Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning: terms of reference

Purpose

1.  Despite having developed and delivered a number of policy initiatives in recent years, such as Developing the Young Workforce Strategy, the STEM Strategy,  Equally Safe at School and the Gender Based Violence in Schools Framework, Scotland continues to see gender inequality in education and learning.  Gender segregation in subject choice and career pathways still exists as does gender based violence.  Linked to that, is the rise in recent years of online radical misogyny, leading to ‘toxic masculinity’ manifesting in the classroom and wider school settings.  Addressing inequality generally, and gender inequality specifically, are key commitments in a number of Scottish Government frameworks, including, but not limited to: Programme for Government, the National Performance Framework, the National Improvement Framework, Equally Safe and Curriculum for Excellence. 

2.  The Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning (GETEL) was established to implement the recommendation made by the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls, namely:

“Establish a Commission on Gender Equality in Education and Learning, covering Early Years, Primary and Secondary Education and Learning tasked with providing bold and far-reaching recommendations on how gender equality can be embedded in all aspects of learning (from teacher training, to school behaviours/cultures, to the curriculum and CLD practice).

The Commission should be independent of key bodies such as Education Scotland.  The intended outcome is for a radical, evidence based and gender competent national strategy, providing much needed coherence and a pathway to safe and gender-equal education and learning in all settings.”

3. The Taskforce has the twin aims of:

• identifying measures that will address gender inequality which remains evident in education and learning settings, and; advising on potential changes in practice and concrete actions to support the desired outcome, which is a gender equal experience of education and learning for all girls and women and
• being an action and outcomes focussed group, addressing the key drivers of gender inequality, establishing ways in which barriers can be removed, and working with leaders in the education sector to influence successful implementation of ambitions and strengthen accountability

4. This requires all members and their organisations to commit to providing high level strategic leadership, focussing on what members can do individually, collectively, and in collaboration to address gender inequality in education.

Principles

5.  The Taskforce will ensure that it takes forward actions in the context of its existing theory of change model, and commits to:

• Inspiring and driving change and improvement
• Focussing on action and solutions for both immediate and long term change
• Ensuring change leads to improvement throughout the system
• Drawing on evidence, including direct experience of Scotland’s education and learning landscape
• Leading across the whole system working with and through a wide range of partners, taking an intersectional approach

6.  To achieve these aims, the Taskforce will acknowledge and value the fact that each member will bring their own knowledge and understanding of education, learning and gender equality.  The Taskforce will also benefit from networks which support some of the members and their organisations.

7.  The Taskforce will bring their different viewpoints together with evidence to form joint recommendations. In the case of differences of opinion, the Taskforce will ensure these are explored and addressed and do not impede rapid work to set out solutions.

8.  Conscious of the wider discourse around feminist and decision making spaces lacking Black and minority ethnic representation, the Taskforce will ensure that its membership and resulting discussion and decision making spaces:

• takes an intersectional approach, with a diverse and representative group of experts and
• draws on lived experience as required (including but not limited to: groups and individuals, academic research, data) taking forward actions which are evidence based. 

Remit

9.  The primary role of the Taskforce is to drive action which will ensure that:

• girls and young women in Scotland have a gender equal experience of education and learning from early years settings, through primary and secondary school and in community learning, in an environment which is free from sexism, sexual harassment and gender based violence.
• from the outset, approaches to subject choice and paths to employment are developed with a gendered lens
• that women staff in education settings work and progress in an environment which is compliant with health and safety regulations, free from sexism, sexual harassment and gender based violence
• outcomes align with a preventative approach to Gender Based Violence (as outlined in Equally Safe) and which provides a gender equal experience of education for all learners

Specifically it will:    

• Be clear about its scope, which is to provide focused stakeholder groups to take a strategic view of emerging and existing education policy ambitions, and apply a gendered lens to both the high level ambitions and detailed actions within them.  As with previous work undertaken by the Taskforce, consideration can be given to whether support is required from the budget available to advance the work of the Equality in Education Team. 
• provide a streamlined, core group which offers strategic direction, oversight and supplies the rhetoric and context for specific policy frameworks
• bring influence to bear, increasing the chance of effecting systemic change.
• develop and provide a systemic overview, as well as measures which determine what success looks like in terms of whole systems change, drawing on the published Theory of Change report and other sources where appropriate.  If success is not achieved, clarity in terms of how the Taskforce will pivot in its approach to ensure it is, will be provided
• provide strategic oversight in order to embed gender equality across the education policy landscape, resulting in:

