Education, Children and Young People Committee 30 April 2025
This group of amendments is about making the strategic advisory council a credible, independent and inclusive voice in the governance of Scotland’s qualifications system. We in the committee have rehearsed that and, in the interests of time, I will not go into detail. However, that voice is incredibly important and has been lacking.
The amendments would protect the independence of the SAC by limiting qualifications Scotland staff representation and removing unnecessary Government involvement, ensuring that it could operate with integrity and objectivity.
Amendments 248 and 252 would broaden the representation on the strategic advisory council and strengthen the consultation duties, embedding the voices of learners, teachers, unions, parents, industry and care-experienced young people in the heart of the system. To build a qualifications system that works for everyone, we must ensure that decision making is informed by lived experience, professional expertise and the communities that the organisation serves.
The group also includes important practical changes, such as clarifying terms of office, aligning governance with that of other public bodies and reinforcing collaboration with other education bodies, including Education Scotland, which would support the effective and transparent leadership that is needed. Taken together, the amendments would help to ensure that the strategic advisory council was not just advisory in name but influential in practice, helping to rebuild trust in the system.
Amendment 245 would remove the provision for a representative of the Scottish Government to observe or participate in strategic advisory council meetings, in order to give the council the independence that it requires.
Amendment 246 would ensure that curriculum Scotland was a member of the SAC. Because of the discussion that we had last week, and we will discuss curriculum Scotland under a later group, I am not minded to move amendment 246 at this point, due to the undertaking that we all agreed about the accreditation function. However, we can talk about the amendment, of course.
Amendment 247 would bring in line the term of appointment of the convener and members of the SAC with other bodies that are controlled under the bill.
Amendment 248 would require the membership to include, but not be limited to, members who represent the interests of a wide range of stakeholders: learners, students, children and young people, teachers, college staff, trade unions, industry, higher and further education, parents, those with experience and knowledge of additional support needs, and other relevant agencies. I appreciate that that is quite a list, but we have to accept that, in education in Scotland, we need to ensure that we draw on the expertise of everybody who is around children and young people or in the education and employment sphere. That is what I have tried to do with amendment 248. In addition, it is necessary because, if the strategic advisory council is central to the new qualifications system, accountability will be crucial, and that must be to people who have direct experience in the system.
Amendment 249 requires that no more than 40 per cent of members of the SAC be members of, or staff who are employed by, qualifications Scotland.