Scottish Greens welcome Hayward Review and call for scrapping of exams
Now is the time for Scotland to move on from its Victorian era exam system, say the Scottish Greens.
The party has welcomed the publication of the Scottish Government’s Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment, led by Professor Louise Hayward.
The report is the result of a review of Scotland’s exams system secured by the Scottish Greens back in 2020, following the SQA’s scandalous downgrading of 125,000 grades that year.
Party education spokesperson Ross Greer MSP said:
“This is a hugely exciting opportunity to move Scotland’s exams system from the Victorian-era and into the twenty-first century.
“The Scottish Greens have long called for a move away from a high-stakes end-of-term exam system which is no longer fit for purpose. It is a dated and poor way of judging a young person’s knowledge and abilities, and has been a major contributor to the attainment gap between pupils from the most and least disadvantaged backgrounds.
“A single exam is a far less accurate way of assessing a young person than continuous assessment throughout the year. Those who haven’t had enough sleep due to a chaotic household situation, who are suffering from anxiety or who are simply unwell are regularly disadvantaged when their grades are largely or entirely dictated by their performance at that single moment in time.
“What Professor Hayward has recommended is one of the boldest reforms in education for generations, and it is certainly needed. I’m pleased that teachers, young people, parents and carers will play a key role in helping us to seize this opportunity.”