7th October 2020
Connect Statement on Deputy First Minister John Swinney’s announcement today that National 5 qualifications will not have exams in 2021 but will be based on teacher and school assessment, with moderation by SQA
Eileen Prior, Executive Director of parent/carer organisation Connect, said:
‘Connect’s surveys of parents and carers during the COVID pandemic have shown us that there is a lot of concern about the impact of the pandemic on young people’s education and qualifications, as well as their stress levels in coping with the huge changes that have been occurring in their schooling. One part of that has been the cancellation of the SQA exams last session and worries about what will happen in this current academic year.’
‘While acknowledging that these are turbulent times, parents and carers, and the young people studying for qualifications, need some certainty so that they understand what is expected of them to achieve the qualifications they are working for now. We need to know that the abilities and hard work of pupils will be fairly and consistently assessed in a system which has robust standards and is fair to everyone.’
‘The announcement by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney that National 5 qualifications will be awarded in 2020-21 through school-based assessment and demonstrated in between two and four pieces of work at school level – rather than a mix of assessments and a final exam – is another significant change for everyone to work through but gives young people and families some measure of clarity.’
‘Moving National 5s to the proposed model of assessment is not an easy option. It will require SQA, Education Scotland and Local Authorities to work together with schools in the interests of pupils to make sure there is clarity and consistency in the process. Without that co-ordinated support, this approach will not deliver for schools, pupils or their families.’
‘We know from this year’s debacle that it’s critical to make sure this round of qualifications is fair and equitable to all. This means there will need to be high levels of collaboration, transparency and trust throughout the education system. This model of assessment also means that young people will need to focus on their work all session as their qualification will be based on their performance on between two and four pieces of working, during the course of the whole year.’
‘Young people studying for Higher and Advanced Higher will still have final exams.’
‘Connect is clear that local authorities, schools, Education Scotland and Government will have to pull the stops out to make sure that learning and teaching are enabled for all young people – not just those taking qualifications – whether in school or online at home, that support for young people is provided and parents are helped to understand and support the learning. In particular, the challenges of setting up a new system for N5 students must not have negative consequences for those students working towards Higher and Advanced Higher.’
‘The experience of the last few months has shown us that these are likely to be difficult months ahead: six months into the pandemic we need everyone to step up to help our young people achieve what they need for their next steps in learning and work. In addition, employers and universities need to understand and have confidence in what is being implemented.’
You can read Cabinet SecretaryJohn Swinney's full statement made to Parliament here, the Rapid Review Of National Qualifications Experience 2020 led by Professor Mark Priestley here, the Scottish Government's response to the Review here, and Connect's own submission to the Review here.