In April, Qualifications Scotland formally launched the School Partnership Team, which aims to amplify the voice of schools, teachers, and learners across the country – I’ve been working on delivering exactly that since I was seconded into the organisation from my post as Headteacher at Kinross High School last year. Our team brings together existing Liaison and Understanding Standards expertise to work alongside practicing classroom teachers. Together, we have been working to that practitioners can meaningfully shape qualification reform as we enter the next crucial period of co-design for qualification and assessment reform.

Cycle 1 engagement: what we heard

Our first engagement cycle ran from April to July 2026 and reached 238 practitioners across Scotland. Through workshops, school visits, and targeted discussions, we explored key themes including:

• Qualifications size and structure, including modularisation
• Rebalancing methods of assessment
• Digital capability and assessment

Practitioners shared thoughtful, candid feedback that has shaped our early priorities. We heard a strong desire for clearer communication, more consistent support, and opportunities to influence qualification design at an earlier stage.

I have no favourites of course, but the best engagement visits have a few things in common. A slightly nervous start which develops into a lively, open and insightful conversation with passionate teachers, generously sharing their experience and perspective.

I particularly enjoy visits where the conversation extends to learners. Their voices bring another important dimension, bringing their experience and priorities to the discussion. This sharing of perspectives, thoughtful challenge and reflection means there is always lots to take away.

Of course, not all our engagement happens in person. I have also been working online to deliver professional learning.  While presenting on-line can sometimes feel like speaking into the unknown, questions, ideas and shared experiences soon turn it into a conversation.

That’s probably what I enjoy most about engagement in all its forms; creating space for people to share their experiences openly, explore different perspectives, challenge thinking and learn from each other.

What we’re doing with the feedback

We have shared feedback from cycle 1 with a number of key discussion and decision-making arenas internally, including the new Teacher & Practitioner and Learner Interest Committees, our Qualifications Committee, and the Qualifications Scotland Board. Going forward, we are exploring the best way to publish our findings at the end of each cycle of engagement. All feedback is being tracked as part of our new school engagement planner and dashboard, which will become a repository of feedback data for our Qualifications and Assessment Reform Board going forward.

Cycle 2: Get Involved!

Cycle 2 is currently in progress, with workshops and webinars running across Scotland. To book onto these sessions or keep an eye out for future opportunities, please access our central events booking system by logging in or registering an account. Our larger events are varied and are open to colleges, universities and wider groups interested in shaping in qualifications and assessment reform. Current topics include:

• Interactive National Qualifications reform workshops – spaces available for three of our online sessions, taking place on 19, 20 and 22 October.
• Topic based webinars: Equality and Inclusivity during Reform (28 October), and Learner and Educator Perspectives (25 November).
• Our annual subject specific Understanding Standards programme, which now includes new sessions on assessment literacy which are open to teachers of all subjects. These will run from late October to early November and are useful continuous professional development opportunities where you can find out more information on how to form valid class assessments, learner psychology, and command words.

As well as our larger events, we are offering in-person visits to schools across Scotland. Workshops or information sessions can be delivered to groups as part of in-service days or to smaller groups of classroom teachers. Please get in touch with us to plan a visit by contacting school.partnership.team@qualifications.gov.scot or visiting our new page.

Looking Ahead

As we move into Cycle 2 and beyond, the School Partnership Team remains committed to ensuring that Scotland’s teachers and learners are at the heart of qualification reform. You can find the most recent update about that on our website.

We welcome participation from teachers, leaders, and partners across all sectors. If you would like to get involved, attend an event, or speak with the team, please get in touch. Your voice is essential as we shape the future together.