Created on: 06 Aug 2024
The Educational Institute of Scotland, has responded to the release of this year’s SQA results by congratulating students on their achievements – but has also warned that a worrying increase in the poverty-related attainment gap must be tackled as a matter of urgency, including through qualifications and assessment reform.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said: “First and foremost today, the EIS congratulates students across Scotland on their achievements in this year’s SQA qualifications whether those qualifications featured an exam or not. We cannot forget that this cohort of candidates experienced significant disruption to their education not so long ago.”
“Students’ successes in achieving these qualifications have come in the midst of the worst cost-of-living crisis in living memory, at a time when Education, and students and their families, are still struggling in many respects to recover from the long-term damaging impacts of the global pandemic."
"The results are a testament to the resilience of students and their families, and to the dedication and determination of the teachers, lecturers and support staff who have supported them at a time of swingeing cuts to Education that put students and staff alike under extreme pressure.”
“The significant rise in the achievement of vocational qualifications is welcome and reflects an appetite among many students for a senior phase which is more flexible and tailored to their individual needs and interests- whether they aspire to continue their learning at college, university or in the world of work.”
“This trend, coupled with the widening of the poverty-related attainment gap, which the Scottish government has previously pledged to eliminate, further highlights the need for substantial additional investment in Scottish Education, its schools and its professional teaching workforce to ensure that all young people receive the support they need and deserve, including to overcome poverty-related disadvantage and to enable achievement in parity with more affluent peers. At a time when student need is growing, staffing levels and resources for schools and colleges are shrinking. This needs to be turned around.”
“This year’s results also underscore the need for urgent reform of senior phase assessment and qualifications. Review after review of Scottish Education, most recently the Hayward Review, has highlighted how the current treadmill of high-stakes exams is not fit for purpose, least so for the most socio-economically disadvantaged students; and must be reformed. It is imperative that the Scottish Government gets moving on implementing the reforms as recommended by the Hayward Review more than a year ago."
"The EIS very much looks forward to the Government’s long-awaited response to the Review, and hopes to see decisions made that are solidly in the interests of sound education and social justice.”