Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Official Report 1016KB pdf

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National Qualifications 2022

The next item of business is a statement by Shirley-Anne Somerville on an update on the 2022 national qualifications. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of her statement, so there should be no interruptions or interventions.

15:10  

As I reaffirmed in Parliament on 19 January, it is our firm intention that exams will take place this year. I restated the significant modifications to courses and assessments that the Scottish Qualifications Authority has already made to take account of the expected disruption to learning, and I set out the contingencies to support learners in the event of further disruption, as has been the position since we made the initial announcement in August last year. The SQA has been working closely with partners, including through the national qualifications group, to take account of the disruption that learners continue to face. Indeed, everyone involved in education—myself included—acknowledges that this year has been another exceptionally difficult one.

Two weeks ago, I advised that the SQA had indicated that a decision on the scenario 2 contingency was likely to be made soon, based on information such as national teacher and pupil absence levels. Although the number of full and partial school closures has been small, it is clear that many secondary schools have experienced, particularly in the first half of January, extreme disruption in the wave of the omicron variant in relation to student and teacher absences. We continue to refine our school safety guidance accordingly, based on evidence on risks and benefits, including in the changes published today, and we are keeping the data under constant review as we move forward.

Learners in the college sector have had to revert to a universally remote learning model rather than a hybrid model since late December.

Given the level of disruption and its impact on learning and teaching, the SQA board has now taken the decision to invoke the scenario 2 contingency measure, and the SQA will provide revision support to aid learners in their preparations for exams. The SQA will provide revision support for every course that has an exam. The type of support for each course will depend on the course and the modifications to assessment that the SQA made at the start of the academic session. Information is now available on the SQA website that sets out the existing modifications and the type of revision support that will be provided for each course by subject and level.

The SQA will provide the full detail of that revision support in early March. That timing enables teachers to complete delivery of the full modified course requirements before learners turn their attention more fully towards revision in the run-up to the exams. The support is aimed at helping to reduce the stress for learners in preparing for their exams and allowing them to maximise their performance.

Today, the SQA has also announced its approach to exceptional circumstances, grading and appeals this year. Those measures have been developed in close consultation with members of the national qualifications 2022 group.

The exam exceptional circumstances approach is available to learners as exams are taking place. It provides a back-up for learners who are unable to attend their exam or exams due to illness or bereavement, or if there is disruption during the exam. That will include Covid-19-related absences. The service is based on the SQA’s established annual process. If a candidate is eligible for exceptional circumstances, their centre will provide appropriate assessment evidence that has been gathered during the year, and the SQA will review that against the national standard and award the appropriate grade.

Once the exams have been completed and marked, the SQA will look at the outcomes through its standard processes to determine the 2022 grade boundaries that are needed to achieve an A, B or C grade for the specific subject and level. Senior SQA appointees, who are practising teachers or lecturers, will take an expert decision that is based on a range of evidence. That includes the reflections of markers and the senior exam team as they mark and review a wide range of candidate exam scripts; estimates that are provided by centres; and information such as the number of candidates entered and the number of centres presenting candidates for the course.

The key focus will be on reviewing how course assessments worked this session, as measured against the national standard. In recognition of the disruption that learners have faced over the past two years and of the different assessment approaches that have applied, the approach to grading this year’s exams will look to factor in the impact of the pandemic on learners.

The grade boundary decisions will be applied at a national level. Individual local authority or school data will not be looked at, and no algorithms will be used in the process. The expectation is that the overall outcomes in 2022 will represent an intermediary position between 2021 and pre-pandemic years.

Once the results have been published, learners will have free direct access to appeal their result. The appeals service in 2022 acknowledges the particular challenges for learners this year. For that reason, as well as conducting a clerical check on exam scripts for each appeal, SQA appointees will review alternative assessment evidence that learners have completed through the year. That will be the same evidence as that used for an exam exceptional circumstances request.

