SNP policy on Curriculum for Excellence exams ‘riddled with holes’

Mike Russell has, today, defended the Scottish Government's timetable for implementing the new Curriculum for Excellence exams. This is despite serious and on-going concern from across the education sector that some school departments are not ready to deliver the new exams.

Scottish Conservative Education Spokesperson, Liz Smith MSP said:

"There remains a lot of concern from teachers, parents, local authorities and unions that there are still departments within some schools which are not yet ready for these new exams to be delivered.

"Mike Russell is forging ahead to implement these new exams as soon as possible, yet he has also agreed that East Renfrewshire can be treated as a 'special case' and be allowed to delay. Secondly, he fails to see the contradiction in allowing a short overlap period for intermediate exams to run alongside the Curriculum for Excellence exams, yet not for Standard Grades.

"He has done nothing to allay concerns that there has been far too long a gap between the development of new courses and the published detail for the exams which is not due until April.

"It is local authorities and schools who are best placed to judge whether or not they feel it is the right timing for the new exams – not the Cabinet Secretary whose current policy on exams is riddled with holes."

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