Reform

The Scottish Funding Council has an ongoing commitment to improvement and impact. Over the last decade, we have led and responded constructively to a number of reforms that have helped simplify and strengthen the education, skills, research and innovation landscape, including college regionalisation, widening access, and the launch of the innovation centre programme.

In 2021 we delivered our own National Review of Tertiary Education and Research which set out a number of recommendations for system change, including developing a strategic, long-term vision for the future of tertiary education and research and developing a more systematic approach to coherent tertiary provision and skills.

More recently, the Scottish Government has committed to reforming education and skills public bodies in Scotland. This is part of its ongoing ambition for the public sector to become more efficient and financially sustainable, including in education. For example, in response to the March 2022 Muir Review the Scottish Government has progressed a programme of education reform which will replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and refocus the work of the national education agency, Education Scotland. The Hayward Review on qualifications for learners aged 15-18 was also published in June 2023, feeding in to an updated long-term vision for improvement in education. All of these initiatives should be considered as a whole to ensure that learners remain at the heart of the system, whatever their journey.

The changes for post-school education and research are underpinned by the government’s Purpose and Principles and James Withers’ Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape, published in June 2023. The Withers Review recommended a number of changes to the current system to prioritise the needs and interests of learners, maximise the effectiveness and value for money of Scottish public bodies, and ensure parity of esteem between colleges and universities. The Review considered the functions and remit of SFC, alongside other bodies such as Skills Development Scotland (SDS), the enterprise agencies and the new education and qualifications bodies.

In June 2024 the Scottish Government launched a consultation on Post-School Education and Skills Reform on proposals for change in the post-school funding body landscape, including proposals on the legislation required to take forward the identified options. Against a baseline of business as usual, the two options being explored are:

• Consolidate all provision funding within SFC and all student support funding within SAAS.
• Consolidate all provision funding and all student support funding within SFC.

This consultation closed in September 2024 and we expect a ministerial announcement on the next steps for reform in early 2025..

SFC continues to work closely with the Scottish Government, other relevant public bodies and stakeholders to support the development of this work.