If, following that review of evidence, the SQA assesses that a higher grade has been achieved, that will be awarded. If the review of evidence results in a lower grade than that achieved in the exam, the exam grade will stand. Delivery of that approach, which has our young people’s interests at its heart, will require working together by the whole system. The SQA has agreed with the national qualifications group what the SQA, centres and learners need to do if learners have not performed in their exam to the standard that was expected. Equality and children’s rights impact assessments have been carried out and will be published in the coming weeks, alongside the full detail and guidance on the measures.

All the measures underpin the 2022 exam diet and balance the integrity and credibility of qualifications against the on-going impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on learners. They will also give clarity and reassurance to learners who have conditional and unconditional offers for colleges and universities.

In addition to those measures by the SQA, I am clear that more is needed to support our young people in their learning. I have set out the measures that the SQA is taking, but there is of course an important role for local support to learners. Schools are best placed to support individual learners to catch up on their learning and have the best chance to demonstrate their potential. Our teachers have continued to work tirelessly throughout these challenging times to deliver for their learners, and I offer my heartfelt thanks to teachers and all the staff in our schools.

To complement and enhance school-based support, Education Scotland continues to support young people who are studying for qualifications through the national e-learning offer, which every learner in Scotland from the age of three to 18 can access. Through glow, which is our national schools intranet, senior phase learners are accessing e-Sgoil’s supported study webinars and resources. Last year, the e-Sgoil senior phase Easter study support programme was extremely popular, and it will be repeated this year to offer live webinars that will cover more than 60 courses at a range of levels, from national 4 to advanced higher.

To build on existing provision, learners can attend online evening revision classes in a range of courses throughout the term. Learners from all 32 local authorities have engaged with that study support, and measures are being taken to target and engage with groups of learners for that support. In addition, e-Sgoil will offer specialised targeted study support, via referral from a headteacher, for young people who are considered to have been most impacted by Covid.

Learners from all 32 local authorities have access to more than 1,850 West Partnership online school videos to support senior phase learning via glow or their own local platforms. More than 21,000 unique users have accessed those videos. To complement that, learners are also accessing developing the young workforce live webinars and resources with more than 40 courses to choose from; they have had more than 16,000 learner attendances to date.

Working as part of the regional teams at Education Scotland, attainment advisers will continue to provide bespoke support to each local authority and, in partnership with local authority officers, to individual schools and clusters of schools. The support that is provided includes help for practitioners to use data and evidence effectively to identify where young people require support and to identify the actions that will have most impact.

Each year, many schools provide Easter study support provision to help learners who are preparing for their exams. Findings from an informal audit by Education Scotland established that, although some local authorities have a well-established offer, others choose not to deliver Easter sessions. In October last year, I committed to boosting in-person Easter study support provision.

Scottish Government officials have been working with local government and others to agree distribution of £4 million of funding to increase support where appropriate, particularly for learners from the most deprived backgrounds. It is anticipated that that funding will allow schools and colleges, or local authorities through authority-wide initiatives, to offer targeted sessions for learners over the Easter break. Where an Easter study offer already exists, the funding could allow schools or colleges to broaden their existing offer for targeted learners or, through promotion, encourage those learners to attend existing sessions.

The package of measures and support is designed to ensure that our learners are fully supported in their learning and preparations for the exams this year, to help them achieve and demonstrate their full potential and to have that recognised in their grades on 9 August. I hope that colleagues across the Parliament will come together to welcome the measures and recognise that that work confirms our clear intention that exams will go ahead as planned.

The cabinet secretary will now take questions on her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which we will need to move to the next item of business. It would be helpful if members who wish to ask a question could press their request-to-speak button or place an R in the chat function.

I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement.

Two weeks ago, the Scottish Conservatives called for the Government to commit to ensuring that the 2022 examination diet would go ahead in full. Despite warm words from the cabinet secretary today, we are no further forward. The plans are too little too late. The Scottish Government is setting out its contingencies without releasing the equality and children’s rights impact assessment so that the Parliament can fully scrutinise it.

