The Chair of the HMIE Advisory Council
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education is looking for a chairperson for the new Advisory Council. The Council is being formed to represent the views of those affected by inspection, and to provide advice to the Chief Inspector.
The Chief Inspector is looking for someone with a strong, personal commitment to education, with extensive experience in educational leadership at a senior level. With your knowledge of education you will also be able to demonstrate significant experience of chairing diverse groups at this level. In applying you must be able to demonstrate that you meet the role criteria set out below.
The Education (Scotland) Act 2025 came into effect on 1 March 2026. The Act states that the Chief Inspector must establish an Advisory Council. The Advisory Council will represent the interests of:
- Learners and practitioners
Parents, carers and staff members
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The function of the Council is to advise the Chief Inspector in relation to the exercise of their functions, either when asked to do so by the Chief Inspector or on its own initiative.
This role is the first stage in forming the Council and the successful candidate will be essential in supporting the Chief Inspector to finalise membership.
The Council will comprise 15-24 members. These will be drawn from stakeholder groups and representatives who meet the criteria as set out in the Act. HMIE will seek both member nominations from key groups and recruit through public advertisement.
As the Chair, you will lead the Advisory Council in determining what business is discussed and will prepare and present the advice of the Council for the Chief Inspector. The Chief Inspector will remain independent from the discussions and, while not a Council member, will attend meetings.
The legislation includes specific requirements for the Chief Inspector about how to engage and respond to the advice of that Council.
About His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) provides independent inspection of education services Scotland. We carry out inspections across sectors to assess quality, support improvement and inform policy. Our work gives assurance to learners, families, educators and to Parliament.
We promote improvement by sharing effective practice and generating evidence to shape national thinking.
Under The Education (Scotland) Act 2025 , HMIE will continue to carry out inspections, publish findings and support system learning. The power to set the frequency and focus of inspections, moves from Scottish Ministers to His Majesty’s Chief Inspector.
The purposes of inspection are to:
- recognise effective practice adopted by relevant educational establishments
- promote the quality of education by identifying areas for improvement
- establish where support may be required to make improvements
- share effective practice
- share evidence to inform the development of education policy
- The purposes of inspection are set out by The Education (Scotland) Act 2025 .
