Education chiefs have called for ministers to take “brave decisions” on the future of Scottish schools as they warned a flurry of recent reviews had “paralysed the system”.
The Association of Directors of Education Scotland (Ades) and council umbrella body Cosla have both given their backing to a major shake-up of school exams, proposed in June in a key report led by Professor Louise Hayward.
Cosla has revealed it told ministers it was “broadly supportive of the direction of travel” outlined in the report, which recommended ending school exams for S4 pupils and introducing a new Scottish Diploma of Achievement.
Ades has also backed the findings, but warned there was “confusion and frustration” about the future of education reform in Scotland.
The intervention comes as education secretary Jenny Gilruth prepares to update the Scottish Parliament on the proposed overhaul today.
In June, she paused plans to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland to take time to properly consider the wide-ranging recommendations made in a series of reports, including the Hayward review, the “national discussion” on the future of education, and the Withers report on skills delivery.
In a newly-published submission to Holyrood’s education committee, Ades highlighted a dozen recent reviews impacting Scottish education. It said there had been “little progress” made since a landmark report by the OECD in 2021, “other than further external reports”.
