Help Ma Boab! Why Is Scottish Education Reform So Slow?

Isabelle Boyd

A good friend of mine in Scottish education recently gave me a coffee mug. It read: “Help ma Boab!” For those of us in Scotland, the phrase needs no explanation. Others might prefer “Heavens above!” or even Victor Meldrew’s “I just don’t believe it.” Whichever your favourite exclamation, it perfectly captures the frustration many of us feel about the painfully slow pace of education reform in Scotland—even when there’s widespread agreement on the direction of travel.

A System Stuck in the Slow Lane

For decades, Scottish education has been the subject of reports, reviews, and recommendations—all aimed at modernising our system to better serve today’s learners. Yet again and again, well-evidenced ideas are delayed, diluted, or abandoned once they enter the bureaucratic maze.

Three of the most recent and significant reviews—led by Ken Muir, James Withers, and Professor Louise Hayward—were published in 2022 and 2023. Each presented a clear and considered vision for reform:

  • Muir focused on governance and structure, calling for new national bodies and a unified vision.

  • Withers addressed the skills system, advocating for alignment with economic needs and a focus on lifelong learning.

  • Hayward tackled assessment, proposing a more holistic, learner-focused qualifications model.

Despite their differences, all three reports share some key principles:

  • Learners at the centre of policy and practice.

  • Bridging the gaps between schools, colleges, universities, and the workplace.

  • Replacing outdated institutions like the SQA and Education Scotland.

  • Empowering teachers and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy.

So why aren’t we seeing action?

Assessment Reform: Everyone Agrees—But Where’s the Progress?

All three reports call for change in how we assess and recognise achievement:

  • Muir urged a culture shift in assessment.

  • Withers proposed redesigning the senior phase of secondary school to support a broader range of learner destinations.

  • Hayward recommended reducing our reliance on high-stakes exams.

Despite this shared vision, the timeline for implementation—especially for the new Scottish Diploma of Achievement—stretches from 2023 to 2032. That’s nearly a decade before learners will see the benefit of these reforms. In phase one, we’re simply raising awareness of the diploma. In phase two, we begin to design and pilot. The first awards will only be issued in 2032.

By then, the world will have moved on. And in the meantime, young people continue to be short-changed by a system that no longer meets their needs.

Some Progress—But Is It Enough?

There are positive developments. The Centre for Teaching Excellence, with a £4 million budget for 2025–26, is a welcome investment in the profession.

But this is tempered by a government stance that continues to support exams at National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher levels—despite the research, the consultation, and the overwhelming case for change. There is talk of “less reliance” on final exams, but little clarity on what this means in practice.

We’ve Done This Before—And Faster

It doesn’t have to be this way. We’ve seen reform happen at pace and with impact.

Take recommendations 44 and 50 from the 2010 Donaldson Review (Teaching Scotland’s Future). These led to:

  • Masters-level study opportunities for teachers.

  • The creation of the Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL).

A team was appointed in March 2013, proposals were approved by September, and SCEL was up and running the same year. That’s six months from concept to reality.

Sadly, that progress was later undermined—first through SCEL’s absorption into Education Scotland, then through the withdrawal of funding for most teacher development at masters level (except for aspiring headteachers).

A Real Chance for Real Change

Let’s be clear: the Muir, Withers, and Hayward reviews offer a credible roadmap for reform. They challenge the outdated “two-term dash” to exams and recognise the need for:

  • A broader understanding of achievement.

  • A fairer, more flexible qualifications system.

  • Genuine parity of esteem between academic and vocational pathways.

But we remain concerned by the lack of firm commitments on funding and timelines. Without these, the promise of reform risks becoming yet another footnote in the long history of missed opportunities.

In Conclusion

There is still a real chance to get this right. The ideas are strong, the evidence is clear, and the profession is ready.

So here’s hoping that sometime soon, I’ll be raising a different mug not in exasperation, but in celebration:

"Here’s tae us—wha’s like us?"

to a better, fairer, more modern education system for Scotland’s learners.

 

Isabelle Boyd