Scottish Labour has said it will table a motion of no confidence and seek support from other parties in the Scottish Parliament for the removal of education secretary and deputy first minister John Swinney.
The party announced its intentions after sharing an image which it said came from the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s (SQA) intranet, showing that urgent appeals from students would be concluded by 4 September but that non-urgent results appeals would not be finalised until 31 May 2021. However, the party said that the timeline now appears to have been removed from the SQA intranet.
John Swinney under fire over the SQA results controversy
In a statement, the SQA responded: “There is no nine-month wait for grades. This was a meaningless date set as part of a technical requirement to allow the system to go live.
“The results of the priority appeals will be emailed to schools and colleges for learners by 4 September.
“We are committed to processing all appeals as quickly as possible. We will provide a date for all other reviews shortly after 21 August.”
It is understood that the completion date for non-urgent appeals has not been decided, but that October or November are possibilities.
Labour said it planned to table a motion of no confidence and seek support from other parties in the Scottish Parliament for Mr Swinney’s removal.
The party’s education spokesperson, Iain Gray, said: “Since the shambles of the SQA results emerged on Tuesday, the SQA and SNP ministers have deflected criticism through arguing that students could appeal unfair grades.”
He added: “We cannot have confidence in John Swinney and the SQA to run a credible appeals system. The only way out of this mess now is for Scottish government to return to trusting teachers’ judgments.”
A spokesperson for first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Governments across the UK - and indeed across the world - have had to adapt to a near impossible situation imposed on exam systems by the global pandemic.
“The fact is, no alternative system to the exam diet would leave everybody satisfied, which is perhaps why Labour in Scotland have not even suggested one. Indeed, reports suggest that a similar process to that used by the SQA will lead to similar - or perhaps greater - proportions of pupils being downgraded in Labour-run Wales, when results are published shortly.
“John Swinney is absolutely committed to listening to the concerns of those who feel let down by this week’s results. In the meantime, it is important that the appeals process is allowed to proceed.”
