Only half of schoolteachers regularly use a tool aimed at offering pupils a “more diverse” choice of qualifications, findings suggest.

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) aims to help colleges, schools, parents and students understand the thousands of qualifications offered in Scotland.

But while the vast majority of college staff in a survey were “very” or “moderately” aware of the framework, this was true of only 86 per cent of secondary school staff.

Among those who were aware of the framework, only 51 per cent of secondary school staff used it at least every three to six months - compared with 85 per cent of college staff.

A report by researchers at the University of Glasgow finds: “The greatest scope to increase awareness levels is among secondary school staff and university staff.”

Researchers also found 59 per cent of parents were very or moderately aware of the framework, and a quarter of those said they used the framework at least every three-to-six months.

‘Disappointed’ by stats

National Parent Forum for Scotland chair Joanna Murphy said she was “disappointed with the statistics surrounding school staff”. She said the group “would like to see all staff in every sector very aware of the SCQF”, adding: “It is vital that schools are promoting flexible pathways to young people that reflect the individualised nature of Curriculum for Excellence.” Schools should support the framework in flagging the information to parents, she said.

Eleanor Coner, partnership development officer at the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: “We know that many teachers are not aware of the SCQF. It is a useful framework, as it joins everything together. More teacher-friendly information and practical guidance on how to make use of the framework at earlier stages in the learner journey would be welcome, to make it more relevant for teachers.”

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS union, highlighted that the vast majority of teachers presented pupils for SQA awards. “Only a few will be involved in delivering alternative awards where the SCQF would come into play, so it’s not a great surprise that there is less awareness in schools than colleges,” he said.

However, SCQF Partnership chief executive Aileen Ponton said a new statistical tool for schools was helping teachers to use the framework to “plan learner journeys, evaluate attainment and consider other provision that is on the SCQF, which can provide a wider and more diverse range of options for pupils”. She added: “Understanding and using the SCQF to support learners leads to more options, better choices, clearer pathways and progression routes along with direct articulation.”

The report concluded that the framework and SCQF Partnership are “well-established features of Scotland’s education and qualifications landscape, with the SCQFP instrumental in a number of key developments in Scotland’s education and skills landscape.”