On 25 June, 2025, Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs) voted to pass the Education (Scotland) Bill.
Several education reforms are included in this legislation, including the scrapping of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and the recognition of British Sign Language (BSL) in the Scottish education system.
The Bill was backed by 69 votes to 47 by MSPs.
After a string of recent controversies regarding the SQA’s marking and moderation processes government ministers had pledged a review of the education system. The SQA will now be replaced by a new body called Qualifications Scotland.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said that the passing of the Bill proves the Scottish government are “serious about implementing the changes needed to drive improvement across Scotland’s education and skills system.”
She added that the reforms will ensure “greater independence” from education inspectors, concluding that:
“Taken together our major programme of education and skills reform will bring about the changes needed to meet the needs of future generations of young people.”
Qualifications Scotland is set to takeover this autumn. HM Chief Inspector, a new role, will independently oversee and regulate qualifications and education in Scotland.
This includes National 5s, Highers, and Advanced Highers, all of which are pathways to university for Scottish students. Vocational qualifications will also be under the jurisdiction of Qualifications Scotland, such as Scottish Vocational Qualifications.
The Education (Scotland) Bill also makes it a requirement for the new education bodies to equally protect the rights of students who use BSL and Gaelic.
This move follows a year-long campaign by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) to include BSL in the Bill, after a previous reading only recognised Gaelic.
Both BSL and Gaelic have legal recognition in Scotland. The BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 requires the Scottish Government and public bodies to promote and protect the language.
This legal protection was crucial during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the Scottish Government employed BSL interpreters for the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s press conferences during lockdown.
MSPs voted unanimously to support the inclusion of BSL in the Education (Scotland) Bill.
George McGowan from the NDCS said:
“This is a historic moment for deaf children, young people, and their families, who realised this milestone through their tireless and incredible campaigning.
“This means BSL will receive the recognition and support it rightly deserves within Scotland’s educational system.”
Scottish Labour’s party spokeswoman called the plans a “superficial rebrand” ahead of the vote, adding that Scottish education was “declining” under the SNP’s governance.
Scottish Labour voted against the Bill.
The Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Greens voted in favour of the Bill.
Scottish Green MSP and education spokesperson Ross Greer said that the government can now “begin rebuilding trust which was so completely destroyed over the last decade” in a reference to the ‘postcode lottery’ SQA grading scandal during the pandemic.
“Labour’s vote to protect the scandal-plagued and unaccountable SQA is bizarre. How can anyone look at the mistakes of recent years and think it can continue? We need real change for students and teachers, which this bill will deliver.”
The extent of real education reform under Qualifications Scotland will unfold in the coming months, but campaign groups like the NDCS have welcomed the inclusion of BSL in this legislation.
“Curzon Exam Hall 2” by Azim Khan Ronnie is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.