Commenting as the DfE and Ofqual today announce their decisions on contingency arrangements for exams in 2022, Sarah Hannafin, senior policy advisor for school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“NAHT welcomes the publication today of decisions on contingency plans for 2022. Although confirmation has come later than hoped, this guidance should help to avoid a repeat of the intense pressures for teachers and school leaders in summer 2021.

“The published contingency assessments guidance highlights that in most schools and colleges assessments to support students learning will already be planned over the course of the academic year. We agree that centres should use existing assessment opportunities so that the collection of evidence to support awarding in the event that exams are cancelled works alongside the teaching, learning and assessment which teachers have planned for this year. Those assessment opportunities might need to be tweaked to ensure they align with the other points of guidance, for example, the conditions under which they are sat, the use of exam style questions and the provision of reasonable adjustments.

“But there is no expectation that additional assessments should be taken by students only for the purpose of providing evidence for TAG’s. This would create significant additional workload for teachers and add pressure to students who are working hard to complete their courses, detracting from teaching and learning and using up valuable lesson time.”