13th May 2021
Letter to:
Fiona Robertson, Chief Executive, SQA
Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister, Scottish Government
Graeme Logan, Director of Learning, Scottish Government
Carrie Lindsay, President, ADES
We are writing to express our extreme concern that:
- Young people in many settings are finding themselves doing assessments which are, in effect, exams, but within school time, to an even more challenging timetable than SQA exams, with no study leave and while being driven to cram for tests rather than to learn. We had understood – as had many parents and young people – that ‘assessment’ would mean course work and that this would take account of the different experiences of young people this year, not a process which would simply mimic the very worst elements of the inequitable exam system it replaces. Many young people will have been negatively impacted by being unable to complete work through no fault of their own, because they are self-isolating, struggling to study from home, suffering from social isolation without their usual support systems and more. We also understand that these tests, with answers, are being widely shared on TikTok. How can there be any hope of this being a fair system, when indeed different schools are adopting different approaches?
- Extenuating circumstances (or ‘personal circumstances’) can only be addressed through extended assessment, not through appeal and not by the school in estimating the student’s grade. We strongly believe that this consideration has never been more important, and this must be addressed in the estimated grade from schools. The impact of COVID-19 on young people’s wellbeing and prospects must be mitigated by the qualification system, and indeed by all education stakeholders.
- Teacher (and school) judgment must be brought back into assessment processes, blending evidenced attainment with knowledge of the student and their circumstances. Attainment trajectory records are kept for every pupil and these must inform grades. It is through no fault of their own that young people have had to cope with an extremely difficult year, with interrupted learning, health and wellbeing impacts and challenging family circumstances for many.
- Over the last 18 months, Connect has repeatedly stated that young people should not be disadvantaged by the qualification arrangements. These are exceptional times – SQA, local authorities, schools and Scottish Government cannot expect to maintain the ‘status quo’. Qualifications and national strategies must recognise young people’s endeavours, coupled with enabling young people to take their planned next steps, with support and confidence.
We made our submission to the SQA appeals consultation that the needs of young people should be front and centre of any process. Our most recent parent/carer survey, conducted during spring 2021 when most young people were not in school, highlighted the following views and concerns for parents of S4-S6 pupils:
- 56% said their child/young person is not doing enough school work/struggling with remote learning
- 80% had concerns about coursework and assessments for qualifications
- 71% said arrangements for assessments for qualifications should recognise what young people have been able to achieve under extremely challenging circumstances
- 72% said that children and young people should be able to move on to their planned next stage, feeling confident and well-supported.
The question for the education system and government should be: what can we do to help and support young people to take their next steps confidently? Young people cannot be expected to carry the responsibility for events over which they had no control. Surely the emphasis should be on supporting their next steps; then, they need the work or education sector they move on to, to help them progress as they can and should. Young people’s rights, teacher judgment and extenuating circumstances – along with full equality impact assessments – must be integral to the SQA assessment processes.
Yours sincerely
Eileen Prior
Executive Director
Connect