Exam ‘shambles’ failing our kids

Scotland’s controversial new exam system has been branded a “shambles” just two weeks before pupils sit their first tests.

The Sunday Post has learned of a litany of fresh concerns among parents, children and teachers about the chaos gripping schools in the lead up to the exams.

They have sparked demands for an urgent independent review of how the rolling out of the qualifications has been handled.

The fury comes as the first year of pupils taught Nationals, which replaced Standard Grades as part of the Curriculum for Excellence, get ready to sit the tests.

Our reporters have been warned about:

Concerns over whether there are enough markers for the new exams.

Warnings over the mental health impact the new courses are having on teachers and pupils.

Claims teachers are doing pupils’ coursework themselves.

Parents horrified by pupils’ workloads.

Pupils and teachers forced to go to schools during Easter break to finish overdue coursework instead of studying for exams.

Stressed-out teachers bogged down by quadruple their normal workload vowing to desert the profession in their droves.

Pupils set to leave schools with fewer qualifications than their predecessors, sparking fears about their employment future.

Around 50,000 15 and 16-year-olds will become the first to sit new National 5 exams, run by the Scottish Qualification Authority, after the Easter break.

Modern studies, English, music and home economics students will all be tested in just over a fortnight’s time, with the rest of the exams including maths, history and geography running in the weeks after.

Another 10,000 pupils will gain their National 4s without an end-of-year test. Instead, they’ve been asked to carry out year-round assessments which have included putting on puppet shows.

But teachers and opposition politicians claim the “unmanageable” workload to prepare pupils for the new exams is taking a terrible toll, with some raising serious concerns over the way children are being prepared for later life.

Teachers have complained of basic errors in coursework they’ve been given and a lack of sample papers to get pupils exam-ready in time.

They’ve also told how they’ve resorted to completing long-overdue coursework for pupils themselves because of a lack of time in the curriculum.

Former English teacher and General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Larry Flanagan, said: “Work for teachers in many cases has quadrupled. I’ve had teachers attending meetings in tears and clearly very agitated. There are concerns about the health impact on teachers and pupils.

“Young people look to teachers for guidance and can easily pick up concerns about the course from them.”

He added: “We’ve heard of parents contacting schools because they can’t believe how much homework their kids are being given. Traditionally it’s been parents complaining about getting too little homework, but now there is too much. Teachers are being swept away in an assessment tsunami.

“Many have said they’ll leave this year. It’s the straw that’s broken the camel’s back.”

Figures are not available as to how many schools are ill-prepared for the new exams or how many teachers are being driven away by the demands the CfE has placed on them. But Alan McKenzie, acting General Secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’

Association, believes there are many.

He said: “We have huge causes for concern on the exams and full CfE coursework. There have been basic mistakes on coursework so who knows what the exams will be like. The demands have been enormous. Teachers tell us they’ve had enough and will leave because of it.”

The CfE was dreamed up by education boffins under the previous Labour Government and implemented over the last 10 years. But this summer marks an important sea-change with the first exams being sat. It means it will be the first time the public will be able to measure how well children learning under the curriculum are doing.

However, there are claims some pupils will be hindered by the changes. New figures have revealed pupils will take an average of 6.8 nationals this summer, against the 7.3 Standard Grades sat last year. That means many S4 pupils will leave school with fewer qualifications than their predecessors, potentially putting them at a serious disadvantage.

Despite their support for the CfE, Scottish Labour has now demanded a fresh independent inquiry into the new exams.

The Scottish government announced yesterday that a specially appointed board will now look at the first year of the Nationals, headed by Ken Muir, the chief executive of the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

But last night there were fears about how impartial that board many of whom were involved in implementing the CfE would be. Despite their support for the CfE, Scottish Labour say the exams have been poorly executed and an independent review is required.

The party’s deputy minister for education, Neil Bibby, said: “There are a number of issues that have never been resolved for the pupils undergoing their nationals. Yet despite this, the Government is pushing ahead. The evidence is damning and it’s been shambolic. Completely unacceptable.

“I welcome Mr Muir being asked to carry out this much needed audit however there needs to be a thorough and crucially independent review of these organisations.

“There needs to be a thorough and crucially independent review of these organisations. Lessons must be learned.

Tory Liz Smith added: “It is not surprising to hear that there are reports of stress among teachers and schools having to provide additional support during Easter. It’s essential pupils are properly prepared for exams. Afterwards, once the results are in, there has to be a full review.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson insisted the CfE was improving Scottish education and had received wide-ranging support since its inception. Dr Janet Brown, SQA chief executive, said the implementation of the new national qualifications was on track.

She added: “The first year of a new system like any change in life always throws up challenges and teachers across Scotland deserve enormous credit for helping pupils to prepare for the new qualifications.”

Additional reporting by Ali Kirker