2018,2019,2022? </p> <p>5. How many of the appeals in point 4 were successful?</p> <p>Mathematics Advanced Higher - East Dunbartonshire</p> <p>Year        Appeals              Successful                    Unsuccessful</p> <p>2016         2                       0               -                    2                100.0%</p> <p>2017         3                       0               -                    3                100.0%</p> <p>2018         2                       0               -                    2                100.0%</p> <p>2019         1                       0               -                    1                100.0%</p> <p>2022       31                       3             9.7%              28                 90.3%</p> <p>6. Please advise the number of appeals for Advanced Higher Maths at Lenzie Academy in the following years: 2016,2017,2018, 2019.</p> <p>7. Please advise of the number of successful appeals for Advanced Higher Maths for Lenzie Academy in the following years: 2016,2017,2018, 2019</p> <p>There were no Mathematics Advanced Higher appeals by Lenzie Academy in 2016, 2017, 2018 or 2019.</p>

<p>I am requesting information about the number of school leavers gaining SQA national awards at SQCF level 6 or above in the academic year 2021/22, broken down by school or educational establishment.</p> <p>Specifically, please can I request (in spreadsheet format) for each school or educational establishment:</p> <p>- School feature code, if known, or postcode if not</p> <p>- School name</p> <p>- Number in leaver cohort</p> <p>- Number of leaver cohort attaining 5 or more awards at SQCF level 6 or above</p> <p>- Number of leaver cohort attaining 4 or more awards at SQCF level 6 or above</p> <p>- Number of leaver cohort attaining 3 or more awards at SQCF level 6 or above</p> <p>- Number of leaver cohort attaining 2 or more awards at SQCF level 6 or above</p> <p>If the following cannot be met within cost limits, please can you provide me with advice on how I might refine my request.</p> <p>I understand where schools have very few numbers, that these numbers may have to be kept confidential. </p> <p>Where qualifications were subject to appeal, I would be looking for the results after any appeals had been taken into account.</p><p>We are unable to provide the information requested as it is not held by the SQA. Section 25 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>We don’t hold information on school leavers. However, we believe that the Scottish Government may hold the information relevant to your requests and you should direct your requests to that organisation.</p> <p>You can submit your requests via the Scottish Government’s FOI Department at the following link; ceu@gov.scot, or you could try the following address: school.stats@gov.scot</p>

<p>Research paper on SQA Reading Lists. I would be grateful if you could confirm the list of texts from which students studying for Higher, Nat 5 and Nat 4 English can choose</p><p>SQA allows a free choice of texts to be used for the study of literature in the National 4, 5, Higher and Advanced Higher English courses.</p> <p>For National 5 and Higher English, there is one particular question on Scottish texts, where learners have to choose a text from a published list, this list can be found on our subject page at the following link :</p> <p>English - Course overview and resources - SQA. </p> <p>There is no restriction on selecting texts for the critical essay section of the National 5 and Higher courses.</p>

<p>The total amount spent in the last five financial years on public relations, both in-house and externally (split if possible). The total number of public relations officers or communications officers employed by your organisation over the last five years. Please provide the information in the form of an Excel spreadsheet if at all possible</p><p>Under section 25 of the Act, if information is otherwise accessible, an authority should inform the requester as such and where to access the information.</p> <p>Under the Public Sector Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (PSRA), SQA annually publishes information on public relations spend. The reports are available on our website and cover the last five financial years - https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/39108.8273.html.</p> <p>In 2021, an independent review of our organisation’s communications recommended that services previously provided to SQA by an external PR agency should be brought in-house. This eliminated a recurring five-digit annual cost and enabled skills to be built and retained among our permanent staff.</p> <p>That same report recommended the establishment of a new Directorate within SQA, bringing together a number of separate teams.</p> <p>This progressive approach enables us to professionally engage and communicate with our broad range of stakeholders. These include hundreds of thousands of learners, thousands of educators, and hundreds of learning centres across Scotland, the UK, and internationally.</p> <p>It also enables a robust media relations and external affairs service, effective and engaging internal communications to SQA colleagues experiencing substantial change, and a growing and engaged audience across social media and other digital platforms.</p> <p>Due to the new Communications Directorate structure only being in place since the start of 2022, we are only able to provide comparable staffing figures for 2022 and 2023. The figures for both years are as follows:</p> <p>External Affairs – 6 full-time equivalent (fte)</p> <p>Internal Communications – 6.4 fte</p> <p>Customer Communications: 2022 – 8 fte; 2023 – 8.4 fte</p> <p>Head of Communications and Engagement – 1 fte</p> <p>Director of Communications – 1 fte</p>

<p>With regard to Street Works qualifications awarded, can you provide me with the following:</p> <p>1. The number of Supervisors awarded NRASW C&G Units 001 & 010-014 (LA, S1, S2, S3, S4 & S5) or the equivalent in each of the following years - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 by your awarding body.</p> <p>2. The number of Supervisors awarded NRASW Units 001 & 010-014 & 016 (LA, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 & S7)or the equivalent in each of the following years - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 by your awarding body.</p> <p>3. The number of Operatives awarded NRASW Units 001 - 006 & 009 (LA, O1, O2, O3, O4, O5 & O8) or the equivalent in each of the following years - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 by your awarding body.</p> <p>4. The number of Operatives awarded NRASW Unit 002 (O1) or the equivalent in each of the following years - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 by your awarding body.</p> <p>5. The number of Supervisors awarded NRASW Unit 010 (S1) or the equivalent in each of the following years - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 by your awarding body.</p> <p>In addition to the above, please can you provide the same information year by year by Training Provider and by Region. Thank you.</p><p>The sheet shows the total number who achieved each of the separate awards for each of the different units and for each year.</p> <p>We are unable to provide some of the information requested as it is not held by the SQA. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>We are unable to provide the numbers of supervisors or operatives who achieved the awards as our records do not separate the awards, we only have the numbers who were successful.</p> <p>We are unable to provide a regional and provider breakdown as it is considered that this is exempt under section 33 of the Act, Commercial Interests and the Economy.</p> <p>It is considered that providing this breakdown would be likely to substantially prejudice the commercial interests of SQA. Street Works is a commercial activity undertaken in a competitive environment as opposed to delivering national qualifications, for example, which attracts public funding and releasing the SQA’s awarding activity, geographical breakdown and provider profiles would afford competitors to unfairly target high uptake regions and providers and exploit markets that SQA has spent significant time and resources to develop.</p> <p>When information is provided through freedom of information legislation, it is effectively placed into the public domain, even though the information may not be published anywhere. Accordingly, if anybody else was to request the same information, we would be unable to refuse the request</p> <p>When a section 33 exemption is being applied, a public authority must undertake the public interest test.</p> <p>It is understood that the geographical breakdown and provider profiles may be of some interest to the public. However, it would be of greater interest to competing awarding bodies. It is in the public interest that the commercial interests of the SQA are not substantially prejudiced by losing centres that it works with to competitors. Providing the geographical breakdown and provider details would allow competitors to target any relevant centres and this would have an adverse effect on SQA’s business. It is considered that the public interest is better served in preserving the commercial interests of SQA.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p>

<p>What were the average marks for higher English folio pieces in either 2022 or 2023.</p><p>The information you have requested is publicly available and is therefore exempt information under section 25(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).</p> <p>To assist you in finding the information I have provided a link to <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105153.html">Component Marks Information.</a></p>

<p>What were the average marks for higher English folio pieces in either 2022 or 2023.</p><p>The information you have requested is publicly available and is therefore exempt information under section 25(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).</p> <p>To assist you in finding the information I have provided a link to the appropriate area of our website.</p> <p>https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105153.html</p>

<p>Please could you supply the following information</p> <p>Going back to 2018 broken down by each year</p> <p>The number of entries by local authority for the National 5 Physical Education Course</p> <p>The numbers of people broken down by local authority who participated in each of the sports permitted in this document attached for the performance element PE National 5 specimen coursework: Performance - assessment task (sqa.org.uk)</p> <p>https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/PhysicalEducationN5CATPerformance.pdf</p> <p>A repeat of the information above at higher level I would be grateful if this information could be supplied in an excel spreadsheet. I look forward to hearing from you.</p><p>The number of entries by local authority for the National 5 Physical Education Course</p> <p>Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you and can be accessed at the link below. We believe that the information contained within the link will provide the information you requested.</p> <p>Five-year course trend data can be found in our on our Education Authorities National 5 and Higher publications on our web page using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105123.html">Attainment Statistics - SQA</a></p> <p>The numbers of people broken down by local authority who participated in each of the sports permitted in this document attached for the performance element PE National 5 specimen coursework: Performance - assessment task (sqa.org.uk)</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/PhysicalEducationN5CATPerformance.pdf">National 5 Physical Education performance (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p>As required under Section 17 of FOISA, if we do not hold information requested, we must advise you accordingly.</p> <p>We do not hold information on what sports candidates participate in and accordingly we are unable to provide the information requested.</p> <p>A repeat of the information above at higher level I would be grateful if this information could be supplied in an excel spreadsheet. I look forward to hearing from you.</p>

<p>I wish to submit an FOI request for the numbers of responses to the different sections of the question paper in Higher History. As you know higher history has two components - British European and World, and Scottish history. I'm looking to get a total number of candidates (for any available years, but at a minimum, for 2022) who wrote question paper answers to each of the themes under those headings, which are noted in the course specification as: British A: Church, state and feudal society, 1066-1406 B: the century of revolutions, 1603-1702 C: The atlantic slave trade D: Britain, 1851-1951 E: Britain and Ireland, 1900-1985 European and world A: The Crusades, 1071-1204 B: The american revolution, 1763-1787 C: The French Revolution, to 1799 D: Germany, 1815-1939 E: Italy, 1815-1939 F: Russia, 1881-1921 G: USA, 1918-1968 H: Appeasement and the road to war, to 1939 I: The Cold War, 1945-1989 Scottish A: the wars of independence, 1249-1328 B: The age of reformation, 1542-1603 C: The Treaty of union, 1689-1740 D: Migration and empire, 1830-1939 E: the impact of the the great war, 1914-1928</p><p>The information requested has been provided in the document below.</p>

<p>What were the average marks for higher English folio pieces in either 2022 or 2023.</p><p>The information you have requested is publicly available and is therefore exempt information under section 25(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).</p> <p>To assist you in finding the information I have provided a link to the appropriate area of our website.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105153.html">Higher English Folio Pieces Average Marks</a></p>

<p>For the time period 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023 (or your equivalent 12-month period), please provide the following:  </p> <p>total number of violent incidents on your staff broken down by job title/category of worker </p> <p>a breakdown of the nature of the violent incident e.g., verbal, physical, threatening behaviour </p> <p>h​ow many violent incidents have been reported under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations, with a breakdown by job title/category of worker</p> <p>Violent incidents can include:</p> <p>verbal abuse or threats, including face to face, online and via telephone<br /> physical attacks<br /> threatening behaviour</p><p>Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect. We have checked our records across SQA and we have no records of violent incidents on staff between 01 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.</p>

<p>Please can you provide me with the number of markers for history papers who have had contracts terminated in the last month, as well as the reasons for this?</p> <p>Please can you provide the number of complaints, if any, made to SQA about this year's history exam papers. Please state the source of the complaint, the paper in question and the nature of the complaint e.g. too difficult, beyond scope of syllabus etc.</p> <p>Can you please provide for the last five years the number of occasions SQA has contacted teachers/lecturers' employers or managers regarding comments educators have made about SQA?</p><p>Every year we give full consideration of the feedback we receive during our marking process where we can adjust marking instructions if any particular question or questions prove to be more or less demanding than what was intended. We can also take this into account when setting the grade boundaries, the minimum marks needed to achieve grades in each course – to check that each assessment was set at the right standard or level of difficulty, making sure learners are treated fairly and that their grades accurately reflect what they know and can do.</p> <p><strong>Please can you provide me with the number of markers for history papers who have had contracts terminated in the last month, as well as the reasons for this?</strong></p> <p>Within the last month, there are two markers who have had their contracts terminated. Both cases were for a breach of the terms and conditions of the marker role.</p> <p><strong>Please can you provide the number of complaints, if any, made to SQA about this year's history exam papers.</strong></p> <p>There have been five complaints received about History papers and ten expressions of concern.</p> <p><strong>Please state the source of the complaint, the paper in question and the nature of the complaint e.g. too difficult, beyond scope of syllabus etc.</strong></p> <p>All the relevant correspondence came from educators.</p> <p>There is one complaint relating to the National 5 History paper, the Mary Queen of Scots section, saying it was more difficult than the other sections.</p> <p>The other four complaints and ten expressions of concern relate to the Higher History paper and in particular Paper 2 Scottish Wars of Independence. All considered that the section was too difficult.</p> <p><strong>Can you please provide for the last five years the number of occasions SQA has contacted teachers/lecturers' employers or managers regarding comments educators have made about SQA?</strong></p> <p>There is one occasion that we are aware of where a centre has been contacted regarding comments made by an educator about SQA.</p>

<p>Please could you send me a list of all the schools that run dance SQA qualifications</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would request you to respond to questions included in the attachment.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>I would like to know the number of Chinese students doing SQA for the past four years, which are 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022; and possibly, the number of Chinese students doing SQA in 2023</p> <p>However, to help us provide the correct information, can you please clarify what you mean in your request? When you ask for the number of Chinese students doing SQA, do you mean the number of students based in China doing SQA run courses? Or do you mean the number of Chinese students doing courses elsewhere? However, I’m not sure we would be able to provide any figures for Chinese students studying outside China, but this would need to be confirmed.</p> <p>Thank you for your email. Apologies for not making it clear.</p> <p>I would like to enquire the number of students based in China doing SQA run courses, in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, if possible.</p><p>The information requested is contained below.</p> <p>Country           Year                Entries          Candidates</p> <p>China         2018/2019            3,950            3,948</p> <p>China         2019/2020            3,470            3,466</p> <p>China         2020/2021            4,692            4,685</p> <p>China         2021/2022            4,476            4,468</p> <p>China         2022/2023*           4,180            4,174</p> <p>*Figures up and including 31 May 2023</p> <p>Data is based on entries from centres with country name of China</p>

<p>I am writing to submit a formal request for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. I kindly request that you provide me with the following information: What is the reason for Advanced Higher Computing Science not running in any school in the 2023/24 session</p><p>Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>We have no information on the Advanced Higher Computing Science course being unavailable in session 2023/2024. SQA believe that centres can offer the qualification should they choose to do so as in previous years.</p>

<p>I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act. Please provide the total number of pupils who have faced investigations by SQA for using artificial intelligence (AI) in examined material, such as coursework, divided by: a) Which qualifications the material formed a part of (for example GCSEs, A Levels etc) b) The outcome of the investigations</p><p>We are unable to provide any information on your request as the information is not held.</p> <p>Our candidate malpractice process currently does not have a separate category for artificial intelligence and any possible instances of this would be investigated as plagiarism. Accordingly, we are unable to provide the information requested.</p> <p>We are continuing to monitor further advances in artificial intelligence technology and are consulting and engaging across the education community on the potential role of AI in qualifications, learning and assessment. This activity will help guide our approach in the future.</p>

<p><strong>Request: Compensation payments</strong></p> <p>The total amount spent on compensation payments in the financial year 2022-23?</p> <p>The total spent on rectifying errors in the financial year 2022-23?</p><p>There has been no money spent on compensation payments, nor on rectifying any errors in the financial year 2022-2023.</p>

<p>1List of subjects removed from the national curriculum (secondary education) between 2006 to Present</p> <p> 2) Copy of the iterations of the curriculum/course outline and options for Ancient Greek Higher course, from 2006 until it was removed</p> <p> 3) Copy of the iterations of the curriculum/course outline and options for the Ancient Greek Advanced Higher course from 2006 until it was removed.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p><p>1 List of subjects removed from the national curriculum (secondary education) between 2006 to Present</p> <p> As part of the Curriculum for Excellence developments an engagement exercise was carried into the future shape of the qualifications portfolio.   As part of that exercise we removed National Courses in Classical Greek, Geology and Russian – plus a range of vocational related National Courses as vocational qualifications in these areas were already available.</p> <p> Our attainment statistics published on the SQA website, available at the link below, including the archive, give the full details of our National Course provision for the years you are looking at</p> <p> <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105123.html">Attainment Statistics - SQA</a></p> <p> 2) Copy of the iterations of the curriculum/course outline and options for Ancient Greek Higher course, from 2006 until it was removed</p> <p> 3) Copy of the iterations of the curriculum/course outline and options for the Ancient Greek Advanced Higher course from 2006 until it was removed.</p> <p> Attached are the most recent versions of the course arrangements for Higher and Advanced Higher Classical Greek - these are the versions/editions that were live in 2006 and they were not changed until the course was withdrawn.</p>

<p>I am requesting the following information under freedom of information legislation.</p> <p> Request: Staff Costs</p> <p>The total financial costs of overtime in the financial year 2022–23?<br /> The total financial costs to recruit staff as a result of resignation and dismissal in the financial year 2022-2023<br /> The total financial costs spent on recruitment agencies currently being used for the supply of agency staff in the financial year 2022–23?  <br /> The total financial costs spent on redundancy payments in the financial year 2022–23?</p><p>1          The total financial costs of overtime in the financial year 2022–23 was £480,756.</p> <p>2          The total financial costs to recruit staff as a result of resignation and dismissal in the financial year 2022-2023 was £260,264.</p> <p>3          The total financial costs spent on recruitment agencies currently being used for the supply of agency staff in the financial year 2022–23 was £86,313.20.</p> <p>4          The total financial costs spent on redundancy payments in the financial year 2022–23? There were no redundancy payments in 2022-2023.</p>

<p>I am writing to request the following information about marks in 2023. Please provide: - the highest mark achieved in each subject (National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher) - the number of candidates who achieved said mark - the highest mark achieved in each component of assessment for each subject, e.g. the highest mark in paper 1 and paper 2 in Mathematics for N5, Higher and Adv. Higher</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Can you advise how many candidates achieved 5 Advanced Highers or more at A grade in 2023</p><p>There were 5 candidates who achieved 5 Advanced Highers or more at A grade in 2023.</p>

<p>I am a teacher of Higher Sociology working in a FE college, and would like to know how my students attainment compares to other educational providers in Scotland in 2023.</p> <p>I have accessed the Provisional Attainment Statistics for August 2023 and seen the averages for Higher Sociology.</p> <p>Please can you inform me of the number of centres who delivered higher sociology as a qualification in 2023.</p> <p>Please can you inform me of the grade A to C count percentage in ascending order per centre who delivered the qualification higher sociology in 2023.</p> <p>If you are unable to provide information per centre, please can you inform me of where in the ascending order my cohorts A to C count sits in comparison to the other centres - My cohort had an 82% A to C count and I would like to know how this compares nationally.</p> <p>For example, I would like to know how many centres attained a higher A to C count and a lower A to C Count than the 82% A to C count of my cohort</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>The highest exact mark achieved in paper 2 of advanced higher chemistry before scaling. The paper 2 in advanced higher chemistry was out of 85. I would like to know if 83/85 was the highest or what was</p><p>The highest unscaled mark for Chemistry Advanced Higher Section 2 recorded in our statistical data sets was 81/85 as per 26 July 2023.</p>

<p>Please provide updated data on SQA attainment (numbers of A, B, C, D, N/A) by school and by subject and level for each N5, Higher and AH course from 2018-2023 inclusive. 2018-22 was published in January 2023. Please include A-C and A-D pass rates as percentages and total number of presentations for each course in each school.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would like to know how my students attainment compares to other educational providers in Scotland in 2023, 2022 and 2021.</p> <p> Please can you inform me of the number of centres who delivered Nat 5 psychology as a qualification in 2023, 2022 and 2021.</p> <p> Please can you inform me of all grades (Grade A to No award) percentage in ascending order per centre who delivered the qualification Nat 5 psychology in 2023, 2022 and 2021.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I wish to submit a request to the organisation around their hosting contract(s) with 3rd party providers.</p> <p>The type of contract I wish to see is below:</p> <p>1.       Dedicated hosting- Managed environment</p> <p>2.       Co-Location- hosting allows a business to still own their own server equipment; however, instead of storing it in their own data centre, they instead are able to store it in rented space in a colocation hosting centre.</p> <p>3.       Cloud Hosting- Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resources from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.</p> <p>Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation.</p> <p>For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:</p> <p>1.       Type of hosting – Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?</p> <p>2.       Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?</p> <p>3.       What is the annual contract value for each contract?</p> <p>4.       What type of cloud environment?</p> <p>Private Cloud- a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate. </p> <p>Public Cloud - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet.</p> <p>Hybrid- integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.</p> <p>5.       What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the start date for each contract.</p> <p>6.       What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.</p> <p>7.       When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the review date for each contract.</p> <p>8.       What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?</p> <p>9.       What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,</p> <p>10.   Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details if possible name, title, contact email and number.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>I am requesting the following information under freedom of information legislation.</p> <p> Request: Fraud Losses </p> <p>In the financial year 2022-2023 how much has money been lost as a result of fraud?<br /> In the financial year 2022-2023 how much has been spent to retrieve money lost to fraud?</p><p>There was no money lost as a result of fraud or spent to retrieve any money lost to fraud.</p>

<p>Please provide me with the National 4, National 5 and Higher level A-C percentage pass rates for Mathematics and English for Hutchesons? Grammar School in Glasgow for the years 2019 to 2023 inclusive</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>I am requesting the following information under freedom of information legislation.</p> <p> Request: Public relations and communications</p> <p>For the years 2022-2023 how much was spent on external companies to handle public relations and communications?</p> <p>Please provide:</p> <p>The total cost 2022-2023 financial year.<br /> The amount of money paid to each firm (including VAT)</p> <p>For the years 2022-2023, how much was spent social media advertising, including a breakdown by year and by form of social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)</p><p>For the years 2022-2023 how much was spent on external companies to handle public relations and communications?</p> <p>Please provide:</p> <p>The total cost 2022-2023 financial year.<br /> The amount of money paid to each firm (including VAT)</p> <p>We are unable to provide the information requested as it is not held by the SQA. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>SQA does not use external companies for public relations and/or communications activity and did not do so during the time period stated.</p> <p>For the years 2022-2023, how much was spent social media advertising, including a breakdown by year and by form of social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)</p> <p>A total of £70,893.01 (to end of July 2023) has been spent on social media advertising in the time period stated.</p> <p>Our targeted and responsible investment has been central to a learner campaign that engaged and supported more than 100,000 learners across Scotland throughout their journey to Results Day, directed learners to support materials and vital ‘next steps’ advice, and also boosted our strong commercial performance within the UK and across many countries across the globe.</p> <p>The totals for each platform are stated below:</p> <p>Linkedin - £23,074.93</p> <p>Facebook and Instagram - £18,207.69</p> <p>Snapchat - £6,896.77</p> <p>Twitter/X – £15,831.16</p> <p>TikTok - £6,882.46</p>

<p>I am requesting the following information under freedom of information legislation.</p> <p> Request: Written off assets  </p> <p>For the years 2022-2023 what was the financial loss on written off inventory and IT equipment. <br /> For the years 2022-2023 what was the cost of replacing/fixing broken or out of date IT equipment <br /> How much was spent in severance pay in the years 2022-2023.</p><p>For the years 2022-2023 what was the financial loss on written off inventory and IT equipment.</p> <p>There was no financial loss on written off inventory and IT equipment.</p> <p>For the years 2022-2023 what was the cost of replacing/fixing broken or out of date IT equipment.</p> <p>The cost of replacing/fixing broken or out of date IT equipment was £617k.</p> <p>How much was spent in severance pay in the years 2022-2023.</p> <p>The was nothing spent on severance pay in 2022-2023.</p>

<p>I am requesting the following information under freedom of information legislation.</p> <p>Request: Agency staff</p> <p>Please advise the total spend on recruitment agencies in the 2022-2023 financial year?</p> <p>Please breakdown both spend on the agency that finds candidates for job vacancies and agencies that supply temporary staff?</p> <p>Please advise what the temporary agency spend for admin, call centre, data processing and clerical roles in the 2022-2023 financial year?<br /> Please advise what the temporary agency spend for roles such as warehouse, catering and cleaners in the 2022-2023 financial year?<br /> Please advise what the permanent agency spend has been in the 2022-2023 financial year?</p><p>1          Please advise the total spend on recruitment agencies in the 2022-2023 financial year?</p> <p>The total spend on recruitment agencies was £1,693,956.01.</p> <p>Please breakdown both spend on the agency that finds candidates for job vacancies and agencies that supply temporary staff?</p> <p>There was £86,313.20 spent recruiting candidates for job vacancies through agencies and £1,607,642.81 spent on recruiting temporary staff.</p> <p>2          Please advise what the temporary agency spend for admin, call centre, data processing and clerical roles in the 2022-2023 financial year?</p> <p>Under section 17 of the Act, if we are unable to provide information, we must inform you.</p> <p>We are unable to provide a breakdown by job role as requested. It is the total spent on agency staff that we have recorded, and the figure for temporary staff, stated above, covers all the different job roles recruited for temporary positions.</p> <p>3          Please advise what the temporary agency spend for roles such as warehouse, catering and cleaners in the 2022-2023 financial year?</p> <p>Under section 17 of the Act, if we are unable to provide information, we must inform you.</p> <p>We are unable to provide a breakdown by job role as requested. It is the total spent on agency staff that we have recorded, and the figure for temporary staff, stated above, covers all the different job roles recruited for temporary positions.</p> <p>4          Please advise what the permanent agency spend has been in the 2022-2023 financial year?</p> <p>The permanent agency spend was £86,313.20.</p>

