NEU comments on Ofqual review into teacher Involvement in Content of Exam Papers

Commenting on the conclusions of Ofqual’s review into the involvement of teachers in the development of confidential assessment materials, including exam papers, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“Measures suggested by Ofqual undermine the professional integrity of teachers and put at risk the quality of the materials developed.

“While some of the measures suggested are useful to help protect the confidentiality of assessment materials, the fact that Ofqual has suggested that the lesson plans of teachers involved in their development could be scrutinised, or that such teachers may be denied the professional development opportunity of developing materials for specifications they teach, is disproportionate and potentially damaging.

“The National Education Union fully supports the protection of the confidentiality of assessment materials and would point to the millions of successfully and securely awarded qualifications over the decades, using the invaluable input of teachers amongst others, to demonstrate how this can be done.

“A regulator should consider all by-products of their decisions and, independently of government or media influence, balance risk and impact. Unfortunately, in this instance, it appears that that balance has not been found.”