Dundee rector supports call for reform of exams

Group claims present system outdated and questions its efficacy

Exams should be cancelled or shortened to allow for more learning time, a Dundee head teacher has said.

Grove Academy rector Graham Hutton is one of the school leaders backing calls for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to implement the “bold” exam reform.

Mr Hutton is a member of the BOCSH group, formerly known as the Building Our Curriculum Self Help Group, which raised concerns to the SQA as part of the authority’s consultation on the 2021 exam diet.

The examinations body said final plans would be announced this week following a 10-day consultation, which amassed 23,000 responses.

The plans include changes to individual subjects, including alterations to coursework, assignments and exam structure and length.

The BOCSH group, which consists of 20 head teachers from 19 local authorities, said the SQA “completely misjudged what is required for the coming year”.

The school heads also called the present system outdated and questioned whether exams are necessary in the long term for determining the ability of pupils.

Mr Hutton said the downgrading of this year’s results caused an “inequity” between pupils from the poorest backgrounds and those from more affluent areas.

Reforms are essential to prevent pupils being disadvantaged further in the event of another lockdown, he said.

“The whole push by the Scottish Government and Scottish education is to try and narrow the education attainment gap and ensure everybody gets an equal chance.

“But at the moment everything really depends on how pupils perform on that one day.

“We (BOCSH) believe that is quite unfair. A lot of young people cannot cope with the stress and worry of relying on a one-day exam at the end of their course.

“Some of these pupils hadn’t even finished their National 5 courses because of lockdown and they’re at a further disadvantage moving up to Higher.

“It would be far fairer to operate with a continuous assessment model as it means young people can show what they can do.”

The group has called for National 5 exams to be removed completely and replaced with “teacher-predicted grades and internal assessment”.

The assessments would be verified at a national level in order to ensure results were credible.

Exams would continue at Higher under their plans but would be moved to a later date and with “shortened and reduced content”.

The final exam should be removed for Advanced Highers, the group suggests, and more weight added to the dissertation with assessment windows held throughout the year.

Mr Hutton also said the group’s alternative proposals would enable pupils to catch-up on their studies after five months away from education.

Reducing the time spent on preparing for exams, or pushing exams back to a later date, would give pupils the additional learning time they need to get to grips with new courses.

The SQA were approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publishing.

However it is understood they are analysing feedback, including from “5,000 learners”.

Explaining the proposed modifications, the SQA said: “There remains a potential risk of disruption to the amount of teaching and learning that can be delivered this year, and the assessment of national qualifications.

“It is important that the education system has plans in place to ensure that we can cope with any disruptions in the coming months.”

Picture: PA. The BOCSH group has called for National 5 exams to be removed completely.

Picture: Kris Miller. Graham Hutton is rector at Grove Academy.