'Gutting': Ex-pupils affected by 2020 covid exam controversy take John Swinney to task
Young people were deeply affected by the 2020 covid exam controversy and have written to the First Minister to tell him so
Young people who were school pupils during the 2020 covid exam controversy have told the First Minister they are “gutted” by his education claims.
In an open letter to John Swinney, the group of former pupils say their confidence has been damaged, as has their “trust in the people” who should have support them.
The group spoke out as the SNP prepares to launch its manifesto pledges, including its plans for Scotland’s beleaguered education system.
“We are writing to express our dismay that you continue to brag about your record on education when you downgraded our exam results because we are from working class areas,” the letter reads.
Mr Swinney was education secretary in 2020 when exams were cancelled and grades were determined using estimates from teachers.
“We want to remind you of the decision you made and the impact it had on us,” the letter, written by young people from across Scotland, goes on.
“In 2020, as Education Secretary, you decided that you would downgrade the results of 75,000 people based on their postcodes.
“You took this decision knowing this would most affect people from working class backgrounds. In doing this you told us that it does not matter how hard we work, that we cannot achieve because of where we come from.
“To see you now - standing to be First Minister, bragging about your record in government, saying you are proud of all you have done for young people - is gutting.”
They go on to accused the SNP leader of having “forgotten what you did”.
The 2020 moderation process drew heavily from a school’s past exam results, meaning the system was skewed towards secondaries in more affluent backgrounds.
It quickly drew controversy and, under increasing pressure, ministers agreed final grades would instead be based on teachers’ original estimates.
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The letter reads: “This impacted us all differently, but for all of us it knocked our confidence and our trust in the systems and the people who are meant to support us.
“You only changed your mind on this after we protested and you needed to save face.
“That decision should keep you up at night and should make you reflect on whether you are the right person to be First Minister.”
In response, an SNP spokesman said: "It is a matter of public record that, having listened to and reflected on the voices of the young people impacted, the approach to the 2020 exam grading was changed to ensure fairness."
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he was “proud” of the group for speaking out.
"It's important that we do not let this be another thing that Swinney sweeps under the carpet and hopes goes away,” he added.
"These are real young people still affected by a real decision he made.”
On Tuesday, Mr Swinney will launch his party’s plans for a new Welcome to School Bag as part of its election pledges.
Billed as an extension to the Baby Box, a backpack will be given to all Primary 1 pupils and filled with stationery, books, a water bottle and resources to help families encourage literacy and numeracy practice at home.
The plan was met with some scepticism - not least because the SNP announcement misspelled “stationery” as “stationary”.
Scottish Conservative education spokesman Miles Briggs said: “Mr Swinney should be addressing plummeting school standards, the epidemic of classroom violence, the poverty-related attainment gap he promised to eradicate and the shortage of teachers.
"He needs to fix the mess he's made of Scottish education, instead of resorting to cynical stunts that parents and teachers will see right through.
"This spelling gaffe is galling for John Swinney and his spin doctors. Under the SNP, literacy levels aren't just stationary - they're going backwards.”
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