The secondary assessment working party
This final report advocates reform of 14-19 assessment and qualifications, following the many other reports aimed at researching and promoting equitable and reliable alternative approaches to assessment in secondary education.
The NEU is campaigning for a better, fairer system of assessment in secondary education. There is agreement among educators, parents and academics that the current high-stakes system is not fit for purpose.
The focus on assessing GCSEs and A Levels solely via end-of-course exams simply does not prepare students for life after school or college. Throughout school, the pressures caused by high-stakes tests and exams are having a detrimental impact on children’s wellbeing.
This country’s over-reliance on a rigid, one size fits all exam system, and Government's continued insistence on defunding vital BTECs and CAMTECs, is unsustainable and doesn’t meet the various challenges facing young people, our society and our economy in the 21st century.
The experiences of grading in 2020 and 2021 showed the fragility of the outdated assessment system. The rushed, last-minute processes implemented by Government for assessment during the pandemic are not models for the future, however the system needs to change and has shown it can. The teaching profession is brim full of experts who understand the lessons we can learn from the pandemic.
The NEU has worked alongside academics, parents and students to support the Independent Assessment Commission (IAC), to build principles for a new, fairer and more robust assessment and qualification system, one which recognises the realities of the 21st century and supports all young people to succeed. Now is the time for Government to listen the growing chorus of voices calling for change.
The NEU is also working with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Schools Learning and Assessment to make the case for change in Westminster.
