MPs from the state of Victoria in Australia will meet with Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop today while tomorrow a group of 12 MPs from the Danish Parliament’s Education Committee will meet the Cabinet Secretary as part of a four-day visit.  

The Australian delegation’s visit is designed to allow MPs to learn about the policies and practices that helped the Scottish education system achieve such high recognition by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).  Australia is a leading country for international benchmarking and engagement with Victoria a top state in terms of education policy and performance. 

The OECD review of the quality and equity of schooling in Scotland, published last year found that Scotland was performing well internationally in areas including pupil performance, quality of headteachers, pre-school education and primary schools.  However it also highlighted a wide achievement gap between the highest and lowest achievers and the adverse impact of socio-economic status on educational achievement in Scotland.     

Talks with the Danish delegation will focus on how Denmark responded to a similar OECD review of its education system four years ago.  Denmark has also recently undertaken an overhaul of its education system similar to the qualification changes being consulted on and introduced in Scotland. 

Hyslop said: "We are delighted to receive this delegation from Victoria as it is one of the key states we have identified for ongoing engagement in education.

"We have a lot to share and compare, particularly on curricular reform, and I look forward to these discussions."

She added: "We are delighted to receive this high level delegation from Denmark.  We have both opened up our education systems to expert external evaluation by the OECD and have benefited from the quality of their insights and analysis.  We will be reporting back to the OECD Education Policy Committee on how we respond to the review in a few years time so are interested to hear how the Danish authorities have responded to their review and found the whole experience."

The delegations will also visit the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland).  The body’s Chief Executive, Matthew MacIver said: "We are pleased to welcome the delegations from Australia and Denmark to the GTC Scotland.

"We receive regular enquiries from abroad about our work and in particular the Teacher Induction Scheme which was recently described as 'world class' in an OECD report.

"This is a further endorsement of Scottish education and the standards that the GTC Scotland, as the regulatory body for teachers in Scotland, strives to uphold."

The Danish delegation is also due to meet representatives from Learning and Teaching Scotland to discuss Curriculum for Excellence.  Bernard McLeary, Chief Executive of LTS, said: "This is an exciting time for Scottish education with the development of Curriculum for Excellence. 

"Having undertaken their own changes in curriculum, it will be a great opportunity to share experiences and show how Scotland is developing its education system for the 21st Century.

"We look forward to discussing how we are taking forward Curriculum for Excellence in partnership with the education profession."