Too many children are being let down by the education system, Scotland’s children’s commissioner has warned, issuing a call for urgent reform.
In a report, children and young people’s commissioner Nicola Killean says the pace of education reform in Scotland has been “glacial” and that reform is “fundamentally focused on the wrong areas”.
Ms Killean calls for fundamental reform of support and resource for children with additional support needs (ASN), an acceleration of reform to assessments and qualifications, a national online education offer and more equitable access to subject choice.
“Too many children are being let down by our current system,” she says.
School pupils ‘feel no improvement’
“We’ve had review after review, and the promise of change, but children in school feel no improvement,” Ms Killean adds.
“The pace of education reform has not only been glacial but it is fundamentally focused on the wrong areas. Time is being spent on restructuring adult agencies and not on addressing the needs of children within a system that is clearly failing them.”
Her report is based on views gathered from children and young people in Scotland between October 2023 and March 2025.
Her recommendations include accelerating the implementation of the 2023 Hayward review’s recommendations on assessment and qualifications.
“We recognise that assessments, exams and qualifications should be understood as part of the education system; they should not dominate the system,” Ms Killean says.
“Older children told us they were stressed, had little time to relax and that exams had a lasting effect on their mental health.”
The report says the government must ensure that the purpose of education is to develop a child to their full potential, rather than children being dominated by exam results.
Responding in August 2024 to the Hayward review, which was published in June 2023, education secretary Jenny Gilruth told the Scottish Parliament that exams would remain part of the education system, and would “not be removed from all National 5 courses”.
However, she did agree with the review’s recommendation that the balance of assessment methods in upper-secondary school should change to have less reliance on high-stakes final exams.
The children’s commissioner’s report also recommends that education authorities must ensure that timetables allow children to have appropriate time for rest and recreation during the school day.
Children with ASN ‘often overlooked’
In addition, the report highlights views from children with disabilities and pupils with additional support needs, who are “often overlooked or poorly understood”.
It calls for the Scottish government to urgently undertake a full analysis of resource and infrastructure requirements in order to deliver an inclusive education system in Scotland.
This should include a plan for future investment and how reforms will be implemented, the children’s commissioner says.
The Scottish government must also address a lack of accessibility and support for those who use British Sign Language - an issue highlighted by deaf children, the report says.
The office of the children’s commissioner engaged with young people through a consultation survey, workshops, discussions and targeted sessions, and used existing research evidence.
For the latest in Scottish education delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for Tes’ The Week in Scotland newsletter
