Education (Scotland) Act 2025

11 The learner charter

(1) Qualifications Scotland must—

(a) prepare a learner charter in collaboration with—

(i) the Learner Interest Committee, and

(ii) such invited persons as wish to participate,

(b) publish the charter before the expiry of the period of 6 months beginning with the day on which this section comes into force.

(2) The learner charter—

(a) must set out what children, young people and adults undertaking a Qualifications Scotland qualification should expect from Qualifications Scotland in the exercise of its functions,

(b) may include such other information as Qualifications Scotland considers appropriate.

(3) In preparing the learner charter, Qualifications Scotland must have regard to the desirability of the charter seeking to secure better or further effect of the rights of children.

(4) The persons invited by Qualifications Scotland to participate in the preparation of the learner charter must include—

(a) children and young people undertaking a Qualifications Scotland qualification,

(b) other persons undertaking a Qualifications Scotland qualification,

(c) parents and carers of the persons mentioned in paragraph (a),

(d) other persons appearing to Qualifications Scotland to represent the interests of the persons mentioned in paragraphs (a) and (b),

(e) persons undertaking a Qualifications Scotland qualification who use British Sign Language,

(f) persons undertaking a Qualifications Scotland qualification who have educational support needs,

(g) persons undertaking a Qualifications Scotland qualification who have experience of being in the care system as children or young people,

(h) persons from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

(5) In inviting persons to participate in the preparation of the learner charter, Qualifications Scotland must encourage equal opportunities and in particular the observance of the equal opportunity requirements.

(6) Qualifications Scotland must, prior to finalisation of the learner charter—

(a) give the Strategic Advisory Council and the Scottish Ministers the opportunity to comment on it, and

(b) have regard to the comments (if any) received from the council and Ministers in response.

(7) For the purpose of subsection (1)(a), it is immaterial that anything done by way of preparation was done before the Bill for this Act was passed or after that but before this section comes into force.