Replacement of Scottish Qualifications Authority’s Appeal Service with Post-results Service: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/18/02503
Date received: 13 September 2018 
Date responded: 11 October 2018

 

 

In your request you asked for:
 

 

 

I enclose a number of documents providing advice to Ministers on the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) decision to replace the previous ‘Appeals’ service with the ‘Post Results Service’, and on the costs structure of the new arrangements. An index of these documents is appended at Annex A.
 
You may wish to note that SQA is an executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) and operates at arm’s length to Ministers, as set out under the Education (Scotland) Act 1996. It follows that SQA is responsible for making its own operational decisions, including decisions on the review, consultation and subsequent replacement of the previous ‘Appeals’ system. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the detail of the review and consultation process.
 
To place the enclosures in context, you may also wish to note that SQA announced the decision to replace the ‘Appeals’ system in 2012, with implementation from 2013/14.  
 

Our aim is to provide information whenever possible. However, in this instance we are unable to provide certain items of information, and have redacted text unrelated to your enquiry within the various documents. The reasons why the relevant exemptions apply are explained below.
 
Under section 30(b)(ii) we have exempted information that contains the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation, where disclosure would, or would be likely to, cause substantial harm to the free and frank provision of advice.
 
Under section 38(1)(b) we have redacted names, contact details and personal information relating to individuals, officials and members of the public who sent or were named within the documents. We have redacted this information because we concluded that an exemption under the FOISA applies to that information.