Education Scotland facts for kids
| Foghlam Alba | |
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| Executive Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 July 2011 |
| Preceding agencies |
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| Jurisdiction | Scotland |
| Headquarters | Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA |
| Motto | Transforming lives through learning |
| Employees | 281 |
| Annual budget | £28.7 million (2023—2024) |
| Minister responsible |
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| Executive Agency executive |
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Education Scotland (also called Foghlam Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a special group that works for the Scottish Government. Its main job is to make sure schools and learning in Scotland are the best they can be.
They check how well primary and secondary schools are doing. They also look at nursery schools that are part of a primary school. Sometimes, they work with another group called the Care Inspectorate. Together, they check nursery schools. They started planning a new way to do these checks in 2023.
Private schools in Scotland are checked by Education Scotland too. They work with the Scottish Council of Independent Schools for this. The government minister in charge of Education Scotland is called the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. Education Scotland started in 2011. Its main office is in Livingston, West Lothian.
Contents
How Education Scotland Started
Education Scotland was first announced on 14 October 2010. Michael Russell, who was a Scottish Government minister, made the announcement.
The idea was to combine the work of two older groups. These were HM Inspectorate of Education and Learning and Teaching Scotland. The new group was first going to be called the Scottish Education Quality and Improvement Agency.
Later, its name was changed to Education Scotland. The agency officially started on 1 July 2011. When it began, Education Scotland also took over other teams. These included the Positive Behaviour Team. This team helps schools create good relationships and behaviour. It also included the National CPD Team. This team helps teachers and staff keep learning new skills.
What Education Scotland Does
Education Scotland has several important goals. These goals help improve learning for everyone in Scotland.
- They help schools use the Curriculum for Excellence. This is Scotland's national curriculum.
- They help teachers and schools get better at what they do.
- They encourage good learning for teachers and leaders.
- They inspire new and creative ideas in education.
- They check how good schools and learning services are.
- They give advice to the government based on facts. This helps make education policies.
- They work to make their own organisation better.
Main Areas of Work
Education Scotland focuses on two main things. They check the quality of learning in schools. They also provide help and materials for learning and teaching.
Checking Schools
Education Scotland checks primary and secondary schools. They also check nursery schools. Sometimes, they work with the Care Inspectorate for nursery checks. The main reason for these checks is to make learning better. They want to improve teaching and student achievements.
A new way of checking schools started in August 2016. This new way helps make sure schools are always improving.
Working with the Care Inspectorate
Nursery schools in Scotland are often called Early Years Centres. Both Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate check these centres. Each group used to have its own way of checking. They used different lists of things to look for.
In August 2023, both groups announced something new. They said they would start working on a "shared inspection framework." This means they will use one set of rules for checking nurseries.
Before this, a nursery would not be checked again for 18 months. This was unless there was a special reason for an earlier check. If Education Scotland plans to check a primary school with a nursery, the head teacher can ask for the nursery not to be checked. This is if the Care Inspectorate checked it within the last 18 months.
The new plan aims to make checks more efficient. It also wants to reduce paperwork for nurseries. They plan to use one questionnaire for parents. They will also have joint reports for self-evaluation and inspections. When Education Scotland checks nurseries, an inspector from the Care Inspectorate will also be there.
