A report from the recent meeting of the First Minister’s International Council of Educational Advisers (ICEA) has highlighted the need to focus on cultural change and capacity building as well as structural reform in Scottish education.

Image of Professor Chris ChapmanICEA, whose members include Professor Chris Chapman of the School of Education, also recommended that further investment was required to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom and unleash untapped leadership potential within schools. To achieve this, ICEA believes the system needs to focus on building stronger collaboration and partnerships.

Professor Chapman, who is Chair in Educational Policy and Practice, Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change, and Co-director of ‘What Works Scotland’, said: “For Scottish education to fulfil its ambition of levelling the playing field so all our young people achieve their full potential, we need to create a system that ensures every child has access to the very best learning and teaching. We also need to build leadership capacity by investing in professional learning that impacts on teachers’ and leaders’ day-to-day practices. To achieve this it is important to build a collaborative culture that celebrates success and moves knowledge and expertise around the system. The Education Governance Review provides a significant opportunity for the system to rise to this challenge by rethinking and reculturing ways of working within Scottish education.”

The report also highlights the strengths of Curriculum for Excellence and the National Improvement Framework, noting that they provide a clear and positive narrative which has the potential to close the poverty-related attainment gap. Scottish Government said: "We value the Council's expertise, robust challenge and input into our policy thinking, and our decision to further empower schools and teachers took their advice into account alongside other evidence.”

First published: 31 July 2017

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