Pupils missed a third of learning time but grades remain moderated

missed more than half of normal classroom time and lost out on a third of their learning overall during the pandemic it has been revealed, as a majority of Scottish councils confirmed that grades for senior pupils will be moderated based on historical passes data.

New research has found that Scottish – and Northern Irish – pupils missed 119 classroom days from a 190day school year, less than the 124 days missed in Wales, but higher than the 110 days in England.

When home schooling is taken into account, they still lost a third of the normal leaning time, with 64 days lost in Scotland, compared with 61 in England and Northern Ireland, while in Wales it was 66.

The analysis from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the University of Exeter, also shows that in each of the four nations of the UK, poorest pupils lost more learning time than their richer peers.

The new data comes as the results of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, published by the Scottish Government, reveals that despite pledges there would be no moderation of teacher-awarded grades for pupils sitting assessments, the majority of Scottish councils are using managers to “sense-check” the results.

Formal exams were scrapped in December as a result of schools being closed for the second time as Covpupils id cases rose, and the Scottish Government said grades would be based on teacher judgement.

This was then replaced by an alternative certification model (ACM) which required demonstrated achievement, and as a result senior pupils sat a series of assessments in April and May.

Despite a pledge that there would be no repeat of the moderation of last year’s results, which was carried out by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and saw schools in the most deprived areas receive the worst results, the FOI responses show that councils have been moderating the grades themselves.

Twenty eight of Scotland’s 32 councils answered the FOI asking for details of the quality assurance process in use by each local authority.