Recent reports have outlined that 80 per cent of pupils—I emphasise that figure—still do not have a digital device despite the Scottish Government having outlined its online support plans. In addition, many people will feel that starting revision support in March is far too late, especially for pupils who are catching up on lost schooling.

The Scottish Government has had two years to get it right and we are heading for yet another disaster. Pupils and teachers deserve better than what has been offered today. Will the cabinet secretary release the impact assessment this afternoon and ask the SQA to start the revision support sooner? When will our young people finally receive their digital devices, or is that yet another broken promise from the Scottish National Party Government?

I feel that we are having a bit of a groundhog day, going around some of the discussions that we had the last time that we debated the matter. However, I will quote something that Sharon Dowey said at the end of the Conservative debate. I know that Mr Kerr did not like this when the First Minister said it.

It is a misrepresentation.

It is important because it testifies to where we are at. Kaukab Stewart asked:

“The safety of our children is paramount—surely, Sharon Dowey agrees.”

Sharon Dowey replied:

“No, I do not agree”.—[Official Report, 19 January 2022; c 92.]

That, I am afraid, is where we are at.

It is a misrepresentation. That is shameful.

It is shameful.

Shameful!

Mr Kerr, that is enough.

It is our firm intention that the exams will go ahead. Just like every other member of the United Kingdom, we have a contingency if public health guidance does not allow for gatherings to take place. England, Wales and Northern Ireland have exactly the same contingency in place. However, it is our firm intention that exams will go ahead.

There is an important reason, which has been discussed with the national qualifications group, why some material will be made available now and some will be made available in early March. It is to ensure that there is no narrowing of learning and teaching that would negatively impact learners’ breadth of course knowledge and understanding or the next steps of their learning. It is important that, at this stage, the learning continues. However, as we move closer to the revision phase, the full information will be made available to learners and centres. As I said, the SQA is also publishing ample information on revision support.

Labour members send our best wishes to young people and staff who have been dealing with three years of unimaginable disruption.

There is much to welcome in the statement, extraordinarily late though it is. The cabinet secretary has finally listened to Labour’s demands for an appeals system that is free, that takes into account exceptional circumstances and that is based on no detriment. We set that position out last year and once again in the Parliament two weeks ago. The Government rejected it. The position that it took on appeals for the past two years is now untenable. There must be redress for the Government’s errors.

The statement also raises a number of questions. Will the appeals process be a right of direct appeal for pupils? Why must pupils and teachers wait an entire month from now for the guidance and support? On what needs-assessed basis will the Easter support money be allocated, and what is the rationale behind the figure?

Everything in the statement deals with the fact that young people have lost incredible amounts of learning during the pandemic and continue to do so. That has to be addressed somewhere in our education system. It is unfathomable that the Government refuses to conduct serious research to measure the impact of lost learning and develop a plan with resources that match the scale of the challenge. Will the cabinet secretary now commit to doing so?

Michael Marra raises a number of points, and I will try to get through them all.

Last year, there was a right of direct and free appeal for learners. If it was not clear in my statement, I am happy to clarify to Michael Marra that the direct and free appeal is available this year as well.

I have already responded about the information relating to revision support that is being made available by the SQA in early March and the reasons for that. In the interests of time, I will not go through it again.

The Easter support has been worked on with our colleagues in the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. It was finally agreed with COSLA leaders last week, hence our ability to announce it this week. The details of how much will be going to each local authority has not yet been determined, but I am happy to provide the information to Michael Marra and other members when it is available.

The impact on learners has been made clear, for example, in the most recent assessment for learning statistics, which have been discussed in Parliament already. Of course, the Government will keep a close eye on that as we continue to collect data.

It is understandable that students and staff might be anxious about exams and need assurances that the process will be fair and the results that are awarded will reflect their hard work. What extra steps has the SQA taken to ensure that the appeals process takes account of the disruption that has been caused to learners?

