Council set to appeal Higher grades of pupils living in ‘deprived’ areas
Dozens of Higher g ra d e s slashed because Renfrewshire pupils live in an area of high deprivation will be appealed.
The grades are among thousands across Scotland being questioned after the SQA confirmed students’ past work and predicted grades were slashed purely because of where they live.
The exam body - which this year had to find a new way of grading students performance in absence of the usual exams - controversially also looked at each school’s previous history of results.
This downgraded the pass rate for the poorest pupils by 15.2 per cent, but only 6.9 per cent for children in living in wealthier postcodes.
Renfrewshire Council has said it is now going through students grades and will appeal all results where the evidence allows.
The local authority said it not yet have the total number of grades affected but confirmed a review is underway.
“We hope the results pupils received match the effort and hard work they put in across the year,” a spokeswoman said. “Our schools are reviewing pupils’ results and will make appeals where they have evidence to support an increase.
“Pupils should also talk to their school for advice and to look at the range of career paths they can take towards their chosen career.”
Neil Bibby MSP said the high levels of deprivation in
Renfrewshire meant local pupils would be badly hit by the SQA approach, dubbing the situation a “scandal”.
The MSP for West Scotland region, said: “This year’s exam results have punished hardworking students just because they live in poorer areas.
“How can it be right for the exam authorities to mark down the professional assessment of teachers teaching in poorer areas more than it has for those teaching in more affluent communities?
“Why should pupils from affluent areas be treated more favourably than pupils from poorer areas?”
“This is blatant discrimination. For the first time in the history of Scottish education, we have a government agency actively discriminating against poorer young people. It beggars belief.”
He added: “The buck stops with Nicola Sturgeon.
“Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to be judged on her record in education. Why aren’t working class kids being judged on theirs? This is a scandal.”
The SNP’s own Mhairi Black also called on the inequality to be addressed, saying she is “deeply concerned”.
“Pupils work very hard for their grades and where they live should have absolutely nothing to do with how they perform,” she said. “Academic results should always be based on an individual’s ability.
“This issue needs to be addressed urgently by the SQA.
“Any pupil who feels that they have been impacted by this should appeal their grades - this is free to do and is the crucial step in ensuring you are not unfairly being penalised by a statistical model.”
John Swinney, the Scottish education secretary, said that without the SQA adjusting grades, the number of passes based on school recommendations would have been exceptionally high.
“This year has been exceptionally challenging but these robust processes mean we have upheld standards so that all learners can hold their heads up and move on to the next phase in their life, whether that be further study, employment or training,“he said.
“All exam systems rely on an essential process known as moderation to uphold standards.
“This ensures an A grade is the same in every part of the country, making the system fair for everyone, and across all years.”