Teachers ‘ready to boycott’ SQA exams scrapped during Covid pandemic

A Scottish teachers unions has threatened to boycott exams next year.

It comes after the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) announced plans to reintroduce assessments and coursework scrapped during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) said members had been calling for a boycott.

The SQA, which is set to be dissolved and replaced, announced on Wednesday that coursework and exams ditched due to Covid would return next year.

Chief executive Fiona Robertson said reintroducing the assessments would provide a better balance and help consolidate learning.

The SSTA accused the SQA of pushing the announcement out while the focus was on the appointment of new First Minister Humza Yousaf this week, and while teachers finish exam and assessment preparation before schools close for the Easter break.

SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson said the move was “bad news” for all secondary school teachers and the young people they teach.

He said: “I am absolutely astounded by this message from the SQA.

“The SQA needs a reality check as it has totally misread the situation in secondary schools.”

Mr Searson said he had not spoken to a “single secondary school teacher” who believes their pupils are ready to return to full exam requirements.

The SSTA has advocated for interim measures to remain in place in 2024 and beyond.

Mr Searson said the decision “flies in the face” of common sense as the assessment and qualifications system is set for an overhaul in 2025.

He said: “The long-term damage to pupils, caused by the pandemic, is no secret. Every secondary teacher in the country knows that pupils are still not ready to return to the previous regime.

“Any resumption of ‘normal’ arrangements is more about SQA taking back control and cementing a place for itself in the developing education landscape.

“This risks giving an impression that the pandemic never happened, and that education recovery is just a nonsense to which the SQA pays lip service”.

A SQA spokesperson said: “This decision has been made in the best interests of learners following engagement with teachers, lecturers, training providers, universities, colleges and subject experts.

“Concerns were raised that if the temporary modifications, introduced as an emergency Covid measure, were retained they would have a detrimental impact on learners’ knowledge and on their progression into further or higher education or employment.

“A return to coursework provides learners with a more balanced approach, in line with the direction of travel emerging from the independent review of assessment, and is particularly beneficial to those learners who may not perform well in high-stakes exams.”