CFE Summit

Today's Scottish news carries to storyline: Education Directors are meeting today to try and agree a common position on rolling out the new National 4 and 5 exams. The summit comes after East Renfrewshire Council and many independent schools announced plans to postpone implementation of the new exams by a year. Parents’ leaders have called for clarity and the EIS have said that there are serious concerns coming from teachers and schools over a lack of detail on the new exams. Postponing the exams, however, would not be without problems including a loss of momentum and practical difficulties. Last week, Education Scotland, ADES, SQA, the Scottish Government and the National Parent Forum issued a joint statement in an attempt to reassure parents that implementation of Curriculum for Excellence was on track but concerns still exist. More details of the summit should be available tomorrow and we will update you accordingly.