Teachers’ resistance to a return to pre-Covid assessment is strongest at Higher level, a survey by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) shows.
In response to the poll of 2,120 of its members, the SSTA described the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s decision as “foolhardy” and urged it to reconsider.
The SSTA, which holds its annual congress in Crieff later this week, conducted a survey of members following the SQA announcement that course assessments in 2023-24 would return to pre-pandemic arrangements.
Only 15 per cent of SSTA members who took part in the survey saw the reintroduction of pre-Covid assessment as a positive at Higher. That compared with 18 per cent at Advanced Higher, 26 per cent at National 5 and 30 per cent at National 4.
Music was one of the subjects in which resistance was strongest. One music teacher said: “Bringing back coursework and pre-pandemic courses means that candidates have not covered the content or met the skills required at that level to then be expected to succeed at the next level. Attainment of pupils will be massively affected. Teacher workload will be huge.”
Another music teacher said: ”I am happy to return to pre-Covid requirements [but] a level should be introduced each year. We are asking Higher and Advanced Higher pupils to complete work up to the required level without the experience at National 5.”
SQA ‘must reconsider’ decision on assessment
SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson said: “The SSTA survey has shown that SQA must go back and reconsider its decision when pupils and teachers are still in the process of education recovery.”
Mr Searson said the survey showed a majority view among teachers that students are not ready for pre-pandemic exam arrangements in 2024, making the SQA approach “foolhardy”.
He added: “The damage to pupils’ learning and the task for teachers in trying to bridge the gap cannot be underestimated, and to make more changes to qualifications when the whole qualification system is about to change requires the SQA to think again.
“Members are concerned about the wellbeing of their pupils and the immeasurable workload demands on a profession that is already on its knees.”
Mr Searson highlighted that 76 per cent of respondents said workload would increase “a lot or a great deal”. He called on the Scottish government to “intervene and protect our pupils who already struggling, and teachers that have no capacity to meet these imposed changes”.
An SQA spokesperson said: “The decision to reintroduce coursework in 2024 is made in the best interests of learners and followed extensive engagement with teachers, lecturers, universities, colleges and unions, among others. This highlighted concerns about the detrimental impact temporary Covid modifications can have on learners’ development of knowledge, skills and understanding and on their progression into further or higher education or employment.
“A return to coursework provides learners with a more balanced approach to assessment, in line with the direction of travel emerging from the independent review of qualifications and assessment, and is particularly beneficial to those learners who may not perform well in high-stakes exams.”
