Scotland’s independent think tank
Scotland’s independent think tank

Commission on school reform

In November 2011, Reform Scotland set up the Commission on School Reform to consider whether the school system in Scotland is meeting the present and future needs of young people. Its aim is to reach a consensus about specific recommendations on areas for improvement or that require further inquiry.

The Commission is chaired by Keir Bloomer, and regularly issues research and challenge papers to prompt a new sense of urgency in Government thinking.

Membership of the Commission on School Reform is currently as follows:

  • Keir Bloomer (Chair): Education Consultant and former Director of Education
  • Cllr Sarah Atkin: Independent Councillor at The Highland Council and member of the Education Committee.  Former Parent Council Chairwoman and School Governor.
  • John Edward: Scottish Council on Global Affairs, Former Director SCIS; Trustee of Scottish European Educational Trust and Board Member of AGBIS.
  • Carole Ford: Former head teacher of Kilmarnock Academy and former president of School Leaders Scotland
  • Heather Fuller: Head teacher at The High School of Glasgow Junior School, former Development Officer at Education Scotland
  • Jim Goodall: Former Head of Education and Community Services at Clackmannanshire Council and former Lib Dem councillor at East Dunbartonshire Council
  • Anna Hazel-Dunn: Deputy head teacher, Blackhall Primary, Edinburgh
  • Johann Lamont: Former teacher (1979-99) and retired Member of Scottish Parliament (1999-2022)
  • Frank Lennon: Former Head of Dunblane High School and St Modan’s, Stirling
  • Ross Martin: Economic agitator with experience in a variety of roles in education – including school teacher, voluntary tutor, chair of local education authority, member of college board and university court, Chair of a charity, and, most importantly, a parent and former student.
  • Cllr Alix Mathieson: Conservative Councillor at East Dunbartonshire Council, member of education committee and Former Chairperson of a third sector nursery
  • Lindsay Paterson: Professor emeritus of education policy in the School of Social and Political Science at Edinburgh University.
  • Bruce Robertson: An experienced secondary headteacher and best-selling author of The Teaching Delusion trilogy and Power Up Your Pedagogy: The Illustrated Handbook of Teaching.


*All members of the Commission participate in an individual capacity and that the views of the Commission do not represent the views of any other organisation to which individual members belong