<p>I am writing to you to request the following information.</p> <p>1) In several FOI recent responses, the SQA has stated that "we have made changes to our processes to improve our performance." in relation to responding to FOI requests on time. In that regard, what are these changes?</p> <p>1a) Can you also please provide internal correspondence regarding these changes in regards to what sparked them, internal discussion on exactly what changes were required, and discussion of implementation, including with external stakeholders if any such discussion took place</p><p>In 2020 our response rate for dealing with freedom of information requests within the 20-day statutory timescale declined from 95% to 86%. This was due to several factors, and we recognised that improvements needed to be made to our approach to achieve a consistently high response rate.  A paper outlining the issues and recommendations was submitted to the Executive Management Team (EMT) in December 2020 for consideration and the recommendations were approved for implementation.</p> <p>A copy of the paper detailing the issues and the approach has been provided with this response for your information.</p> <p>In summary, this comprised of the following:</p> <p>the process was documented end-to-end<br /> FOISA handling procedures were developed and are accessible to all staff<br /> heads of service or senior managers are typically responsible for case managing requests in their area, overseen by a Director<br /> face-to-face awareness training was introduced for case managers and other people who would benefit from an awareness session<br /> a simpler management tracker was introduced for EMT to provide visibility of open requests</p> <p>These changes were introduced during 2021 and minor refinements have been made since the implementation of the updated approach, which has been successful.</p> <p>We received a small number of requests that were complex and wide ranging in their requirements. The handling of these requests identified some issues around the identification and collation of information, which led to delays in responding and we recognised that some additional improvements were needed.</p> <p>The most significant of these improvements was made by the Chief Executive’s Office. The approach for searching, identifying and pulling together correspondence relating to an FOI request was considered by members of the Chief Executive’s Office and documented. Documentation of the process ensures that a consistent and manageable approach for FOI requests seeking correspondence is taken by the Chief Executive’s Office staff. The Head of the Chief Executive’s Office is assigned as the case manager responsible for providing information for FOI requests to the FOI team.</p> <p>No discussion took place with external stakeholders regarding our internal processes.</p> <p>The names of staff below Head of Service level have been redacted under section 38(1)(b) as it is considered personal information of a third party. We have also redacted some information which is out of scope of the request.</p>

<p>Please send me: The national A-C attainment rate at Higher by SIMD Decile for 2022 and 2023 The A-C attainment rate for each Higher subject by SIMD Quintile from 2017 to 2023</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>Under Freedom of Information law, please provide any information about the attainment gap between schools pupils from SIMD Q1 and SIMD Q5 backgrounds in both West Dunbartonshire Council and East Dunbartonshire Council related to the SQA results for 2022-23. Please include all data from the 2022-23 SQA results which shows the results of SIMD Q1 pupils compared to SIMD Q5 pupils at the National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels. Please also provide this data for the previous five years, provided that doing so would not exceed the cost exemption. Please provide the information in an Excel document</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I am writing in reference to your recently published 2023 National Qualifications Awarding: Equalities Monitoring Report.  We use the data produced by the SQA to inform our Commitment to Widening Access priorities at the University of St Andrews, and would be very keen to see the data on attainment by SIMD quintile further split by Higher and Advanced Higher subject (e.g. a further split of the data in Tables 13 and 15).</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I am writing to request the following information about marks in 2023. Please provide: - the highest mark achieved in each subject - National 5. Number of candidates who achieved said mark. If there is an overall ranking list based on average percentage for all National 5 subjects marks, please share</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would like to know what the highest achieved marks were in advanced higher chemistry and how many pupils achieved mark. I have been informed that I achieved 118/120 on advanced H chem and I would like to know if it was the highest mark</p><p>On our disclosure log, we have published a list of the highest scores achieved in each subject and the number of candidates who achieved that mark. This will include the information for Advanced Higher Chemistry.</p> <p>Under section 25 of the Act, we are not obliged to provide information if it is otherwise accessible. The information can be located on our website using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/106429.html">FOI23/24 047 Highest Marks Achieved - SQA</a></p>

<p>Please can you send me 2023 Higher Results figures for Bellahouston Academy?</p><p>On our disclosure log, we have published the attainment information for each school. This will include the information for Bellahouston Academy..</p> <p>Under section 25 of the Act, we are not obliged to provide information if it is otherwise accessible. The information can be located on our website using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/106433.html">FOI23/24 062 Attainment Statistics 2018-2023 - SQA</a></p>

<p>Overall Higher Engineering results year on year for the past 5 years for Madras College St Andrews. Percentage of pass C grades and breakdown of As, Bs, and C, as a percentage for the same period.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Higher History 2023 Please can you provide average scores for the various Scottish Options in the Higher History Paper 2023</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>The number of SQA candidate malpractice investigations and the number of SQA centre malpractice investigations carried out during: 2018/19; 2019/20; 2020/21; 2021/22; 2022/23. Please specify how many were: (a) instances were malpractice was found to have taken place (b) in cases were (a) was established, please detail actions taken by SQA as a result. Please detail names of local authority and /or SQA centres involved.</p><p>On our website we have information on reporting malpractice concerns, and we produce annual reports on both centre and candidate malpractice. These are available using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/96858.html">Reporting Malpractice Concerns</a></p> <p>However, we do not produce the information broken down by local authority or centre. It can be seen in the published reports that the overall numbers are relatively small and where the numbers are below 5 the information is not disclosed in the reports to avoid possible identification of individuals. We have a duty to ensure that in situations like this that individuals cannot be identified. We therefore redact the information under section 38(1)(b) of the Act.</p>

<p>Out of candidates who revived extra time in SQA Nat 5 English, what percentage of those also received extra time in: 1.SQA Nat 5 History 2. SQA Nat 5 Geography Info requested for the 2021/22 exams and 2022/23 exams.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>I am writing to submit a formal request for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. I kindly request that you provide me with the following information regarding 2023 appeals:</p> <p>1. Regarding "Checking in line with the national standards": Could you kindly provide a comprehensive explanation of the phrase "Checking in line with the national standards" as it pertains to the appeals section? Specifically, I am interested in understanding how the senior examiner ensures that a candidate's script has been accurately marked in accordance with the established national standards, thus minimizing any potential errors in the marking process.</p> <p>2. Elaboration on the senior examiner's assessment process: I am seeking clarity on how the senior examiner assesses the accuracy of the marking process. Could you elucidate the specific methodology employed by the senior examiner to verify the alignment of the marking with the national standards and the stipulated marking scheme?</p> <p>3. Distinguishing between clerical checks and marking reviews: Could you provide clarification on the distinction between clerical checks and more comprehensive marking reviews within the appeals process? Specifically, I am interested in understanding whether the appeals process involves both types of assessments and under what circumstances each approach is employed. Could you kindly elucidate whether the appeals process in 2023 primarily entails a clerical assessment or a comprehensive marking review?</p> <p>4. Scope of script evaluation by a senior examiner: I would appreciate information regarding the extent to which a senior examiner reviews a candidate's script during the appeals process. Is the entire script thoroughly reviewed, or does the review primarily focus on the specific questions or sections that are under appeal?</p> <p>5. Mitigating bias in the original marking process: Could you elaborate on the strategies and mechanisms in place to ensure impartiality and mitigate bias during the original marking process of all candidates' scripts? Understanding these procedures would provide insights into the overall integrity of the marking process.</p> <p>6. Addressing unreadable scripts: In the event of an unreadable script, how does the SQA handle the assignment of marks? I would appreciate clarification on the procedure followed when the content of a response is challenging to decipher due to handwriting or other factors.</p> <p>7. Handling incorrect question numbers: When a candidate has inadvertently provided an incorrect question number in their response, could you explain how markers evaluate such cases? Specifically, how is the content and context of the response taken into consideration to ensure a fair assessment?</p> <p>8. Ensuring marking accuracy without access to scripts: Given that candidates are unable to request a remark or obtain copies of their scripts, how does the SQA provide assurance that the marking process has been error-free and adheres to the established standards?</p> <p>9. Impact on scores during appeals: I am seeking clarification on the circumstances under which a candidate's score might change during the appeals process. Could you confirm whether scores would only be altered in cases where there are substantial errors or significant discrepancies between the original marking and the national standards?</p> <p>10. Request for detailed score breakdown: Is it possible for candidates to request a comprehensive breakdown of their scores, detailing the allocation of marks for individual questions on the examination paper?</p> <p>11. Examiner access to candidate details: During the original marking process, are examiners privy to candidates' personal details, or is a system in place to ensure anonymity and impartiality throughout the assessment procedure?</p> <p>12. Potential Impact on Candidate Scores and Mark Reduction in the 2023 Appeals Process: Under which circumstances could a candidate's assessment outcome experience a reduction during the appeals process? Is it conceivable that, in the context of the appeals process for the year 2023, a candidate's overall score might undergo a decrease of 1 or 2 marks?</p> <p>13. Inquiry Regarding the Appeals Process in 2023: Clarifications on Assessment Review, Score Changes, and Error: If the appeals process for the year 2023 does not involve an extensive re-evaluation of the marking, could you kindly elucidate the recourse available to a candidate who perceives a potential error in the assessment of their script? Moreover, am I correct in understanding that a candidate's score would only undergo modification if a substantial discrepancy of more than 1 or 2 marks is identified? This notion raises a query regarding its applicability across all cases, as it appears perplexing how a candidate's score might decrease, unless it involves a considerable misjudgment or if their work was indisputably overmarked.</p> <p>14. Assessment of Appeals Involving Coursework: Understanding the SQA's Procedures for Subject-Specific Appeals and Ensuring Alignment with Standards: Could you kindly elucidate the steps taken by the SQA when an appeal involves a subject that includes coursework components? Specifically, how does the appeals process account for the assessment of coursework and ensure fairness in the evaluation?</p> <p>15. For subjects such as English, where coursework plays a substantial role, does the senior examiner overseeing an appeal thoroughly review the coursework segment of a candidate's work? Could you provide insights into the extent of scrutiny applied to the coursework component during the appeals process?</p> <p>16. Ensuring that a candidate's coursework and folio align with standards is crucial for maintaining fairness and consistency. Could you elaborate on the measures implemented by the SQA to verify that a candidate's coursework and folio submissions are in line with the established guidelines and national standards?</p><p><strong>1. Regarding "Checking in line with the national standards": Could you kindly provide a comprehensive explanation of the phrase "Checking in line with the national standards" as it pertains to the appeals section? Specifically, I am interested in understanding how the senior examiner ensures that a candidate's script has been accurately marked in accordance with the established national standards, thus minimizing any potential errors in the marking process.</strong></p> <p>For each appeal request, senior appointees (such as the Principal Assessor and senior exam team members) review all the candidate’s externally marked components – each response in each component is reviewed against the marking criteria to ensure that is has been marked appropriately by the original marker. The totalling in each component, and overall, is also checked for any errors that would affect the grade awarded. The purpose of the review is to ensure that the correct grade has been awarded overall. Any deviation from the acceptable marking standard or clerical errors, that affects the grade, are addressed and the grade can be adjusted up or down to correct this.</p> <p><strong>2. Elaboration on the senior examiner's assessment process: I am seeking clarity on how the senior examiner assesses the accuracy of the marking process. Could you elucidate the specific methodology employed by the senior examiner to verify the alignment of the marking with the national standards and the stipulated marking scheme?</strong></p> <p>The process is to look at the candidate response and the mark provided for each item alongside the finalised marking instructions and confirm accuracy in application of marks. If the marking was outside acceptable standards, then the senior appointee would review the impact of this and, using the grade boundary cut offs, determine if there had been any error in the original grade awarded to candidate</p> <p><strong>3. Distinguishing between clerical checks and marking reviews: Could you provide clarification on the distinction between clerical checks and more comprehensive marking reviews within the appeals process? Specifically, I am interested in understanding whether the appeals process involves both types of assessments and under what circumstances each approach is employed. Could you kindly elucidate whether the appeals process in 2023 primarily entails a clerical assessment or a comprehensive marking review?</strong></p> <p>The appeals process involves both types of review.  For every case senior appointees undertake a clerical check and a more comprehensive check on the application of marking standards. See response to question 1 for more detail.</p> <p><strong>4. Scope of script evaluation by a senior examiner: I would appreciate information regarding the extent to which a senior examiner reviews a candidate's script during the appeals process. Is the entire script thoroughly reviewed, or does the review primarily focus on the specific questions or sections that are under appeal?</strong></p> <p>In every case all externally assessed components are reviewed by senior appointees. Again, please see response to question 1.</p> <p><strong>5. Mitigating bias in the original marking process: Could you elaborate on the strategies and mechanisms in place to ensure impartiality and mitigate bias during the original marking process of all candidates' scripts? Understanding these procedures would provide insights into the overall integrity of the marking process</strong></p> <p>All SQA appointees, including markers and senior team members, undertake training before carrying out their SQA duties.  This training includes highlighting the risk of implicit bias.  SQA’s e-marking procedures include the suppression of each candidate’s personal data.  Scripts are allocated to markers on a random basis (not full centres).  See also the response to question 11.</p> <p><strong>6. Addressing unreadable scripts: In the event of an unreadable script, how does the SQA handle the assignment of marks? I would appreciate clarification on the procedure followed when the content of a response is challenging to decipher due to handwriting or other factors.</strong></p> <p>In instances where a digital image of a script in deemed undecipherable by the appointee the physical script is used. The physical script is reviewed by a senior appointee who determines the marks to be awarded for each question. All markers have the facility to escalate/seek the opinion of senior appointees including the Principal Assessor (SQA’s most senior appointee) for guidance.</p> <p><strong>7. Handling incorrect question numbers: When a candidate has inadvertently provided an incorrect question number in their response, could you explain how markers evaluate such cases? Specifically, how is the content and context of the response taken into consideration to ensure a fair assessment?</strong></p> <p>Markers can flag these scripts to senior appointees for guidance and review if it is unclear which questions have been responded to. Senior appointees are fully familiar with all aspects of the assessment and will be able to assess the script accordingly.</p> <p>For example, in English critical reading – if a learner has written the wrong question number next to their response but the appointee can clearly see that the response relates to another question, then the response will be marked against the appropriate question.</p> <p><strong>8. Ensuring marking accuracy without access to scripts: Given that candidates are unable to request a remark or obtain copies of their scripts, how does the SQA provide assurance that the marking process has been error-free and adheres to the established standards?</strong></p> <p>For the original marking, exam scripts and other SQA assessments are marked by SQA appointees, who are practising teachers and lecturers. These markers are provided with comprehensive training before they begin marking, including a check on their ability to apply marking standards against pre-marked scripts. There are also quality assurance processes in place to ensure marking is to a consistent standard throughout the full marking period. These quality assurance measures include ongoing team leader checks and support, as well as system checks.</p> <p>For the appeals process please see the response to question 1.</p> <p><strong>9. Impact on scores during appeals: I am seeking clarification on the circumstances under which a candidate’s score might change during the appeals process. Could you confirm whether scores would only be altered in cases where there are substantial errors or significant discrepancies between the original marking and the national standards?</strong></p> <p>No marks are altered during the appeals process. The only change that can be made is to the candidate’s grade, if this is the outcome having reviewed all the candidate’s externally assessed components (and taking into account any internally assessed components). There are three possible outcomes for appeals – the candidate’s grade can stay the same, go up, or go down.</p> <p><strong>10. Request for detailed score breakdown: Is it possible for candidates to request a comprehensive breakdown of their scores, detailing the allocation of marks for individual questions on the examination paper?</strong></p> <p>Candidates can submit a Subject Access Request where they are provided with the mark sheet for their exam.</p> <p><strong>11. Examiner access to candidate details: During the original marking process, are examiners privy to candidates' personal details, or is a system in place to ensure anonymity and impartiality throughout the assessment procedure?</strong></p> <p>Most of the marking is from digital image – marking from digital image is completely anonymous – markers are not provided with any learner or centre details. In addition all markers have a contractual obligation to declare centres where they have an interest eg the centre where they teach or where they know learners. A process is in place to ensure that markers cannot mark their declared exception centres. When marking from physical scripts markers do see learner and centre details. The exception process is in place which ensures that no marker marks scripts from learners known to them. In addition, a suite of quality assurance processes are undertaken which ensures that the marking from each marker is monitored to ensure that it is to the national standard – the marking from all markers is sampled and checked.  See also the response to question 8.</p> <p><strong>12. Potential Impact on Candidate Scores and Mark Reduction in the 2023 Appeals Process: Under which circumstances could a candidate's assessment outcome experience a reduction during the appeals process? Is it conceivable that, in the context of the appeals process for the year 2023, a candidate's overall score might undergo a decrease of 1 or 2 marks?</strong></p> <p>Please see the response to question 9.  It is possible that a learner’s grade could go down if the assessment components have not been marked to standard, for example a lenient application of marking standards, and the impact of this would result in an overall grade change.</p> <p><strong>13. Inquiry Regarding the Appeals Process in 2023: Clarifications on Assessment Review, Score Changes, and Error: If the appeals process for the year 2023 does not involve an extensive reevaluation of the marking, could you kindly elucidate the recourse available to a candidate who perceives a potential error in the assessment of their script? Moreover, am I correct in understanding that a candidate's score would only undergo modification if a substantial discrepancy of more than 1 or 2 marks is identified? This notion raises a query regarding its applicability across all cases, as it appears perplexing how a candidate's score might decrease, unless it involves a considerable misjudgment or if their work was indisputably overmarked.</strong></p> <p>The appeals process does involve an extensive review of marking. Again, please see the response to questions 1, 9 and 12.</p> <p><strong>14. Assessment of Appeals Involving Coursework: Understanding the SQA's Procedures for Subject-Specific Appeals and Ensuring Alignment with Standards: Could you kindly elucidate the steps taken by the SQA when an appeal involves a subject that includes coursework components? Specifically, how does the appeals process account for the assessment of coursework and ensure fairness in the evaluation?</strong></p> <p>All externally marked components, whether coursework or exam script, are reviewed as part of the appeals process. Please see responses to question 1 and 2.</p> <p><strong>15. For subjects such as English, where coursework plays a substantial role, does the senior examiner overseeing an appeal thoroughly review the coursework segment of a candidate's work? Could you provide insights into the extent of scrutiny applied to the coursework component during the appeals process?</strong></p> <p>Yes, the appointee will review the coursework component with the same rigour as the other assessment components.  Please see responses to questions 1 and 2.</p> <p><strong>16. Ensuring that a candidate's coursework and folio align with standards is crucial for maintaining fairness and consistency. Could you elaborate on the measures implemented by the SQA to verify that a candidate's coursework and folio submissions are in line with the established guidelines and national standards?</strong></p> <p>Please see responses to questions 1 and 2.  As an example, in the case of the English Folio, senior appointees will review the folio and ensure that the marker has correctly judged the appropriate marking band with reference to the marking instructions</p>

<p>I would like data relating to the Exceptional Needs Consideration Service for 2023 exam diet. In particular, the number of candidates referred to the Service by Local Authority & independent sector, and by each individual school across Scotland</p><p>We do not have an Exceptional Needs Consideration service and we have assumed that what you are referring to is referring to the Exam Exceptional Circumstances Consideration (EECC) service.</p> <p>The number of candidates referred to the EECC service by local authority sector is 3303.</p> <p>The number of candidates referred to the EECC service by the Independent sector is 236.</p> <p>It is not appropriate to provide data on individual schools due to the sensitive nature of the referrals and the risk that an individual candidate may be identified.</p> <p>The numbers are relatively small, and we have a duty to ensure that in situations like this that individuals cannot be identified. We therefore consider the information to be exempt under section 38(1)(b) of the Act.</p> <p> </p>

<p>This is an information request relating to the number of staff who are allowed to work from abroad.</p> <p>Please include the following information, for the 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 financial years:</p> <p>The number of staff, per year, given permission to work from abroad<br /> For each member of staff granted permission, please provide their pay band, the country they have been allowed to work from, the length of time that they have been allowed to work for and the dates they were allowed to work from abroad. Please also provide the reason. If any of this is not possible to provide, please provide the remaining information</p> <p>If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.</p><p><strong>The number of staff, per year, given permission to work from abroad</strong></p> <p>SQA have no formal company approval process for this type of request, therefore no formal record of such events have been recorded.</p> <p>Any requests from staff to work abroad would be done on an informal basis in agreement with the line manager. These requests are only authorised on an exceptional basis, for example on compassionate grounds, and would be for short term purposes only.</p> <p><strong>For each member of staff granted permission, please provide their pay band, the country they have been allowed to work from, the length of time that they have been allowed to work for and the dates they were allowed to work from abroad. Please also provide the reason. If any of this is not possible to provide, please provide the remaining information.</strong></p> <p>Please see the response above.</p>

<p>You asked SQA for the following information:</p> <p>Please include expenditure for the period April to March (or closest period based on your financial year). Please enter in £s, not £000s or £ms.</p> <p>Please include revenue and capital expenditure, if possible.</p> <p>Item                                                Notes                                                                               2022/23            Comments</p> <p>Networking Services                      Please exclude equipment - see below</p> <p>Networking Equipment                  Please exclude services - see above</p> <p>Mobility Service                            Includes mobile voice (calls), messaging and data.                                                                                  If possible, please exclude cost of mobile devices</p> <p>Mobile Devices                             Mobile handsets or smartphones.                                                                                                            If possible, please exclude cost of mobile services                                                                                                             - see above</p> <p>Fixed Line Services                     Line rental or broadband.                                                                                                                            Please exclude mobile services</p> <p>Fixed Line Devices                     Telephones and conferencing equipment.                                                                                                    Please exclude mobile devices</p> <p>Security Equipment                     Example: network firewall (hardware, not software)</p> <p>Please do not include spend through a managed service. If any or all of the above are provided through a managed service, please enter '0', and state 'Managed service' in Comments column</p><p> The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Can please request the breakdown of the number of entrants for national 5 and higher chemistry by local authority for the last 10 years.</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>I believe the National ratings are comparability indices which can be used as a guide to the relative awarding standards in the various subjects at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.</p> <p>Would it be possible to obtain the National Ratings for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher for the exams sat in 2019, 2022 and 2023 based on candidates entered from centres within Scotland?</p> <p>I don't think these statistics are currently available on your website.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the documents.</p>

<p>I am writing to request a detailed breakdown of the component marks for the 2023 Higher Drama written paper. Specifically, I would like to know the marks allocated for each of the three sections, section one, section two, and section three. Please provide this information for all Higher Drama written exam scores across Scotland for the year 2023. If possible, I would like this information in a spreadsheet format.</p> <p>I understand the importance of student privacy and data protection regulations. I therefore request that the information provided is aggregated or anonymised in such a way that individual students cannot be identified.</p> <p>I appreciate that this might be challenging to provide due to candidates names. If this might be logistically difficult. I might suggest having candidates names removed. </p> <p>I am merely looking to get a clear overview of the strengths.</p> <p>Thank you for your prompt response and for considering my initial request with the utmost care, particularly in relation to data protection concerns. The offer to provide average scores for each question within the three sections of the Higher Drama written paper would indeed be incredibly useful for my research. </p> <p>If possible, could you also include additional statistics like the range of scores or standard deviation for each section? This would offer a more nuanced view of student performance. Additionally, I’m interested in a school-by-school breakdown of the average mean scores for each section. </p> <p>I understand that in cases where the student count is low, sharing such specific data could pose privacy concerns. Therefore, could the data be aggregated or anonymised in such cases to protect individual identities? I eagerly await your response and appreciate your assistance in this matter. </p><p>The document should hopefully provide the information requested.</p>

<p>I would like to request the following information be released under FOISA:</p> <p>Please confirm details of incidents in which students' completed exam papers have been lost or damaged before marking had been completed.</p> <p>For each incident, please provide the year, the number of papers lost or damaged, the subject/level of papers lost or damaged, and the reasons for the loss or damaged. I have included a table below with an example entry (in italics) to make my request as clear as possible.</p> <p>The date range for this request is May 2014 - present</p><p>The information for 2022 and 2023 is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect. </p> <p>We are unable to provide any information prior to 2022 as the information has been destroyed as per the retention schedules and accordingly is not held. The information is only retained for the current year plus 1 year.</p>

<p>For National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses across Modern Studies, History, Geography and Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies</p> <p>please provide an average mark attained by students per exam question for the last five years.</p> <p>This breakdown is to show all average marks per question in the above subjects for all Secondary schools in Renfrewshire,</p> <p>please separate to show these per school in your response.</p> <p>Please also detail whether any questions set in the exam for those subjects was not attempted by any candidate.</p> <p>Please also provide an average mark attained by each exam section in the aforementioned subjects, again per school in Renfrewshire.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>However, there were no exams held in 2020 and 2021 so there is no information for those years.</p> <p>Item marks are not captured for Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies, except for the assignment which was available in 2019.</p> <p>We have included a ‘not attempted’ column which indicates the numbers who did not answer any components.</p> <p>We are unable to provide the average mark attained by each exam section in the subjects as we do not hold exam sections in our data sets.</p> <p>Where there are fewer than five entries, the average mark has been replaced with *** to protect against the risk of disclosure of personal information</p>