Many other modifications, in terms of course work and revision support, will have been made before we get to the appeals part of the process. However, when it comes to an appeal, the approach goes further than it has in recent pre-pandemic years, and it builds on the approach that has been taken historically.

As I said in my statement, as well as conducting a clerical check on exam scripts, SQA appointees will review the alternative assessment evidence that learners have completed throughout the year, which evidence will be the same as that used in exam exceptional circumstances. It is an important assurance for learners that the SQA has looked seriously at the matter and has consulted the national qualifications 2022 group on what more can be done. Therefore, I think that the approach during the appeals process will take into account any disruption that has been caused to learners.

Given the possibility that a greater number of pupils than normal will be subject to the exceptional circumstances approach, will the cabinet secretary confirm that pupils who are forced to miss exams due to Covid will not be subject to the same unfair grading system that has failed pupils for the past two years in a row?

As I set out in my statement, the exceptional circumstances service will be available to learners who have missed an exam, including due to Covid, and there is an established SQA process for that service. This year, the centre will provide appropriate assessment evidence that has been gathered during the year, which will be assessed against the national standard and awarded the appropriate grade.

James Dornan joins us remotely.

I welcome the cabinet secretary’s statement, particularly the fact that the SQA will recognise the disruption that has been caused to learners in its approach to grading exams this year. For the assurance of those learners, will the cabinet secretary reiterate her comment that their results will be based on their hard work rather than on historical data or an algorithm?

I confirm that award meetings will take place for each individual subject after the exam has been held, to ensure that the standard and level of demand of the assessment at each grade boundary is appropriate. The panel of subject experts who will do that are, of course, practising teachers and lecturers.

There is a recognition that learners have faced disruption during this year, but it is absolutely clear, as I said in my statement, that awards will be based on national data. The SQA will not consider individual local authority centre or individual learner data, and no algorithms will be applied as part of the process.

It is a shame that, five minutes before the cabinet secretary rose to her feet, her statement was being discussed on the internet, following an SQA press release.

I thank the cabinet secretary for her statement. Much discussion has been had about the data that the SQA has used to reach its decision. Will the cabinet secretary confirm that that data will be identified and published? Will she also say how the SQA arrived at its rationale in changing its position from only two weeks ago?

As the member is aware, the SQA is independent from Government, and I am certainly not responsible for the timing of its press releases or when those are published on its website. However, I note his comment on that.

The rationale for all the decisions was gone through in great detail with the national qualifications 2022 group. There has been a great deal of discussion with stakeholders. There have been varying views on parts of this as we have gone through the process. However, I hope that members will agree that the SQA has recognised the disruption to learning and acted accordingly.

We have set out the rationale. The discussions have been about teacher and pupil absences, but another important aspect is the direct feedback from pupils, pupils’ representatives, parents’ representatives and teaching unions on the national qualifications 2022 group about the disruption to learning. Therefore, even if schools have remained open, the SQA, as well as looking specifically at the data, has been cognisant of that direct feedback about the impact on learning. I hope that that gives some reassurance to Mr Whitfield about the rationale behind the decisions.

The SQA has taken the decision to move to scenario 2, which is to provide support to learners to aid them with their preparation for exams, with full details to be provided in early March. Will the cabinet secretary outline what learners can expect in March?

As I mentioned in my statement, the SQA has made significant modifications to courses and assessments to take account of disruption to learning. The revision support will complement those modifications, although that will vary across subjects and levels.

For example, the SQA will advise learners on some courses which topics, context or content will or will not be assessed in the exam, to allow learners to focus their revision on what will be in the exams. That additional information has already been provided for some courses. The SQA will provide study guides for other courses, with hints and tips to help learners prepare for their exams. In addition, a small number of courses will have study guides that learners can take into the exam, where appropriate. Full details and how the approach will impact on each topic and at each level will be provided on the SQA website.

