New report shows how feedback is shaping change at Qualifications Scotland

• Report shows how feedback from learners, teachers, lecturers, parents, carers and employers has led to real changes in qualifications and assessment

• A new School Partnership Team has been established and is now working with schools to build closer relationships with the classroom

• Stakeholder feedback has already shaped decisions on qualification reform, exam timetable scheduling, and English set texts

The report details engagement activities across many areas, including school workshops, consultations with teachers and lecturers, support webinars for parents and carers, strategic discussions with teaching unions, colleges and universities, and direct outreach to employers and training providers.

The report also highlights the changes made because of the feedback received, including the creation of the School Partnership Team which has been designed to bring Qualifications Scotland closer to the realities of the classroom after teachers said that in-person relationships mattered most. The School Partnership Team, led by seconded headteacher, Sarah Brown, is building trust and collaboration to ensure teachers have a voice and input in shaping the future of qualifications and assessment.

A further change is the new approach to developing the exam timetable for 2026-27. For the first time, Qualifications Scotland gave all learners, teachers, lecturers, parents and carers the opportunity to give their views. This has given them more direct input into the process than ever before. Their responses, along with those of school and college leaders and unions, informed the upcoming 2027 timetable.

Feedback from teachers, lecturers and learners also shaped a new Scottish set text list for National 5 and Higher English, responding to calls from learners to have a wider choice of diverse and contemporary texts. Listening to care experienced people led to the removal of the age limit on free replacement certificates, and research carried out with schools and colleges led to changes in how assessment arrangements are quality assured.

Thousands of learners and educators responded to surveys on proposed reforms to national assessments, and their views are informing decisions on exam length, assessment workload and the structure of courses from National 5 to Advanced Higher.

More information on qualifications reform.

Key numbers:

• Over 1,200 learners and over 2,500 educators responded to surveys on proposed changes to assessments

• 40 schools across Scotland visited by Nick Page, Chief Executive of Qualifications Scotland, where he has heard from over 100 learners and several hundred teachers and leaders

• Over 840 schools, colleges, local authorities, employers and training providers supported by a team of Regional Managers who work alongside our schools, colleges and training providers

• More than 550 parents and carers registered for support webinars

• Learner and Parent team facilitated workshops with 140 learners

Nick Page, Chief Executive of Qualifications Scotland, said: "This report is not just a record of activity; it is a demonstration of the kind of organisation we are determined to be. We were established to do things differently, and that means genuinely listening to learners, teachers, lecturers, parents, carers and employers, and being willing to change course when needed.

“The creation of our School Partnership Team and opening up the exam timetable process reflects that commitment directly. I’ve visited over 40 schools across the country and heard from hundreds of learners and teachers and school leaders - they told me they wanted to be heard in their qualifications body, and we have built teams whose entire purpose is to make that happen. There is much more to do, and this report is as much about the journey ahead as the ground we have already covered.

“These are exciting times for Scotland’s education system as we bring forward change and transformation. Everything that Qualifications Scotland does has to be outward facing and we are determined to build on these first steps."

Looking ahead, the newly established Interest Committees will give those closest to learning and teaching a direct voice in shaping qualifications, with their views feeding directly into senior leadership and Board-level decisions. The first meeting of the Learner and the Teacher and Practitioner Interest Committees have already taken place, with representatives from schools, colleges, training providers and a range of school-age and adult learners.

Qualifications Scotland will also develop a new Teacher and Practitioner Charter co-designed by teachers, practitioners, teachers in training, and people who represent the interests of teachers and practitioners. A new Learner Charter will also be formed, co- designed by learners with additional support needs, care experienced young people, and those from a range of backgrounds and communities.

A range of centre visits and stakeholder workshops are planned throughout the year to ensure that every part of this work is grounded in the real experiences of learners, teachers, lecturers, and assessors across Scotland.