No school exams in Scotland next year after Swinney cancels Highers
Highers and Advanced Higher exams have been cancelled in Scotland next year, Education Secretary John S win neyh as announced.
The decision means that no exams will take place in Scotland next summer after the decision this year to axe National 5s.
Teaching representatives welcomed the decision, but one parents’ group warned that the“inexcusably bad decision” would have a “terrible impact” on pupils’ futures.
Mr Swinney announced the cancellation of Higher sat Holyrood after growing concerns that to o many pupils had unfairly missed out schooling as a result of being ordered to self-isolate.
Children will receive grades based on teacher assessments of classroom work throughout the year.
"There will be no Higher or Advanced Higher exams in 2021,” Mr S win neyt old MSPS. “Instead we will adopt the new model that has been developed and base awards on teacher judgement of evidence of learner attainment.
“This is safe. It is fair. And it better recognises the reality of the disruption so many pupils have already had to their learning.”
Mr Swinney had previously indicated that he could have waited until the end of Feb - ruar y before making a decision but has faced growing pressure from opposition parties to end the uncertainty for pupils and teachers.
He said: “I will not stake the future of our Higher pupils – whether they get a place at college, university, training or work – on a lottery of whether their school was hit by Covid.
“Exams cannot account for differential loss of learning and could lead to unfair results for our poor est pupils. This could lead to pupils’ futures being blighted through no fault of their own.”
It will mark the second year in a row in which Scotland’ s exams diet has been cancelled.
A bonus will be paid to teachers this year in acknowledgment of the “additional workload of assessment of national qualifications in this unique academic year.
"I intend to make an excep - ti on alone-off payment to teachers and lecturers who are critical to assessing and marking N5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses this year,” Mr Swinney said.
"We will progress this ur gently with partners and employers, including discussing when and how the payment will be delivered.”
Secondary schools are being urged to prioritise all remaining in-service day time to work on the alternative model of certification for the national qualifications next year.concerns have also been raised about the disproportionate impact on poor er and older pupils caused by Covid-19, with those groups more likely to miss school due the impact of the virus and requirements to selfisolate.
In 2020, the exam results were plunged into chaos when it emerged 125,000 teacher estimates were moderated down based on a statistical model used by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), leading to an embarrassing U-turn by the SNP Government and all teacher estimates being awarded to pupils.
But Mr Swinney said the new system for grade estimates next year will not include the controversial algorithm which resulted in many pupils being marked down this year.
"Let me make clear that no algorithm will be used ," he said. "It is a model that will be based on learner evidence, subject to quality assurance at local and national level, to deliver a credible and fair set of results.
"It is a model that has achieved a broad level of support across Scotland’s education professionals."
The methodology behind the new system has been set out in a report by the National Qualifications 2021 Group, he said.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of teaching union the Educational Institute of Scotland, said cancellation was the right move.
“The E IS has every con fidenceint he ability of teachers to make professional judgment sb as ed on pupil evidence and, in the circumstances, believes that cancelling the exam diet in favour of an alternative model is the correct decision, one which could have been made earlier,” he said.
"We have raised repeatedly, however, the additional workload burden which this will generate and made clear that teachers should not be treated as unpaid SQA markers. The Deputy First Minister’s commitment, therefore, to make additional payments to teachers is welcome.”
But the cancellation came under fire from parent group Us for them Scotland. Organise rJoB is set said :“This is an inexcusably bad decision which will have a terrible impact on children’s future.
“John Swinney made it abundantly clear that exams would go ahead if public health guidance allowed. Instead, it seems like he’s now taking his orders from vested interests and politicians who have, at best, base level ambitions for Scotland’s pupils.”
Tor y education spokesman Jamie Greene accused Mr Swinney of a lack of "leadership" over the decision.
“John Swinney delayed this decision to the last possible moment, shamefully keeping pupils, teachers and parents in the dark for months,” he said.
“At ever y turn during this pandemic, he has failed to step up and show the leadership required.”
But the cancellation of Highersw as welcomed by Green education spokesman Ross Greer, who described it as "overdue".