In a humiliating climb-down the Scottish government has announced the cancellation of all pupil grades lowered during the school results fiasco. John Swinney, the Scottish education secretary, apologised to the 75,000 pupils whose teacher estimates – a replacement for exam results – were downgraded, reassuring pupils and parents that he would direct the SQA to re-issue their awards based solely on teacher or lecturer judgment. The change of policy is incredibly damaging for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who initially supported the SQA’s decision but has been forced into a highly embarrassing U-turn.
The results sparked outrage last week when it emerged that the grades of students – especially those from deprived areas – were downgraded on the basis of the performance of their school in previous years. In essence, this meant that bright teenagers were punished for coming from a poorer backgrounds.
Public anger was exacerbated by the Scottish government’s slow response. In the first instance, Nicola Sturgeon claimed that an increase in the pass rate among the poorest fifth of pupils would have been “unprecedented and therefore not credible”, a comment which many considered offensive.
She then attempted to pin the blame on the Scottish Qualifications Authority, saying: “If I had been in that position, I would feel aggrieved by that.” This was a somewhat futile effort – it was not beyond the wit of an ordinary voter to understand that the SQA is overseen by the Scottish government.
Finally, Sturgeon apologised: “Despite our best intentions, I do acknowledge that we did not get this right and I am sorry for that. But instead of doing what politicians sometimes do and dig our heels in, we are determined to… put it right.”
To complete the humiliation, Sturgeon even highlighted that the Scottish government had come to “the same decision that had been reached for England and Wales.”
This was Sturgeon’s first real political falter since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic. She has successfully evaded questions over Scotland’s high excess death rate and disastrous care homes figures, mostly by appearing competent in the face of bluster and confusion in London. On education, the crisis has so far been Scotland’s alone. English results aren’t released until later this week.
Perhaps the most damaging element of this story is that it has triggered afresh discussions over the SNP’s record on education, which by all accounts is dire. In the party’s thirteen years of government the attainment gap has widened in Scottish schools, teaching unions have consistently complained about their members being overworked, and the education system has dropped precipitously down league tables. It is a record which the Scottish Conservatives, reinvigorated by their new leader Douglas Ross, will seize on in the upcoming Holyrood elections.
Ross has been noticeably active recently, having met with groups of students both yesterday and today. In a statement tweeted yesterday, he pressured Sturgeon to sack Swinney.
“Either she backs Scotland’s pupils or she backs an education secretary that has presided over this exams fiasco, the worst ever PISA results, subject choice limitations and a host of other disappointments,” Ross said. Today’s U-turn is enough for him to claim victory.
Unionists have long believed that the route to dislodging the SNP government runs through its domestic record. They will feel vindicated by today’s events. Sturgeon, so often regarded as the smoothest political major political operator in Britain, has appeared out of character in recent days – defensive, vulnerable, outmanoeuvred.
There is a new hope that if next year’s election is fought on education, healthcare and policing, the First Minister may not achieve that much-anticipated Holyrood majority after all.