Exams being cancelled again cannot be ruled out, says Dumfries and Galloway education boss

Exams being scrapped for the third year running cannot be ruled out, Dumfries and Galloway’s education chief confirmed last week.
Jim Brown, the council’s chief education officer, was asked if he believed exams would go ahead amid the spread of Omicron and potential for more restrictions.
Speaking at the council’s education committee last Thursday, Mr Brown said that he had full confidence in exam awards being made based on teachers’ judgements just like before if necessary.
He said: “We will operate within safe parameters and, if we need to do so, we will do another excellent job of certificating using an alternative model, which we’ve done now twice with significant success.”
Exams were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid outbreak and pupils were instead awarded grades based on normal in-year assessment and other evidence gathered by teachers.
National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams are scheduled to be held in spring 2022 – providing public health advice allows them to take place.
It was previously confirmed that course content would be reduced to take account of the disruption due to Covid.
At last week’s education committee, Dee and Glenkens Councillor Pauline Drysdale asked Jim Brown about next year’s exams, saying: “I’m getting emails asking what the views are of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s education department with regard to the exam diet going ahead?
“I know it’s like looking into a crystal ball and the last statement was made on August 18 by the Scottish Government, and it will depend on safety with regards to Omicron.
“But could we have your assurance that you will push at the top level for exams to go ahead so that we can assure our community councils and PTAs?”
The education chief replied: “The alternative certification models we put in place were extremely strong and it gave me the confidence when I spoke with all the head teachers that the results they put forward were consistent with the evidence they had for those young people.
“The mechanisms we used were very, very strong.
“You’re absolutely right, it is crystal ball stuff. What I can do is report back to you when we know more.
“I think we’ll all hear the same information in terms of what works best – and what works best is working within the constraints that Omicron sets us.”
The potential switch to the alternative certification model will concern teaching union EIS, which previously complained about the huge workload being placed on teachers – and the mental strain this caused previously.