WIREDGOV

Final report of the Independent Professional Advisor on future school reform in Scotland, with a focus on improvement, funding and governance.

Introduction

As we review 'the way we do things' in Scottish education, our starting point should be to form a refreshed overarching vision, then build the systems, structures and mechanisms that lead to outcomes in line with that vision. It stands to reason that commitment to resource must match our aspiration, and arrangements ensure that the interconnectedness of all parts is coherent, optimising effectiveness and efficiency. At all times every part of the system should remember the reason behind every decision and action: our children and young people.

The refreshed vision that this report calls for should reflect proudly on what we have achieved, then build on existing strengths and on the bedrock of Scotland’s values. It should be infused with the voice of learners3 and of those on whom we depend to deliver on the frontline. The leadership of this re-visioning would be a key role for an Executive Director of our education system. The clearer the vision, and the better matched it is to resources, the more likely it is to be turned into daily reality.

Microcosms of our national culture exist within our schools and in our collaborative learning communities. Partnerships across school communities enable school leaders and teachers to transfer culture, develop professional capacity and increase motivation. Working directly with their cluster schools and neighbourhoods deepens leaders' ability to respond to their own learners' needs and aspirations and guides the development of bespoke school curricula and pedagogical approaches through iterative improvements. Wider geographical professional learning networks enable the sharing of effective practice at scale and increase individual and system capacity for improvement. It would be of benefit to practitioners and learners alike for those collaborative networks to be designed, brokered and supported as fully integrated components of our wider education structures.

Professional collaborative networks that arise from priorities identified by leaders and practitioners should similarly be supported and resourced. For this to happen, school leaders must be afforded enough headroom to strategise effectively, leading to proactive improvement planning that is backed by matched flexibility and resourcing. High-quality education is an investment in both the present and the future, sowing the seeds for stronger local and national economies.

Active participation in our national education community reinforces school leaders’ sense of shared purpose. To further improve their effectiveness school leaders would welcome a clearer, more coherent, less ‘noisy’, policy landscape. This is within our grasp.

Regrettably it is the view of many contributors to this report that our current system inadvertently misdirects attention. Our system should concentrate, not dissipate, the energies of contributors. We must henceforth ensure that the whole of Scottish education becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Achieving this will depend on our overarching vision being adopted beyond geographical and political boundaries and on all stakeholders assuming ownership of their responsibilities to turn that vision into reality.

Shaping the Future: Strengthening Scotland’s Education System Through Empowered Schools 
File type 135 page PDF
File size 3.3 MB