Education (Scotland) Act 2025

Advisory Council

44 Advisory Council

(1) The Chief Inspector must establish and maintain an Advisory Council.

(2) In appointing members to it, the Chief Inspector must have regard to the need to ensure that the Advisory Council (taken as a whole) is representative of the interests of persons likely to be affected by the Chief Inspector’s functions, including—

(a) persons who are receiving education at relevant educational establishments,

(b) parents and carers of persons receiving education at such establishments,

(c) persons who are providing teaching or training at such establishments,

(d) members of the Chief Inspector’s staff.

(3) The function of the Advisory Council is to advise the Chief Inspector in relation to the exercise of the Chief Inspector’s functions (when asked to so by the Chief Inspector or on its own initiative).

(4) The Chief Inspector must—

(a) have regard to any advice provided by the Advisory Council, and

(b) where the Chief Inspector decides not to act in accordance with that advice, provide the Advisory Council with an explanation of—

(i) what action (if any) the Chief Inspector has taken, or intends to take, in response, and

(ii) the reasons for that response or proposed response.