The education secretary has been slow-footed on moving to scenario 2, when it has been abundantly clear that that has been necessary for weeks as some pupils have had their learning repeatedly and excessively disrupted. Why on earth must they wait until March to find out what the guidance is for exams?

The decision to move to scenario 2 was one for the SQA to make. The board met at the end of last week, and the decision has been announced this week through my statement to Parliament and the SQA’s publicity to centres.

Importantly, as part of the process, the SQA undertook due consideration of the data and discussion and consideration with stakeholders. That is exactly what members have asked for in the past.

The Scottish Government has already announced an enhanced Easter study support study offer for learners, which is especially important for those from deprived backgrounds, as well as a specific £4 million cash commitment. Families in my constituency will be keen to know what that will entail as early as possible. What more information can the cabinet secretary provide at this stage?

My apologies, Presiding Officer. Mr Doris was remarkably and unusually quiet, but I think that I got the gist of his question around Easter study.

What is delivered is a matter for local authorities. As I mentioned in my statement, many local authorities already have well-established Easter support provision. Others will perhaps look to enhance that in different ways. I am sure that each council will deliver further details on that to members of the Scottish Parliament, as they can work up their proposals now that the decision has been through COSLA and has been announced by the Scottish Government. I hope that it will ensure that greater support will be provided to many young people, especially those from deprived backgrounds, those with additional support needs and those who have suffered a particularly difficult time during the year because of Covid.

Thank you, cabinet secretary. I am sure that Mr Doris will write to you in the coming days if that was not his question.

The improvements to the appeals process in particular bring this year’s system far closer to respecting the rights of young people than was the case in previous years. I welcome that. What will be the options for appeal for the young people who have been unable to complete 100 per cent of the course work that is presently stated by the SQA as being required?

As I said in my statement, if an individual would like to go forward for an appeal, they are encouraged to discuss that with their centre in the first instance. However, they can make a direct appeal. There are no specific requirements as part of that appeal process, but the evidence that has been built up and gathered over the year can be given to the SQA to be looked at.

I hope that that gives Mr Greer some reassurance around that point. The SQA is keen to make the appeal process as flexible as possible.

I recently spoke to a teacher who informed me that one out of 10 pupils in their school had been referred to child and adolescent mental health services, with the uncertainty over exams being a significant factor. Does the cabinet secretary recognise that the continuing uncertainty from the Scottish Government is affecting the health of children? What can the Scottish Government do to support pupils who are trying to take exams under the cloud of poor mental health?

It is the Government’s firm intention that exams will go ahead this year. That is what the whole education system is working towards. The statement went into great detail about what is being provided by the SQA, Education Scotland and other parts of the education system.

Given Mr Whittle’s question about CAMHS, I mention the additional investment that has gone into supporting young people—through counsellors in every secondary school, for example—and the additional support that has gone into CAMHS, given the particular impact that the pandemic has had on young people.

I welcome the fact that the SQA will provide additional study support for learners in March. Will the cabinet secretary outline how that will complement the wider support package that has been put in place, including course work assessment modifications and online learning resources?

The member raises an important point. Although much of the statement was focused on the SQA and much of the coverage concerns what happens in the SQA, a great deal of work is going on in other parts of the education system to support our young people. I have mentioned the work of the e-Sgoil, the West Partnership online school and others. Work also goes on to support our young people, day in and week out, in our schools and local authorities. Together, that provides a sound package to support young people at this very difficult time.

There is nothing in the statement about securing additional appropriate settings for exams. If distancing will be an on-going concern, what is the cabinet secretary doing to ensure that additional space is available to allow exam conditions to be satisfied in a controlled and managed way?

With respect, there is nothing on that in the statement because it has been discussed at length by the national qualifications 2022 group. It has not been deemed an issue of concern by our stakeholders, given the distancing measures that are already in place for exam settings. The SQA will of course continue to have discussions with stakeholders and, if stakeholders see it as an area of concern, the SQA would act on that.