Education Scotland: Move to break up schools watchdog

And they want to see the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) overhauled so it is "grounded in the teaching profession and made more accountable".

The party has accused the bodies of letting down teachers, pupils and parents during the Covid-19 pandemic.

READ MORE: Education 'trapped in the iron cage of its own bureaucracy'

On Wednesday, MSPs will be asked to vote to break up Education Scotland and reform the SQA. 

Education Scotland has pushed back against the criticisms, stressing that it has adapted its structure, approach and delivery models to support learning and teaching throughout the Covid crisis.

The Lib Dems have also highlighted party research which they claim shows the Scottish Government and its agencies are spending months “providing comments” on multiple drafts of an ongoing OECD analysis of Scottish education.

Ministers have already been accused of a "stitch-up" after it emerged the review, which will only be published after May's Holyrood election, has been delivered to the government.

READ MORE: John Swinney under pressure amid demands for exam system overhaul

Keir Bloomer, a key architect of Scotland's curriculum, has criticised the delay.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that he could not see any reason for delaying publication until June.

"The whole purpose of the OECD review was so that we can learn from the many, many mistakes which have been made in the implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence," he said.

"The sooner the report is in the public domain, the better.

"The only reason the government can possibly have for seeking to maintain secrecy over this review is that it's trying to get the OECD to alter what it says, and that to my mind is completely insupportable."

Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: "Education Scotland and the SQA's days are numbered. They have let hardworking teachers, pupils and parents down throughout this pandemic. 

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie.

"At a time of disruption and worry, instead of making peoples' jobs and lives easier, they have made them harder.

"Despite months of warnings, the SQA and John Swinney teamed up to create an exams system and algorithm that actively penalised pupils from the poorest backgrounds.

"After Education Scotland previously gave teachers 20,000 pages of guidance on Curriculum for Excellence, during this pandemic they have gone to the other end of the scale and been totally absent when people needed them.

"Both of the Scottish Government's education quangos have lost the confidence of those who they are supposed to serve and have repeatedly shown that they are not fit for purpose.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats will this week ask Parliament to overhaul them as an essential part of the recovery of education. Education Scotland and the SQA cannot be trusted with the critical job of helping the education system bounce back." 

READ MORE: Is it right that the SQA should take a kicking while the Scottish Government looks on?

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Beatrice Wishart added: "There is a conflict of interest in the very foundations of Education Scotland. As both the inspector and policy setter, it has been marking its own homework for years.

"This week Scottish Liberal Democrats uncovered it is also marking the homework of the OECD. Along with the Scottish Government and the SQA, they are already editing a report that was supposed to put their performance under the microscope. They have been self-serving, remote and unaccountable for too long."

The Scottish government said the OECD's review was still ongoing.

READ MORE: Scotland's global reputation for quality education 'at risk'

A spokesman told the BBC: "The OECD has been engaging virtually with stakeholders over the last few months and have met with a wide range of education bodies as well as undertaking virtual school visits.

"They will be holding an engagement event at the beginning of March, where they will share emerging messages with stakeholders, providing a further opportunity for key partners and practitioners in Scotland to inform the final report, which will be published in June 2021."

An Education Scotland spokeswoman said the watchdog had adapted, revised and expanded a number of services to support learners and staff.

Most pupils are learning remotely and a range of services are in place to support them and their teachers.

These include the National e-Learning Offer, which provides live, recorded and supported resources to underpin online teaching.

Glow - Scotland's nationally available digital learning platform – is helping activity to continue outside of the classroom by enabling pupils and teachers to access a range of tools, features and resources at any time and on any device with an internet connection.

And the digilearn.scot site offers strategies, tools and guidance to support learning and teaching remotely. This includes webinars and online support for those using Office 365 and Microsoft Teams.

The spokeswoman said: “Education Scotland has changed the way it is working to provide a range of support and alleviate pressure on the system.  Throughout the pandemic, Education Scotland has provided substantial support to local authorities, learners, teachers, and parents through a variety of means. 

“Our focus in Education Scotland is, and has always been, on supporting the system and the profession. Over the course of the pandemic, we have revised our structure, our approach and our delivery models to allow us to identify and understand the requirements nationally, regionally, and locally and provide the support required at this time."

She added: "Additionally, we are publishing a national overview of practice.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon gives go-ahead for phased reopening of schools

"These reports identify what is working well in the delivery of remote learning and where further support is required and we will continue to work with our wide networks to support the continuity of learning for all children and young people.”

The SQA declined to comment.

Education Secretary John Swinney.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "Teachers, support staff and other professionals working in education - in schools, colleges, councils and our national agencies - have supported Scotland's children and young people very well throughout the pandemic, including during periods of remote learning.

"Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our partners in education have continued to contribute to important work on the future of Scottish education, such as the independent review of Curriculum for Excellence led by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and in preparing for alternative approaches to certification.

"For that they deserve thanks and recognition from Parliament.

"The suggestion that Education Scotland should be separated into independent inspection and policy functions shows a misunderstanding of their role.

"The Scottish Government, not Education Scotland, is responsible for policy on education. Education Scotland is the national improvement agency for education."