Curriculum for Excellence delivery fit for purpose, education chief says
The head of Scotland's national education body has insisted the implementation of school reforms is "fit for purpose".
The head of Scotland's national education body has insisted the implementation of school reforms is "fit for purpose".
Bill Maxwell, chief executive of Education Scotland, denied he was "embarrassed" about the way Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) had been delivered.
He appeared before MSPs at Holyrood to respond to a critical report from the Education Committee on education bodies in Scotland.
The report called for greater clarity from Education Scotland on who was responsible for decisions taken in different areas of the Curriculum for Excellence.
Tory MSP Liz Smith said the body had failed to address the "very deep-seated concerns" of the committee in its response to the report.
She said: "Given that some of the recent educational results that we've had are really very disappointing, are you satisfied that that relationship and the way in which Education Scotland has been operating is satisfactory?"
Ms Smith highlighted issues with the reforms including levels of bureaucracy in the system, the removal of unit assessments and concerns over National 4 and 5.
She said it was "very difficult" for the committee to understand what decisions were taken by the CfE board and who responsible for making them.
"Are you embarrassed about the delivery of Curriculum for Excellence?" she added.
Mr Maxwell responded: "No, and indeed I would point back to the OECD's assessment which has described the process of the development of CfE ... it described the management board as being fit for purpose in terms of taking forward a collective commitment across the education system in developing policy from high-level policy to practice.
"That doesn't mean that every decision will have been perfectly formed first time but it's important that board and all the partners take collective responsibility for addressing the issues and responding vigorously to them where they appear."
He said Education Scotland had aimed to address the committee's concerns in its response, adding: "I'm satisfied that we continue to play a productive and positive role in helping improve the system."
He added: "I don't think .. everything will be perfectly solved, it will be a constant ongoing process of improvement."