Qualifications Scotland advisory council from 12 March

From Thursday 12 March 2026, Scotland will have a Strategic Advisory Council to advise Qualifications Scotland. Ministers made the Regulations on 28 January and laid them before the Scottish Parliament on 30 January as SSI 2026/36. This guide sets out who sits on the Council, what it can influence, and how you can take part. (legislation.gov.uk)

First, the context we all need. Qualifications Scotland is replacing the Scottish Qualifications Authority under the Education (Scotland) Act 2025. The body was established in law on 1 December 2025, and the Scottish Government has stated the formal handover from SQA happens on 1 February 2026. The Council is part of that new structure. (legislation.gov.uk)

What the Council is for is clear and practical. It considers issues about Qualifications Scotland’s qualifications and about how the organisation works, then provides advice. That advice can go to Qualifications Scotland or straight to Scottish Ministers, whether the Council is asked for it or chooses to raise something itself. This is a direct route for system feedback to reach decision‑makers. (legislation.gov.uk)

Who will be around the table matters to you. The Regulations require Ministers to appoint members who represent children and young people, people with knowledge of additional support needs, and parents and carers. They also provide for voices from trade unions, business and industry, a director of education from a local authority, the Scottish Funding Council, colleges and universities, plus others with relevant expertise. Two conveners will be appointed and one of them must also be a member of Qualifications Scotland; staff of Qualifications Scotland cannot be members. The aim is to keep learners and practitioners close to the centre of discussion. (qualifications.gov.scot)

Terms are time‑limited to keep ideas fresh. Members serve up to four years at a time and can return, but no one can serve more than twelve years in total. Appointments can end early if someone stops holding the role they were chosen to represent, is absent from meetings for a long stretch without good reason, or is found unable to fulfil the duties. That mix of renewal and continuity is meant to balance stability with new perspectives. (legislation.gov.uk)

The Council can create committees and sub‑committees and may invite people who are not Council members to take part in that work. It will set its own procedures, including how many people must be present to make decisions. At least one meeting each financial year must be open to the public and both the Council and Qualifications Scotland must encourage attendance. Members of staff from Qualifications Scotland can observe or participate at the conveners’ discretion, and a representative of the Scottish Ministers can do the same. (legislation.gov.uk)

There is a clear paper trail requirement. Qualifications Scotland must provide information the Council reasonably asks for; if it decides not to, it must explain why in writing. When the Council sends written advice, Qualifications Scotland must reply in writing and copy that reply to Ministers. The Council must also share its advice letters with both parties. You should expect to see advice, responses and follow‑through in public view. (legislation.gov.uk)

What this means for your studies or teaching this year is simple: nothing changes overnight. The SQA has confirmed the 2026 National Qualifications exam diet runs as normal and educators should deliver as planned. The Council’s influence is about the medium‑term direction of qualifications, not your timetable next week. (sqa.org.uk)

Where your voice fits in is being built into the system. Qualifications Scotland is setting up a Learner Interest Committee and a Teacher and Practitioner Interest Committee to feed lived experience into decisions and to co‑create new charters for what learners and educators can expect. These groups will work alongside the Council so that advice reflects real classrooms, colleges and workplaces. (qualifications.gov.scot)

Here is how you can engage, step by step. If you are a student, start noting what helps or hinders your learning and assessment and be ready to share that with the Learner Interest Committee or at the Council’s public meeting. If you teach, talk with your union or professional networks about the issues you most want the Council to hear, and back them with classroom evidence. If you are a parent or carer, coordinate through your school’s Parent Council and ask when the first open meeting will be scheduled. Everyone should keep an eye on Qualifications Scotland updates for calls for members and meeting dates.

Inclusion is not an add‑on here. The law requires Qualifications Scotland, when doing its work, to have regard to the needs and interests of children, young people and other users of its services, including those learning or teaching in British Sign Language and Gaelic. With a seat reserved for expertise in additional support needs, the Council is one more place to push for better, fairer assessment design. (legislation.gov.uk)

What to watch next. Look out for the announcement of Council members and conveners, any guidance from Ministers on how consultation should work, and the first advice letter and written response from Qualifications Scotland. The Act also requires Qualifications Scotland to publish its procedures for consulting the Council and for responding to its advice, so we should expect to see those in public. With the Regulations in force from 12 March 2026, the first year is about building good habits of openness and dialogue. (legislation.gov.uk)