Education Scotland: 'Damning e-mails' reveal how renowned expert quit Scottish Government panel over direction of education reforms

Dr Naomi Stanford withdrew from the board advising on replacing the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland

An international expert cut ties with the Scottish Government after privately raising concerns about the way it was pursuing education reforms, it can be revealed.

E-mails from the end of 2022 show how Dr Naomi Stanford, a US-based author on organisational design, quit a panel that was advising on plans to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and Education Scotland.

She questioned the rate of progress, and claimed the path being taken by the Government at the time was “not in line” with recommendations made in a landmark report by Professor Ken Muir.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) building in Edinburgh, amid plans for the exams body to be scrapped in the wake of a major review of education north of the border. Picture: PA

Dr Stanford has written books on organisational structures and previously worked for Price Waterhouse, British Airways and Marks & Spencer. She was appointed in August 2021 to a panel that was assisting with the review led by Prof Muir, and was subsequently asked to help implement its recommendations via a policy and legislation delivery board.

However, e-mails released under Freedom of Information laws show that on October 23, 2022, she told officials she had decided to withdraw. She said her “primary reason” was related to the “language and process of the programme delivery”.

The expert questioned the way the reforms were being managed, asking if it had been “compared with other more agile approaches that enable quick experimentation, building on things which are already working to deliver your vision and mission, putting things in simple to understand terms, and so on”.

Dr Stanford wrote: “The report on Education Reform was submitted at the end of January 2022, coming up for a year ago. Can you point to significant and substantial changes that have already emanated from this report's recommendations beyond the establishment of a programme organisation?”

A sign for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) building in Edinburgh.

On December 7, 2022, officials contacted her again to say they had told a journalist the Government was “still in discussion” with Dr Stanford about “possible future contributions to our wider work”.

However, the expert responded the next day: “I think it is best for me now to completely withdraw from the project, as it appears that what is going ahead is not in line with Prof Muir's recommendations”. She also highlighted “discomfort” about a recent announcement relating to the SQA.

A response from officials suggests Dr Stanford had raised concerns about the way accreditation, currently overseen by SQA, and regulation would be located in the new bodies. Since then, plans for replacing both the SQA and Education Scotland have been hit by fresh delays, with legislation postponed until this year.

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liam Kerr said: “Naomi Stanford’s damning emails reveal the extent of her despair at just how badly the SNP have handled education reform. After 16 years of SNP failure, Scotland’s education system desperately needs real change – not a superficial paint job and empty promises.

“When it comes to our children’s education, the SNP have shown themselves to be all talk and no action. The public will be staggered to learn that the SNP continue to ignore expert advice, including the Muir recommendations, and the abysmal pace of reform has led to specialists, such as Dr Stanford, walking away."

Dr Stanford said she had nothing further to add. The Scottish Government declined to comment.