Scottish Government

Learning Hours in Scottish Schools

Reminder – 23 May 2023: The Scottish Government has recently sent out a consultation paper for parents and carers asking for their opinion about the number of learning hours that should be set in law for young people in Scotland.

Prescribing the minimum annual number of learning hours: consultation

It is proposed that a specific number of hours of education should be provided by all local authorities in schools they have in their area. This will not include breaks, lunch or after school clubs. Currently in most schools, 950 hours of teaching time is provided in primary schools, and 1045 hours of teaching time in secondary schools.

Have your say

The National Parent Forum of Scotland has opened a survey to gather parent views on these proposals.

You can access the NPFS survey. The survey will be open until 26 May 2023 and the results will be shared with Scottish Government.

NPFS Learning Hours Survey

Scottish Government consultation on learning hours in schools

22 March 2023: The Scottish Government has launched a new consultation on prescribing the minimum annual number of learning hours in schools.

Prescribing the minimum annual number of learning hours: consultation

This consultation seeks views on the Scottish Government’s plans to set a legal minimum number of hours of school education school pupils should receive each year.

Traditionally, Scottish primary schools provide around 25 learning hours per week, and Scottish secondary schools around 27.5 hours per week. However, while local authorities are required to have their schools open for 190 days each year, the number of learning hours is not prescribed.

The Scottish Government is now planning to use the existing provisions in the Education (Scotland) Act 2016 to set the minimum number of learning hours in a school year, and propose to use this power to make regulations later this year.

Have your say

This consultation is an opportunity for local authorities, parents, children and young people and other stakeholders to provide views and evidence about the potential impact of the implementation of this policy.

Find out more and submit your views

The responses will be used to inform future regulations and non-statutory guidance.

The consultation closes on 13 June 2023.

School leaver attainment and initial destinations

2 March 2023: The Scottish Government published its latest statistics on school leaver attainment and their initial destinations on 28 February 2023.

The new report provides information on the attainment and destinations of 2021/22 school leavers from Scotland’s publicly funded schools.

It includes information on leavers’ attainment in National Qualifications gained throughout their time at school, and reports on their destinations approximately three months after the end of the school year in October 2022. It also includes statistics on the proportion of leavers who gained vocational (or ‘skills-based’) qualifications.

You can read the newsletter from the Office of the Chief Statistician (ScotStat) or access the summary statistics at the links below:

Newsletter from ScotStat

Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations No. 5: 2023 edition

Independent review of Scottish qualifications and assessments

11 November 2022: The Scottish Government has announced that it is their intention to reform qualifications and assessments in Scotland.

About the review

To provide guidance for this reform, an independent review of qualifications and assessments has been launched by the Scottish Government, which will run alongside the ongoing National Discussion on education in Scotland.

This review will look more closely at how learner’s achievements should be recognised and looks specifically at issues such as the role of curriculum for excellence, the balance between external and internal assessment, the use of technology and equity.

Details of the review and its background are available on the consultation website:

Hayward Independent Review of Scottish Qualifications and Assessments

This reform process will seek to ensure that all learners’ achievements are fairly recognised to afford every learner an enhanced and fair opportunity to demonstrate the breath, depth and relevance of their learning.  

Submit your view by 16 December 2022

The review is asking for input to the consultation. You can submit your responses via their online survey:

Qualifications and Assessment survey

The National Discussion

Once the consultation on The National Discussion finishes in early December 2022, the findings will also be fed into the review.

More information: Let’s talk Education – The National Discussion

Once the qualifications and assessment review is completed, Professor Louise Hayward will provide recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary in March 2023.  

‘Let’s Talk Scottish Education’ – Our National Discussion

27 October 2022: You may have seen the letter forwarded by the School about Our National Discussion on Scottish Education.

The National Discussion is a chance for everyone to share their hopes and ideas for the future of all aspects of Scottish education, from early years to options for school leavers.

Have your say

The National Discussion is being run by the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) and there are many ways parents and carers can contribute, for example:

Complete the online survey

Our National Discussion survey

Send in your thoughts

E mail the National Discussion

Parental engagement charity Connect and the National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) want to help families be part of the discussion too, and you can join their National Discussion Facebook Forum.

National Discussion Facebook Forum

Discussions with children and young people

The consultation leaders have also produced age-specific documents to help guide discussions with children, parents and carers at home:

Young children 3-7 years old

Children and young people 8-14 years old

Young adults 15 years and over

Consultation runs until 5 December 2022

You have until Monday 5 December 2022 to take part in the National Discussion and help create a vision for Scottish education for the next 20 years.

More information

Further information is available on the National Discussion website

National Discussion on Scottish Education

Views from parents on Education Scotland and SQA consulation

25 November 2021: Many thanks to all the parents and carers who submitted responses to the Parent Council survey on the future of Scotland’s educational assessment system.

The comments have now been collated and sent to the Scottish Government’s Education Reform Consultation.

The full submission made by the Parent Council can be read at the link below.

Education Reform Consultation JGHS PC