On Tuesday 18 November, Learning for Sustainability Scotland held an event to explore the current School Inspections Consultation – and the need to ensure that Learning for Sustainability is embedded in this process.

The consultation closes on Wednesday 26th November.

Click here to view a collation of thoughts on the consultation from participants and our team

Why did we hold this event?

The way in which school inspections work in Scotland is being reviewed – and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMIe) wants your views. Your feedback will shape how inspections can be made fairer, more transparent, and more focused on what matters most for children and young people.

This consultation is a key part of the education inspectorate system-wide review of school inspections. It will inform how the inspection process is strengthened as a driver of improvement and public assurance on the quality of education.

Learning for Sustainability – ‘a golden thread’

Learning for Sustainability is an entitlement for all learners aged 3-18 in Scotland and all Scottish schools are tasked with becoming Sustainable Learning Settings by 2030; as outlined in Scotland’s national Learning for Sustainability Action Plan. It is currently one of eleven proposed cross-cutting themes in the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, and much of the research commissioned by Scottish Government since the publication of the OECD Report into Scottish education in 2021 outlines the desire – and need – for LfS-related learning to form part of Scotland’s educational landscape.

The proposed inspection process does not, however, currently explicitly reference Learning for Sustainability.

Our event aimed to:

  • raise awareness about the proposed Schools Inspection changes
  • generate discussion and gather views on the format, purpose and content of the new inspection process: including the place of Learning for Sustainability in this
  • collate input from participants to generate a response to the Consultation
  • encourage others to submit their own informed, independent contributions to the Consultation.

Click on the links below to access materials from this event.