Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS)
TypeRegistered charity, umbrella body
Registration no.Scottish Charity No. SC018033
FocusInspection of Scottish private schools
Location
  • 61 Dublin Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6NL
Key people
Lorraine Davidson (CEO)
Alison Herbert (Deputy Director)
Websitescis.org.uk

The Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) is a registered Scottish charity[1][2] which represents the independent school sector in Scotland.[3] Its membership includes mainstream fee-paying independent schools and a range of schools for young people with complex additional support needs.

Background

Independent Schools in Scotland are inspected by the national school inspectorate, Education Scotland; pastoral services including nursery and boarding are regulated by the Care Inspectorate.

The majority of Scottish independent schools are registered charities, as their purpose is the advancement of education. As such, their charitable activities are overseen by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator which is responsible for confirming independent schools' public benefit by means of a charity test required by the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.[4] SCIS was founded in 1978 and became a company and charity in 1990.[5] SCIS represents over 70 member schools in Scotland.

As of 2016, there were 29,647 pupils in SCIS independent schools.[6] 1,455 of those children are in nurseries, 10,416 pupils are in primary schools and 17,786 are in senior schools.

The overall number of boarding school pupils in Scotland in 2013 was 3,072. A SCIS sub-brand, Scotland's Boarding Schools,[7] details the boarding sector in Scotland.

Structure

The organisation has a small staff team of six,[8] and provides a range of Professional Learning and Development (CPD),[9] communications and marketing for the independent sector, advice and guidance to parents and families, and liaison with the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament, public and education bodies. It is governed by a Board composed of elected Heads, Chairs and Bursars of independent schools in membership.

The current Chief Executive of SCIS is Lorraine Davidson who previously worked for the Scottish Government where she was responsible for Head of Education Strategy, including leading the National Discussion on Education, Head of vaccine oversight during the COVID-19 rollout in Scotland, and Head of European Engagement in preparation for Brexit. [10]

SCIS works in association with the Independent Schools Council on UK-wide matters.

Functions

The main functions of SCIS are:

SCIS's key aims are to deliver the following specific services through CPD, regulatory and legal guidance, and additional events and publications:

Service to Schools:

Promoting the Sector:

Service to Education:

Membership

SCIS represents over 70 member schools in Scotland,[2] including:[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Extract from the Scottish Charity Register : Scottish Council Of Independent Schools, SC018033". Oscr.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  2. ^ a b "Submission from the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS)" (PDF). Scottish.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  3. ^ The Scottish Government. The Registration of Independent Schools in Scotland: Guidance Notes. [1]
  4. ^ "Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005". Legislation.gov.uk. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  5. ^ Bryce and Humes (eds.), (2008). Scottish Education: Third Edition - Beyond Devolution, p. 91. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. ISBN 978 0 7486 2593 2.
  6. ^ "Facts & Figures". SCIS.
  7. ^ "Scotland's Boarding Schools". Scotlandsboardingschools.org.uk. 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  8. ^ "Meet The SCIS Team". SCIS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  9. ^ "Professional Learning Meeting the Needs of the Sector". SCIS.
  10. ^ "Meet the SCIS Team". SCIS. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Find a School". SCIS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.