<p>1. Total number of students registered on NPA Legal Studies for completion in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.</p> <p>2. Breakdown of the data for each year in 1 above against individual, named SQA centres (e.g. 2019 City of Glasgow College: x number of students etc)</p> <p>3. Total number of students aged 18 or below registered on NPA Legal Studies for completion in 2023, 2022, 2021,2020 and 2019.</p> <p>4. Breakdown of the data for each year in 3 above against individual, named SQA centres (e.g. 2019 City of Glasgow College: x number of students etc)</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I'm interested in statistics for the following: for 2022 and 2023 How many student's sat National 5 Maths , how many sat Applications of Maths and how many sat Numeracy. Of those, what percentage of each achieved each grade? If you have it, how many S4 age children sat no maths exam?</p><p>Entries and awards for 2022 and 2023 are available within our ‘Provisional Attainment Statistics – August 2023 within the tab for National 5. This contains the attainment figures for all courses. It can found using the link below:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105123.html">Attainment Statistics</a></p> <p>However, we are unable to provide any information for Numeracy as there is no Numeracy national qualification.</p> <p>Also, we are unable to provide any information on how many S4 age children sat no Maths exam as we do not hold this information.</p>

<p>I am contacting you at the Scottish Qualification Authority to request payment data.</p> <p>I am requesting information on all payments to external suppliers for purchases of goods and services between 2022-01-01 and 2022-12-31.</p> <p>What is requested is a list of these payments, ideally in Microsoft Excel format, which contains as much of the following information for each payment as possible.</p> <p>- Supplier name</p> <p>- Amount paid, excluding VAT</p> <p>- Payment date (or some other relevant transaction date, for example billing or booking date)</p> <p>- A unique invoice-id or a transaction-id number for each payment.</p> <p>- Some description of the nature of the expense (for example cost centre or booking account name)</p> <p>I am not asking you to do manual time consuming compiling.</p> <p>I am only asking for an extract from your accounting software with as much of the above stated information as you can conveniently and reasonably provide.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet. We have provided the supplier name, the amount paid, the relevant dates and the nature of the expense. However, we have redacted the unique invoice numbers as it is considered to be exempt from release under section 35 of the Act which states:</p> <p>35        Law enforcement</p> <p>(1)        information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially—</p> <p>(a) the prevention or detection of crime;</p> <p>If we were to provide the identifying number for the invoices, this would allow the information to be used in a way that could defraud the organisation. Whilst it is not suggested that is why the information is being requested, as information released under the legislation is deemed to be in the public domain, if anybody else requested the information, we could not refuse it.</p> <p>When applying a section 35 exemption we must consider the public interest.</p> <p>We consider that there is likely to be very little public interest in the invoice numbers. There is more likely to be interest in the expenditure, which is being provided.</p> <p>It is not in the public interest for us to release information which could potentially be used to defraud the organisation.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs that of releasing the information.</p>

<p>You have stated that the SQA “developed more efficient internal process for handling requests”. Please provide full details of these new, “more efficient” internal processes. Please also provide details of the previous processes, to allow for comparisons</p><p>In 2020 our response rate for dealing with freedom of information (FOI) requests within the 20-day statutory timescale declined from 95% to 86%. This was due to several factors, and we recognised that improvements needed to be made to achieve a consistently high response rate.  A paper outlining the issues and recommendations was submitted to the Executive Management Team (EMT) in December 2020 for consideration and the recommendations were approved for implementation.</p> <p>A copy of the paper detailing the issues and the approach has been provided with this response.</p> <p>In summary, improvements comprised of the following:</p> <p>the process was documented end-to-end<br /> FOISA handling procedures were developed and are accessible to all staff<br /> Heads of Service or senior managers are responsible for case managing requests in their area, overseen by a Director<br /> face-to-face awareness training was introduced for case managers and other people who would benefit from an awareness session<br /> a simpler management tracker was introduced for EMT to provide visibility of open requests</p> <p>These changes were introduced in 2021 and minor refinements have since been made that have been successful.</p> <p>We received some complex requests which led to the process of dealing requests within the Corporate Office also being reviewed. The approach for searching, identifying and pulling together correspondence relating to an FOI request was considered by members of the Corporate Office and documented. Documentation of the process ensures that a consistent and manageable approach for FOI requests seeking correspondence is taken by the Corporate Office staff. The Head of the Chief Executive’s Office is the designated case manager responsible for providing information for FOI requests to the FOI team.</p> <p>A copy of this guidance document has also been provided with this response.</p> <p>The improvements put in place have allowed us to achieve a response rate of 97% of requests responded to on time for the last 12 months and 98% for the current financial year to date.</p> <p>The names of staff below Head of Service level have been redacted under section 38(1)(b) as it is considered personal information of a third party. A small amount of text has been redacted from the Proposal document as it is out of scope.</p>

<p>I would like the figures please for the number of pupils who sat Higher English in 2022 and 2023 at Inverness Royal Academy, Inverness. I would like to know the number of pupils who passed the exam and a breakdown of the grades of those passes</p><p>The information for 2022 and 2023 is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>For information, the information for all schools in each subject for the last six years is available on our disclosure log which can be accessed using the link below.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/93617.html">FOI23/24 062 Attainment Statistics 2018-2023 - SQA</a></p>

<p>1. Total number of students aged 17 or below registered on NPA Legal Studies for completion in 2023, 2022, 2021,2020 and 2019.</p> <p>2. Breakdown of the data for each year in 1 above against individual, named SQA centres (e.g. 2019 City of Glasgow College: x number of students etc)</p> <p>3. Total number of students aged 16 or below registered on NPA Legal Studies for completion in 2023, 2022, 2021,2020 and 2019.</p> <p>4. Breakdown of the data for each year in 3 above against individual, named SQA centres (e.g. 2019 City of Glasgow College: x number of students etc)</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would like to know the percentage of candidates who achieved an A band 1 in 5 highers in 2023.</p><p>From our August 2023 attainment data sets, there were 64,231 candidates that sat at least one Higher, and of those, 385 achieved exactly 5 A band 1’s which equates to 0.6%.</p>

<p>From the August 2023 attainment data set, can you tell me how many of the 385 students that received an A Band 1 grade for an advanced Higher qualification.</p><p>From the August 2023 attainment data set, of the 385 candidates that achieved exactly 5 band 1's at Higher, 6 of those candidates also achieved 1 band 1 at Advanced Higher.</p>

<p>I am currently embarking on a research project around Cyber Security and was hoping you could provide me with some contract information relating to following information:</p> <p>1.       Standard Firewall (Network) - Firewall service protects your corporate Network from unauthorised access and other Internet security threats</p> <p>2.       Anti-virus Software Application - Anti-virus software is a program or set of programs that are designed to prevent, search for, detect, and remove software viruses, and other malicious</p> <p>        software like worms, trojans, adware, and more.</p> <p>3.       Microsoft Enterprise Agreement - is a volume licensing package offered by Microsoft.</p> <p>The information I require is around the procurement side and we do not require any specifics (serial numbers, models, location) that could bring threat/harm to the organisation.</p> <p>For each of the different types of cyber security services can you please provide me with:</p> <p>1.       Who is the existing supplier for this contract?</p> <p>2.       What does the organisation annually spend for each of the contracts?</p> <p>3.       What is the description of the services provided for each contract?</p> <p>4.       Primary Brand (ONLY APPLIES TO CONTRACT 1&2)</p> <p>5.       What is the expiry date of each contract?</p> <p>6.       What is the start date of each contract?</p> <p>7.       What is the contract duration of contract?</p> <p>8.       The responsible contract officer for each of the contracts above? Full name, job title, contact number and direct email address.</p> <p>9.       Number of Licenses (ONLY APPLIES TO CONTRACT 3)</p><p>1    SQA believes that releasing this information would enable cyber criminals to identify and take advantage of any weaknesses within the security of the services delivered by these providers. This would put SQA’s information at risk, including financial and sensitive personal data. We therefore apply section 35(1)(a) to this part of your request. Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in contract transparency.</p> <p>2    1 - £50k        2 - £18k         3 - £227k all figures are per annum</p> <p>3    SQA believes that releasing this information would enable cyber criminals to identify and take advantage of any weaknesses within the security of the services delivered by these providers. This would put SQA’s information at risk, including financial and sensitive personal data. We therefore apply section 35(1)(a) to this part of your request. Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in contract transparency.</p> <p>4    SQA believes that releasing this information would enable cyber criminals to identify and take advantage of any weaknesses within the security of the services delivered by these providers. This would put SQA’s information at risk, including financial and sensitive personal data. We therefore apply section 35(1)(a) to this part of your request. Section 35 is a qualified exemption so we have considered the public interest but we believe that on this occasion the risk to data outweighs the public interest in contract transparency.</p> <p>5    1 - 31/10/24*         2 - 31/03/24                 3 – 01/05/25</p> <p>6    1 - 01/10/20          2 - 01/04/23                3 – 30/04/25</p> <p>7    1 - 3 years             2 - Renewed annually 3 – 2 years with the option to extend annually</p> <p>8    Details of how to contact the Procurement team are published on our website here.  The phone number is 0345 213 6720 and the email address is procurement@sqa.org.uk</p> <p>9    Approx 1500 licences</p> <p>* Currently being renewed.</p>

<p>I would be grateful if you could provide the following information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p> <p>The SQA said in a recent response to a story running on the Tes Scotland website that “The decision to reintroduce coursework in 2024 was made in the best interests of learners and followed engagement with teachers, lecturers, universities, colleges and unions, among others. This engagement built on an evaluation of awarding in 2022 and highlighted concerns about the detrimental impact temporary Covid modifications can have on learners’ development of knowledge, skills and understanding and on their progression into further or higher education or employment.”</p> <p>Could you please share in full</p> <p>1) any information you hold setting out what the “engagement” referenced in this SQA response consisted of e.g surveys of teachers and lecturers/ focus groups etc</p> <p>2) any information you hold relating to the findings/outcome of the “engagement” e.g any reports compiled based on any survey of teachers and lecturers/ focus groups etc</p> <p>Basically if the SQA carried out research ahead of making the decision to reintroduce coursework in 2024 I would like to see the findings of that research in full.</p><p>The decision to reintroduce coursework was informed by SQA’s evaluation of NQ Awarding 2022, which included surveys of learners and practitioners, SQA staff and senior appointees, SQA statistical analyses and the experience of awarding meetings in 2022. As findings from the evaluation work were collated, SQA engaged with the NQ23 working group, NQ23 strategic group, SQA’s Advisory Council, SQA’s Qualifications Committee and SQA’s Board of Management. These groups represent a very wide range of stakeholders including practitioners, learners, parents and carers, school and college leaders, Local Authority representatives, leaders and experts in education in Scotland and the rest of the UK.</p> <p>In addition, SQA undertook careful analysis of the Awarding process for each course. In many courses the impact of modifications to course assessment meant that learners had not been able to demonstrate the usual range of knowledge, skills and understanding, and substantial changes to grade boundaries were necessary. This indicated that learners had been unintentionally disadvantaged by the modifications and were less well prepared for progression.</p> <p>We can confirm that the full evaluation has been published today, 06 June 2023.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105647.html">SQA's evaluation of the 2022 Approach to Assessment of Graded National Courses</a></p>

<p>Please see below a request for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and under the Environmental Information Regulations.</p> <p>I am seeking this information on behalf of Transform Scotland, the national alliance for sustainable transport. We represent a diverse range of member organisations, from community groups, environmental NGOs, walking and cycling charities to transport companies, local authorities and universities.</p> <p>Our information request is with regards to the delivery of sustainable transport within Scotland’s Public Bodies, and particularly in the context of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Firstly, we are interested in Public Bodies’ targets for business travel:</p> <p>1. Do you have a target to cut emissions from air and/or business travel? If so, please share information about any target(s) you have (e.g. description of the target, when the target was adopted, timeline to meeting the target). Secondly, we are interested in Public Bodies’ corporate travel policies and plans:</p> <p>2. Please provide copies of any corporate policy your organisation has on the reduction of emissions from business travel.</p> <p>3. Please provide copies of any corporate policy your organisation has on the reduction of the use of air travel for business travel purposes. Finally, we are specifically interested in Public Bodies’ use of rail and air for domestic travel:</p> <p>4. Please provide details of the number of flights your staff have taken from Edinburgh & Glasgow Airports to London Airports for business purposes in the past 12 months (or your most recent 12 month reporting period) for travel to destinations within south-east England.</p> <p>5. Please provide details of the number of rail journeys your staff have taken from Edinburgh & Glasgow railway stations to London railway stations for business purposes in the past 12 months (or your most recent 12 month reporting period) for travel to destinations within south-east England.</p><p>Questions 1 to 3 are considered to be requests for information under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.</p> <p>1. Do you have a target to cut emissions from air and/or business travel? If so, please share information about any target(s) you have (e.g. description of the target, when the target was adopted, timeline to meeting the target).</p> <p>We don’t have specific targets however the wording in our policies support greener methods of travel.</p> <p>We have a Sustainability Report which provides information relating to your requests. The link is below.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/SQA-Sustainability-Report_2020-2021.pdf">Sustainability Report 2020 to 2021 (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p>Secondly, we are interested in Public Bodies’ corporate travel policies and plans:</p> <p>2. Please provide copies of any corporate policy your organisation has on the reduction of emissions from business travel.</p> <p>3. Please provide copies of any corporate policy your organisation has on the reduction of the use of air travel for business travel purposes.</p> <p>We don’t have policies relating to the reduction of emissions from business travel.</p> <p>However, a link to of our Travel, Accommodation and Expenses Policy is below. This is currently being updated and will available on our website once the update is completed.</p> <p>One of the updates to the policy is in the statement:</p> <p>“SQA is committed to sustainable working practices as part of our ambition to become a net zero organisation . Staff should not travel unless necessary and where it is necessary they should seek to use the most sustainable means of travel while remaining safe and secure. There is a presumption against travel by car and air. Staff should consider other alternatives to travel for example video conferencing.”</p> <p>SQA also has an Environmental Management Policy which provides information on our commitment to environmental issues, which may be helpful. The link to this is below.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/sqa-environmental-management-policy.pdf#:~:text=Environmental%20Management%20Policy%20v5.0%201.%20Policy%20statement%20As,to%20the%20environment%20beyond%20legal%20and%20regulatory%20requirements.">SQA Environmental Management policy</a></p> <p>Finally, we are specifically interested in Public Bodies’ use of rail and air for domestic travel:</p> <p>Questions 4 and 5 are considered to be requests under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p> <p>4. Please provide details of the number of flights your staff have taken from Edinburgh & Glasgow Airports to London Airports for business purposes in the past 12 months (or your most recent 12-month reporting period) for travel to destinations within south-east England.</p> <p>Within the period 01 September 2022 to 31 August 2023 there were 60 flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports to London airports and 52 flights from London airports to either Glasgow or Edinburgh airports. All flights were economy class apart from one return trip between Glasgow airport and London Heathrow. This was flown as premium economy as it was part of a trip to India.</p> <p>5. Please provide details of the number of rail journeys your staff have taken from Edinburgh & Glasgow railway stations to London railway stations for business purposes in the past 12 months (or your most recent 12 month reporting period) for travel to destinations within south-east England.</p> <p>Within the period 01 September 2022 to 31 August 2023 there were 16 rail journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh stations and stations in London. For the same period there were 15 journeys between London stations and Glasgow and Edinburgh. All rail journeys were taken standard class.</p>

<p>I would like to request under FOISA information regarding the marking of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exam papers.</p> <p>Please confirm which subjects/papers at each of the following levels are NOT marked electronically (ie by a marker sitting at a computer looking at scanned images of exam papers) and are therefore marked on paper (ie where the actual exam script is sent to the home of a marker). If a subject has more than one paper please and a mixture of approaches is used please clearly confirm this by stating which papers are marked electronically and which are not.</p> <p>For each subject/paper disclosed, please also provide an explanation for why this subject/paper is not marked electronically. I have previously been advised only that some papers are not suitable for electronic marking so am seeking further information in each instance.</p> <p>National 5</p> <p>Higher</p> <p>Advanced Higher</p><p>The information requested is contained within the document.</p>

<p>I would like to know: -</p> <p>The total number of plagiarism cases detected by the SQA for coursework submitted towards National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses for the academic year 2022/23.</p> <p>- Of these cases, I would like to know how many were detected due to the suspected use of Artificial Intelligence.</p> <p>- I would like the cases detected as a result of AI broken down by the penalty applied.</p> <p>- I would like to request the overall plagiarism in coursework figures and the figure of plagiarism detected in coursework figures due to AI for the year 2021/22.</p><p>For the academic year 2022/2023, there were 54 cases of plagiarism.</p> <p>8 were at Advanced Higher level:</p> <p>15 at Higher: and</p> <p>31 at National level.</p> <p>In all the cases, the plagiarism was in a non-exam component, e.g coursework, assignment etc.</p> <p>We are unable to provide the information on the use of Artificial Intelligence as it is not held by the SQA. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>Our candidate malpractice process currently does not have a separate category for artificial intelligence and any possible instances of this would be investigated as plagiarism. Accordingly, we are unable to provide the information requested.</p> <p>We are continuing to monitor further advances in artificial intelligence technology and are consulting and engaging across the education community on the potential role of AI in qualifications, learning and assessment. This activity will help guide our approach in the future.</p>

<p>Please, I want to know under freedom of information</p> <p>1. Can a student retake N5 Physics during Higher (S5)?</p> <p>2. What are the guidelines from SQA to schools for offering N5 subjects in Higher if a student wishes to reappear N5 subjects in Higher (S5)?</p> <p>3. Can the school refuse to offer N5 subjects in higher (S5) if the student gets a D grade?</p> <p>4. The school has cited lack of staff as the reason for not teaching N5 Physics in higher, will this be a valid reason for the student's future?</p> <p>5. If a student does not get a place in N5 Physics in school due to staff shortage, can my son self study and appear for the N5 exam 2023-24 in higher (S5)?</p><p>We are unable to provide the information requested as we do not hold any recorded information relating to the requests. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>It is considered that the relevant school or education authority would be better to respond to your requests.</p>

<p>I would like to raise a freedom of information request to view the research carried out by the SQA to ensure that candidates have not been negatively impacted by having two exams in one day.</p><p>We are unable to provide any information relating to your request. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>The exam timetable is drawn up each year to ensure that all the exams for the relevant subjects are set within the time period set for the exams. Unfortunately, there will be the odd occasion when a candidate will have two exams in close proximity. However, it not always possible to avoid this event happening because of the different course combinations which learners may choose.</p>

<p>Please could I request the following information:</p> <p>How many DGSA qualified in:</p> <p>Road</p> <p>Rail</p> <p>Inland Waters</p> <p>of today's date are there currently in the U.K.</p><p>The current number of candidates with various types of DGSA certificates is as follows:</p> <p>ROAC (Road only): 2058</p> <p>RAAC (Rail only): 14</p> <p>RRAC (Road and Rail): 51</p> <p>IWAC (Inland Waterways): 14</p>

<p>Please can you provide the following for each of N5 and Higher Geography from the 2023 examination diet: number of pupils at each level achieving 100%. For Advanced Higher please would provide the following from the 2023 exam diet: highest exam paper mark, highest STUDY mark, highest ISSUE mark.</p> <p>I am keen to determine how my pupils have performed in relation to the highest scoring candidates</p><p>We received a request earlier in the year which we believe provides the information you are looking for. This can be found within our disclosure log using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/106429.html">FOI23/24 047 Information Sheet</a></p>

<p>1 How many Subject access requests have you received from April 2022- April 2023</p> <p>2. How long on average does it take to respond to each request?</p> <p>3. How many requests are returned to the subject late? (either after 1 calendar month or an extension)</p> <p>4. Where are the records for the SARs kept? Paper, storage systems? Please be specific</p> <p>5. How large is your team which deal with subject access requests</p> <p>6 What data do you typically redact in a SAR response?</p> <p>6.1 How long does it take you to redact an average response?</p> <p>7. How many employee SARs have you received (April 2022-23) and how many were responded to late?</p> <p>8. Who holds the budget for this issue within your organisation?</p> <p>9. What is the estimated cost to the business per SAR? (employee and end user)</p> <p> </p><p>1 How many Subject access requests have you received from April 2022- April 2023</p> <p>658 subject access requests were received within the requested timeframe.</p> <p>2. How long on average does it take to respond to each request?</p> <p>It takes an average of 16 days to respond to requests.</p> <p>3. How many requests are returned to the subject late? (either after 1 calendar month or an extension)</p> <p>There were three responses returned late during that period. One was two days late and two were a day late.</p> <p>4. Where are the records for the SARs kept? Paper, storage systems? Please be specific</p> <p>A log of the SARs received is kept in M365 (SharePoint), folders containing copies of the information requested and responses in a network folder and related correspondence in a limited access, shared mailbox within Outlook.</p> <p>5. How large is your team which deal with subject access requests</p> <p>Our Data Protection team has 2 members of staff; one of whom leads on providing responses to subject access requests. Members of staff from other teams are involved in finding and retrieving the relevant information. Their number will vary depending on the nature of the request.</p> <p>The Data Protection team forms part of a wider Information Governance team, that consists of seven members of staff and covers data protection, information security, freedom of information and records management. When there is a large volume of subject access requests received, other members of the Information Governance team can step in and help to prepare the responses.</p> <p>6 What data do you typically redact in a SAR response?</p> <p>The type of information that is typically redacted is:</p> <p>Information about other candidates. For example, their name, Scottish Candidate Number (SCN) or entries.<br /> Information about markers. For example, their name, initials, or marker ID.<br /> Information about SQA staff who have not been in contact with the candidate. For example, the name or user ID of the person accessing candidate information for the request. <br /> Objective test answers.<br /> Information relating to SQA systems.</p> <p>6.1 How long does it take you to redact an average response?</p> <p>Under section 17 of the Act, where an organisation does not hold information, it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>We do not record this and as such we do not hold the information requested.</p> <p>7. How many employee SARs have you received (April 2022-23) and how many were responded to late?</p> <p>Three SARs were received. This represents both current and former employees, and none were responded to late.</p> <p>8. Who holds the budget for this issue within your organisation?</p> <p>The Head of Service for Strategic Planning & Governance holds the budget for this.</p> <p>9. What is the estimated cost to the business per SAR? (employee and end user)</p> <p>Under section 17 of the Act, where an organisation does not hold information, it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>We do not record this and as such we do not hold the information requested.</p>

<p>I am seeking some data regarding your annual fair trade purchasing. This year marks 10 years of Scotland being a Fair Trade Nation.</p> <p>The Scottish Fair Trade Forum is compiling information on fair trade purchasing within public bodies, institutions and organisations across Scotland for the 2022-23 edition of its report into Fair Trade expenditure and policy commitments within Scotland’s public sector.</p> <p>To understand how Scottish Qualifications Authority’s procurement policies were previously reported on and to read our recommendations, please review our 2019-22 edition here: <a href="https://www.scottishfairtradeforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Fair-Trade-Expenditure-and-Policy-Commitments-Public-Sector.pdf">Report into Fair Trade Expenditure and Policy Commitments within Scotland's Public Sector 2019-2022</a></p> <p>Can you kindly provide data on Scottish Qualifications Authority’s total annual spend on fair trade goods across the April 2022 - March 2023 financial year?</p> <p>Please include a breakdown of:</p> <p>Vendor name</p> <p>Whether they were contracted/non-contracted</p> <p>A description of item(s) purchased</p> <p>The total value per order</p> <p>Items purchased for resale (if applicable)</p> <p>Please also provide your general policy on the procurement of fairly and ethically traded goods and services, in line with section 15(5)(b)(v) of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.</p> <p>I am aware that, given potential limitations, you may only be able to capture spend where purchasers have specifically used such terms as ‘fair’ and ‘trade’, ‘fairtrade’ or ‘fairly’ and ‘traded’ in their requisitions, and so items where buyers have used catalogue item numbers will not be reflected in the data.</p> <p>These considerations will be acknowledged in the report</p><p>The last three years have seen the organisation’s purchasing reduced considerably due to staff working from home and closure of offices. Regarding Fair Trade products the most likely contracts where these products would have been purchased would be in the catering contract, the supplier being Albacore and the Scottish Government stationery contract with Lyreco.</p> <p>For 2022/2023 the usage for these contracts is very small due to the operating environment. Attached is an information sheet containing the information we have on the fair trade purchasing, which relates to sugar sticks.</p> <p>For your information attached is a copy of our Procurement Policy. Page 3 refers to “suppliers specify Fair and Ethically Trade Products, if applicable”.</p>

<p>I am making a Freedom of Information request for the years 2005-2023 (the current syllabus) of the number of candidates and pass rate percentages for those taking the Chief Mates Navigation and Stability exams administered by SQA.</p> <p> </p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet. However, we are only able to provide the information from 2008 as information prior to that is not held.</p>

