SQA appoints Kinross headteacher as senior advisor

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has appointed experienced headteacher Sarah Brown as senior advisor. The role will see Brown – who has been headteacher at Kinross High School since 2015 - lead the development of a dedicated Schools Unit, delivering on SQA’s ‘Prospectus for Change’ commitments to improve support for schools, teachers and learners. In her new role, the SQA said she will: Lead the development of a dedicated Schools Unit, working closely with the chief examiner Donna Stewart, to ensure Qualifications Scotland provides effective support that reflects the reality of teaching and learning Play a key role in wider work to win back trust with teachers and learners, engaging openly and ensuring the national awarding body is better connected to those we serve Support the delivery of the Prospectus for Change commitments: resetting relationships, harnessing technology, and evolving qualifications. Brown said: “I am thrilled to be joining SQA as a Senior Advisor and to have the opportunity to lead work that will make a positive difference to every school, every teacher and every learner.I look forward to collaborating with colleagues to ensure the new Schools Unit delivers a strong foundation for Qualifications Scotland. ”The Schools Unit will become fully operational within Qualifications Scotland when it replaces SQA later this year. Brown's secondment is for an initial 18 months, enabling work on the Schools Unit to begin straight away and ensuring consistency when SQA is replaced by Qualifications Scotland. SQA's interim chief executive John Booth said: “This is a crucial step forward not just for the creation of Qualifications Scotland but for the wider education community. I am delighted that Sarah has agreed to join us and look forward to her bringing her experience of school leadership and teaching into our work to establish the new Schools Unit. “Qualifications Scotland has to feel tangibly different for those we serve, and Sarah’s appointment will help us build on the work already underway to reset relationships and rebuild trust.” The appointment of a senior advisor is part of ongoing work commissioned by Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, and led by Shirley Rogers, chair of SQA, to strengthen the way Qualifications Scotland will support schools, learners, and educators. Gilruth added: “The appointment of a secondary headteacher into our national qualifications body will help to strengthen its engagement with the teaching profession and support for Scotland’s schools. “It is clear that Sarah Brown will bring a wealth of secondary school teaching and leadership experience. This will be crucial for creating a new and more positive relationship with Scotland’s teachers as we move forward with qualifications reform work.That is why I commissioned the SQA Chair to create a new, dedicated Schools Unit which will ensure that Scotland’s schools are at the heart of how the organisation delivers qualifications and assessment.”

SQA appoints Kinross headteacher as senior advisor

The appointment of a senior advisor is part of ongoing work commissioned by Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, and led by Shirley Rogers, chair of SQA, to strengthen the way Qualifications Scotland will support schools, learners, and educators

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