Parents & carers
of learners

A dad with his two daughters. One is a young girl, and she's being carried on his back, with her arms around his neck. The other daughter is a teenager and she's hugging them both from the side, with her hands touching her sisters. They signify the support the SCQF offers to parents and carers.

Helping you, help them

Is your child in education and about to make big decisions about their future? Whether it’s with subject choices, or their next steps after school, college or university, we can help.

As your go-to resource for understanding qualifications, the SCQF can help you support their journey and plan their next move.

Explore more below.

Qualifications – Past,
Present and Future

Explore Qualifications – Past, Present and Future below to equip
yourself with the vital knowledge you’ll need to support your child.

A black and white image of children in school in the 1940s. They are sitting at desks, looking forward, not smiling. They signify the qualifications children learned in school back in the day.

Scotland’s qualifications landscape has changed considerable over the years. From O’ Grades and Standard Grades, through to today’s Nationals and National Progression Awards, it can be difficult to understand the changes. But our handy Old v New Guide will help you relate qualifications from your education to today’s qualifications.

A schoolgirl writes on a whiteboard, to signify that the SCQF supports school pupils

Your child might be studying or about to study Nationals or Highers. Use our Interactive Framework to see where these qualifications sit. Don’t forget that there are many learning programmes on the SCQF that your child might be involved in at school or in their spare time. Make sure they list these on their UCAS application form or CV — search our register to find them.

A younger and old man in grey polo shirts, leaning over a table within a factor setting. The older man is showing the younger man how a tool works. The younger man signifies an apprentice.

Does your child know what they want to do next? If they’re considering university, they might follow a traditional route with Nationals, then Highers. But there’s more than one path to their ideal career. They might prefer a Foundation Apprenticeship at SCQF level 6, or a college course for hands-on training. Learning while working through a Modern Apprenticeship is also a rewarding option.

Explore our case studies to find inspiration.

Subject choices
in school

As your child progresses through their senior phase in school, they will be asked to make subject choices. Your child’s school may offer various types of qualifications. As well as Nationals and Highers, they may also offer Skills For Work, National Progression Awards (NPAs) and Foundation Apprenticeships. Some qualifications conclude with an exam, while some focus on continual assessment, which many pupils find suits them better.

A man holds in iPad in his hands. You can only see his hands. The iPad screen features the Interactive Framework page of the SCQF website

Explore the qualifications

Our Interactive Framework can help you understand the different qualifications and show you their SCQF level.

Our framework promotes equality of various types of learning. For instance, the Yes Company Programme by Young Enterprise Scotland (YES) is an SCQF level 6 qualification – the same level as a Higher. Though they focus on different skills, they both require the same level of effort to complete.

If your child wants to go to university, it’s vital to check their chosen course’s admission requirements as this will guide their subject choices.

A group of 5 school pupils from St Andrew's RC HS, smiling. There are banner stands promoting the school at either side of the group. They signify the support the SCQF offers to schools through the School Ambassador Programme.

School Ambassador Programme

Your child’s school may already be involved in our School Ambassador programme, which aims to support schools in exploring and developing more learning pathways. If your child’s school isn’t yet involved, speak to your school’s senior management team for more information.