Tuesday 8 November 2022, 6pm to 8pm, the Scottish Parliament and online
With a National Discussion on Scottish education taking place in autumn 2022, the Goodison Group in Scotland and Scotland’s Futures Forum explored three key questions for the future.
Reflecting on our previous work on education in 2030 and beyond, participants considered visions for the future of Scottish education and how any vision could be made a reality.
The event, which took place both at the Scottish Parliament and online, supported a contribution to the National Discussion
Background
From March 2017 to March 2020, the Goodison Group in Scotland and Scotland’s Futures Forum explored what school, education and learning might look like in 2030 and beyond.
At the heart of the project was a scenario describing what school, education and learning might look like in the future. The scenario was not a prediction or manifesto; it was designed to provoke thought and debate.
The project report also considered the key aspects of change: the levers, acupuncture points and acceleration points.
The project was followed by a conference, which was held over two online sessions in November 2020 and February 2021. Participants were asked to step back from dealing with the day-to-day challenges to consider the question “Where next for education in Scotland?”
More information on the project and conference, including the scenario itself, is available online:
- Scotland 2030: Education Overview | Scotland’s Futures Forum (scotlandfutureforum.org)
- Future Schooling, Education and Learning: Where next for education in Scotland? | Scotland’s Futures Forum (scotlandfutureforum.org)
Approach
Much of the work that we undertook remains relevant to the National Discussion on Scottish education. However, we recognised that a lot has changed since we published the original report, not least with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Therefore, on 8 November 2022 we held an event with a range of stakeholders at the Scottish Parliament and online to contribute to the National Discussion.
Reflecting on the 2030 programme and conference work as a starter, over 30 participants explored three questions from the National Discussion guide for adults:
- What is one thing that needs to stay and why? [Q3]
- Overall, what is your vision for the future of education in Scotland? [Q5]
- How can we make that future vision for education a reality in Scotland? [Q6]
Participants worked in small groups to review the 2030 programme work, and share and discuss their thoughts and ideas with others in the community.
The discussion was held under the Chatham House rule.
Output
Following the event, the Goodison Group in Scotland and Futures Forum produced a combined output from the 2030 programme, the conference, and the November session as a contribution to the National Discussion.
Following the event, the Goodison Group in Scotland and Futures Forum produced a combined output from the 2030 programme, the conference, and the November session as a contribution to the National Discussion.
The output is available on the Futures Forum website:
Participants
The full list of participants is in the pdf version of the report.
Partners
