GLASGOW City Council will be urged to declare a “lack of confidence” in the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) next week.

Labour councillor Aileen McKenzie is set to put forward a motion at Thursday’s council meeting which claims the ‘alternative certification model’ being used to issue students’ grades is in crisis.

She said the appeals system could see grades lowered and does not consider “exceptional personal circumstances”.

National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams were scrapped this year due to the impact of Covid-19, with grades to be based on teacher judgement and evidence of attainment.

But Cllr McKenzie said pupils “have sat exams all but in name”, with “assessments of the year’s course under exam conditions to provide evidence to the SQA that the estimated grade is accurate”.

She added: “Now, worryingly, teachers are being advised to base their estimated grade on historical data from the school they teach in, which is essentially marking down children’s grades based on their predecessors’ achievements and sadly this will impact the pupils in the highest areas of deprivation the most.”

An SQA spokesman said the approach “gives schools the flexibility to assess learners at a time and in a way that suits their personal circumstances”.

He added “knowingly” misrepresenting this approach causes “unnecessary distress” to learners.

Cllr McKenzie’s motion, if passed, would mean a letter would be sent to the Scottish Government demanding a no-detriment policy is introduced to the appeals process and expressing the council’s lack of confidence in the SQA.

She said: “The appeals process should take into consideration work and assessments submitted while schools were in lockdown and pupils were working from home, and establish an exceptional personal circumstance criteria for appeals, for example if a pupil has lost a loved one to Covid-19.

“I have absolutely no confidence in the SQA and believe the board should appear before a select committee at the Scottish Parliament for an immediate enquiry.”

Appeals can be submitted directly to the SQA and can be based on disagreement with the grade as well as allegations of administrative error.

Exams were also cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, with results decided by estimated grade then moderated by the SQA based on school’s past performances.

The method was changed following protests as thousands of grades were downgraded, and teacher estimates were accepted.

Cllr McKenzie said last year had been a “monumental embarrassment” and parents and pupils had been told the “same fiasco would not be repeated and that pupils would not have to sit exams”.

The spokesman for the SQA said: “We fully appreciate that the impact of Covid has been extremely challenging for learners.

“Everyone is working hard to ensure young people across Scotland get the qualifications they deserve.

“We’ve developed an approach to certification with teachers, union, local authorities and others which gives schools the flexibility to assess learners at a time and in a way that suits their personal circumstances.

“Any attempt to knowingly misrepresent this approach risks causing unnecessary distress to learners at an already difficult time when we should all be working to support them.”