<p>This is an information request relating to the Stonewall UK. Please include the following information:</p> <p>Was your organisation a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme in the financial year 2022-23?</p> <p>What was the membership fee given to Stonewall as part of their Diversity Champions programme in 2022-23 by your organisation?</p> <p>Is your organisation currently a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme?</p> <p>What additional monies have been given to Stonewall in 2022-23? Specifically, this incorporates: Events/conferences (where, for example, your organisation has purchased tickets to attend or entered raffles or auctions organised by Stonewall).</p> <p>Please name any events/conferences that your organisation attended and the date attended.</p> <p>Other programmes (such as LGBT Leadership programme, LGBT Role Model programme, Ally and/or Trans Ally programmes, as well as Train the Trainer programmes etc).</p> <p>If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.</p><p><strong>Was your organisation a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme in the financial year 2022-23?</strong></p> <p>Yes, SQA was a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Scheme in 2022/2023</p> <p><strong>What was the membership fee given to Stonewall as part of their Diversity Champions programme in 2022-23 by your organisation?</strong></p> <p>SQA paid £3,000 to Stonewall Scotland in 2022-23 to renew its Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership.</p> <p><strong>Is your organisation currently a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme?</strong></p> <p>Yes, SQA is currently a Stonewall Diversity Champion member.</p> <p><strong>What additional monies have been given to Stonewall in 2022-23? Specifically, this incorporates: Events/conferences (where, for example, your organisation has purchased tickets to attend or entered raffles or auctions organised by Stonewall).</strong></p> <p>No additional money was given to Stonewall in 2022-23.</p> <p><strong>Please name any events/conferences that your organisation attended and the date attended.</strong></p> <p>SQA employees did not attend any Stonewall events/conferences in 2022-23.</p> <p><strong>Other programmes (such as LGBT Leadership programme, LGBT Role Model programme, Ally and/or Trans Ally programmes, as well as Train the Trainer programmes etc).</strong></p> <p>SQA employees did not attend any other Stonewall programmes (such as the LGBT Leadership programme, LGBT Role Model programme, Ally and/or Trans Ally programmes, as well as Train the Trainer programmes in 2022-23.</p>

<p>I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information from the local authority.</p> <p>Please may you provide me with: In each of the last ten years - the total number of grades awarded - the percentage of grades that were a) higher and b) lower than expected grades - the total number of appeals submitted, and the percentage of overall grades this represents - the total number of grades changed as a result of an appeal.</p> <p>Please can you also represent this as a percentage of a) total grades and b) total grades submitted for appeal.</p><p>The information you requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would like to know if you have a workplace policy on trans inclusion?</p><p>SQA does have a workplace policy on trans inclusion, which is entitled the Gender Identity and Transitioning at Work policy.</p> <p>We have attached a copy of the policy.</p>

<p>I would like to analyse the difference in school grades in different areas of Glasgow. This information is only for my dissertation and will not be published due to the privacy of this information. I would appreciate any help or guidance on accessing at least some data on grades from different schools within Glasgow.</p><p>The information requested is contained in the attached spreadsheet. The sheet contains the attainment levels for each subject within each school in the Glasgow City council area at National 5 and Higher. As we do not keep this data by area of Glasgow, we have included the postcode for each school which should help in identifying the relevant areas.</p> <p>We have removed the numbers where entries for a subject as less than 5. This is to avoid possible identification of candidates.</p>

<p>Number of young people in Scotland who are entered for BOTH National 5 maths and National 5 Drama for SQA exam to be sat May 2024</p> <p>I would like to know the number of young people who are currently going to have to sit Nat 5 maths and Nat 5 drama exams in the same day in May 2024</p><p>As at 05 January 2024 there are 43,457 learners entered for National 5 Maths (including 103 who are entered for National 5 Maths in the medium of Gaelic).</p> <p>There are 5219 learners entered for National 5 Drama.</p> <p>Of these, 2585 learners are entered for both courses.</p> <p>Please note that these figures are subject to change.</p>

<p>I was hoping to enquire as to how many candidates were awarded 7 As at Higher in 2020?</p><p>There were 9 candidates that achieved exactly 7 As at Higher in 2020.</p>

<p>Can I also ask how the SQA are complying with section 20 of The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992? </p> <p>The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992 (legislation gov uk)</p> <p>Sanitary conveniences</p> <p>20.—(1) Suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences shall be provided at readily accessible places.</p> <p>(2) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), sanitary conveniences shall not be suitable unless—</p> <p>(a)the rooms containing them are adequately ventilated and lit;</p> <p>(b)they and the rooms containing them are kept in a clean and orderly condition; and</p> <p>(c)separate rooms containing conveniences are provided for men and women except where and so far as each convenience is in a separate room the door of which is capable of being secured from inside.</p> <p>(3) It shall be sufficient compliance with the requirement in paragraph (1) to provide sufficient sanitary conveniences in a workplace which is not a new workplace, a modification, an extension or a conversion and which, immediately before this regulation came into force in respect of it, was subject to the provisions of the Factories Act 1961, if sanitary conveniences are provided in accordance with the provisions of Part II of Schedule 1.</p> <p>Single sex facilities are for members of the same sex. This guidance looks like you are allowing mixed sex toilets. What do you have in place to ensure you comply with this legislation? </p> <p> </p><p><strong>Can I also ask how the SQA are complying with section 20 of The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992? </strong></p> <p><strong>Sanitary conveniences</strong></p> <p><strong>20.—(1) Suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences shall be provided at readily accessible places.</strong></p> <p>SQA has two locations, Shawfair, in Edinburgh and Optima in central Glasgow.</p> <p>Our Shawfair facility was built to building regulations and features separate facilities for men and women with cubicles and a bank of sinks on each floor. Each floor also has a lockable gender-neutral accessible toilet with handwashing facilities. </p> <p>The Optima building where we are a tenant, the sanitary facilities are managed by the landlord. Of the five floors we occupy, each feature separate facilities for men and women with lockable cubicles and a bank of sinks on each floor. Two floors also have a lockable gender-neutral accessible toilet with handwashing facilities, and these floors can be accessed by elevator. </p> <p><strong>(2) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), sanitary conveniences shall not be suitable unless—</strong></p> <p><strong>(a)the rooms containing them are adequately ventilated and lit;</strong></p> <p>The toilets in both buildings contain modern lighting fittings and external ventilation fans. Additionally, the accessible toilets in Shawfair also feature external windows which can be opened for supplementary ventilation. </p> <p><strong>(b)they and the rooms containing them are kept in a clean and orderly condition; and</strong></p> <p>The Shawfair toilets are cleaned throughout the day and at the end of each day. </p> <p>Cleaning supervisors submit forms daily detailing any maintenance issues identified. </p> <p>The Optima toilets are managed by the landlord and cleaned during office hours. </p> <p>In Shawfair, facilities are checked by our mechanical and electrical contractor weekly, and any necessary repairs undertaken or arranged at that time. </p> <p>In Optima, any issues are raised with the building manager who is required to arrange repairs within a reasonable timeframe.</p> <p><strong>(c)separate rooms containing conveniences are provided for men and women except where and so far as each convenience is in a separate room the door of which is capable of being secured from inside.</strong></p> <p>Each building features separate facilities for men and women with lockable cubicles.  Individual gender-neutral accessible toilets are available, which contain handwashing facilities, and which are also lockable.  </p> <p><strong>(3) It shall be sufficient compliance with the requirement in paragraph (1) to provide sufficient sanitary conveniences in a workplace which is not a new workplace, a modification, an extension or a conversion and which, immediately before this regulation came into force in respect of it, was subject to the provisions of the Factories Act 1961, if sanitary conveniences are provided in accordance with the provisions of Part II of Schedule 1.</strong></p> <p><strong>Single sex facilities are for members of the same sex. This guidance looks like you are allowing mixed sex toilets. What do you have in place to ensure you comply with this legislation? </strong></p> <p>Each building features separate facilities for men and women with lockable cubicles. Individual gender-neutral accessible toilets are available which contain handwashing facilities and are also lockable. </p>

<p>Could you please tell me, for the years 2019-23, how many National 4 and 5 dual entries there were, in each local authority, for the following subjects: English, Mathematics, Applications of Mathematics, Geography and Biology</p><p>The information you requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would like to ask for the percentage  of  candidates that passed the Marine Engineer Applied Mechanics (040-31) from 2015 till present day please. </p> <p>So I would like the percentage  of candidate's for each exam in that year that passed each of these exams.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>Please note that we are only able to provide the information from April 2017 as that is when the course started.</p>

<p>Could you please supply the Chief Engineer Applied Mechanic’s results before it was changed to Management. </p> <p>We asked for the date range required.</p> <p>With regard to your request for the information, requested below, can you confirm the date range? Your original request mention 2015 to 2023, but we have this information from 2008. Can you confirm whether you want all the information we have or just the 2 years as per the original request date range?</p> <p>You confirmed this.</p> <p>Could I have the results from 2012 to 2017 please? </p><p>The information for 2012 to 2016 inclusive is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Dear Sir/Madam could you answer a question for me as a freedom of information request please.</p> <p>In the attachment you will see SQA modules being delivered in the joinery department of colleges, and their unit number.</p> <p>My question is. If the CITB ( construction industry training board) ceased to exist, do they have ownership of these PDA modules and they would also cease to be delivered,?</p> <p>Do the CITB have any revenue stream from these modules in current use (if so how much)?. Or any influence at all how these modules used and delivered.?</p><p>If the CITB ( construction industry training board) ceased to exist, do they have ownership of these PDA modules and they would also cease to be delivered?</p> <p>PDA’s (Professional Development Award) are a qualification product type developed and owned by SQA Awarding Body and offered to learners by centres who are approved to deliver and assess the award.</p> <p>PDAs are made up of Units and have specific aims that relate to occupational areas and are linked to National Occupational Standards. They sit on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at Levels 6 - 12.</p> <p>PDAs must be aligned to National Occupational Standards or other professional or trade body standards, as appropriate to the PDA.</p> <p>CITB SSO (Standards Setting Organisation)  develops and maintains these standards for the construction industry in the UK.</p> <p><a href="https://www.citb.co.uk/standards-and-delivering-training/training-standards/national-occupational-standards-nos/">National Occupational Standards (NOS) - CITB</a></p> <p>Do the CITB have any revenue stream from these modules in current use (if so how much)?. Or any influence at all how these modules used and delivered?</p> <p>Revenue Stream</p> <p>We are unable to provide some of the information requested as it is not held by the SQA. Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect.</p> <p>SQA AB does not hold any data on CITB income streams’</p> <p>CITB are also managing agents for construction apprenticeships of which the PDA is a component therefore draw this funding from Skills Development Scotland (SDS), they then contract with a training provider to deliver the PDA. Or in recent times do the delivery in house. SQA don’t hold that data. However, SDS may be the appropriate organisation to ask regarding this as they fund the PDA as part of the apprenticeship.</p> <p>You can contact SDS to request information using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/about/policies/access-to-information?_gl=1*1btijw9*_up*MQ..*_ga*OTE5NzQxMTA4LjE3MDY1NDUwMzQ.*_ga_2CRJE0HKFQ*MTcwNjU0NTAzMS4xLjAuMTcwNjU0NTAzMS4wLjAuMA..">Access to information - Skills Development Scotland</a></p> <p>Influence on use and Delivery</p> <p>As previously noted, CITB SSO develop and maintain the NOS for the construction industry in the UK, PDA’s must be aligned to the NOS or other recognised industry standard.  </p> <p>CITB SSO therefore are involved in the development of the PDA as the qualification product must be aligned to industry standards, in construction, currently this is NOS provided by CITB SSO.  </p> <p>This is no different from PDA’s that are developed for other industry sectors. </p>

<p>Could you please tell me, for the years 2019-23, how many National 4 and 5 dual entries there were, in each local authority, for the following subjects: Chemistry, French, History, Modern Studies, Music, Physical Education, Physics and Spanish</p><p>The attached document provides the information requested for every subject in every Scottish education authority area.</p>

<p>For every secondary school in the following local authorities:</p> <p>Aberdeen City</p> <p>City of Glasgow</p> <p>Dundee City</p> <p>East Ayrshire</p> <p>East Dunbartonshire</p> <p>East Renfrewshire</p> <p>Falkirk</p> <p>Fife</p> <p>Inverclyde</p> <p>North Ayrshire</p> <p>North Lanarkshire</p> <p>Renfrewshire</p> <p>South Ayrshire</p> <p>South Lanarkshire</p> <p>The City of Edinburgh</p> <p>West Dunbartonshire</p> <p>Could you please provide the following data for exam year 2023:</p> <p>1. The total number of National 4 and 5 dual entries.</p> <p>2. The number above expressed as a percentage of the school's total number of National 5 entries.</p> <p> </p><p>The information you requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>We have provided the information requested for each school within each education authority area.</p>

<p>I require information regarding the total paper usage every year for printing off SQA exams.</p> <p>I am looking to find out the estimated number of paper used every year for exams.</p><p>In 2023 we printed:</p> <p>2,420,570 – Individual exam assessment materials (question papers, answer booklets, supplementary sheets, inserts, transcripts etc)<br /> 25,592,045 – A4 page equivalent (51,184,090 printed pages, double side printed).</p>

<p>Freedom of Information Request for Aggregate DGSA Candidate Data</p> <p>Dear SQA, I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p> <p>As a provider of training for the Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA) qualification, we are seeking aggregated data on DGSA candidates to better understand the market and improve our services. We assure you that all data requested will be used in compliance with applicable data protection laws and solely for the purpose of educational service improvement.</p> <p>We would be grateful if you could provide the following aggregated information from the last 5 years (2019-2023).</p> <p>Demographic Distribution:</p> <p>What is the age distribution of candidates who have enrolled for DGSA examinations?</p> <p>Can you provide a breakdown of candidates by region and city?</p> <p>Training Course Attendance:</p> <p>What percentage of candidates have attended a DGSA training course prior to their examinations?</p> <p>What is the first time pass rate for a new DGSA, never qualified or even attempted the examination previously (i.e no candidate number)?</p> <p>How many candidates pass all three exams at the first attempt? Support Requirements</p> <p>What proportion of candidates have requested additional support for their examinations?</p> <p>Exam Venue Preferences:</p> <p>What are the trends in venue choices among candidates?</p> <p>What are the stated capacity at each of the listed exam venues used by SQA for DGSA exams?</p> <p>Accessibility Needs:</p> <p>Can you provide aggregated data on the types of additional support requested by candidates?</p> <p>Market Segmentation Insights:</p> <p>Is it possible to get a breakdown of candidates by specific segments such as age group, region, or prior training history?</p> <p>Competitive Landscape:</p> <p>How does the demographic and geographic spread of DGSA candidates compare over the past few years, for example 2019-2024 vs previous 5 years? Historic number of DGSA for all records held</p><p>The information requested is contained within the document.</p>

<p>1) I'm looking for some stats , you may be able to assist me and or point me in the right direction at SQA who can. I believe you're the only examination board for the DGSA exams.</p> <p>How many DGSA?s are there currently in the UK, and would you have an age demographic for the numbers / RID / ADN / Road Split</p> <p>2) Pass rates for Core / All Classes / ROAD / RID and ADN for the last 5 years</p> <p> </p><p>The information requested is contained within the document.</p>

<p>I am writing to submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding information related to the organisation’s gas and electricity contracts, as well as details on the energy management system.</p> <p>Please acknowledge this request within the legally required timeframe.</p> <p>**Gas and Electricity Contracts: **</p> <p>1. Energy Provider</p> <p>2. Annual Spend for each provider for the past 3 financial years.</p> <p>3. Contract Duration (Including any extensions)</p> <p>4. Contract start date</p> <p>5. Contract Expiry Date</p> <p>6. Contract Review Dates</p> <p>7. Contact details of the person responsible, including job title</p> <p>8. Total Consumption of Gas, please provide me with the latest figure in cubic metres.</p> <p>9. Total Consumption of Electricity (NHH), please provide me with latest figure in kWh for the past 3 financial years.</p> <p>10. Total Consumption of Electricity (HH), please provide me with latest figure in kWh for the past 3 financial years.</p> <p>11. Contact details of the person responsible, including job title at the very least</p><p>Due to the nature of the requests, we feel that the requests should be considered under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs) rather than under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p> <p>**Gas and Electricity Contracts: **</p> <p><strong>1. Energy Provider</strong></p> <p>Electricity – EDF Energy</p> <p>Gas – Total Gas</p> <p><strong>2. Annual Spend for each provider for the past 3 financial years.</strong></p> <p>EDF – 21/22 £88,436.29, 22/23 £133,045.03, 23/24 to date £153,415.15</p> <p>Total Gas – 21/22 £14,858.96, 22/23 £33,871.08, 23/24 to date £13918.08</p> <p><strong>3. Contract Duration (Including any extensions) –</strong></p> <p>Electricity – 5 years,</p> <p>Gas 5 years</p> <p><strong>4. Contract start date –</strong></p> <p>Electricity 1/4/2019,</p> <p>Gas 1/4/2020</p> <p><strong>5. Contract Expiry Date –</strong></p> <p>Electricity 31/3/2024,</p> <p>Gas 31/3/2025</p> <p><strong>6. Contract Review Dates –</strong></p> <p>Both Scot Gov frameworks , which we utilise.</p> <p><strong>7. Contact details of the person responsible, including job title -</strong></p> <p>Head of Procurement at procurement@sqa.org.uk or facilities@sqa.org.uk</p> <p><strong>8. Total Consumption of Gas, please provide me with the latest figure in cubic metres. –</strong></p> <p>Optima - 4738.73m3 Please note, that Optima’s gas is paid as a proportion of the landlord’s building total and based upon occupied space rather than direct consumption.</p> <p>Lowden – 3788 m3</p> <p><strong>9. Total Consumption of Electricity (NHH), please provide me with latest figure in kWh for the past 3 financial years. –</strong></p> <p>Under the EIRs when a public authority does not hold the information requested, the exception in Regulation 10(4)(a) will apply.</p> <p>The consumption of electricity is not recorded using non half hour meters and as such we do not hold any information and accordingly are unable to provide any information.</p> <p>When applying an exception under the EIRs, the public interest test must be applied. In this case as there is no contract, and accordingly no information is held, the public interest is in the application of the exception.</p> <p><strong>10. Total Consumption of Electricity (HH), please provide me with latest figure in kWh for the past 3 financial years.</strong></p> <p>Optima - 1974361.262 KwH</p> <p>Lowden - 1736737.67 KwH</p> <p><strong>11. Contact details of the person responsible, including job title at the very least</strong></p> <p>Head of Procurement at procurement@sqa.org.uk or facilities@sqa.org.uk</p>

<p>I am writing to submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding information related to the organisation’s gas and electricity contracts, as well as details on the energy management system.</p> <p>Energy Management System Contract(s) - Contract(s) relating to the organisation’s energy management system. An energy management system (EMS) is a system of computer-aided tools used by operators of electric utility grids to monitor, control, and optimise the performance of the generation or transmission system.</p> <p>Energy Management System Provider</p> <p>       Annual Spend<br />        Contract Duration (Including any extensions)<br />        Contract Expiry Date<br />        Contract start date<br />        Contract Review Date<br />        Contract Description – A description of the services provided.<br />        Brand of the software<br />        Total number of meter points for electricity:<br />        Non-Half Hourly (NHH) meter points<br />        Half Hourly (HH) meter points<br />        Total number of Gas meter points<br />    Total number of meter points for specialist gases and liquids<br />    Contact details of the person responsible, including job title</p><p>Due to the nature of the requests, we feel that the requests should be considered under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs) rather than under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p> <p>Under the EIRs when a public authority does not hold the information requested, the exception in Regulation 10(4)(a) will apply.</p> <p>For questions 1 to 6 inclusive, there is no contract and as such we do not hold any information and accordingly are unable to provide any information.</p> <p>When applying an exception under the EIRs, the public interest test must be applied. In this case as there is no contract, and accordingly no information is held, the public interest is in the application of the exception.</p> <p>For questions 8a and 10 , there are none of those types of meters and as such there is no information available. Exception 10(4)(a) applies, and the public interest is in the application of the exception being applied.</p> <p><strong>Annual Spend</strong></p> <p>There is no contract and as such no information is available.</p> <p><strong>Contract Duration (Including any extensions)</strong></p> <p>There is no contract and as such no information is available.</p> <p><strong>Contract Expiry Date</strong></p> <p>There is no contract and as such no information is available.</p> <p><strong>Contract start date</strong></p> <p>There is no contract and as such no information is available.</p> <p><strong>Contract Review Date</strong></p> <p>There is no contract and as such no information is available.</p> <p><strong>Contract Description – A description of the services provided.</strong></p> <p>There is no contract and as such no information is available.</p> <p><strong>Brand of the software</strong></p> <p>Kendra IQ Building Management system</p> <p><strong>Total number of meter points for electricity:</strong></p> <p><strong>Non-Half Hourly (NHH) meter points</strong></p> <p>There are none of these types of meters.</p> <p><strong>Half Hourly (HH) meter points</strong></p> <p>There are two of these meter points.</p> <p><strong>Total number of Gas meter points</strong></p> <p>There is one of these meter points.</p> <p><strong>Total number of meter points for specialist gases and liquids</strong></p> <p>There are none of these types of meters.</p> <p><strong>Contact details of the person responsible, including job title</strong></p> <p>Head of procurement at procurement@sqa.org.uk (acquisition of equipment) or facilities@sqa.org.uk (operation of equipment)</p>

<p>I would like to request the following under the Freedom of Information Act. </p> <p>The Grade A pass rate % for Scottish highers in each secondary School in Scotland categorised in each local authority area<br /> The Grade A-B pass rate % for Scottish highers in each secondary School in Scotland categorised in each local authority area<br /> The Grade A-C pass rate % for Scottish highers in each secondary School in Scotland categorised in each local authority area<br /> The Grade A-D pass rate % for Scottish highers in each secondary School in Scotland categorised in each local authority area<br /> The Entry Count into Scottish higher examinations by each secondary school in Scotland categorised in each local authority area<br /> The average number of highers taken by each secondary school in Scotland categorised in each local authority area</p> <p>I would like this data for the last 10 years of exam data (2013-2023)</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached document. We have provided the information for National 5 and Advanced Highers as well Highers.</p> <p>Please note that where entries are less than 5 we have removed to prevent possible identification. Information on grades is considered personal information and as such is exempt under section 38(1)(b).</p>

<p>For each year, from 2014-2023, for the following qualifications:<br /> N5 & Higher Biology Higher Human Biology N5 & Higher Chemistry N5 & Higher Physics N5 & Higher Environmental Science N5 Practical Electronics<br /> Could you please provide:<br /> 1. The total number of entries<br /> 2. The relative percentages of A,B,C,D and</p> <p>No Award </p><p>Under section 25 of the Act, when the information requested is otherwise acceptable, the public authority must inform the requester of this and where the information can be accessed. The information relating to your request can be found on our website using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105123.html">Attainment Statistics December 2023</a></p> <p>This site contains the attainment statistics for 2023 and also provides our archive of the information for previous years.</p>

<p>For each year, from 2014-2023, for the following qualifications:<br /> N5 & Higher Biology Higher Human Biology N5 & Higher Chemistry N5 & Higher Physics N5 & Higher Environmental Science N5 Practical Electronics<br /> Could you please provide:<br /> 1. The total number of entries<br /> 2. The relative percentages of A,B,C,D and</p> <p>No Award </p><p>Under section 25 of the Act, when the information requested is otherwise acceptable, the public authority must inform the requester of this and where the information can be accessed. The information relating to your request can be found on our website using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105123.html">Attainment Statistics December 2023</a></p> <p>This site contains the attainment statistics for 2023 and also provides our archive of the information for previous years.</p>

<p>Can you confirm the following:</p> <p>1.) How many Monitoring Audits to Awarding Bodies did the Senior Regulation Manager visit and conduct during the 2023 year?</p> <p>2.) How many Monitoring Audits to Awarding Bodies did only 1 Regulation Manager attend rather than 2 during the 2023 year? (This is not centre monitoring visits)</p> <p>3.) How many times during the 2023 year did an Awarding Body not get notified of any changes to Regulation Managers before the audit began?</p><p><strong>SQA do not audit by calendar year, but by financial year. Accordingly, we have split each request into the relevant financial years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024.</strong></p> <p><strong>2022/2023</strong></p> <p><strong>How many Monitoring Audits to Awarding Bodies did the Senior Regulation Manager visit and conduct during the 2023 year?</strong></p> <p>There were six.</p> <p><strong>How many Monitoring Audits to Awarding Bodies did only 1 Regulation Manager attend rather than 2 during the 2023 year? (This is not centre monitoring visits)</strong></p> <p>There were none.</p> <p><strong>How many times during the 2023 year did an Awarding Body not get notified of any changes to Regulation Managers before the audit began?</strong></p> <p>There were none.</p> <p><strong>2023/2024 to date.</strong></p> <p><strong>How many Monitoring Audits to Awarding Bodies did the Senior Regulation Manager visit and conduct during the 2023 year?</strong></p> <p>There have been none.</p> <p><strong>How many Monitoring Audits to Awarding Bodies did only 1 Regulation Manager attend rather than 2 during the 2023 year? (This is not centre monitoring visits)</strong></p> <p>There have been none.</p> <p><strong>How many times during the 2023 year did an Awarding Body not get notified of any changes to Regulation Managers before the audit began?</strong></p> <p>There have been none.</p>

