Including exams would build confidence in courses

CHANGING the way any system works is often unpopular, frequently challenging. But there is an additional pressure with education reforms, in that failure to fix any problem risks harming the chances of individual pupils in ways which may have long-term consequences.

Thus there is a degree of urgency about addressing the flaws in the National 4 and National 5 qualifications in schools. This arises, primarily from a need to make the former qualification more appealing – to pupils, parents and employers.

Because many pupils currently take the National 5 who are not suited to the qualification, a quarter of those who emerge from schools with a National 4 qualification do so having “failed” to gain a National 5 award. Teachers’ union the Educational Institute of Scotland says this is creating an educational “apartheid” within schools.

The solution, most within and outwith schools agree, is to include an exam element to the assessment of the Nat 4, to help build confidence in it as a sensible choice for many pupils, rather than a lesser qualification.

But the Scottish Qualifications Authority has now made it clear that it will not be able to take on the job of devising such an exam, what to assess and how to deliver it until its current work has concluded.

This is an unacceptable delay, according to the EIS, which believes a qualification could be put in place with minimal fuss. It is arguable whether deferring this work until after the summer really is a delay, given that there has never been an official timetable for bringing in changes to the Nat 4.

But it is certainly concerning when teachers are warning of division and even of some pupils being forced to drop out.

These reforms are vital to prevent that happening, to restore faith in the system and ultimately to ensure pupils can get the best out of the suite of qualifications on offer under Curriculum for Excellence. All those involved: ministers, the SQA and teachers’ bodies must come together as soon as possible to resolve this extremely unpalatable situation.