Qualifications Scotland chief executive announces departure

The head of Scotland’s national qualifications body has announced he is to step down.

Nick Page will leave Qualifications Scotland after exam results day in August.

He has been chief executive of Qualifications Scotland since it started work last December, having joined its predecessor, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), in July that year, just months before it was replaced in education reforms.

Announcing his departure, he said he would leave the organisation “in a strong place”.

Page said: “When I joined SQA in July 2025, I said that my priorities were to implement the Education (Scotland) Act which established Qualifications Scotland, to accelerate the pace of change and to build stronger partnerships across the education and skills system. I am proud that, working with committed colleagues and collaborative partners, I have been able to deliver against those priorities. Qualifications Scotland is now firmly established and enabling hundreds of thousands of learners to achieve their full potential.  

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the role and in Scotland, and when I depart next August, I believe I will be leaving the organisation in a strong place to move forward and build further success.”

The SQA was scrapped after controversies over marking. Ex-teacher Page succeeded Fiona Robertson and his departure will come as schools prepare for revisions to qualifications from National 4 to Advanced Higher levels. A former chief executive of Solihull Council, he left that role in 2023 in the wake of an Ofsted probe into children’s services after the murder of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.

Recruitment for his replacement is expected to begin in the new year.

Shirley Rogers, chair of Qualifications Scotland, said Page had “made a real and positive difference at a crucial time”, adding: “I appreciate Nick’s commitment to remaining in post until next August, which provides stability and the opportunity to plan an orderly handover.”