<p>Can I be a pain, please if possible would you mind adjusting the age splits on these FOI figures I requested in 2022 (follow up to request FOI23/24 146)</p><p>Age Range      ROAC             RRAC              RAAC              IWAC</p> <p>16-24               11                    *                       0                      0</p> <p>25-49               1132                19                    8                      *</p> <p>50-64               786                  27                    6                      8</p> <p>65+                  139                  5                      0                      *</p> <p>Please note that we remove figures of less than 5 under section 38 of the Act to avoid possible candidate identification.</p>

<p>I would like to submit a new FOI request.</p> <p>All or some of the information provided previously has expired, I require an update on the questions below.</p> <p>See my request below:</p> <p>Contract 1 - Telephony/Voice Services (Analogue, ISDN VOIP, SIP, Cloud) </p> <p>1.Telephony/Voice Services Provider- Please can you provide me with the name of the supplier for each contract.</p> <p>2. Telephony/Voice Services Spend – Please can you provide me with the annual spend</p> <p>3.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>4.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p>5.Telephony/Voice Services - Type of Lines - Please can you split the type of lines and users per each supplier? PSTN, Analogue, SIP, ISDN, VOIP, Cloud</p> <p>6.Telephony/Voice Services Number of Lines / Channels / SIP Trunks/ Cloud based users- Please can you split the number of lines per each supplier? SIP trunks/connections, PSTN, Analogue, ISDN</p> <p>Contract 2 - Incoming and Outgoing of call services.</p> <p>6.Minutes/Landline Provider- Supplier’s name (NOT Mobiles) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>7.Minutes/Landline Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract.</p> <p>8.Minutes Landline Monthly Spend- Monthly average spend on calls for each provider. An estimate or average is acceptable. If SIP services, please provide me with the cost of services per month.</p> <p> 9.Minute’s Landlines Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</p> <p>10.Number of Extensions- Please state the number of telephone extensions the organisation currently has. An estimate or average is acceptable. </p> <p>Contract 3 - The organisation's broadband provider.</p> <p>11.Broadband Provider- Supplier’s name if there is not information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>12.Broadband expiry l Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the expiry dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>13.Broadband Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each broadband provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</p> <p>Contract 4 - Contracts relating to Wide Area Network [WAN] services, this could also include HSCN network services.</p> <p>14. WAN Provider- please provide me with the main supplier(s) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</p> <p>15.WAN Contract expiry Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the expiry dates up into however many suppliers</p> <p>16.Contract Description: Please can you provide me with a brief description for each contract</p> <p>17.The number of sites: Please state the number of sites the WAN covers. Approx. will do.</p> <p>18. WAN Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each WAN provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</p> <p>19.For each WAN contract can you please provide me with information on how this was procured, especially around those procurement that used frameworks, please provide me with the framework reference.</p> <p>20.Internal Contact: please can you send me their full contact details including contact number and email and job title for all the contracts above.</p><p>Contract 1 - Telephony/Voice Services (Analogue, ISDN VOIP, SIP, Cloud) </p> <p><strong>1. Telephony/Voice Services Provider- Please can you provide me with the name of the supplier for each contract.</strong></p> <p>The name of the supplier is Exchange Communications.</p> <p><strong>2. Telephony/Voice Services Spend – Please can you provide me with the annual spend</strong></p> <p>The annual spend is £145k per annum</p> <p><strong>3.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers</strong></p> <p>29/07/22 - 28/07/27,</p> <p><strong>4.Telephony/Voice Services - Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</strong></p> <p>5 years with 2 x 1 year extensions</p> <p><strong>5.Telephony/Voice Services - Type of Lines - Please can you split the type of lines and users per each supplier? PSTN, Analogue, SIP, ISDN, VOIP, Cloud</strong></p> <p>VOIP</p> <p><strong>6.Telephony/Voice Services Number of Lines / Channels / SIP Trunks/ Cloud based users- Please can you split the number of lines per each supplier? SIP trunks/connections, PSTN, Analogue, ISDN</strong></p> <p>SIP 200 lines</p> <p><strong>Contract 2 - Incoming and Outgoing of call services.</strong></p> <p><strong>6.Minutes/Landline Provider- Supplier’s name (NOT Mobiles) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</strong></p> <p>Part of the above contract</p> <p><strong>7.Minutes/Landline Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract.</strong></p> <p>Part of the above contract</p> <p><strong>8.Minutes Landline Monthly Spend- Monthly average spend on calls for each provider. An estimate or average is acceptable. If SIP services, please provide me with the cost of services per month.</strong></p> <p>Approx £250 per month</p> <p><strong>9.Minute’s Landlines Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider, please also include any contract extensions.</strong></p> <p>Part of the above contract</p> <p><strong>10.Number of Extensions- Please state the number of telephone extensions the organisation currently has. An estimate or average is acceptable. </strong></p> <p>Approx 1500 </p> <p><strong>Contract 3 - The organisation's broadband provider.</strong></p> <p><strong>11.Broadband Provider- Supplier’s name if there is not information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</strong></p> <p>The broadband supplier is BT</p> <p><strong>12.Broadband expiry l Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the expiry dates up into however many suppliers</strong></p> <p>The expiry date is 31/03/29</p> <p><strong>13.Broadband Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each broadband provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</strong></p> <p>Part of our managed service contract with BT, Approx £250k per annum </p> <p><strong>Contract 4 - Contracts relating to Wide Area Network [WAN] services, this could also include HSCN network services.</strong></p> <p><strong>14. WAN Provider- please provide me with the main supplier(s) if there is no information available, please can you provide further insight into why?</strong></p> <p>The supplier is BT</p> <p><strong>15.WAN Contract expiry Date- please provide day, month, and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract, please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier, please split the expiry dates up into however many suppliers</strong></p> <p>The expiry date is 31/03/29</p> <p><strong>16.Contract Description: Please can you provide me with a brief description for each contract</strong></p> <p>All service purchased against the SWAN II framework</p> <p><strong>17.The number of sites: Please state the number of sites the WAN covers. Approx. will do.</strong></p> <p>2</p> <p><strong>18. WAN Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each WAN provider. An estimate or average is acceptable.</strong></p> <p>Approximately £40k</p> <p><strong>19.For each WAN contract can you please provide me with information on how this was procured, especially around those procurement that used frameworks, please provide me with the framework reference.</strong></p> <p>SWAN II framework</p> <p><strong>20.Internal Contact: please can you send me their full contact details including contact number and email and job title for all the contracts above.</strong></p> <p>The relevant person is the Contracts Manager and the contact address is: Procurement@sqa.org.uk</p>

<p>I would like to request the following information relating to EK Management Exams General/ Motor- (040-12 & 040-13)</p> <p>1.) Any correspondence, meeting minutes/notes between SQA and MCA regarding these exams since 2017</p> <p>2.) Any correspondence, meeting minutes/notes between SQA and City Of Glasgow College regarding these exams since 2017</p> <p>3.) Number of Examiners Involved in creating both general/motor papers since 2017</p> <p>4.) Length Of Time The Examiners have been employed within the position</p> <p>5.) Who is actually involved in the creation of the EK Management exam paper? Who ensures that the questions being asked in the papers are clear, and who ensures that the examiners are carrying out their job properly when marking the papers?</p> <p>6.) Pertaining to candidate *** (myself) - the examiner who marked candidates papers from July 2022, March 2023, December 2023</p> <p>7.) How marks were allocated to candidates answers in the EK management exam papers since 2017?. (There is no official "stock answer" provided by SQA or MCA to any of the questions posed in these exams - but this appears to be a concern from the examiner in general feedback provided to colleges, apparently stock answers are indicative of wrote learning. Candidates need to know how marks are applied and what it is precisely the examiner is looking for - general feedback is not sufficient))</p> <p>8.) Amount of non-UK residents sitting and also the pass rate of the EK Management exams since 2017.</p><p>1.) Any correspondence , meeting minutes/notes between SQA and MCA regarding these exams since 2017</p> <p>The meeting notes we have in relation to these examinations relate to the moderating panel meetings and these are considered exempt from release under section 30(b)(i) and (ii) of the Act.</p> <p>The only notes would be annotations to prelim draft copies of exam papers/solutions made at the moderating panel meeting. These notes are then used to confirm the examiner has made all the agreed changes to the exam paper and solutions when submitting the Final signed off Examiners copy.</p> <p>The questions for the exam papers are taken from a question bank and as the questions can be reused for future examination papers we don’t publish the solutions/specimen papers. Any notes from the meetings would be annotations to the draft questions or draft solutions/specimen answers and if published would impact on the integrity of the question bank.</p> <p>When applying a section 30 exemption we must apply the public interest test.</p> <p>As stated, the notes from the meetings would be annotations to prelim draft copies of papers/solutions. Whilst it appreciated that there would be interest from candidates for these notes as it could potentially help in future exams. However, as the questions for the exams are taken from a question bank and will be re-used in the future, it is important that all the discussions around the questions are not placed in the public domain as it would impact on the integrity of the exam process. Whilst it could be argued that there may be some interest in this, it is considered that it is not in the public interest to adversely affect the exam process.</p> <p>2.) Any correspondence , meeting minutes/notes between SQA and City Of Glasgow College regarding these exams since 2017</p> <p>Under section 17 of the Act, where a public authority does not hold the information requested it must inform the requester. There have been no meetings between SQA and City of Glasgow College in relation to these examinations and as such we are unable to provide any information.</p> <p>3.) Number of Examiners Involved in creating both general/motor papers since 2017</p> <p>There are 2 SQA Examiners, 8 SQA Revisers and 5 MCA Examiners are involved in creating the papers.</p> <p>4.) Length Of Time The Examiners have been employed within the position</p> <p>The two SQA examiners have been contracted on an annual basis since 2017. With regard to the MCA examiners, we do not hold any information relating to the length of time they have been employed in the position. You may wish to contact the MCA who might be able to provide that. You can submit your request at the following link:</p> <p>How to make a freedom of information (FOI) request: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</p> <p>5.) Who is actually involved in the creation of the EK Management exam paper? Who ensures that the questions being asked in the papers are clear, and who ensures that the examiners are carrying out their job properly when marking the papers?</p> <p>There is a note below which outlines the SQA/MCA process for the creation of examination papers and solutions/specimen answers. We have also attached a copy of the Notes on the Guidance for Markers, which we feel might be helpful.</p> <p>6.) Pertaining to candidate *** (myself) - the examiner who marked candidates papers from July 2022, March 2023, December 2023</p> <p>We have a duty to protect the personal information of individuals and we consider this information to be personal information. Under section 38(1)(b) of the Act we must not release any information that may lead to the identification of individuals. All the papers need to be marked confidentially and as such, the names of the markers must not be released as this could prejudice the process.</p> <p>7.) How marks were allocated to candidates answers in the EK management exam papers since 2017?. (There is no official "stock answer" provided by SQA or MCA to any of the questions posed in these exams - but this appears to be a concern from the examiner in general feedback provided to colleges, apparently stock answers are indicative of wrote learning. Candidates need to know how marks are applied and what it is precisely the examiner is looking for - general feedback is not sufficient))</p> <p>The marks allocated to each question is noted on the exam paper.</p> <p>Each question in the Engineering Knowledge General paper is worth 10 marks. If the question is broken into part (a), (b), (c) etc the mark for each part is shown on the examination paper, i.e. (a) 5 marks, (b) 3 marks, (c) 2 marks.</p> <p>Each question in the Engineering Knowledge Motor paper is worth 16 marks. If the question is broken into part (a), (b), (c) etc.  the mark for each part is shown on the examination paper ie (a) 8 marks, (b) 5 marks, (c) 3 marks.</p> <p>We do not publish the solutions for the reasons explained in question 1.</p> <p>8.) Amount of non-UK residents sitting and also the pass rate of the EK Management exams since 2017</p> <p>SQA does not collect data on the resident status of candidates.</p> <p>The attached document details the number of candidates sitting the examinations at each diet and the % pass rate for 040-12 EK General and 040-13 EK Motor.</p> <p>Outline of the SQA/MCA process for creating examination papers & solutions.</p> <p>Each examination paper and solutions are written by a subject specialist. The examination paper and solutions are then vetted by two subject specialist revisers who:</p> <p>work through the entire examination paper and ensure that the specimen solutions and marking scheme are correct;</p> <p>ensure that the paper adequately reflect the syllabus;</p> <p>submit a report on the paper for consideration at the moderating panel meeting.</p> <p>The moderating panel (SQA Examiner, SQA Revisers(x2), MCA Examiner, SQA Officer) then meet to discuss and review the reviser reports and finalise the content of the examination paper and solutions. The SQA Examiner then makes all amendments agreed by the moderating panel and submits Examiner approved the paper and solutions. The SQA Examiner approved examination paper and solutions is then sent to the MCA Examiner for a further check, the MCA Examiner then approves the final version of the examination paper and solutions.</p> <p> </p>

<p>I require the following information: 1) The number of permanent staff employed by SQA as of today's date (29/02/2024). 2) How many members of SQA staff were identified to have taken part in industrial action on 23/02/2024.</p><p>1. There were 1033 permanent employees as of 29 February 2024.</p> <p>2. There were 87 members of staff confirmed to have taken part in industrial action on 23 February 2024.</p>

<p>Under the terms of the Freedom of Information act I am writing to you seeking the following information:-</p> <p>Details of the salary and rewards package paid to the Chief Executive and Directors of your organisation?<br /> Details of the amount paid to each in expenses over each of the last 5 years - please what these were paid for.<br /> Details of the amount collectively paid in by your organisation to the pension pots of these senior officers in each of the last five years.<br /> The pay ratio of the highest paid employee to the lowest paid employee of your organisation</p> <p>Please note, I am not asking for the names of individuals but would appreciate all data provided by designation.</p><p>1 Details of the salary and rewards package paid to the Chief Executive and Directors of your organisation?</p> <p>Under section 25, when an authority considers the information requested is otherwise accessible, it is not obliged to provide that information, but instead should provide the details on how to access the information.</p> <p>Information relating to the salary and rewards provided to the Chief Executive and Directors is contained within the SQA Annual Report and Accounts which is available to view on our website using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/annual-report-accounts-2022-23.pdf">SQA Annual Report and Accounts 2022–23</a></p> <p>The information is contained within pages 66 to 68.</p> <p>The rewards package relates to holiday, inclusion in the pension scheme and death in service benefit.</p> <p>2 Details of the amount paid to each in expenses over each of the last 5 years - please what these were paid for.</p> <p>Information on the expenses paid to each of the current Directors is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>3 Details of the amount collectively paid in by your organisation to the pension pots of these senior officers in each of the last five years.</p> <p>Under section 25, when an authority considers the information requested is otherwise accessible, it is not obliged to provide that information, but instead should provide the details on how to access the information.</p> <p>Information relating to the salary and rewards provided to the Chief Executive and Directors is contained within the SQA Annual Report and Accounts which is available to view on our website using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/annual-report-accounts-2022-23.pdf">SQA Annual Report and Accounts 2022–23</a> pages 66-68</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/sqa-audited-annual-report-and-accounts-21-22.pdf">sqa-audited-annual-report-and-accounts-21-22.pdf</a> pages 66-69</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2020-21-annual-report-accounts.pdf">Annual Report and Accounts 2020–21 (sqa.org.uk)</a> pages 69-70</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf">2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf (sqa.org.uk)</a> pages 64-66</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/Annual_Report_and_Accounts2018-19.pdf">Annual_Report_and_Accounts2018-19.pdf (sqa.org.uk)</a> pages 62-63</p> <p>4 The pay ratio of the highest paid employee to the lowest paid employee of your organisation</p> <p>Under section 25, when an authority considers the information requested is otherwise accessible, it is not obliged to provide that information, but instead should provide the details on how to access the information.</p> <p>Information relating to the salary and rewards provided to the Chief Executive and Directors is contained within the SQA Annual Report and Accounts which is available to view on our website using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/annual-report-accounts-2022-23.pdf">SQA Annual Report and Accounts 2022–23</a></p> <p>The pay ratio can be located on page 66.</p>

<p>Please could I obtain a copy of your maternity policy (leave and pay) and shared parental leave policy?</p><p>Copies of the policies are provided.</p>

<p>We are writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information. Please provide the following details:</p> <p>What software do you use for your payroll, hr and finance solutions, how much annually do you spend on each, when does each contract expire?<br /> Do you manage your payroll in-house or do you outsource it if so, who do you outsource it to?<br /> How many people do you pay each month using your payroll solution?<br /> How many pensioners do you pay using your payroll solution?<br /> Do you use Microsoft power platform technologies such as Power Automate, Power Virtual Agents?<br /> What is the employee count at your organisation?<br /> Do you collaborate with other organisations in the delivery of HR & Payroll shared services? If so which organisation?<br /> Do you work with any industry experts such as ATOS, KPMG, EY, Accenture etc?<br /> Who in your organisation is the head of service for HR and Payroll software or services and what is their role? </p> <p>If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how we can refine our request.</p> <p>If you can identify any ways that our request could be refined, we would be grateful for any further advice and assistance.</p><p>1.) What software do you use for your payroll, hr and finance solutions, how much annually do you spend on each, when does each contract expire?</p> <p>The software used is Business World. We currently spend £740k plus VAT and the contract ends on 31 October 2024 but can be extended for 2 x 1 year extensions which if applied would take it to 31 October 2026.</p> <p>2.) Do you manage your payroll in-house or do you outsource it if so, who do you outsource it to?</p> <p>The payroll is managed in-house.</p> <p>3.) How many people do you pay each month using your payroll solution?</p> <p>Approximately 1100 employees are paid each month.</p> <p>4.) How many pensioners do you pay using your payroll solution?</p> <p>We do not pay any pensioners using the payroll solution.</p> <p>5.) Do you use Microsoft power platform technologies such as Power Automate, Power Virtual Agents?</p> <p>Power BI is widely used throughout the organisation. Limited use of Power Automate is made throughout the organisation. Presently, Power Apps and Power Forms are being used in a discovery fashion to understand if the technology is right for the organisation.</p> <p>6.) What is the employee count at your organisation?</p> <p>The employee count is approximately 1100.</p> <p>7.) Do you collaborate with other organisations in the delivery of HR & Payroll shared services? If so which organisation?</p> <p>No, we do not collaborate with other organisation in the delivery of HR and Payroll services.</p> <p>8.) Do you work with any industry experts such as ATOS, KPMG, EY, Accenture etc?</p> <p>On 28 February we asked you to clarify this request with the following questions.</p> <p>“You have asked if we work with any industry experts such as ATOS, KPMG, EY, Accenture. Can you please let us know in what capacity we would work with them and is there any relevant timescales for this?”</p> <p>We haven’t had a response to this yet, so are unable to provide a response at this time. We will wait until 22 March and if we have not received the clarification by then, we will assume that the information is no longer required and will close this request.</p> <p>9.) Who in your organisation is the head of service for HR and Payroll software or services and what is their role? </p> <p>The relevant member of staff is the Head of Finance Systems.</p>

<p>I would like to submit some more FOI questions. This is because I find your response to my questions very legally confusing. </p> <p>You have stated that separate toilets are available for men and women. This contradicts your trans inclusion policy that states that staff can use any toilet that matches their gender identity.  It makes no mention of GRCs. It is a myth that employers can't ask to see a GRC. It is essential to know your legal duty towards them. This would therefore make these toilets mixed sex toilets that wouldn't comply with the regulations. It would only be the accessible toilets that would meet the regulations and it seems you do not have enough of these to meet the regulation requirements. </p> <p>This is because the legal definition of woman is an adult female or a male with a GRC stating female. The legal definition of man is an adult male or a female with a GRC stating male. However it looks like you are allowing people without GRCs to use toilets for the opposite biological sex. You are operating on the basis of self ID which is not law and it looks like you are breaching health & safety regulations.</p> <p>Can I ask if the authors of the trans inclusion policy took any legal advice when writing it? </p> <p>Can I ask if you consulted with all your staff members before making this decision? </p> <p>Did you carry out any quality impact assessments on how this may affect the privacy and dignity of females or religious members of staff? </p><p>Can I ask if the authors of the trans inclusion policy took any legal advice when writing it? </p> <p>No specific legal advice was taken in the development of the policy. However, a Trans Policy template was used from Brodies, our legal provider.</p> <p>Can I ask if you consulted with all your staff members before making this decision? </p> <p>This policy was developed in consultation with SQA’s recognised Trades Unions, Unite and Unison, and with Employee Network groups. These included, the Women’s Network, Appreciate Culture and Ethnicity Network, the Rainbow Network and the Disability Network.</p> <p>Did you carry out any quality impact assessments on how this may affect the privacy and dignity of females or religious members of staff? </p> <p>An Equality Impact Assessment was completed that considered all protected characteristics. A copy of the Equality Impact Assessment, entitled Gender Identity and Transitioning is available in the document.</p> <p> </p>

<p>I am filing this request for the following information; Does the SQA gather the number of candidates who crash Higher qualifications? (Taking the Higher course without first taking the National 5 equivalent) And if these candidates are as (or better/worse) successful as those who had taken the equivalent National 5. If so can the SQA provide this data for all exam years up to 2023.</p> <p>With regard to your requests, copied below, we don’t readily hold the information but we should be able to provide something for it.</p> <p>To help us provide the information you require, can you clarify a couple of things please?</p> <p>Are you looking for the information as a total, or broken down by subject?</p> <p>And what criteria would you mean by better/worse? Do you mean the average of the total who didn’t sit the National 5 compared to those who did?</p> <p>To answer your questions;</p> <p>1. I’m looking for information as a total across all subjects </p> <p>2. The criteria can be the average.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Good morning, I would like to develop our Higher course to improve attainment, particularly in the Question Paper. To do this I'd like to learn from good practice in other centres. Would it be possible to find out about: - which centres are achieving the highest levels of attainment for Higher A&D in Scotland - which centres do particularly well with the Higher A&D QP - any data regarding the national grade distributions.</p><p>Attached are the component mark averages for Art & Design by centre.</p> <p>The National averages can be found at</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F105153.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7C2471816199ae44b2ee7308dc475c81bf%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638463711317556865%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bOiXjzKN%2BTs9iSwEFFQI2O60OYhwPn7aSoZuhWDyZGc%3D&reserved=0">National Averages</a></p> <p>and the overall attainment breakdown can be found at</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F106433.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7C2471816199ae44b2ee7308dc475c81bf%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638463711317566953%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dpReGsNoWE4uyKZOPfNddpi6mQz8%2FN7mNiYuL6NHcc0%3D&reserved=0">Attainment Breakdown</a></p>

<p>I'm looking to understand what data the SQA has on number of entries to individual sections and questions of the Higher English exam. </p> <p>Could I ask:</p> <p>Does the SQA collect data on how many exam entrants answered an individual question within the Higher English paper?<br /> If yes, could i ask for the data covering all years available since 2017-18 showing how many and what proportion of entrants answered:<br /> In Section 1 Part A</p> <p>answered Text 1 (questions 1-4)<br /> text 2 (questions 5-8)<br /> or text 3 (questions 9-12).</p> <p>In Section 1 Part B answered on</p> <p> text 1 (questions 13-16)<br />  text 2 (questions 17-20)<br />  text 3 (questions 21-24)<br />  text 4 (questions 25-28)<br />  text 5 (questions 29-32)</p> <p>In Section 1 Part C</p> <p> text 1 (33-36)<br />  text 2 (37-40)<br />  text 3 (41-44)<br />  text 4 (45-48)<br />  text 5 (49-52)<br />  text 6 (53-56)</p> <p>I am happy for this data to be presented in whatever way you have it - eg if you only collect the information by individual question, rather than grouped by text, that's fine. <br /> Second, I'd like to understand what data the SQA has on the various texts that exam entrants use for their critical essay. Could I ask:</p> <p>If the SQA has any kind of data, coding or tagging which captures a list of the texts/plays/poems which entrants base their section 2 critical essays upon.<br /> If yes, could I request this data, again for all years available since 2017-18. I'm happy with this data in any format useable on a usual PC (eg pdf, CSV, excel, word, are fine - not anything in R/SPSS or similar stats programme) but if possible, a csv or excel spreadsheet of all the various texts used to answer would be ideal. I am happy for this list not to be tagged against the question number, but again, it would be ideal if that's possible. </p> <p>Please let me know if that's possible - worth saying too that I'm happy to speak to any of your statistics colleagues to explain the research project this is for if that helps give context. </p><p>Attached a spreadsheet which collates the information re the first question: the number of learners answering each question in the Scottish texts section of the Higher English paper (questions 1 to 56) from 2018 to date. The % proportion of the overall uptake for each question is also included. Please note that the information does not include any data from 2020 and 2021 – as we did not have an exam diet in these years and, as such, we didn’t collect any of this information at a national level.</p> <p> </p> <p>For the second question – the critical essay question in Higher English – under section 17, when an authority does not hold information, it must inform the applicant. I can confirm that we do not have any data, coding or tagging that captures the texts upon which learners base their answers on.  However, our published Course Reports for Higher English indicate the popular texts which are used as reported by markers and our senior exam team, may be useful for you. The Course Reports also provide commentary on the uptake of the Scottish text section. The link to these is below.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F47904.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cba66b3a1bc844a03a03508dc53246721%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638476663012936881%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MyJaN62YoS2ykkG0aNj4Q6OaLVcOANx%2B%2Btc84WDcQkY%3D&reserved=0">Higher English - Course overview and resources - SQA</a></p>

