Official Report: search what was said in Parliament
The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
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Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
Can you tell us a bit more about what you disagreed with in what Professor Muir said to the committee?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
You agreed to the statement, so you must know what was in it. I just want to know what you did not agree with.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
Many people in the profession think that the process will result in no change and that, apart from a change of names, everything else will carry on as it was before. Perhaps that exchange between the chairman and the professor lifted a bit of a lid on that. Can you convince us that reforms will happen and that—
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
It is off that topic.
There has been a lot of comment about the stark contrast between broad general education and the senior phase, and many blame the SQA for that stark contrast. What is your assessment of that? Do you think that the SQA is responsible? If not, why not?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
It is about more than room for improvement, though, is it not? There has been a lot of criticism of the two-term dash to exams: we have been moving from a broad general education and the principles of curriculum for excellence straight into a mad dash for exams. That is your fault, is it not?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
Some have argued that we should be stripping back exams to quite a significant extent. Do you agree with that?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
That is a brilliant non-answer.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
Let us see if Robert can have a stab at it.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
I was a wee bit surprised that you struggled to answer that last question. Ensuring that what you measure does not underestimate or overestimate the state of pupils’ education is fundamental to what you do, but you admitted that it was difficult and I am puzzled by that. However, we will move on.
David Middleton, the chair of the SQA, rebutted some of the evidence that Ken Muir gave to the committee in March. He said that he was “surprised and disappointed” and that he played back Professor Muir’s words to him. Did you agree with David Middleton’s statement?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Meeting date: 7 September 2022
Willie Rennie
Does that reveal a tension in the reform debate? Do you disagree more broadly with Professor Muir’s approach? We had not seen such a statement before then, so what does it reveal? Will you tell us what is going on?
