Abstract
On 19th March 2020, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Education John Swinney reported to the Scottish Parliament that, in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, schools across Scotland would close from 20th March, mirroring the policy of the UK government announced by the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson the previous day. As part of this closure, Swinney announced that there would be no examinations set for the 2019-20 session, and that the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) would instead enact a certification model employing coursework, teacher estimates of grades and evidence of prior achievement. In outlining the Scottish Government's plan to Holyrood, the Deputy First Minister declared: ‘It is a measure of the gravity of the challenge we now face that the exams will not go ahead this year. With the support of the wider education system, a credible certification model can be put in place that can command confidence in the absence of the exam diet – to ensure that young people in our schools and colleges who through no fault of their own are unable to sit exams, are not disadvantaged.’ (Scottish Government, 2020).
Highlights
On 19th March 2020, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Education John Swinney reported to the Scottish Parliament that, in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, schools across Scotland would close from 20th March, mirroring the policy of the UK government announced by the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson the previous day
Respondents covered the entire breadth of senior level teaching in Classical subjects offered by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), covering National 5 (N5) Latin and Classical Studies examinations through to Advanced Higher Latin and Classical Studies examinations
The severity of the controversy is seen in the public apologies from John Swinney as Cabinet Secretary for Education, and from Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of Scotland, who stated in the midst of a coronavirus briefing: ‘We accept we didn’t get this right and I’m sorry for that.’ (Davidson, G. 2020)
Summary
On 19th March 2020, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Education John Swinney reported to the Scottish Parliament that, in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, schools across Scotland would close from 20th March, mirroring the policy of the UK government announced by the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson the previous day As part of this closure, Swinney announced that there would be no examinations set for the 2019-20 session, and that the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) would instead enact a certification model employing coursework, teacher estimates of grades and evidence of prior achievement. It was announced that an independent review (under way at time of writing) would take place, examining a number of areas from the initial advice given to local authorities by SQA through to the impact of the crisis on pupils and families It was in the midst of this controversy that the Classical Association Teaching Board (CATB) collaborated with the Classical Association of Scotland (CAS) to survey teachers of Classics across the country.. CAS has been engaged in a long-term effort to revive Classics in Scotland’s schools since 2017, and so its officers were eager to gauge what impact this kind of controversy might have on its still nascent programme (Imrie, 2019)
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