<p>Hello - last year I submitted an FOI request, copied below. I got the (very helpful!) response on the 24 of May 2023. The request was:</p> <p> I wish to submit an FOI request for the numbers of responses to the different sections of the question paper in Higher History. As you know higher history has two components - British European and World, and Scottish history. I'm looking to get a total number of candidates (for any available years, but at a minimum, for 2022) who wrote question paper answers to each of the themes under those headings, which are noted in the course specification as: British A: Church, state and feudal society, 1066-1406 B: the century of revolutions, 1603-1702 C: The atlantic slave trade D: Britain, 1851-1951 E: Britain and Ireland, 1900-1985 European and world A: The Crusades, 1071-1204 B: The american revolution, 1763-1787 C: The French Revolution, to 1799 D: Germany, 1815-1939 E: Italy, 1815-1939 F: Russia, 1881-1921 G: USA, 1918-1968 H: Appeasement and the road to war, to 1939 I: The Cold War, 1945-1989 Scottish A: the wars of independence, 1249-1328 B: The age of reformation, 1542-1603 C: The Treaty of union, 1689-1740 D: Migration and empire, 1830-1939 E: the impact of the the great war, 1914-1928</p> <p>Would it be possible to have the same data showing the number and proportion of entries into each specific paper within Higher history, for the academic years:</p> <p>2022-23 <br /> 2020-21 - i see this was not included in the original response. If there's a Covid-related reason for this, please let me know. <br /> The academic years 2014-15 and 2016-17. </p> <p> Would it also be possible to have the equivalent data for the previous set of paper topics, under the previous model of British History and European world history? So a list of the previous contexts, with numbers and percentages of entries. Could i request this for the 3 academic years before the change in format, so 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14. </p> <p>Please treat this as an FOI request under FOISA, but also let me know of any clarifications or questions you may have. </p><p>We only retain item analysis for 5 years as per our retention schedule. Therefore, we would normally have from 2019 to 2023. However, as there were no exams in 2019/20 and 2020/21, due to covid, and as such we have no information available for these years, a decision was made to exclude those years from calculating the 5 years and as such we currently have 2017 to 2019 and 2022 and 2023. You received 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2021/22 in the previous response and attached is the information for 2016/17 and 2022/23, which is the remaining years we have available.</p>

<p>EDF contract has expired in March. Please provide the latest contract updates (This is a follow up to FOI23/24 136).</p><p>The electricity contract has been relet by Scot Gov. EDF are the supplier again and it runs from 1/4/24 – 31/3/27, with the option to extend by 3 x 12 months periods.</p>

<p>I would like to request information under FOISA.</p> <p>The SQA website contains information about the Exam Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service (EECCS). It gives two 'outline reasons' to categorise the circumstances that would allow someone to qualify for EECCS, within which there are six 'detailed reasons' further defining the qualification criteria.</p> <p>Even if, as stated, an exhaustive list of detailed reasons cannot be produced, there must be some form of guidance or other information confirming qualification for the EECCS. For example, would the death of a pet fish count as a bereavement? Would a bad cold, or period cramps, which had affected a learner in an exam count as a medical condition? What sort of things might count as a domestic circumstance or an exceptional absence? I note that one specific example is provided, with the website stating that disruption to learning prior to the exam would not meet the requirements for a student to be able to make use of the EECCS.</p> <p>I would like you to release all materials (e.g. briefings, guidance, discussion papers, meeting papers) regarding the criteria for students to qualify to make use of the EECCS. </p><p>The Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service (EECCS) supports learners who have been unable to attend an exam, or whose performance in the exam has been affected by a personal circumstance, or who have experienced an unplanned incident on the day. It is a pre-certification service that covers situations where an exceptional circumstance has impacted a learner’s performance on the day of an exam.</p> <p>SQA provides information to centres. This information supports centres to understand eligibility for EECCS and explains how centres should use the service. We use the term ‘reason(s)’ to detail the criteria. Within our centre information, exceptional circumstances are categorised as either ‘personal circumstances’ or ‘examination circumstances’. These are called outline reasons. Under each outline reason there are detailed reasons, such as a medical condition or a disruption.</p> <p>It is not possible to produce a definitive list that covers every possible exceptional circumstance. However, each request submitted should correspond with one of the following reasons.</p> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col"><strong>Outline reason</strong></th> <th scope="col"><strong>Detailed reason</strong></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Personal circumstance</td> <td> <p>Bereavement</p> <p>Medical condition*</p> <p>Domestic circumstance</p> <p>Exceptional absence</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Examination circumstance**</td> <td> <p>Examination arrangements ***</p> <p>Disruption</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <p>There are currently no COVID-19 rules or restrictions in Scotland and we are now living with COVID-19 as a respiratory infection. Further information can be found on the <a href="https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/">Scottish Government’s website.</a></p> <p>*Schools, colleges or training providers will not be required to specify the nature of the medical condition when submitting a request, but they must hold documentation such as a letter or statement from the head of centre confirming that it affected the learner.</p> <p>** To be considered for an EECCS request, learners must have been affected during the exam by a disruption, or other exam circumstance, reported by the chief invigilator.</p> <p>*** Examination arrangement related exceptional circumstances include situations where the centre fails to correctly implement a pre-agreed assessment arrangement.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p>Eligibility is determined by the school, college or training provider based on information provided by SQA and authorised by the head of centre or their delegate. This means that centres access the service to help support fairness of access and there is no direct access for learners.</p> <p> </p> <p>Responsibility for determining eligibility to use the service lies with the head of centre or their delegate. This is important as it is the schools, colleges and training providers that are closer to the circumstances learners experience and because of this, it is appropriate that they make these decisions in collaboration with their learners based on this developed understanding of their circumstances and the associated impacts. Centres are also better placed to understand the specific requirements related to the submission of an EECCS request and as such can better support learners in deciding whether a request should be made. SQA has trust in the head of centre role to ensure use of the service is as legitimate, consistent and as fair as possible. It should be noted that learners are required to give their consent to ensure they agree with a request being submitted on their behalf.</p> <p>It would be for the head of centre to determine whether the scenarios you outlined in your enquiry which related to bereavement / medical condition, would be considered valid. This is based on their understanding of the full context of such situations, combined with their direct experience of the resulting impacts on the learner and in turn how these impacts may have affected either their ability to attend an examination or their performance in an examination. heads of centre use their holistic understanding of the situation, their professional judgement and the information we provide to make the final determination regarding whether an EECCS request should be submitted on behalf of a learner. Only requests that have been approved by the head of centre will be accepted by SQA. </p> <p>Further detail regarding the sections of our information that directly relate to your enquiry are explained below:</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Personal circumstances</strong></p> <p>The personal circumstances outline reason is available only for learners who are unable to attend the exam due to a personal circumstance, or learners whose performance on the day of the exam was affected by a personal circumstance.</p> <p>Personal circumstance: bereavement</p> <p>These requests will be the result of a recent bereavement that means the learner is too upset to complete an exam or is affected during the exam.</p> <p>Example requests:</p> <p>Following the recent death of a close family member or friend, the learner is too upset to attempt, or complete, the exam.</p> <p>Personal circumstance: medical condition</p> <p>These requests are likely to be a result of the learner being incapacitated or unable to attempt the exam because of a severe medical condition. Minor ailments are not considered valid for exceptional circumstance consideration.</p> <p>Requests related to COVID are submitted under the ‘medical condition’ detailed reason.</p> <p>Centres are not required to specify the medical condition when submitting a request, but must hold documentation such as a letter or statement from the head of centre confirming that the condition meant that the learner was unable to sit the exam. A medical certificate/GP letter is not an essential requirement for entry into the service.</p> <p>Example requests:</p> <p> </p> <p>The learner is admitted to hospital and is unable to attend the exam.</p> <p>The learner experiences severe vomiting the night before an exam and is unable to attend the exam.</p> <p> </p> <p>Personal circumstance: domestic circumstance</p> <p>These requests will follow an unexpected circumstance, over which the learner had no control, relating to their personal life.</p> <p>Example requests:</p> <p style="margin-left:22.5pt;">The learner is the victim of a crime immediately before an exam and this prevents them attending the exam.</p> <p style="margin-left:22.5pt;"> </p> <p style="margin-left:22.5pt;">A member of the learner’s immediate family is rushed to hospital the night before the exam with a sudden illness and this prevents them attending the exam, or affects their performance.</p> <p>Personal circumstance: exceptional absence</p> <p>Where circumstances are known in advance of the exam, the centre can submit a Change of Timetable request for the learner to advance or delay the start time.</p> <p>If alternative arrangements cannot be implemented, an exceptional circumstances consideration request can, in some circumstances, be made.</p> <p>Example requests:</p> <p style="margin-left:22.5pt;">Coincident exam — where a learner is entered for two qualifications whose examinations times coincide and rescheduling is impractical.</p> <p style="margin-left:22.5pt;">The learner is attending court and the date of the hearing cannot be rescheduled.</p> <p><strong>Examination circumstances</strong></p> <p>To be considered for an Examination Circumstances request, learners must have been affected during the exam by a disruption, or other exam circumstance, reported by the chief invigilator.</p> <p>Examination circumstances: Examination Arrangement or Disruption</p> <p>Invigilators are provided with procedures to manage many types of unplanned incidents or issues with examination arrangements and interruptions or disturbances during exams. Invigilation teams should use these procedures to minimise any adverse effect on learner performance, thus avoiding the need to request exceptional circumstances consideration.</p> <p>If, however, the action taken does not fully mitigate the circumstance, an exceptional circumstances request can be submitted. In such cases an Invigilator’s Report must have been submitted to SQA.</p> <p>All Examination Circumstances requests are subject to additional quality assurance by SQA before they are approved. This is to ensure a consistent approach is applied nationally.</p> <p>Example requests:</p> <p style="margin-left:22.5pt;">Examination Arrangement: the learner’s agreed assessment arrangement was not implemented correctly.</p> <p style="margin-left:22.5pt;">Disruption: there is a fire alarm during the exam, meaning the exam room is evacuated and the exam cannot resume.</p> <p>Please find enclosed copies of documentation concerning EECCS criteria. Documents have been redacted to remove personal details, under section 38 and information not within the scope of your request.</p>

<p>I would like the Mathematics and Applications of Maths results, at N4 to Higher, including exam center, a measure of deprivation and gender. I would need a unique student identifier to be able to take account of those who have dual entry to Maths and Applications of Maths as I am looking to see if the overall percentage of those with of or other has increased. I would like this data from 2014 to 2023.</p> <p>I suspect that offering Applications of Maths may have significantly improved the percentage of students achieving a Mathematics qualification at every level, and especially for girls, who unfortunately still see the non - applications course as biased towards engineering and science and so less relevant, and especially for deprived students, as they see how the Applications topics can help them in everyday life and so are better motivated to attain.</p> <p>To ensure that we are giving you the information you are looking for, attached is a spreadsheet with information from 2023. Can you let me know if this is what you are looking for, and if you have any questions etc, please let me know. If this is ok, we will sort out the other years you are looking for where possible.</p> <p>I received the following comments from our Statistics department (it should be noted that where entries are less than 5 we apply disclosure control to avoid possible identification of candidates).</p> <p>Turns out this is a bit of a tricky one due to the amount of variables involved which would result in excessive disclosure control.</p> <p>We went over the request and don’t think that the centre variable is necessary for what is being asked.</p> <p>A result on P  = Pass at National 4 and a Result of N at all levels = No Award.</p> <p>Thank you so much, I really appreciate your prompt reply.</p> <p>I was hoping for by centre as I was looking to see if the percentage of passes in a maths subject (maths or Apps), out of the centre’s total entrants each year, increased, or if the percentage of girls per centre increased or if the percentage of those with higher deprivation increased, again for the centre.</p> <p>However my understanding is that if any of the values are less than 5 in any category, i.e. less than 5 in particular centre at particular a level of SIMD20 who are female, the data couldn’t be released so that would affect far too many entries, so I’ll not be able to go down that route.</p> <p>Would it be possible to anonymise the centre ID? Would that be a way around?</p> <p>If that’s not possible there’s still loads of interesting investigating I can do with what you have found. However, total number of students with SQA numbers that year for the different categories would be helpful, then I can look to see what percentage of girls, SIMD20 level 5 who took any SQA exams got a Maths/Apps exam in 2013 vs 2019, for example.</p> <p>Again, to check understanding, the first sheet is telling me how many dual entries per level per gender per SIMD20. This means I can subtract them from the sum of Apps / Maths passes for each category. I’m guessing the *** is when the number is less than 5. Were categories with zero included?</p> <p>Looking at the next two sheets they seem easy to understand. Does ‘o' stand for ‘other’ sex? And ‘-' in SIMD20 means unknown?</p> <p>Having thought a bit overnight, would it work if I had the data you propose, but then an additional data set including centre but excluding breakdown by depravation? Then I could get some of idea of improvement in centres that offer Apps but would be less likely to encounter as many excluded data values due to less than 5.</p> <p>I could look at the national level for impact on depravation.</p><p>Attached is the information as we think best suits what you are looking for. However, please let me know if you have any questions. There are explanatory notes contained within the document.</p>

<p>Could you please provide me with the following information:</p> <p>Q1. What are SQA roles and responsibilities in relation to Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence-linked training?</p> <p>Q2. Who regulates Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence-linked training?</p><p>Q1. What are SQA roles and responsibilities in relation to Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence-linked training?</p> <p>SQA’s Accreditation function is remitted by the SIA to accredit qualifications which enable candidates to apply for an SIA licence.</p> <p>Q2. Who regulates Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence-linked training?</p> <p>The following is taken from the SIA’s Get Training document, which is supplied to us to aid our regulation of the awarding bodies that we have that offer the qualifications. </p> <p>“Audit criteria</p> <p>Training centres must allow the SIA/awarding organisations/qualification regulators (and anyone associated with them) to inspect/audit training, delivery, and assessment (including venues) at any time and without notice. The only exception to this may be some cash and valuables in transit (CViT) centres who have special protocols in place.</p> <p>Each awarding organisation, as part of the process of gaining SIA endorsement, will have made commitments regarding their quality assurance processes. These include the commitment that every centre has a physical visit at least once per year to confirm that the venue is still fit for purpose.</p> <p>We regularly review the quality assurance processes through a range of activities. These</p> <p>include quarterly meetings with all awarding organisations, and twice-yearly quality meetings with individual awarding organisations.</p> <p>Each awarding organisation will also monitor all training centres regularly as part of their</p> <p>Ofqual/Scottish Qualification Authority/Qualification Wales /Council for Curriculum Education & Assessment. They will do this in accordance with the additional quality measures for both approvals and external quality assurance (EQA) agreed with us.</p> <p>The awarding organisation can withdraw the approval of trainers and/or training centres if they do not comply with quality assurance processes, which include all the requirements in this document.”</p> <p>Awarding bodies are required to comply with the SIA requirements as per the handbook. They must also meet our requirements. </p> <p>Below is a link to the SIA website as you may wish to contact them.</p> <p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/security-industry-authority">Security Industry Authority - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p>

<p>Hello - thanks for this, and for a clear reply and replying within the usual timescales. On receiving this, I've realised that the data in my original request was wrong. The data you sent yesterday, in response for 23/24-161, had the correct titles of Parts within each context. However, the data from last year, covering 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2021-22 has different names for the individual Parts in each context. I think these are the individual Parts for N5. They're nearly the same, but not quite, so i think there was probably an error looking them up. Please correct me if I'm wrong about this, or I've misread the data. </p> <p>Assuming not, would it be possible to get the correct data for Higher entries into individual parts, covering the years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2021-22?</p> <p>I was going to request the same data for N5 at some point - so the information provided yesterday is still helpful. So, would it be possible to fill in the remaining years for N5 too - so in other words, get the N5 data on entries into individual Parts in each Context for the years 2016-17, and 2022-23?</p><p>The updated information for the Higher entries as well as the information for the N5 entries is contained within the document.</p>

<p>For the time period 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024 (or your nearest 12-month period), please provide the following:  </p> <p>total number of violent incidents on your staff broken down by job title/category of worker </p> <p>a breakdown of the nature of the violent incident e.g., verbal, physical, threatening behaviour </p> <p>h​ow many violent incidents have been reported under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations, with a breakdown by job title/category of worker</p> <p>Please could you break this information down into incidents involving female staff / male staff. </p> <p>Violent incidents can include verbal abuse or threats including face to face; online and via telephone;  physical attacks;   threatening behaviour; racial abuse and sexual harassment/violence.</p><p>Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested then it should notify the requester to that effect. We have checked our records across SQA and we have no records of violent incidents on staff between 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.</p>

<p>How many candidates have been presented to sit N5/H/AH exams in the Gaelic median (data broken down by subject and level) for National Qualifications years 2024, 2023 and 2022. How many SQA markers are/were there for exams sat in the Gaelic median (data broken down by subject) for National Qualifications years 2024, 2023 and 2022.</p><p>The information on the number presented for the exams and the number of markers is contained within the spreadsheet.</p> <p>Please note that whilst the figures for Gaidhlig were not requested, we have included them as we feel that this may be of interest.</p>

<p>Please can you supply me with </p> <ol> <li>a list of all job titles currently appointed across your Policy and Communications teams, or equivalent.</li> <li>the salary band for each position covered in point 1.</li> <li>a copy of your salary banding document, pay structure, pay award or equivalent.</li> </ol><p><strong>1.  list of all job titles </strong><strong>currently appointed across your Policy and Communications teams, or equivalent.</strong></p> <p>The SQA Communications Directorate consists of two business areas, Communications and Marketing. The below information relates to the Communications business area.</p> <p>Communications teams</p> <ul> <li>External Affairs (media, social media, stakeholder comms)</li> <li>Internal Communications</li> <li>Customer Communications</li> <li>Head of Communications and Engagement</li> <li>Director of Communications</li> </ul> <p>External Affairs Roles</p> <ul> <li>Senior External Affairs Manager (Grade 8)</li> <li>External Affairs Manager (Grade 7)</li> <li>Senior External Affairs Officer (Grade 6)</li> <li>External Affairs Officer (Grade 5)</li> </ul> <p>Internal Communications Roles.</p> <ul> <li>Senior Internal Communications Manager (Grade 8)</li> <li>Internal Communications Manager (Grade 7)</li> <li>Senior Internal Communications Officer (Grade 6)</li> <li>Internal Communications Officer (Grade 5)</li> <li>Internal Communications Administrator (Grade 4)</li> <li>Communications & Engagement Administrator (Grade 4)</li> </ul> <p>Customer Communications Roles</p> <ul> <li>Senior Manager (Grade 8)</li> <li>Manager (Grade 7)</li> <li>Manager (Grade 7)</li> <li>Senior Officer (Grade 6)</li> <li>Officer (Grade 5)</li> </ul> <p>Director and Head of Service</p> <ul> <li>1 Director of Communications (Annual salary of the Director of Communications is published in our <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/annual-report-accounts-2022-23.pdf">Annual Report & Accounts</a> (p65), and is published on our website).</li> <li>1 Head of Communications and Engagement (HoS)</li> </ul> <p><strong>2. The salary band for each position covered in point 1.</strong></p> <p>SQA pay banding for 2024/2025</p> <p>Grade 4: £26,998 - £29,136</p> <p>Grade 5: £30,595 - £32,758</p> <p>Grade 6: £35,577 - £40,993</p> <p>Grade 7: £43,048 - £49,020</p> <p>Grade 8: £50,008 - £56,343</p> <p>Head of Service (HoS): £62,804 - £72,576</p> <p><strong>3. A copy of </strong><strong>your salary banding document, pay structure, pay award or equivalent</strong></p> <p>The salary banding is contained within the information sheet below.</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: " aptos="" narrow",="" calibri,="" sans-serif,="" "mongolian="" baiti",="" "microsoft="" yi="" "javanese="" text",="" "yu="" gothic";="" font-size:="" 14.6667px;="" white-space-collapse:="" preserve;"="">I would like to know I got the highest mark in the academic year 2020-2021 and 2019-2020. I got 7 higher As and 9 National 5 As in this period and was just wondering if there was anyone who was able to get more grades and qualifications.</span></p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I would be grateful if you could provide the following information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p> <p>The SQA released information today highlighting that it had carried out “a successful limited trial in 2023 with a small group of schools across two subject areas”, providing centres with access to marked exam papers. The release said on the back of this initial trial the SQA planned to carry out a wider pilot following this year’s exams, with marked papers in five subject areas to be made available to schools on exam results day.</p> <p>I would like to request any information held by the SQA summarising how the 2023 trials were carried out and the results/findings of the 2023 trials. This might for instance include any written reports on the trials setting out the methodology used and the key findings – or presentations.</p> <p>Essentially, I’m hoping through this foi to better understand what the SQA learned from the 2023 trials and to better understand what the trials involved – including how many schools were involved and which subjects were involved.</p><p>The information relating to your request is contained within the attached documents.</p> <p> Please note that the names and identifying information of SQA staff below Head of Service level and non-SQA staff have been removed under section 38 (1)(b) as this is considered personal information. Also removed is text considered to be out of scope of the request.</p> <p>The names of the participating centres have been removed as there is an expectation of anonymity on the part of the centres.</p>

<p>I would like the organisation to provide me with the following departmental documents around ICT and corporate procurement.</p> <p>Many organisations within your region have different document title names:</p> <p><strong>1. 2023/24 IT Department Documents ;- </strong> these types of documents have detailed information on the department's future plans and strategies. These documents include:</p> <p>ICT Strategy/Plan, ICT Department Plan, ICT Financial Plan</p> <p><strong>2. ICT Org Chart ;-</strong> with names and job titles</p> <p><strong>3. Corporate Procurement Strategy </strong><strong>that covers 2023/24 and more.</strong></p> <p>For all the documents I have requested, please provide me with the 2023/24 documents, I only want to only receive documents that are live and valid. If the document is a strategic plan (e.g. 2020-2025) that covers a set number of years, please provide me with the 2023 version.</p> <p>I also require the full version of the documents i have requested, if any parts of the document is missing, please state this in the response </p> <p>If this cannot be provided, please provide me with information on when this version will be available.</p><p>On 21 July 2022, you submitted the following request to SQA, which received the reference number FOI22/23 037.</p> <p><em>I wish to obtain the following documents:</em></p> <ol> <li><em>ICT/IM&T/IS Strategy- The IT department strategy or plans, highlights their current and future objectives.</em></li> <li value="2"><em>ICT Org Chart- A visual document that presents the structure of the IT department, please include name and job titles. If this cannot be sent, please work towards a structure with job titles.</em></li> <li value="3"><em>ICT Annual or Business Plan- Like the ICT strategy but is more annually focused.</em></li> <li value="4"><em>ICT Capital Programme/budget- A document that shows financials budget on current and future projects.</em></li> </ol> <p><em>Clarification Received: I am seeking all the documents for the year 2022. Please provide.</em></p> <p>In response we provided the attached spreadsheet, which contained the requested information. It also stated on page 2 of the presentation that we operate on the financial year, from April to March and that the information provided “highlights SQA’s current and future objectives until 31 March 2023.” It also stated that “Objectives for 2023/24 will not be available until after the start of the financial/planning year.”</p> <p>We consider the new request is asking for the same information that was provided in our response FOI22/23 037 and the information is still current. As stated in the response, the information for 2023/2024 is still under review and will not be available until after the new financial year has started.</p> <p>We are currently unable to provide a date when the information will be available.</p>

<p>Please provide me with the pass rate data for SQA Modern Studies, N4, N5, H and AH, over the last 5 years for Park Mains School in Erskine, Renfrew</p><p>The information is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p>

<p>2022 and 2023 assessment arrangements statistics.</p> <p> </p><p>The information is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>However, where the numbers are four or less, disclosure control has been applied and the numbers removed from the tables. This is to prevent possible identification of individuals.</p> <p>Under section 38(1)(b) we have a duty to protect the personal information of individuals and if the low numbers were to be released, it could lead to the identification of individuals and their assessment needs. Information relating to someone’s assessment needs is deemed to be special category data and we need to ensure that this is not put into the public domain.</p> <p>We have also rounded the figures to the nearest 5 as per our standard process for this type of information.</p>

<p>How many candidates have been presented to sit N5/H/AH exams in the Gaelic median (data broken down by subject and level) for National Qualifications years 2024, 2023 and 2022. How many SQA markers are/were there for exams sat in the Gaelic median (data broken down by subject) for National Qualifications years 2024, 2023 and 2022.</p><p>The information on the number presented for the exams and the number of markers is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>Please note that whilst the figures for Gaidhlig were not requested, we have included them as we feel that this may be of interest.</p>