• policy coherence across the education landscape, including but not limited to: Behaviour in Schools Action Plan; Equally Safe at School; Education Scotland’s wider Equalities Work ; STEM subject choice, Mentors in Violence Prevention, LGBTI Inclusion work and the commitment from the now concluded Gender Pay Gap Action Plan to work with the Scottish Council of Deans of Education to consider how gender equality issues can be made more prominent within Initial Teacher Education.
• more readily identifiable levers to tackle gender inequality
• identify where gaps exist and where work requires to be undertaken to address those, wherever possible in the form of task and finish groups, the membership of which can be drawn from stakeholders with intersecting interests.

Task and finish groups

10. While the Taskforce retains a strategic oversight function, it will seek to pursue specific pieces of work, over a defined period of time, via the medium of task and finish groups.  These will be set up in a similar way to short life sub groups to take forward specific pieces of work over pre-agreed timescales.  Focusing on specific ambitions gives this a sense of urgency, while the core group continue to maintain an overview and the strategic ambition outlined above.

11. The core Taskforce group will appoint the first task and finish group, to focus on the recently published Behaviour in Schools Action Plan, in order to provide a gendered lens to the actions within in it, resulting in the steps schools take to address behaviour in schools being gender competent, therefore creating the conditions for a wider culture of gender equality.  

Existing Taskforce workplan

12. The Taskforce’s workplan will continue to be relevant to its ambitions, with the group continuing to review it through the lens of the Behaviour in Schools Action Plan, considering which actions have been completed, which ones are live and which ones should be for short life Task and Finish groups to pursue.  In taking this work forward members will be cognisant of the fact actions need to be taken in the context of sustainability, recognise that ambitions should result in work being done differently not additionally – increasing policy coherence will reduce the onus on staff.   

Membership and responsibilities

13.  Membership of the Taskforce will be at the invitation of the Scottish Government.

• Members will demonstrate commitment to make a positive, practical, meaningful and lasting contribution to the work of the Taskforce while working with each other to drive action to facilitate an outcome which fulfils the recommendation made by the First Minister’s NACWG. 
• Members will communicate with and provide feedback from their organisations and ensure regular communication with the Taskforce and other relevant stakeholders. 
• Given the ongoing approach to hybrid working, members are expected to attend meetings ‘in person’ using Microsoft Teams wherever possible.  The substitution with a deputy is acceptable on the understanding that the deputy will provide a report on the meeting to the substantive member and the group they represent.  Members submitting apologies for meetings and who are unable to send a deputy, should notify the Secretariat in advance. 
• All members will make a full declaration of interests. If a member is uncertain as to whether or not an interest should be declared, they should seek guidance from the Secretariat. 

14.  The Taskforce membership is set out on the Taskforce page.

Leadership and links with other relevant activity

15.  Meetings will be conducted by the Co-Chairs.

16.  The Secretariat will facilitate all appropriate communication and co-ordination with the wide range of other organisations, activities and Programme for Government commitments which are relevant to the work of the Taskforce. 

Communications

17.  Taskforce members will ensure their organisations work with SG communications colleagues to allow consistency and coordination of messaging around its work and to support successful engagement with the wider sector as well as the public

Frequency and location of meetings

18.  It is proposed that the Taskforce will meet quarterly using Microsoft Teams to facilitate hybrid working. 

Secretariat

19.  Secretariat support for the Taskforce will be provided by the Scottish Government’s Learning Directorate and can be reached in the first instance by emailing Judith.Ballantine@gov.scot or Catherine.Law@gov.scot   The Secretariat will support the Taskforce as it draws on the wider experience across the Scottish Government as well as from external organisations.  It will also pro-actively publish all meeting papers and minutes on the Taskforce’s webpage.