THE troubled introduction of new exams for Scottish schools has been hit by further controversy after it was suggested schools should be able to delay the introduction of updated Highers.
Doubts were thrown on the planned nationwide roll-out of revised Highers in 2014 after the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union suggested schools should be able to opt out of them until the following year.
A number of councils have also indicated they have yet to make up their mind on the implementation timescale.
Edinburgh City Council said it would give schools until the 2015/16 academic year to bring in the qualifications in all subjects.
Glasgow City Council said it was still in discussion with headteachers, but stressed the introduction of the new Highers would depend on how similar they were to the existing qualifications.
West Lothian Council also said it was unsure whether its schools would be introducing the new Highers in all subjects next year.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS, said schools should decide whether pupils sat the old or new Highers.
"We will be raising our concerns with both the Scottish Government and the Scottish Qualifications Authority and seeking agreement that the decision on what Higher to use will be school-based and taken in association with parents and pupils," he said.
His comments provoked a backlash from parents groups and the Scottish Government, who said the original timescale was long established.
Iain Ellis, chairman of National Parent Forum of Scotland, said it expected all young people to be progressing on to the new revised Highers. "This is clearly in the best interests of those young people and we would expect schools and authorities to be planning for that," he said.
"We would be concerned if any individual authorities are considering adjusting plans without properly consulting parents and not explaining the full implications for children."
Ken Cunningham, general secretary of School Leaders Scotland, which represents secondary headteachers, opposed any delay.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We are confident schools across Scotland are preparing for the new Highers in 2014/15 and will implement them in line with the national timetable for implementation."
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) said schools were having to delay preliminary exams for the new National Qualifications - which replace Standard Grade.
Alan McKenzie, acting general secretary of the SSTA, said pupils would traditionally sit preliminary exams in November and December, but some were delaying until next year because of a lack of preparation time. He said: "Normally these prelims take place at the end of the year, but I've been told of some schools in the west of Scotland holding them as late as April."
The developments are the latest to hit the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) reforms introduced to improve the quality of education in Scottish schools.
The Scottish Labour Party called for immediate action from Michael Russell, Education Secretary. Kezia Dugdale MSP, the party's education spokeswoman, said: "Teachers have been warning the SNP Government for months CfE has not been introduced properly. It is worrying these warnings have fallen on deaf ears."
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