Curriculum, Qualifications and Assessment Reform: progress to date and next steps

Footnotes

1 In reading this paper it may be useful to refer to glossary of terms published by Education Scotland here.

2 Children and young people’s views have actively shaped education reform in Scotland through structured engagement including focus groups, surveys, and co-designed discussions. Their voices informed the Muir Review (Putting Learners at the Centre, 2022, pp. 11-12) , which prioritised learner agency and wellbeing; the National Discussion on Education (2023, pp. 24-42) , which identified relevance, equity, and support as key themes; and the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment (IRQA, 2023) which incorporated pupil perspectives on the desire for more continuous and diverse assessment methods. The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland engaged with the reviews above and also contributed through participatory work focused on the lived experience, highlighting more relevant and personalised learning, improved support and fairer assessment as key priorities ( CYPC Strategic Plan and CYPC Strategic Plan Follow Up pp 8).

3 Membership of the Curriculum and Assessment Board (CAB) includes: Association of Directors of Education, Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland, College Development Network, Colleges Scotland, Community Learning and Development Manager Group, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Early Years Scotland, The Educational Institute of Scotland, Education Scotland, Professor Mark Priestley, University of Stirling, Professor Louise Hayward, University of Glasgow, National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, School Leaders Scotland, Scottish Council of Independent Schools, Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Government, Scottish Secondary Teachers Association, Scottish Qualifications Authority, Skills Development Scotland and Universities Scotland.

4 Formal adoption refers to the point at which schools and settings are expected to transition to the new technical framework for Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) as the basis for planning learning, teaching, assessment, and reporting. From this point forward, the new framework becomes the reference standard for local authority quality assurance processes, school self-evaluation, and national inspection activity.