Lack of interest in two of the biggest jobs in Scottish education

The Scottish government’s education reform plans have been hit by another delay after a shortage of applications for two key roles: chief inspector of education and chief executive of Education Scotland.

The two positions have emerged as the government pushes ahead with plans to split Education Scotland’s functions of inspection and curriculum support. This is due to create a new independent inspectorate and a new national agency for education, with the latter retaining the Education Scotland name.

Applications for the posts – which both command salaries of between £108,393 and £117,329 – closed in late September and early October, but Tes Scotland understands that both failed to attract enough candidates for a competitive recruitment process.

Re-advertise to ‘maximise potential field of candidates’

When contacted by Tes Scotland, the government maintained this was “often the case for high-profile and vital leadership roles” and said it had decided “to re-run the process to maximise the potential field of candidates”.

A spokesperson added: “We will now take time to consider the advertising strategy before the posts are advertised again in due course.”

However, many will see this as yet another setback on what has proven to be an extremely bumpy road to reform.

The education reform process was set in motion after the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 2021 review of Curriculum for Excellence. It led to the education secretary at the time, Shirley-Anne Somerville, committing to replacing the Scottish Qualifications Authority and removing inspection from the control of Education Scotland.

Later, in October 2021, a review of assessment and qualifications was announced.

However, three years on, there has been very little tangible change.

Repeated warnings over slow reform process

The reform process was “paused” by current education secretary Jenny Gilruth shortly after she took up post in March 2023; there have been repeated warnings that the process could end up being little more than a rejig of existing set-ups.

Appearing before the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee earlier this month, Ms Gilruth emphasised the importance of creating the role of chief inspector “in statute for the first time”.

She said it would improve objectivity, later adding: “Legislating to create the post sends a message to the system that we have an independent and impartial chief inspector who will challenge me, as Cabinet secretary, and will challenge local authorities, which have the statutory responsibility for education.”

However, who will take on that role – or that of Education Scotland’s chief executive – is still far from being decided.

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