The final version of the Hayward Review of Qualifications and Assessment was published in June 2023.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills finally responded to this in September 2024 and has broadly accepted the recommendations in the Review.

The most notable exception is the decision to retain National 5 examinations in most subjects, something the majority of NASUWT members support. What is now vital, though, is that the flexibilities available in the existing system to limit over-assessment, such as able candidates bypassing National 5 and doing a two-year Higher course in S4/5, are fully utilised. Furthermore, practices which cause unnecessary stress for pupils and increased workload for teachers, such as the excessive use of dual presentation of candidates, must be addressed.

The encouragement of more use of continuous assessment/coursework in National Qualifications seems reasonable, though this needs to be assessed on a subject-by-subject basis. Alongside this, any quality assurance systems to support enhanced coursework must be fit-for-purpose and not burdensome on teachers. The impact of artificial intelligence on coursework also needs to be fully considered.

NASUWT has pointed out previously that there has been a lack of sufficient detail around the proposals for more use of inter-disciplinary learning and ways to better reflect non-academic and extracurricular achievements by pupils, so the commitment that this work will be led by teachers themselves is welcome, as is the promise to pilot any new approaches.

Most importantly, appropriate resources must be committed to these education reforms if they are to succeed, not least to give teachers the time and space to properly develop and embed them.

It is also essential to establish coherence between this and other planned educational reforms, such as the replacement of the SQA and the introduction of an independent schools inspectorate.

NASUWT and its members will engage constructively with the Scottish Government and others to try to embed effective educational reform, but, as ever, the involvement of practising classroom teachers will be essential to the success of this.