First minister Nicola Sturgeon has insisted that she has full confidence in the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
She was facing questions in Parliament as ministers and the SQA came under fire after overdue details of the 2021 appeals process were revealed yesterday.
Conservative leader Douglas Ross asked at First Minister’s Questions this afternoon whether Ms Sturgeon had “full confidence in the SQA”.
She replied: “Yes, I do.”
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She added: “We are doing our utmost to deliver fair grades in what are very difficult circumstances.”
Ms Sturgeon said that “many of the arrangements we have been putting in place are very similar to those being put in place in England and Wales, under governments of all parties”, before going on to repeat comments made by School Leaders Scotland (SLS) general secretary Jim Thewliss that “the system that replaced exams was never going to be perfect, but all of the way along, no one has come up with a better way of doing it than the alternative certification model [ACM]”.
SQA assessment 2021: ‘Another year of grades chaos and confusion’
Mr Ross, responding to Ms Sturgeon’s comments, said: “So, the first minister said she has full confidence in the Scottish Qualifications Authority - well, that answer will not be shared by tens of thousands of pupils and parents across Scotland who were so badly let down by the SQA and its exam grade disaster last year.
“And it won’t be shared by thousands more who are now facing what looks like another year of grades chaos and confusion.”
.@Douglas4Moray calls plans for pupil assessments a “shambles” and calls the appeals systems a gamble @NicolaSturgeon says the system is based on teacher judgement and that the downgrading of appeals is “exceptionally rare”#FMQs live: https://t.co/p35NzRNxtz pic.twitter.com/fcH1RTgj3r
- BBC Scotland News (@BBCScotlandNews) June 3, 2021
The exchange at First Minister’s Questions took place before a debate on post-Covid education recovery, in which the SQA appeals process was expected to feature prominently.
Meanwhile, the only young person on the National Qualifications 2021 Group - which was charged with creating an alternative to national exams after Covid led to their cancellation - has hit out at the new qualification appeals process.
Young people ‘let down by the appeals process’
Cameron Garrett, who also serves as a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, tweeted: “As the only young person who sits on @sqanews’s NQ21 group and the only member representing young people, I have not had an equal input into discussions around the appeals process this year at NQ group meetings.
“Young people have been let down and ignored by this process.
“Organisations such as [the Office of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner] and [SQA: Where’s Our Say?] as well as [the Scottish Youth Parliament] have been calling for a no-detriment no-downgrade] policy and exceptional circumstances to be taken into consideration as substantive points. Neither have been considered in this process.”
Scottish Youth Parliament vice-chair Liam Fowley said the appeals process was “not fit for purpose”, adding: “It’s another example of young people being an afterthought.”
He said: “We’ve been tirelessly representing young people’s views and experiences for months - only for it to be ignored by the SQA. Young people have been let down.”
