The Scottish Government’s Plan for School Research sets out the priorities for research and research activities which will support the Scottish Government to deliver evidence informed policy making in school education.
Introduction
The Scottish Government’s Plan for School Research sets out the priorities for research and research activities which will support the Scottish Government to deliver evidence informed policy making in school education. The strategy builds upon the work which took place under the Research Strategy for Scottish Education which was published in April 2017.
The Plan covers the period from summer 2023 to summer 2026, at which point the Plan will be reviewed.
What is the scope of the plan?
By school education, we mean broad general education (P1-S3, excluding pre-school) and the senior phase (S4-S6). The plan, thus, covers just one part of the wider learner journey in Scotland and does not include (though may interlace with) early years, further and higher education, and lifelong learning.
Though the research priorities set out in the plan are likely shared with the wider education research community in Scotland, the plan refers specifically to the research and research activities that will be led by the Scottish Government. Collaboration, however, is a central thread throughout the plan and we will work closely with the wider research community when planning, delivering and disseminating research.
What is the aim of the plan?
The aim of the plan is to support the Scottish Government to deliver evidence informed policy making in school education. Evidence informed policy making is an approach to policy development that aims to ensure that the decisions we make as a government are informed by the best available research evidence. It, thus, necessitates the effective, transparent and accessible communication and appraisal of evidence for policy makers and Scottish Ministers.
The plan has four objectives:
delivering robust and timely evidence to support the policy making process
collaboration with key partners
supporting independent education research
continuing to improve data access
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