Chamber and committees

SSTA submission to Alternative Certification Model inquiry

Submission from the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association

SSTA Alternative Certification Model (ACM) – September 2021

The SSTA conducted a survey in response to the high numbers of members raising concerns regarding the Alternative Certification Model (ACM) and its impact on teachers and their pupils.

The survey took place in May 2021 and received 1711 responses. The survey gave a clear indication of the difficulties teachers and pupils faced in trying to deliver the ACM.

The introduction of the ACM by the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) showed little understanding of the situation that teachers and pupils faced in schools throughout the pandemic and in particular the period following the January to April lockdown.

The collecting of evidence demanded by SQA in such a short time period (mid- April to end of May), without making any allowance for the disruption caused by the pandemic put a heavy burden on teachers and pupils.

The survey highlighted:

• 96% of teachers said that the collection, marking and moderation of evidence had created substantial additional stress/pressure for them
• 92% of teachers also said that the ACM process has created substantial additional stress/pressure for their pupils
• 36% of teachers believed that the evidence that they had collected truly demonstrated their pupil’s attainment.

The SSTA believes that the ACM resulted in a large number of disillusioned young people and teachers as the restricted collection of evidence disregarded the disruption caused to pupils education during the pandemic.

The SSTA constantly pressed for the inclusion of teacher professional judgement and previous knowledge of their pupils with a restricted collected evidence, to ensure all young people had a positive education experience and achieved the results that they deserved.

SSTA Headteachers members said

“No proper Headteacher representation on the NQ2021 group to talk about the actual operational actions that they have asked us to do – clearly no one on that group has had recent or living school experience”.

“This whole ACM has been a nightmare of stress for both staff and pupils. I have visibly seen the stress on the faces of my staff and the pupils. This has been the worst, most pressurised time of my whole career”.

Attached:         Appendix A - Selection of Members Comments

Seamus Searson

General Secretary

Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association

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