Equality and our qualifications

As an awarding body, we work with schools, colleges, universities, industry and government, to ensure that qualifications, including National Courses, are inclusive and accessible to all, recognise the achievements of learners, and enable progression to further learning or employment.

Fair and accessible qualifications

The SQA Code of Practice outlines how SQA ensures that its qualifications are of a high quality and fit for purpose, and that the assessment of these qualifications is monitored and maintained to a consistently high standard. It sets out the framework by which we safeguard the integrity of SQA’s qualifications and assessment standards, and ensures public confidence.

The Code of Practice is based on a set of 13 Governing Principles that govern how SQA meets its statutory duties and regulates its activities. Similar principles apply to SQA qualifications that are regulated by other organisations. Governing Principle 7 states: SQA will ensure that all qualifications and assessments are as fair and accessible as possible and that the needs of learners are met in the administration of its assessments.

SQA Equality of Access to SQA Qualifications Policy outlines the organisation’s commitment to promoting and facilitating access to our qualifications. In practice, this means that every reasonable step will be taken to ensure we:

• Produce qualifications based on national standards that are as accessible as possible - we equality review our qualifications to identify any aspects that might adversely impact learners who share particular characteristics, and we aim to remove any such adverse impacts, wherever possible, and minimise them where it is not possible to remove them altogether.

• Develop methods of assessment and quality assurance that are sensitive to the needs of all learners, but which do not compromise our overarching aims of fairness and consistency.

• Provide assessment arrangements to allow disabled learners and/or those with additional support needs to access the assessment without compromising its integrity. For disabled learners, we will make reasonable adjustments in accordance with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

Equality Review of Qualifications

What is the Equality Review of Qualifications process?

Qualifications Scotland has clear duties under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that we do not discriminate against learners (or potential learners) because of their protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation).

We developed the Equality Review of Qualifications process to ensure that we uphold these duties.

National Courses

When Curriculum for Excellence started in 2013, all National Courses went through the process to assess the impact on learners from equality groups and mitigate any negative impacts we found. We placed special emphasis on ways in which reasonable adjustments could be considered so that our qualifications fulfilled our duties to disabled learners.

As part of our continuous improvement activity, we monitor our qualifications to make sure that any modifications we make to their content and structure don’t disadvantage learners.

In 2024, we refreshed the process to be more robust under growing legislation and governmental priorities like children’s rights, Learning for Sustainability, The Big Promise and the Anti-Racism in Education Programme.  With this more cohesive approach we’ve also begun to use the process to identify where we might be able to improve our inclusive practice for the future.

HNVQ

The Equality Review of Qualifications process isn’t limited to National Courses. Assessment requirements, licensing conditions and regulation are different for different types of qualification, and this reflected in the process we use, including for Higher National and Vocational Qualifications (HNVQ). 

In some cases, the legislation does not impose a duty on us to make any adjustment to the way competences are tested in an assessment. For example, it may not be possible to make reasonable adjustments where:

• an assessment requires the demonstration of a practical competence
• the assessment criteria must be fully met
• units or qualifications confer a licence to practice

The Equality Review of Qualifications process does not capture the variety of reasonable adjustments that can be made in each subject for each learner. Requests for reasonable adjustments are considered on a case-by-case basis. This approach aligns with our needs-led approach for assessment arrangements.

Qualifications reform

We’ll carry out an overarching, integrated impact assessment, considering equality, children’s rights, Islands and Communities, and care experience, as part of qualification and assessment reform.

Individual courses may still be subject to the Equality Review of Qualifications process because it is designed to make sure that qualifications and assessments are as equitable as possible while maintaining the integrity of the qualifications. Findings from the process will contribute to the overarching impact assessment.