<p>I would like to make a request for the following information relating to your current Multi-Functional Devices and printing/scanning services contract(s).</p> <p> </p> <p>Please may you confirm:</p> <p>1. What services are included in the contract(s)? (e.g. printing, scanning, copying)</p> <p>2. Which supplier is delivering them? (If in-house, please confirm, if multiple providers please identify them)</p> <p>3. If the supplier is not the manufacturer, which manufacturer are the devices?</p> <p>4. How many contracts does this entail and what is the award value for each?</p> <p>5. When do these contracts expire and do they have any extensions?</p> <p>6. What is the annual volumetric data (split by Annual Mono and Annual Colour print)?</p> <p>7. What is the total number of devices supplied (split by Desktop Printer and Multi-Functional Device)?</p> <p>8. What Print Management Software solution do you use?</p> <p>9. How many Mono MFDs and Colour MFDs do you have?</p> <p>10. How many mono printers and colour printers do you have</p> <p>11. What document management solution do you use?</p> <p>12. What High Volume printing devices do you use?</p> <p>13. Were any framework agreements used to procure the goods/services? If so, which ones?</p> <p>14. Any documentation you can provide me with, e.g. the order form</p> <p>15. What department is managing the contract and who is the decision-maker?</p> <p>16. How many Adobe Acrobat (standard, professional and reader) licenses do you have?</p> <p>17. What is the annual cost?</p> <p>18. When is the renewal date?</p> <p>19. Who is responsible for the contract?</p> <p>20. Do you use any other PDF editing tools?</p> <p>21. Do you have a Hybrid Mail contract and if so, who is the supplier?</p> <p>22. When is the contract end date for your Hybrid Mail contract?</p> <p>23. Who at the Trust is responsible for the HM contract?</p><p><strong>1. What services are included in the contract(s)? (e.g. printing, scanning, copying) –</strong></p> <p>The services are printing, scanning and copying.</p> <p><strong>2. Which supplier is delivering them? (If in-house, please confirm, if multiple providers please identify them) – </strong></p> <p>The supplier is Xerox</p> <p><strong>3. If the supplier is not the manufacturer, which manufacturer are the devices? – </strong></p> <p>See the answer to question 2.</p> <p><strong>4. How many contracts does this entail and what is the award value for each? </strong></p> <p>It entails one single contract for the supply of multi-functional devices to SQA</p> <p><strong>5. When do these contracts expire and do they have any extensions? </strong></p> <p>The expiry date is five years from installation with the option to extend for two years.  The initial expiry would late 2025, early 2026.</p> <p><strong>6. What is the annual volumetric data (split by Annual Mono and Annual Colour print)?</strong></p> <p>Based on figures from 01/04/23-31/03/24 it is mono 1,093.450 and colour 8713.</p> <p><strong>7. What is the total number of devices supplied (split by Desktop Printer and Multi-Functional Device)?</strong></p> <p>The number of devices is 18 multi-functional devices and three desktop printers</p> <p><strong>8. What Print Management Software solution do you use? </strong></p> <p>We use Papercut print management</p> <p><strong>9. How many Mono MFDs and Colour MFDs do you have? </strong></p> <p>We have 15 mono MFDs and three colour mfd’s</p> <p><strong>10. How many mono printers and colour printers do you have –  </strong></p> <p>We have three mono printers</p> <p><strong>11. What document management solution do you use? – </strong></p> <p>We use Papercut print</p> <p><strong>12. What High Volume printing devices do you use? </strong></p> <p>Xerox </p> <p><strong>13. Were any framework agreements used to procure the goods/services? If so, which ones? – </strong></p> <p>Scottish Government framework - SP–16–013</p> <p><strong>14. Any documentation you can provide me with, e.g. the order form – </strong></p> <p>Attached is a copy of the Variation Order. However, we have redacted the financial figures in the document as these are considered commercially sensitive under section 33 (1)(b)of the Act.</p> <p>We are unable to provide the financial information as this could substantially prejudice the commercial interests of the parties involved. If the costs were to be released it would permit potential competitors to know the costs involved in the contract and it could have an adverse effect on any tenders for this in future as it would allow a potential competitor to know the financial situation of the current contract holder, giving an unfair advantage in the process.</p> <p>When a section 33 exemption is being applied, a public authority must undertake the public interest test.</p> <p>Whilst it is understood that the costs involved in the contract may be of interest to the public, it would also be of great interest to any potential competitors for the contract.</p> <p>However, it is in the public interest that the commercial interests of the relevant parties, and in particular the current contract holder, are not substantially prejudiced by information being placed in the public domain that may have an impact on the tender process. Providing the costs would allow competitors to have sensitive financial information and this would have an adverse effect on the current contract holder and as a result, the SQA’s business. It is also the case that any tender process must be carried out in a manner that is equal for all parties and placing this information in the public domain would substantially adversely effect that process. It is considered that the public interest is better served in preserving the commercial interests of SQA.</p> <p> </p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p> <p><strong>15. What department is managing the contract and who is the decision-maker? </strong></p> <p>The Facilities team work with Procurement. Facilities evaluate the technical / quality aspects of the submissions and procurement look at the pricing submitted.</p> <p><strong>16. How many Adobe Acrobat (standard, professional and reader) licenses do you have? </strong></p> <p>We have 365</p> <p><strong>17. What is the annual cost? </strong></p> <p>The annual cost is £33k</p> <p><strong>18. When is the renewal date? </strong></p> <p>It is renewed annually through the Scot Gov SVAR framework.</p> <p><strong>19. Who is responsible for the contract? </strong></p> <p>The IT Dept is responsible.</p> <p><strong>20. Do you use any other PDF editing tools? </strong></p> <p>Adobe is the main editing tool used.</p> <p><strong>21. Do you have a Hybrid Mail contract and if so, who is the supplier? – </strong></p> <p>SQA uses the Scot Gov mail contract with Royal Mail</p> <p><strong>22.</strong> <strong>When is the contract end date for your Hybrid Mail contract?</strong></p> <p>n/a</p> <p><strong>23. Who</strong> <strong>at the Trust is responsible for the HM contract? </strong></p> <p>n/a</p>

<p>-- please share the NHH, HH, Gas and Specialist Gas/Liquid meter points of Energy Management </p> <p>-- please confirm when the Energy Management System will be implemented. It would be helpful if you mention the month/year</p><p>On January 22^nd you submitted requests for information relating to the organisation’s gas and electricity contracts, as well as details on the energy management system, reference numbers FOI23/24 136 and FOI23/24 137. We provided responses to your requests, including informing you that there was no Energy Management System contract and as such were unable to provide any information on this. We can confirm that we will not be installing an Energy Management System.</p> <p>We also feel that we responded to the questions relating to NHH, HH, Gas and Specialist Gas/Liquid meter points in FOI23/24 137.</p> <p>I have attached the previous requests and responses as mentioned above.</p>

<p>Can I please request a breakdown of SQA MCA Exams Chief Mate Navigation & Stability results for the March 2024 and November / December 2023 diets by examination centre please if that is allowed?</p><p>The information relating to the total results for the SQA MCA Exams Chief Mate Navigation & Stability for the relevant period is attached.</p> <p>However, we are unable to provide the information by examination centre as this is considered exempt under section 33 (1)(b) of the Act.</p> <p>The provision of Chief Mate Navigation and Stability exams is done in a commercial environment with the centres competing against each other for candidates. If the results were to be placed in the public domain, this could have an adverse effect on some centres. It could affect the centres ability to attract candidates and as such have an adverse effect their commercial interests. As the centres compete against each other to try to get the shipping companies to send their cadets/employees to go to their centre, this information could influence this.</p> <p>When a section 33 exemption is being applied, a public authority must undertake the public interest test.</p> <p>Whilst it is understood that the results for each centre would be of interest to some people, it is not in the public interest to put information in the public domain that could have a damaging effect on a centre.</p> <p>Additionally, some candidates that sit the examination a centre may not have been trained by the centre as they may have completed their approved course of learning at a different centre.  Hence the % pass rate for the centre might not represent the candidates from that centre. We only have the information for the centres the exams are taken at. We do not hold information on where candidates studied the courses.</p> <p>As mentioned, because centres compete against each other, it would be damaging to place information that may be misleading into the public domain.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p>

<p>I would like to request the guidelines established by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) for colleges or lectures regarding the creation of project brief learning matierals for exercise or asessments and how they need to be created to make then suitable and meet the SQA requirements to be used as earning matierals for exercise or asessments. I kindly request access to any documentation, policies, or guidelines issued by the SQA that detail the criteria, standards, or recommendations for colleges and lecturers when developing project briefs for student exercises or assessments.</p> <p>I believe it is essential to have transparency and insight into the processes that govern the creation of learning materials ensuring they meet the necessary standards for student success and academic excellence Thank you for your cooperation, and egerly await your response.</p><p>The following should provide the information requested.</p> <p>SQA encourages educators / lecturers to create assessments for their programme or learning and for their learners. To support this SQA have a number of guidance documents that guide educators / lecturers to do this. Below are links to two guidance documents for educators / lecturers.</p> <p>The guide to assessment also contains information to help develop assessments:</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Ffiles_ccc%2FGuide_To_Assessment.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cda9c27f8d0254187ab9708dc8961d233%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638536300435849359%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KkDxmWM0HOnXWdJlk4X8RHYdbkh%2Bdw7DIDy5wAU4LHE%3D&reserved=0">Guide to assessment (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p> </p> <p>The Guidance on implementation of Graded Units also contains useful information:</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F1488.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cda9c27f8d0254187ab9708dc8961d233%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638536300435859846%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=O9QeFmSnkYFSuUZGoXLSAQiWuDEU4CCXKjGhVukOBG0%3D&reserved=0">Graded Units - SQA</a></p> <p>In addition, there is a guidance document for educators /lecturers :</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Ffiles_ccc%2FGenerate_Evidence_Jan_10.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7C5ffb06fa856a42f029d908dc8a2890e6%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638537154029853161%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=5eOGOczQYfmhXmByZT66v2PGVdLXEiLjPzM9m913pAw%3D&reserved=0">Generate_Evidence_Jan_10.pdf (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p>This can help them think about ways to assess and gather evidence for the units within a Group Award.</p> <p>Within the Unit specifications and Group Award specifications there is guidance supplied by the writers of the units that give suggested ways to develop assessments, including projects (as appropriate to the qualification). These are available on the SQA website: <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F101367.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cda9c27f8d0254187ab9708dc8961d233%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638536300435866396%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bY1BfHUYWjzoBn99qvMDX%2FB0yE%2BT%2BYqlhZfsGqpxP8U%3D&reserved=0">Qualifications homepage - SQA</a>.</p> <p>This is an example of a Group Award specification and in section 6 there is a section titled Guidance on approaches to delivery and assessment <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2Ffiles_ccc%2Fgp7x15-gr5j16.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cda9c27f8d0254187ab9708dc8961d233%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638536300435873021%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HdkIwYoCHXsIUTDgatfJ%2BzMt5PfVseBa8zzqmOJE7vM%3D&reserved=0">https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/gp7x15-gr5j16.pdf</a></p> <p>In addition, SQA also, in some instances, create ‘Assessment Support Packs’ (ASPs) that outline how a unit can be assessed. These are available to educators / lecturers on the SQA Secure website. The educators / lecturers can use these assessments if they decide to, or they can create their own. This  spreadsheet lists all the ASPs available: <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fview.officeapps.live.com%2Fop%2Fview.aspx%3Fsrc%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.sqa.org.uk%252Fsqa%252Ffiles_ccc%252FTAPSPublicationList.xls%26wdOrigin%3DBROWSELINK&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cda9c27f8d0254187ab9708dc8961d233%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638536300435879619%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Y6UiUx%2FusIAgDoSfSeZ7JIumZ5LnQVE4kRIvnC8ejuI%3D&reserved=0">TAPSPublicationList.xls (live.com)</a></p> <p>Internal Assessment Support Materials and the ASPs spreadsheet linked above can be found here: <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F46233.11495.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cda9c27f8d0254187ab9708dc8961d233%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638536300435886385%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nzwqz8pokvn4SmociIjb6SbIRNlAdA6IFuzqqxICFOY%3D&reserved=0">Internal Assessment Support Materials - SQA</a>.</p> <p>There is also a SQA Academy module that educators/ lecturers can access that gives guidance on developing assessments, including projects.</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqaacademy.org.uk%2Fcourse%2Fview.php%3Fid%3D1176&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cda9c27f8d0254187ab9708dc8961d233%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638536300435892869%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nJsMAbYNJf7%2BmxEjprQtCNVePELt1kFyS%2FrXep7Wt1A%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" title="https://www.sqaacademy.org.uk/course/view.php?id=1176">Course: NextGen: HN – Assessment | SQA Academy</a></p> <p>Where educators / lecturers create their own assessment there is a process called ‘Prior Verification’ whereby SQA Verifiers approve the assessment that has been produced to ensure it meets the national standard. There is more information on this here:</p> <p><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F74665.11992.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cda9c27f8d0254187ab9708dc8961d233%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638536300435899445%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=NZZ%2FyghKJ1eP%2B3nh82DbJ6qmccz%2B46%2FdI%2FGIpXJOiGM%3D&reserved=0">Prior Verification - SQA Advanced and HN - SQA</a></p> <p>There are also standardisation events for educators / lecturers where they come together with SQA to share their assessments and they are considered together to ensure that there is a standardised approach to assessing learners across SQA delivering centres.</p> <p>I hope this sufficiently addresses your query.</p>

<p>I require information regarding the experience of SQA for exam diet 2024. It has come to my attention that Art and Design markers are being recruited who have not taught a full course and have just finished their probation year. There has been no requirement of proof of teaching experience. Their lack of experience is very concerning in relation to previous requirements for joining an SQA marking team.</p><p>The marker recruitment process requires markers to have a minimum of 2 years current teaching experience at the level they wish to mark (this can include a probationary year if the whole course has been delivered). If they are currently delivering on a part time basis, they must be able to demonstrate experience in delivering the full course. They must also meet the following criteria:</p> <ul> <li>Be able to demonstrate excellence in assessing to the national standard.</li> <li>Be able to work professionally and co-operatively with other appointees and SQA staff.</li> <li>Be able to demonstrate excellent organisational and administrative skills with an ability to meet deadlines.</li> <li>Have a home computer or laptop with internet connection and a private email address.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>As part of the marker recruitment process, applicants are asked to confirm that they meet the criteria to mark. We are not aware of anyone on an Art and Design marking team who does not meet the criteria to mark.</p>

<p>1.         Your mental health/ stress risk assessment template</p> <p>2.         Any Mental Health/ Stress Risk assessment guidance documents for managers you use.</p> <p>3.         What training do you provide for managers to carry out the above?</p> <p>4.         What role does your competent person have in the organisation and what are their duties in relation to your mental health/ stress risk assessments?</p> <p>5.         Confirm when was the last time you conducted a mental health staff survey.</p> <p>6.         Any other information you would like to share that might help me in my area of research.</p><ol> <li><strong>Your mental health/ stress risk assessment template</strong></li> </ol> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;">Please see our stress risk assessment template, which is attached.</p> <ol> <li value="2"><strong>Any Mental Health/ Stress Risk assessment guidance documents for managers you use.</strong></li> </ol> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;">We provide a guide for managers in supporting a stress risk assessment, which is fully supported by a HR Practitioner. This guidance is attached.</p> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;"><strong>3 ) What training do you provide for managers to carry out the above?</strong></p> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;">We run a Managers Fundamental Training programme for all new and existing line managers which covers all aspect of line management, including staff wellbeing and support, including processes and policies.</p> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;">We also have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service and the use of ABLE Futures. ABLE Futures delivers the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service, on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. This is a free, confidential service available to all staff, which provides a mental health professional for staff to talk to about whatever is on their mind.</p> <ol> <li value="4"><strong>What role does your competent person have in the organisation and what are their duties in relation to your mental health/ stress risk assessments?</strong></li> </ol> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;">All our HR team are trained to support staff and line managers through the stress risk assessment process.</p> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;">We have a Wellbeing Steering Group which oversees all initiatives and projects in relation to staff wellbeing including running mental health initiatives.</p> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;">Eleven members of staff are qualified as Mental Health First Aiders and staff are encouraged to speak to them if needed.  </p> <ol> <li value="5"><strong>Confirm when the last time was you conducted a mental health staff survey.</strong></li> </ol> <p style="margin-left:18.0pt;">We carried out a survey in May 2024 regarding our wellbeing strategy to inform our application for accreditation with Investors in People.</p> <ol> <li value="6"><strong>Any other information you would like to share that might help me in my area of research.</strong></li> </ol> <p>Attached to this email is our Stress, Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work Policy, which is available and accessible to all staff. </p>

<p>I am writing to submit a Freedom of Information request for information related to the organisation's contracts register, procurement strategy document, and contact details. Please find the detailed requests below:</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>1.       Contract Register Request:</strong></p> <p>I am seeking the full and entirety of the organisation's contract register or database. The register should include the following columns/headings or something similar:</p> <p>•           Contract Reference -Unique reference number associated with the contract.</p> <p>•           Contract Title</p> <p>•           Procurement Category –</p> <p>•           Supplier Name</p> <p>•           Spend (Total, Annual or contract value)</p> <p>•           Contract Duration</p> <p>•           Contract Extensions</p> <p>•           Contract Start Date</p> <p>•           Contract Expiry Date</p> <p>•           Contract Description [Please provide me with as much detail as possible.]</p> <p>•           Contact Owner (Person that manages the contract register)</p> <p>•           Contact details of section 151 officer</p> <p>•           CPV codes/Pro-Class</p> <p>•           How many contracts are currently held on the contract register</p> <p>If any of the headings within your contract register has not been provided, please state this within your response.</p> <p>Please provide the contract's register file in Excel format.</p> <p><strong>2.       Procurement Strategy Document Request:</strong></p> <p>•         Can the organisation provide a full version of their Procurement Strategy for the fiscal year 2024-2025?</p> <p>•         If the Procurement Strategy is a strategic direction (2022-2025) instead of an annual plan, please provide an update document for 2023-2024. If an update cannot be provided, please provide information on when an update is planned to be published.</p> <p>•         We require the full document. If any parts of this document have been removed, please state this within your response.</p> <p>3.       Contact Details Request:</p> <p>•         Provide contact details of the person responsible for API or data sharing, including [Name, Job Title, Telephone, Email Address].</p> <p>•         Provide contact details of the person responsible for the actual contract's register, including [Name, Job Title, Telephone, Email Address].</p> <p><strong>IMPORTANT:</strong></p> <p>1. If the organisation has a CRM system or a similar system, ensure there is a facility to download and extract contract data.</p> <p>2. If providing a weblink to a portal, ensure that all contracts are included, as some organisations may only upload a small portion of their contracts.</p> <p>3. For organisations planning to make an exemption around spend, clarify that the spend information requested is an overall figure, and a complete breakdown is not required.</p> <p>Please provide the contract's register file in Excel format.</p><ol> <li><strong>Contract Register Request</strong></li> </ol> <p>Our Section 151 officer is Alan Dickson.</p> <p>The person managing the contract register is Justin Lilley.</p> <p>You can contact both through our procurement team inbox at: <a href="mailto:procurement@sqa.org.uk">procurement@sqa.org.uk</a></p> <p>The rest of the requested information can be found on Public Contracts Scotland, available <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk%2FContracts%2FContracts_Search.aspx%3FAuthID%3DAA00386&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7C3f0004aee92f4f9d6f0708dcacc530bf%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638575210127622494%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=9H4lyY7XZCNuQyrRzcv2F8lN80yLH%2FBejGsSdyCStzc%3D&reserved=0">here</a>.</p> <p>This provides an option to download the contract register as an excel file.</p> <p> </p> <ol> <li value="2"><strong>Procurement Strategy Document Request:</strong></li> </ol> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, the information requested is exempt from disclosure under section 27(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 as it is held with a view to being published at a future date, within the next 12 weeks. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide an exact date as the document is being finalised. However, I have attached our procurement strategy for 2020-2023, which will remain relevant until the 2024-2025 Procurement strategy will be available. We will inform you when the new strategy is published.</p> <p> </p> <ol> <li value="3"><strong>Contact Details Request:</strong></li> </ol> <p>The answer to both questions is our procurement manager, Justin Lilley.</p> <p>You can contact him at <a href="mailto:procurement@sqa.org.uk">procurement@sqa.org.uk</a> .</p>

<p>1. Dedicated hosting- Managed environment</p> <p>2. Co-Location- hosting allows a business to still own their own server equipment; however, instead of storing it in their own data centre, they instead are able to store it in rented space in a colocation hosting centre.</p> <p>3. Cloud Hosting- Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resources from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.</p> <p> </p> <p>Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation. For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:</p> <p>1. Type of hosting ? Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?</p> <p>2. Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?</p> <p>3. What is the annual contract value for each contract?</p> <p>4. What type of cloud environment? Private Cloud- a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate. Public Cloud - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet. Hybrid- integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.</p> <p>5. What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the start date for each contract.</p> <p>6. What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.</p> <p>7. When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract please provide me with the review date for each contract.</p> <p>8. What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?</p> <p>9. What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,</p> <p>10. Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details if possible name, title, contact email and number.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p>

<p>For every school in Scotland, could you please provide the following data: 1. The total number of National 4 and 5 dual entries in exam years 2023 and 2024. 2. The percentage decrease (or increase) in dual entries between these 2 years.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the sheet.</p>

<p>I require information regarding the percentage of students in Scotland who achieved 5As at Higher, in the 2023/2024 academic year</p><p>The total number of students that achieved 5 or more As at Higher level was 3322, equating to 5.1%.</p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process.</p>

<p>Please provide the percentage and total number of S4 students achieving 7 A grades or more at National 5 in 2024</p><p>There were 5230 S4 students who achieved 7 or more As at National 5 level in 2024, equating to 10.4%.</p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process.</p>

<p>I would be grateful if you could disclose the following information in relation to this year’s results (2024):</p> <p>1. The number of pupils who sat exactly five Highers.</p> <p>2. The number of S5 pupils who sat exactly five Highers.</p> <p>3. The percentage of pupils who sat exactly five Highers and achieved five As (at any band).</p> <p>4. Same as number three, but specifically for S5s.</p><p>1. The number of pupils who sat exactly five Highers was 15,439</p> <p>2. The number of S5 pupils who sat exactly five Highers was 14,730</p> <p>3. The percentage of pupils who sat exactly five Highers and achieved five As (at any band) was 19.0%</p> <p>4. Same as number three, but specifically for S5s was 18.9%</p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process.</p>

<p>Specifically, I would like to know the number of students who achieved 5 A's, 6 A's, and 7 A's in their 2024 higher examinations, relative to the overall total number of students.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet</p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process.</p>

<p>I would like to make a request for the same information requested in the link below but for the academic year 2023-2024:</p> <p><a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/number_of_as_and_a_band_ones_at#outgoing-928078">Number of As and A band ones at Advanced Higher, 2019 - a Freedom of Information request to Scottish Qualifications Authority - WhatDoTheyKnow</a></p> <p>That is the number of students taking specific numbers of advanced higher, e.g. 0,1,2 etc, and also the same information but for grade A and grade A band 1 respectively.</p> <p> </p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet</p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process.</p>

<p>I would like to know how many pupils both in Scotland and specifically in the Central Region have crashed Advanced Higher Biology and an Advanced Higher Science.</p><p><strong>Biology:</strong> Number of candidates that sat National 5 Biology in 2022, did not sit either Higher Biology or Higher Human Biology in 2023, and then went on to sit Advanced Higher Biology in 2024: <strong>1</strong></p> <p><strong>Biology:</strong> Number of candidates that sat National 5 Biology in 2022, did not sit Higher Biology in 2023, and then went on to sit Advanced Higher Biology in 2024: <strong>1,138</strong></p> <p><strong>Chemistry:</strong> Number of candidates that sat National 5 Chemistry in 2022, did not sit Higher Chemistry in 2023, and then went on to sit Advanced Higher Chemistry in 2024: <strong>3</strong></p> <p><strong>Physics:</strong> Number of candidates that sat National 5 Physics in 2022, did not sit Higher Physics in 2023, and then went on to sit Advanced Higher Physics in 2024: <strong>2</strong></p>

<p>Thank you very much for the data you sent me earlier in the year. It generated some interesting findings. For example, a greater proportion of the most deprived students are passing Higher Applications of Maths than are passing Higher Mathematics.</p> <p>For students in SIMD deciles 1 and 2 (Highest level of deprivation), the proportion of passes for Higher Applications is statistically significantly higher than the proportion of passes for Higher Mathematics. At a 95% confidence level, I found a difference in means of between 7% and 18%. It could be that by offering Higher Application as well as Higher Mathematics schools can improve both attainment and narrow the deprivation gap - the two headliners from this year's exam results.</p> <p> </p> <p>I would like to investigate this further, so would like to have the same, including this years results, but not filtered by sex. I didn't find any gender related points I wish to explore further and not breaking it down in this way will reduce the redactions. </p><p>Attached is the information as we think best suits what you are looking for. However, please let me know if you have any questions. There are explanatory notes contained within the document.</p>

