Teachers could face choice of appealing pupils’ grades and preparing to reopen schools

Teachers could be forced to choose between appealing their pupils’ grades and preparing for reopening schools, Holyrood’s education committee has said.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)’s exam replacement plans mean the appeals process for challenging lower than expected results could open from August 4 – the week before schools are expected to start their phased reopening.

But the education committee “continues to have concerns” about the SQA’s grading system following the cancellation of this year’s exams due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to the exams board, committee convener Clare Adamson said the timescale will cause “a capacity issue for secondary school teachers” who will also be making “intensive preparations” to reopen classrooms safely from August 14.

Ms Adamson also suggested the large number of appeals challenging grades through the proposed system could lead to a delay for pupils confirming places on university and college courses.

The letter expresses queries between evidence to back up a grade and a teacher’s judgment, pointing out the SQA’s recent guidance states “evidence to substantiate an appeal is required”.

It calls for more information about how the appeals process will work “for those young people where teachers’ inferred attainment has relied more on the understanding of the pupil than tangible evidence”.

“The committee understood from the SQA that where the evidence may be lacking that a young person will achieve a certain level based on their performance before the coronavirus outbreak, but a teacher’s judgment was that they had the capacity to achieve a particular level, then an estimate could be based on this teacher judgment,” the letter adds.

The committee also asks the SQA for more information about potential plans for next year’s exams, amid concern about them going ahead and the impact of the blended learning situation on pupils’ attainment.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan told MSPs there should be a plan in place in case next year’s exam diet does not go ahead, with Education Secretary John Swinney suggesting cancellation or delay in 2021 is possible.

Giving evidence to the committee on Friday, Mr Swinney said the SQA has been in touch with schools to make staff aware of the need to gather information and evidence on pupils’ performance throughout the forthcoming academic year.

Further guidance will also be issued about “collecting information and evidence to support the judgments about the achievements of young people”.

The education secretary added: “Although we are planning for an exam diet I cannot say with absolute certainty that it will be able to take place.

“So we are asking schools to gather evidence on an ongoing basis to support judgments that may be required to be made in the spring of 2021.”

An SQA spokesman said: “Detailed guidance on the free appeals process for schools and colleges will be published this Friday.

“We have previously said to the committee that we will publish the full details of our approach to certification this year and our equality impact assessment.

“The strategic framework for reopening schools, early learning and childcare provision, published by the Scottish Government, makes clear that planning for the 2021 examination diet is under way and will continue.”