The rise of alternative qualifications in Scottish schools

The Herald Scotland

15-05-2025

National 5 will get some attention, and Advanced Highers might get a bit of a mention, but there will be little if any widespread discussion of the results for National 2, 3 or 4 courses. These options replaced the lower levels of Standard Grade, as well as other courses like Access. Although some regard them as providing little value, and despite concerns about progression to subsequent stages of learning, the numbers being completed each year have actually been increasing: National 2 and National 3 awards are up considerably in recent years – albeit from a low base – and National 4 awards are higher than they were pre-pandemic.
However, despite the focus on Highers and the associated National and Advanced Higher qualifications, alternatives offering a different approach to learning and assessment have become increasingly popular in recent years. These programmes cover a remarkably wide range of academic and vocational areas and are typically assessed without the need for a final, formal exam. What's more, thanks to the a national system for categorising qualifications (the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) these alternative approaches can also be recognised by universities, colleges and employers.
National Progression Awards (NPA)
One of the most popular alternatives to typical National or Higher courses is the NPA. These programmes are designed to help students develop knowledge and skills that are relevant to specialist and vocational areas while also being transferable. NPAs generally contain a range of mandatory and optional units, and the final shape of the course may be determined by schools, students, or a collaboration between the two.
For example, a student completing a level 6 NPA in Local Food Production would be expected to complete two mandatory units – Sustainable Food Production and Local Food Production: Routes to Market – and one optional 'Primary Food Production' module, with a choice of focusing on horticulture, animal husbandry, or aquaculture.
Alternatively, someone progressing through the level 6 Laboratory Science NPA would complete four mandatory units covering health and safety, fundamental chemistry, mathematics for science and microbiological techniques, and then complete between two and four additional modules – out of a choice of dozens – from two optional categories
NPAs do not have formal exams, instead making use of different assessment approaches that suit the specifics of the programme and are carried out at appropriate points throughout the year.
Over the past ten years the number of students completing NPA courses at SCQF levels 5 and 6 have risen dramatically: at level 5 the figure has increased from 5774 in 2014 to 13970 in 2024; for level 6 courses the shift has been even more dramatic, going from just 1157 a decade ago to 12970 in the most recent statistics. A smaller increase has also been recorded at Level 4.
Some of the most popular NPA programmes in Scotland include Photography, Exercise and Fitness Leadership, Sport and Fitness, Computer Games Development, and Sports Development
SQA Awards
The SQA describes these courses as 'practice-based work qualifications for specific sectors' which are intended to be open to a 'diverse range of learners'. Although some are only available in colleges or through employers, they are also becoming increasingly popular in schools.
Significant increases in uptake of SQA Awards have been recorded across SCQF levels 4, 5 and 6 in recent years. The largest jump has been recorded at Level 5, which has gone from 1554 completions in 2014 to 14,935 in 2024.
Last year, more than 1000 school pupils completed the Scottish Studies Award, and even higher numbers gained awards in areas such as Personal Finance or Modern Languages; however, the most commonly completed courses cover broader and more generic areas of learning: Leadership at level 6, Wellbeing at level 5, and Employability at level 4.
Skills for Work (SfW)
SfW programmes are designed to help young people develop enhance their employability by developing both generic and specific skills and knowledge
For example, the SfW catalogue also includes a Laboratory Science programme, but it differs from the NPA through a stricter focus on employability skills, with 'Careers Using Laboratory Science' a mandatory module.
Although the number of SfW awards has fallen over the last ten years for SCQF levels 3, 4 and 6, there has been a notable increase in the number of students completing Level 5 courses: since 2014, that figure has jumped from 3924 to 12130 in total.
The most popular SfW courses tend to be at SCQF level 5 and include Travel & Tourism, Early Learning and Childcare, and Sport and Recreation.
National Certificates (NC)
Like NPAs, NC courses consist of a mixture of mandatory and optional units, and relate to specific areas of learning and employment. They are also supposed to develop 'core skills' in literacy and numeracy.
Unlike most of the other courses available in schools, NC programmes have been declining in popularity over the years - ten years ago more than 5000 NC courses at levels 5 and 6 were completed by students, but by 2024 those numbers had fallen to 2160 and 3980 respectively. In addition, many of the NCs shown in the SQA's attainment stats in fact refer to college learners – out of nearly 6500 NCs awarded in 2024, just 310 were delivered by state schools, with a further 15 completed by pupils at private schools.
The most common NC programmes are Early Learning and Childcare, Social Sciences, and Electrical Engineering
Foundation Apprenticeships
Perhaps the most radical rethink of school qualifications in recent years, the Foundation Apprenticeship programme offers secondary pupils a 'work-based learning opportunity' that typically involves splitting their time between school and either a college or local employer.
The courses, developed in partnership with Skills Development Scotland, were initially only offered at SCQF level 6 (roughly equivalent to a Higher) but options at levels 4 and 5 are also now available.
Foundation Apprenticeships are available in a number of areas, with the most popular being Social Services, Business, and Creative and Digital Media, and typically incorporate NC or NPA qualifications and SVQ units.
The Scottish Government funds 5,000 Foundation Apprenticeship places each year, and in 2024 a total of 1299 school leavers had achieved one, accounting for around 2.3 percent of all school leavers that year. They are recognised as part of university applications – for example, the University of Aberdeen regards a completed FA in Social Services and Healthcare as equivalent to a grade A in Higher maths, biology or physics.
All Vocational Qualifications
As part of the annual school leaver statistics, the Scottish Government releases information on the total numbers to have attained vocational qualifications across the range of available SCQF levels.
This dataset – which is officially classed as Official Statistics in Development – includes National Certificates, Higher National Qualifications, Scottish Vocational Qualifications, National Progression Awards, and Skills for Work courses. As a result, it also includes those with Foundation Apprenticeships.
In 2023/24, more than 23,000 Scottish school leavers - around 40% – had acquired at least one vocational qualification at SCQF level 4 or better. Ten years earlier, the figure had been below 20 percent.
The data also reveals significant variations between councils. Four local authorities reported more than half of leavers achieving at least one level 4 vocational qualification, with the highest rate being Falkirk's 56 percent; at the other end of the scale, the same was true for only around a quarter of leavers in Clackmannanshire, Inverclyde and North Lanarkshire.
Youth Awards
In addition to an increasingly wide range of SQA qualifications, Youth Awards have also increased in popularity in recent years. These exist outwith the normal SQA qualifications structure, but many are still certified within the SCQF framework. Some, like the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and John Muir Award, have been a part of the school system for a long time, but other groups are also involved. These range from well-known bodies such as the RSPB, Outward Bound and the British Red Cross to emerging organisations such as Powering Futures and Daydream Believers, and even include groups such as Comedy and Confidence.
Just over 150,000 youth awards were gained by young people in 2023/24 (a nearly 25 percent increase since 2019/20) and around a third of those were SCQF-recognised. The available data suggests that approaching half of secondary school pupils last year attained some form of youth award.
Awards provided by Youth Scotland have seen a particularly sharp increase in interest in recent years, with experts from the Awards Network suggesting that this is down to the flexibility of these programmes, which can also be combined with other awards and used as the basis for school-based youth work schemes. The most widespread award in Scottish schools is the Wood Foundation's Young Philanthropy Initiative.
More information, and a full catalogue of Youth Awards, is available from the Awards Network website.