For a long time, exams have been treated as the only real route to a qualification. Forrester High School in Edinburgh has other ideas. And their pupils are better off for it.
A bit of background
Forrester is a comprehensive secondary school in the north-west of Edinburgh, serving around 850 pupils across six year groups. It’s non-denominational and has a Parent Council that’s actively invested in making school a fairer experience for everyone.
Their motto is Respect, Believe, Achieve – and it shows in everything they do.
Rethinking what ‘success’ looks like
For the last four years, Forrester has been taking a hard look at its senior phase curriculum. Rather than just sticking with the traditional National qualifications, they’ve been asking: what do our pupils actually need?
The answer involved a serious rethink. They brought in a wide range of qualifications from SCQF levels 4 to 7, partnered with local further education providers and used real labour market intelligence to shape their course offer. S4 pupils now take seven subjects, which creates a smoother path into SCQF level 6 study in S5.
The results speak for themselves – Forrester was recognised by The Times newspaper as the most improved secondary school in Scotland between 2016 and 2025, based on the percentage of leavers achieving five or more level 6 qualifications.
What’s the SCQF and why does it matter?
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is the way to recognise and easily compare a broad range of learning, not just traditional the National Qualifications leading to exams. Qualifications like National Progression Awards (NPAs), Foundation Apprenticeships, and Skills for Work courses. Nearly every department at Forrester now offers at least one NPA, and new courses like Creative Industries, Furniture Making and Technical Theatre have been added this year.
Introducing new qualifications was only half the job. Getting the school community to actually understand them was the other part. Pupil SCQF Ambassadors have been a huge part of that – turning up at parents’ evenings with display stands, QR codes, posters and leaflets and talking people through how it all works. They even created TikTok and Instagram accounts to get the message out to younger audiences.
What do the pupils actually think?
When pupils were asked why they chose an NPA, the answers were refreshingly honest:
“Less stressful because no final exam.”
“I still managed to get two Level 6 qualifications and the subject was actually fun.”
“Yes, if you want to go into a career in it – you don’t always get Nat 5s and Highers for careers you want to do like Music Business or Events.”
These aren’t pupils taking an easy way out, they’re making smart, informed choices about qualifications that actually suit them and their future careers.
A former pupil’s take
One former pupil, who took alternative courses at SCQF level 6 in S5 and went on to apply to college, put it brilliantly:
Traditional qualifications often rely on a final exam and don’t always show the work you’ve done all year. Qualifications like NPAs give you credit for the work you’ve done throughout the year, and when I applied to college, admissions staff really liked them because they showed skills development, a constant work ethic and an ability to meet deadlines.
What’s next?
Forrester isn’t stopping here. They’re aiming for their SCQF School Ambassador Gold Award, with plans to recruit ambassadors from across all year groups and expand their presence through assemblies and PSE lessons.
Forrester High School is proving that when you entrust young people with genuine choices, they rise to the occasion.
Useful links
Join the SCQF School Ambassador Programme
Visit the School Ambassador Padlet
The Times article – The secrets of Scotland’s most improved school