<p>Please provide updated data on SQA attainment (numbers of A, B, C, D, N/A) by school and by subject and level for each N5, Higher and AH course for exam year 2024. Please include A-C and A-D pass rates as percentages and total number of presentations for each course in each school.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process.</p>

<p class="xmsonormal" font-size:="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet="">For all candidates who were dual presented at National 4 and National 5 in 2024, could you please provide the following information:</p> <p class="xmsonormal" font-size:="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black;">1. The % who achieved a National 5 "A".</span> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="xmsonormal" font-size:="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black;">2. The % who achieved a National 5 "B".</span> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="xmsonormal" font-size:="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black;">3. The % who achieved a National 5 "C".</span> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="xmsonormal" font-size:="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black;">4. The % who achieved a National 5 "D".</span> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="xmsonormal" font-size:="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black;">5. The % who did not pass National 5.</span></p> <p class="xmsonormal" style="text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="xmsonormal">For all candidates who were dual presented at National 4 and National 5 in 2024:</p> <p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-family:">1. The % who achieved a National 5 "A".   <b>7.5%</b></span> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-family:">2. The % who achieved a National 5 "B". </span><b><span aptos="" style="font-family:">14.3%</span></b> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-family:">3. The % who achieved a National 5 "C". </span><b><span aptos="" style="font-family:">22.6%</span></b> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-family:">4. The % who achieved a National 5 "D". </span><b><span aptos="" style="font-family:">24.8%</span></b> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-family:">5. The % who did not pass National 5.      </span><b><span aptos="" style="font-family:">30.8%</span></b> <o:p></o:p></p>

<p>I would like copies of the documents detailing the modifications made to National 5 and Higher mathematics examinations during the 2021/22, 2022/23 and sessions. These have been removed from the website.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the two documents.</p> <p>For information, the documents cover maths qualifications from N4 to advanced higher (including N5 and higher as requested.)</p>

<p>Can I please request the following information:</p> <p>Over the last five years and broken down by each academic year, how many individuals have studied stonemasonry?</p> <p>If possible, can you also provide the same details for other construction courses?</p><p>The information is contained within the spreadsheet</p>

<p>Can you please inform what are the highest marks obtained in all subjects in Nat 5 exams in 2024.</p><p>Under section 25 of the Act, where information is readily accessible, a public authority is not obliged to provide the information, but should indicate where the information is.</p> <p>The information relating to the highest mark available in each subject, is available on our website, along with the number of candidates that achieved the mark. This can be found using the following link:</p> <p><u><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2F105153.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfoi%40sqa.org.uk%7Cc2e03ecab4e047ceec4a08dcb6e1e53e%7C2bc4b4d8b4154f6c8bb82c2985d7171f%7C0%7C0%7C638586328534399183%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3oH4E30vrHnaE5ztBDuubFarAQI7w1uX%2B9zEvL3GG00%3D&reserved=0">component marks</a></u></p>

<p>This is a request in relation to modifications made to National five and higher mathematics for 21/22 and 22/23. The modification documentation detailed subjects that would not be assessed. Can you please provide documentation showing that although the topics would not be assessed that they should still be taught to pupils by schools.</p> <p>My child's class were not taught vectors (as an example) at national 5 Mathematics (22//23) but as modifications were lifted this year she was assessed on these this year at Higher (23/24) without any base learning. This I feel has contributed to a lower than expected result. I strongly disagree that modifications should have been lifted for the higher mathematics this year. These children were most definitely at a disadvantage. When I wrote to the SQA about this, I was advised that although the subjects would not be assessed they should still be taught and I would like evidence of the schools being told this was expected.</p> <p> </p><p><span background-color:="" font-size:="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet="">SQA</span><span background-color:="" font-size:="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet=""> sent the following information directly to schools and colleges in an email on 16 November 2022</span></p> <p><a href="https://Email from SQA to schools, colleges and training providers on National Qualifications in 2022-23">Email from SQA to schools, colleges and training providers on National Qualifications in 2022-23</a>  (please be aware this link will expire in a few months)</p> <p>Under the subheading ‘Delivering National Courses with your learners’, it states ‘We have made modifications to assessment only – it is important to be aware that we have not removed any content from National Courses. You should continue to deliver the full course content with your learners and allow them opportunities to develop the full range of skills, knowledge and understanding.’</p> <p>This was a point of clarification, due to some feedback suggesting that despite SQA only making modifications to assessments in 2021-2022, some schools and colleges may not have been teaching the full course content.</p> <p>SQA sent the email to the following distribution list:</p> <p>SQA co-ordinators in all schools, colleges and training providers delivering National Qualifications<br /> Heads of centre in all secondary schools and colleges<br /> Local authority directors of education, heads of education, education officers and quality improvement officers</p>

<p>Please can you tell me what numbers and percentages of pupils achieved 5, 6 or 7 Grades A, B or C in the 2024 exam period? Do you also release that data by selected school? If possible, I'd like the data from Scotland wide results and in addition for Craigmount High School Edinburgh.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I believe the National Ratings are comparability indices which can be used as a guide to the relative awarding standards in the various subjects at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.</p> <p>Would it be possible to obtain the National Ratings for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher for the exams sat in 2024 based on candidates entered from centres within Scotland?</p> <p>I don't think these statistics are currently available on your website</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>I require information regarding the number of people that sat SQA National 5 examinations this year (2024) that achieved more than eight Band 1 'A' grades in these examinations</p><p>223 Candidates achieved eight band 1 ‘A’ grades at National 5 in 2024.</p> <p>27 Candidates achieved nine band 1 ‘A’ grades at National 5 in 2024.</p> <p>3 Candidates achieved ten band 1 ‘A’ grades at National 5 in 2024.</p> <p> </p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process</p>

<p>1. What was the value of spend on temporary staff from recruitment agencies by the SQA from April 2023 to June 2024?</p> <p>1a. Please ensure that a gross spend value is detailed and include all spend associated to any contract let for the management/provision of temporary staff by a contracted provider (whether Vendor neutral or Master vendor). Please ensure that all figures are provided separately by year.</p> <p>2. If you have a managed service provider (MSP) in place for the provision of temporary agency staff, please provide the following.</p> <p>2a. How was the contract to manage/provide the supply of agency/temporary staff let?</p> <p>2b. Who was the contract to manage/provide the supply of agency/temporary staff let to?</p> <p>2c. When did the contract to manage/provide the supply of temporary/agency staff<br /> commence, how long does it run for and what is the end date?</p> <p>3. If you use Frameworks please state which frameworks you use and for which categories of staff</p> <p>4.If you don’t have a managed service provider (MSP) in place for the provision of temporary recruitment agency staff, which recruitment agencies do you use, and what basis were they awarded? </p> <p>5. Please can you provide details of the names of the decision-makers who ultimately decide which recruitment agencies your organisation uses.</p> <p>6. Please provide the name(s) of the person(s) who the manage the recruitment agency contract on a day-to-day basis.</p> <p>7. Please advise what the permanent agency spend was between April 2023 to June 2024</p><p><strong>1. What was the value of spend on temporary staff from recruitment agencies by the SQA from April 2023 to June 2024?</strong></p> <p><strong>1a. Please ensure that a gross spend value is detailed and include all spend associated to any contract let for the management/provision of temporary staff by a contracted provider (whether Vendor neutral or Master vendor). Please ensure that all figures are provided separately by year.</strong></p> <p>The spend on temporary staff from recruitment agencies from April 2023 to June 2024 is:</p> <p>Venesky Brown - April 23/ March 24 - £485,900.75, Apr 24 onwards £1,261,501.56</p> <p>ASA - April 23/ March 24 - £2490, Apr 24 onwards £0</p> <p>Lorien April - 23/ March 24 - £1,097,703.71, Apr 24 onwards £259,793.74</p> <p>Harvey Nash - April 23/ March 24 - £1,559,677.14, Apr 24 onwards £337,162.86</p> <p><strong>2.  If you have a managed service provider (MSP) in place for the provision of temporary agency staff, please provide the following.</strong></p> <p>Under section 17 of the Act, when a public authority does not hold request information, it should let the applicant know. There is no MSP in place and as such we hold no information for 2a, 2b and 2c.</p> <p><strong>2a. How was the contract to manage/provide the supply of agency/temporary staff let?</strong></p> <p>Not applicable</p> <p><strong>2b. Who was the contract to manage/provide the supply of agency/temporary staff let to? </strong></p> <p>Not applicable</p> <p><strong>2c. When did the contract to manage/provide the supply of temporary/agency staff commence, how long does it run for and what is the end date?</strong></p> <p>Not applicable.</p> <p><strong>3. If you use Frameworks please state which frameworks you use and for which categories of staff –</strong></p> <p>The frameworks used are:</p> <p>Scot Gov Interim IT Services  - SP-22-002 – IT contractors</p> <p>Temp Admin and Catering Staff – SP-22-003 – Admin support</p> <p><strong>4.If you don’t have a managed service provider (MSP) in place for the provision of temporary recruitment agency staff, which recruitment agencies do you use, and what basis were they awarded?</strong></p> <p>The recruitment agencies used are:</p> <p>SP-22-002 – Mini Competition between Venesky Brown, ASA, Lorien & Harvey Nash</p> <p>SP-22-003 – Ranked No 1 supplier</p> <p><strong>5. Please can you provide details of the names of the decision-makers who ultimately decide which recruitment agencies your organisation uses :</strong></p> <p>The lead on this is Justin Lilley, who is Head of Procurement and the relevant email is</p> <p>procurement@sqa.org.uk</p> <p><strong>6. Please provide the name(s) of the person(s) who the manage the recruitment agency contract on a day-to-day basis.</strong></p> <p>The information is the same as for Q5.</p> <p><strong>7. Please advise what the permanent agency spend was between April 2023 to June 2024.</strong></p> <p>Between April 2023 and June 2024 the permanent agency spend was £21,118.60</p>

<p>I hope this message finds you well. Following the request I made last year for the breakdown of component marks for the 2023 Higher Drama written paper, I am writing to request similar information for the 2024 exam results.</p> <p>Specifically, I would like to request a detailed breakdown of the component marks for the 2024 Higher Drama written paper. I am interested in the marks allocated for each of the three sections—section one, section two, and section three. If possible, please provide this information in a spreadsheet format, encompassing all Higher Drama written exam scores across Scotland for the year 2024.</p> <p>As with my previous request, I understand the importance of student privacy and data protection regulations. Therefore, I kindly ask that the information be aggregated or anonymised to ensure that individual students cannot be identified.</p> <p>The data provided last year, particularly the average scores for each section, was highly useful. This year, I would greatly appreciate it if you could also include additional statistics, such as the range of scores and standard deviation for each section. Furthermore, if available, I am interested in a school-by-school breakdown of the average mean scores for each section, with appropriate measures taken to anonymise the data where student numbers are low.</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process.</p>

<p>I would like to request question-by-question marks given for SQA exams for candidates at the Vale of Leven Academy in Social Subjects (History, Geography and Modern Studies) from 2018-Present, for both National 5 and Higher Levels. If it could be made clear the number of question corresponding to the question paper each year</p> <p> </p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p>

<p>Is it possible to have the same data but based on all of Scotland results? Also, is it possible to report on the numbers and % of 5 Grade As at Highers level, both Scotland wide and specific to Craigmount High School?</p> <p>Previous request asked for:</p> <p>Please can you tell me what numbers and percentages of pupils achieved 5, 6 or 7 Grades A, B or C in the 2024 exam period? Do you also release that data by selected school? If possible, I'd like the data from Scotland wide results and in addition for Craigmount High School Edinburgh.</p> <p> </p><p>The information for the numbers and percentage of 5 Grade As at Higher level both for Scotland and Craigmount High School is below.</p> <p>However, where the numbers are four or less for the requested school, disclosure control has been applied and the numbers have been masked as ‘<5.’ This is to prevent possible identification of individuals and their attainment, which is personal information.</p> <p>Under section 38(1)(b) we have a duty to protect the personal information of individuals and if the low numbers were to be released, it could lead to the identification of individuals .</p> <p> </p> <p>No. of As      Scotland                 Craigmount HS</p> <p>5                  3,046   4.6%             29        9.8%</p> <p>6                  261      0.0%             <5        0.3%</p> <p>7                  11        0.0%</p> <p>8                  4          0.0%</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

<p>Please can you supply for exam diet 19/20, 21/22, 22/23 and 23/24 (subject to appeals) the breakdown of results for Higher Media. i.e. the number of 1,2, 3, 4 and 5 grades achieved nationally for each year above. Can you also give the results split for The James Young High school in West Lothian over these years</p><p>The provisional attainment statistics are available on the SQA website using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105123.html">Attainment Statistics - SQA</a></p> <p>The information for Higher Media at the James Young High School are contained within the spreadsheet.</p> <p>Please note these statistics are provisional and may be subject to change after completion of SQA’s appeals process.</p>

<p>In the run up to exam results day the SQA held over 140 grade boundary meetings were held over five weeks. I would be grateful if you could provide the following information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002:</p> <p>-the minutes from the Higher history grade boundary meeting</p> <p>-any papers shared with those attending the Higher history grade boundary meeting</p> <p>I would like to receive any information via FOI, please.</p><p>Minutes are not taken at the Grade Boundary meetings. However, there is a Decision-Making Record that is produced from the meeting. This is attached.</p> <p>Please note that we have removed the name of a non SQA person, as this is deemed to be personal information and is exempt under section 38(1)b).</p> <p>We are unable to share the papers provided to attendees as these are considered exempt under section 30(b)(i) and (ii).</p> <p>There is detailed statistical information provided to the attendees along with reports submitted by Principal Assessors and markers, which includes their observations based on their experience of the assessments they have set and marked.</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible SQA has withheld some information where exemption 30(b)(i) and (ii) – the free and frank provision of advice, and the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation - applies. The exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank provision of advice and exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. The Principal Assessors' and markers' comments are provided to the attendees of the meeting as one of the sources of information that allows them to consider this year’s grade boundaries. The statistical information is also used to inform decisions.</p> <p>This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.</p> <p>We recognise that there will be an interest in disclosing information as part of being an open, transparent and accountable public body, and to inform public debate. We appreciate that is interest in how the decisions are taken in applying the grade boundaries. On our website we have published general information which explains our approach, available using the following link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/106267.html">How exams are marked and grades decided - SQA</a></p> <p>and in each of the last three years a Methodology Report which sets out our specific approach in each of these years in some detail. The Methodology Report for 2024 is available using the following link.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/nq2024-awarding-methodology-report.pdf">National Qualifications 2024 – Awarding Methodology Report (sqa.org.uk)</a></p> <p>Course reports, including the report for Higher History, will be available on the NQ section of the SQA website later this month.</p> <p>However, it is also important that the attendees at grade boundary meetings have the private space in which to share and discuss the information. Disclosing the content would substantially inhibit the provision of advice and the exchange of views in the future. Principal Assessors and markers would be reluctant to provide open and honest comments if these were to be placed in the public domain and this would substantially inhibit the ability to determine fair grade boundaries.</p> <p>We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. Whilst there will be an interest in the discussions that took place, we consider that the public interest lies more in allowing the information provided to the attendees to remain undisclosed to allow the deliberations to be undertaken in an open manner.</p> <p>Accordingly, taking account of the circumstances of this case, we consider that the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.</p>

<p>I have been tasked with some research that requires information from the Scottish Qualifications Authority.</p> <p>The details of my inquiry are outlined in the email below.</p> <p>I am currently researching External Qualification visits for Vocational Qualifications offered multiple times throughout the year.</p> <p>I am particularly interested in understanding the frequency of these visits for such qualifications.</p> <p>Please advise on the typical number of External Qualification visits conducted by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in a year for vocational qualifications offered on a rolling basis. If the frequency varies depending on specific factors, I would appreciate any information you can provide on the criteria used to determine the number of visits for these qualifications.</p> <p>Direct Claim Status Once a training provider becomes an accredited centre and is approved to offer a qualification. After how many years of approval, a training provider would be eligible for Direct Claim Status? For example a training provider becomes an accredited training provider to offer qualifications for your awarding organisation, how many months/years do they have to wait before they can apply for Direct Claim Status? Additionally, if any relevant resources or documentation are outlining Scottish Qualifications Authority's approach to External Qualification visits for frequently offered qualifications</p><p><strong>Please advise on the typical number of External Qualification visits conducted by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in a year for vocational qualifications offered on a rolling basis.</strong></p> <p>Our External Verification is not conducted by qualification but by verification group, which is a group of units which are present across multiple qualifications.  Therefore, it is not possible to provide a typical number as it will be dependent on the number of qualifications/verification groups that a SQA Approved Centre is delivering.</p> <p><strong>If the frequency varies depending on specific factors, I would appreciate any information you can provide on the criteria used to determine the number of visits for these qualifications.</strong></p> <p>See above. </p> <p><strong>Direct Claim Status Once a training provider becomes an accredited centre and is approved to offer a qualification. After how many years of approval, a training provider would be eligible for Direct Claim Status? For example a training provider becomes an accredited training provider to offer qualifications for your awarding organisation, how many months/years do they have to wait before they can apply for Direct Claim Status?</strong></p> <p>There is no set period for centres gaining direct claims status and some may be given direct claim status immediately. It is dependent on a number of factors, decisions are risk-based, intelligence-led.</p> <p><strong>Additionally, if any relevant resources or documentation are outlining Scottish Qualifications Authority's approach to External Qualification visits for frequently offered qualifications</strong></p> <p>Further information is available on the SQA website. This can be accessed using the link below.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/96458.html">Quality assurance - SQA</a></p>

<p>I require information regarding the progression statistics from N5 Applications of Maths to Higher Applications of Maths for candidates who have not previously sat N5 Maths or Higher Maths. It would be useful information for planning courses and assessing suitable candidates. I have looked through previous results of FOIs and could not find this specific data, however, if it is already available could you please direct me to that instead?</p><p>The information requested is contained within the spreadsheet.</p> <p> </p>

<p>“Like many public bodies in Scotland, SQA is taking necessary steps to make efficiencies.”</p> <p>This was the final line of an SQA statement received on 28 June in response to an enquiry I had put in. I would like to understand the SQA financial position better. Could you please provide me with the most recent reports the SQA holds setting out its current financial position and the details of the “efficiencies” referenced in the above statement.</p> <p>The response should include – but not be limited to – reports on the SQA’s financial position shared with its board of management this calendar year.</p> <p>For instance, the minutes from the board of management meeting on April 24 state that Mr Baxter (Director of Finance and Corporate Services) provided the board with “an overview of the current funding position and projected additional requirement from the Scottish Government”. I would like to receive the detail of that overview (be that papers shared with the committee or slides from a presentation, for example).</p> <p>I would also like to receive any communication between the SQA and the Scottish government regarding the SQA’s financial position and the projected additional requirement. Please include any communications from the last three months.</p> <p>For clarity I’m looking to understand how much additional grant in aid the SQA is looking for from the Scottish government, as well as how much funding has been requested by the body in respect of education reform. I’m also looking to understand if these sums have been approved; refused; or if the SQA is still waiting to hear from the government.</p><p>We are unable to provide the information requested as this is considered exempt under section 30 (b)(i) and (ii) and section 33 (1)(b) of the Act.</p> <p>The information requested is considered exempt under section 30(b)(i) as it relates to our budget, which is currently being updated, involving discussions both internally within the SQA and externally with the Scottish Government. The discussions relate to the budget being updated in line with the financial situation facing the organisation at this time. Discussions relating to budgets when being drawn up are considered exempt as it is important that these are permitted to be undertaken in a safe space which allows open discussions on sensitive matters. Whilst the budget changes are being discussed it is important that they are able to be carried out outside the public view. This will ensure that all the discussions are carried out in a free and frank manner as the information being discussed is considered to be sensitive.</p> <p>It is also considered exempt under section 33 (1)(b) as providing details of the financial situation and the discussions could adversely affect our commercial interest. SQA is involved in many commercial contracts throughout the world and any adverse effect on any of these contracts would cause an issue with our commercial interests and reduce the organisation’s income levels. It is important that these interests are not affected, particularly in the current financial climate.</p> <p>When section 30 and 33 exemptions are applied a public interest test must be carried out. We have considered the public interest and whether on balance it is in the public interest to withhold or release the requested information. FOISA does not define the term “public interest” but it is described as “something which is of serious concern and benefit to the public”. Additionally, the public interest does not mean ‘what is of interest to the public, but what is in the interest of the public.</p> <p>It is understood that there will be interest in the financial situation of SQA, particularly at this time, as the organisation affects a large number of people and there is a requirement for transparency on how public organisations deal with public money. There is a large amount of financial information placed into the public domain by SQA on a regular basis, particularly in our annual report and accounts. However, financial information that is under discussion is not placed in the public domain whilst those discussions are ongoing. It is important that these discussions can be undertaken without being made public to ensure that they are in a way that allows the free and frank provision of views and deliberation. If it was being made public whilst the discussions are going on, it could prevent the discussions being able to take place as there would be a reluctance to share views and opinions in the discussions.</p> <p>It is also important that the discussions are not placed in the public domain at this time as it may have an adverse effect on our commercial contracts. If the financial information was made available, it could affect our ability to compete for contracts across the world. Where we compete for business could be hindered if our fincial information is being placed into the public domain and could allow others competing to gain information giving them an advantage in any tender processes. SQA would not have the same information on other organisations and this would place SQA at a disadvantage.</p> <p>Accordingly, the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by maintaining the exemption.</p>

<p>If a Unit is part of the Management Verification Group and is delivered by the same centre 6 times a year, how many verification visits would be carried out?</p> <p>Can I also check under what circumstances the Direct Claim Status would be withdrawn?</p><p>If a Unit is part of the Management Verification Group and is delivered by the same centre 6 times a year, how many verification visits would be carried out?</p> <p>The frequency of delivery is not generally a factor for external verification.  A single unit will form part of a wider verification group.  At least one of the units within the verification group will be picked up annually, at a minimum.</p> <p>Can I also check under what circumstances the Direct Claim Status would be withdrawn?</p> <p>Direct Claims status can be refused or removed for a variety of reasons; high risk sector, lack of experience, maladministration, malpractice, key staff changes – this list is not exhaustive.</p>

<p>Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would request you to respond to questions included in the attachment.</p> <p>For any reason if you are unable to open the attachment do let me know. I can then send the questions within the email itself.</p> <p>Please note: If you do not have records relating to the questions in the attachment, please pass on this request to your IT department to provide us with the required information.</p><p>The responses to your questions are contained within the attached questionnaire.</p> <p>Under section 17 of the Act, when a public authority does not hold requested information, it should let the applicant know.</p> <p>We are unable to provide any information for any figures for 2025/2026 as the budget/proposed spend has yet to be determined due to Scottish Qualifications Authority being replaced by the new organisation Qualifications Scotland.</p> <p>Also, where we have put £0 this indicates that there is no intention of purchasing new goods or services for the relevant services, devices, applications or software.</p> <p>However, the information requested is question 2 ‘other software/apps is considered exempt under section 35(1)(a) of the Act which states:</p> <p>35        Law enforcement</p> <p>(1)        information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially—</p> <p>(a) the prevention or detection of crime;</p> <p>While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the information requested is exempt under section 35(1)(a) of the Act as the public disclosure of information about our IT systems would potentially compromise the security of the services delivered. Providing details of specific systems or products used by SQA would leave the organisation vulnerable to potential cyber-attack</p> <p>When applying a section 35 exemption we have to consider the public interest.</p> <p>We consider that there is likely to be very little public interest in the types of software applications that are used by the organisation. It is much more in the public interest that the security of our IT systems is not compromised. Accordingly, the public interest in maintaining the exemption, outweighs that of releasing the information.</p>

<ol> <li>Art and Design - N5 2024 Question Paper: Section mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> <li>Art and Design - Higher 2024 Question Paper: Section mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> <li>Dance - N5 2024 Question Paper: Section: Section mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> <li>Dance - Higher 2024 Question Paper: Section mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> <li>Drama - N5 2024 Question Paper: Section mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> <li>Drama - Higher 2024 Question Paper: Section mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> <li>Music - N5 2024 Assignment: Composition and Composition Review mean marks by centre.</li> <li>Music - Higher 2024 Assignment: Composition and Composition Review mean marks by centre.</li> <li>Music - Advanced Higher 2024 Assignment: Composition, Arrangement, Review and Analysis mean marks by centre.</li> <li>Music Technology - N5 2024 Assignment: Planning, Implementation and Evaluation mean marks by centre.</li> <li>Music Technology - N5 2024 Question Paper: mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> <li>Music Technology - Higher 2024 Assignment: Planning, Implementation and Evaluation mean marks by centre.</li> <li>Music Technology - Higher 2024 Question Paper: mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> <li>Photography - Higher 2024 Question Paper: mean marks by centre and average scores for each question within each section.</li> </ol><p>Please find the information requested in the attached spreadsheet.</p> <p>Section 17 of FOISA provides that where an authority does not hold information requested it should notify the requester to that effect. Please note that there was no item analysis carried out for Music. As such, we do not hold mean marks by centre for music.</p>