New Scottish Qualifications Authority chief executive Nick Page - who starts the job today - has set out his six “key actions” for the next 100 days.
Mr Page, whose appointment was announced on 27 June, promised that these commitments would mark “a new era of collaboration, transparency and opportunity” and that he would address “confusion” about the SQA’s role.
The next few months will be focused on the process that will see the SQA replaced by a new national body, Qualifications Scotland, in December.
‘Clear sense of direction’
Mr Page said: “The Education (Scotland) Bill has given us real momentum and a clear sense of direction. Learners and educators want to know how change will happen and how it will make a positive difference for them.
“That’s why we are setting out these key actions for the next 100 days - so people can see and feel the progress we are making, both in the way we work and in the outcomes we deliver.”
The six “key actions for the next 100 days” include:
- Launching the new Schools Unit - led by senior adviser and headteacher Sarah Brown - to “bring the organisation closer to the classroom and improve support for teachers and pupils”.
- Forming new partnerships with industry, employers, the third sector, and others, to “ensure skills-based qualifications are future-focused and unlock opportunities for learners”.
- Ensuring that everything is in place so that Qualifications Scotland, when it replaces SQA, can “deliver with and for learners and educators from day one”.
- Expanding the SQA’s Your Voice campaign to reach “new and under-represented audiences - including industry, third-sector and political stakeholders”, so that Qualifications Scotland “delivers for everyone”.
- Aiding “the development of new statutory committees and co-creating charters” so that the bill will amplify “the voices of learners, and teachers and practitioners”.
- Sharing progress on “digital transformation”, described as “a multi-year project that will streamline processes, transform our services, and ensure Qualifications Scotland is fit for the future”.
Mr Page acknowledged that discussions around the bill “revealed confusion about the full scope of SQA’s work - from accreditation and awarding to quality assurance and regulation”.
He added: “We’ve heard the concerns, and we’re acting on them. Over the next 100 days, we’ll work hard to raise awareness and understanding of what we deliver and the value that brings.
“That includes making it clear how our independent functions operate, how we deliver and measure performance, and explaining the strengthened independence and governance of accreditation.”
Reaching industry and employers
Mr Page noted that industry and employers made up “only a very small percentage of responses” to consultation on the bill.
He said: “We need to understand why. Our skills-based and vocational qualifications, which unlock opportunities for learners every day, should be a priority for everyone who wants to see Scotland succeed.”
Meanwhile, expanding Your Voice to “political stakeholders” would, he said, “ensure that those elected to represent every community in Scotland can offer insight and challenge and hold us to account on behalf of their constituents”.
Mr Page added: “On my first day as chief executive, I want to thank every member of every team for their ongoing commitment. It is their expertise and experience that will give learners, educators and the public confidence in the work we do now and in the future of qualifications in Scotland.”
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