New Scottish exams chief says 'nothing off the table' in qualifications overhaul

Chief Executive of Qualifications Scotland Nick Page also insisted pupils had not been “let down” by the failings of the now-defunct Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Speaking after months of visits to schools, colleges and employers across the country, Mr Page said the current emphasis on high-stakes exams no longer reflects what learners need in the modern economy.

Read the full coverage of the launch of Qualifications Scotland here

“There is a consistent message coming through,” he said. “Employers are telling us they are interested in skills, employability and learning ability - not simply what someone knows, but how they learn.

“Colleges are saying we need to be far more agile in how we develop courses, content and assessment.

“And learners themselves want a broader base for how their learning is recognised.”

Asked about the appetite from teachers to move towards a more integrated qualification model - similar to international baccalaureates - allowing pupils to study across subject boundaries rather than accumulating individual awards, Mr Page insisted “nothing can be off the table”.

On the question of how radical Qualifications Scotland is willing to be, the chief executive said he avoided the word “radical” but embraced the idea of transformation.

The new exams body official opens on Monday, replacing the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

It is tasked with reshaping the country’s exams system by 2031 with incremental changes expected in the meantime.

However, teachers have expressed scepticism about how radical any change may be.

“If we are serious about world-class opportunities for Scotland, then nothing can be off the table,” he said. “That doesn’t mean decisions are imposed from the centre. We are part of a system, not an authority over it.”

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He stressed that any reform would need to be developed alongside teachers, learners, colleges and employers, and could include recognising learning that happens “anytime, anywhere, at any age”.

Mr Page said he hears concern from employers that even top-performing graduates often require significant additional training compared with recruits from other European countries, raising questions about how well Scotland’s qualifications prepare young people for work.

Teachers, meanwhile, are calling for greater confidence to move away from “teaching to the test” and towards learning that encourages investigation, experience and real-world application.

“Those May and June exams in a drafty sports hall dominate the experience of our learners,” he said. “But examinations are only a small part of what education should offer.”

Rejecting the idea that Scotland’s young people have been failed by the existing system, he praised teachers and school leaders for delivering “amazing opportunities” within a crowded curriculum.

Instead, he framed reform as a chance to remain relevant. “We’ve completed the first quarter of the 21st century, and in many ways learning hasn’t changed that much,” he said.

“This is about confidence as a nation - how we teach, how we learn, and how we judge progress.”

He also pointed to Scotland’s continued global influence in fields such as engineering, finance and health as evidence that the country still commands international respect.

“To be a Scottish learner carries credibility worldwide,” he said. “But we shouldn’t settle for ‘good enough’.

“Scotland should aim to be world-class.”

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On artificial intelligence, which will play a growing part in both classrooms and the exams system, he struck a note of “cautious optimism”, arguing that AI must be understood and used responsibly rather than banned outright.

“The genie is out of the bottle,” he said. “Our job is to help learners understand what’s true, what’s not, and how to use these tools properly.

“If we hide from it, we lose that opportunity.”

Mr Page added: “Across Scotland, from Dundee to Shetland, what people keep telling me is: we can do this.

“That’s exciting - and a little scary - but all good things usually are.”