Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has rejected the suggestion that another qualifications debacle is around the corner.
Ms Sturgeon also revealed that she has had discussions with education officials this week, amid concerns over ongoing exam-like assessment of students and the delay in the publication of guidance about Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) appeals.
Tes Scotland reported yesterday that details about the appeals process - which were originally due to be published by no later than early May - are now most likely to appear next Tuesday, exactly a month before most students’ provisional 2021 results are due to be submitted on 25 June.
This afternoon, while taking questions at a Scottish government coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon was asked whether it was acceptable that the SQA appeals process had still not appeared, and whether “we’re on course for another exams fiasco”.
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The first minister replied: “No, I don’t think we are, but we’re taking great care over these decisions, so it’s important we try to get the system for appeals right, and we’ve been listening carefully to some of the representations that have been made, including from people [such as] the children’s commissioner [Bruce Adamson, who wrote for Tes Scotland about the SQA assessment situation last Friday].
SQA assessment: Teachers waiting for details on this summer’s appeals process
“I personally had discussions with education officials about this, this week, to make sure we get the details of that right. The details of it are being finalised, and we do expect to publish the details of what the appeals process looks like very soon. And I hope that it will give a lot of reassurance to young people that, if they feel when they get to the grade that is awarded to them that they are not happy with that, then they have the ability to go through an appeals process.
“But I hope people will understand, given the situation we’re in right now, that we’re taking time - and the SQA is taking time - to get that as right as possible.”
Ms Sturgeon, speaking two days after Shirley-Anne Somerville was announced as the new education secretary, added: “Obviously, the model that has been agreed with the input of teachers and with the EIS [teaching union], in particular for the certification of results this year - the ‘alternative certification model’ - again, a lot of time has been taken over that
“I know it’s an anxious time for young people, and, indeed, an anxious time for teachers, but it’s important that we do these things as well as we possibly can, for the interests of young people - and that applies to the appeals process as well.”
Labour education spokesperson Michael Marra has written to the education secretary to underline the “urgent need” to publish the SQA appeals process, stating: “It is unforgivable that young people and their teachers have been entered into this process with no clarity regarding how it will conclude.”
Mr Marra also says calls for “a ‘resit’ guarantee” that would give students a college place to sit qualifications again if necessary.
He writes: “Your predecessor’s [John Swinney’s] insistence that there are no exams being undertaken did a disservice to the process that young people are currently undertaking with all their effort.
“It is clear that lessons from last year’s exams fiasco have not be learned, and that this year’s alternative assessment system has the potential to be more damaging than the one used last year.”
Meanwhile, it was confirmed today that Ross Greer will continue as the Scottish Greens’ education spokesperson.
