Bills and Laws

The Bill is in two main parts.

Part 1 of the Bill establishes Qualifications Scotland. Qualifications Scotland will:

• replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority, which is dissolved by the Bill
• develop and award qualifications (other than university degrees)
• have an independent Accreditation Committee to regulate qualifications (other than university degrees) and the organisations that award them
• give advice to Scottish Ministers
• produce charters setting out what learners, teachers and practitioners should expect from Qualifications Scotland
• involve learners, teachers and others in decision making through a Board of Management, committees and an advisory council

Part 2 of the Bill establishes the Chief Inspector and sets out what they will do and how they will operate. The Chief Inspector will:

• inspect places where education is provided and education services
• have an Advisory Council
• publish an inspection plan and reports on inspections
• publish an annual report, and reports on the performance of the Scottish education system
• tell Scottish Ministers when a school or education authority is not making necessary improvements

If the inspector finds that a school, or education authority, is not making necessary improvements Scottish Ministers can give enforcement directions if required. The Bill also gives Scottish Ministers the powers to require that improvements are made.

You can read more about what this Bill does in the Explanatory Notes (322KB, pdf) posted 04 June 2024

Why the Bill was created

The Bill was created to support the education and skills reform being taken forward by the Scottish Government.

The changes brought in by the Bill respond to a range of reports and reviews, including:

• the OECD Review of the Curriculum for Excellence
• Professor Ken Muir’s report, “Putting Learners at the Centre. Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education”

You can read more about why this Bill has been created in the Policy Memorandum (349KB, pdf) posted 04 June 2024