In March 2020, The Exams Office launched a consultation on the proposed formation of a professional body for exams officers – the National Association of Examinations Officers (NAEO).
Views were sought on a range of areas, including:
- Support for the establishment of such an organisation
- Scope and range of activities to be carried out
- Priorities and key stakeholders
- Likely pricing for membership
In addition to consulting with its members, The Exams Office sought the views of Ofqual, the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), the Department for Education (DfE) and a number of the main awarding bodies (ABs). Following the two-month long consultation period, the recommendations and next steps are summarised as below.
Recommendation 1
A new organisation called the National Association of Examinations Officers (NAEO) should be formed
Next step(s)
- The NAEO will be registered with the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies and will operate as a not-for-profit company
- Consideration to be given to governance structures, staffing and resourcing
- Subject to ongoing consultation, it is proposed that the NAEO will formally launch in January 2021
[Please note: Due to a range of practical hurdles caused by the knock-on effect of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the NAEO will now launch in summer 2021]
Recommendation 2
The scope and member benefits of the NAEO should include:
- Representing exams officers amongst stakeholders at national level
- Promoting and making available learning and development opportunities for those engaged in the administration and conducting of examinations
- Collaborating with stakeholders to support good practice – for example, working with organisations which represent senior leaders/heads of centre to highlight their role and responsibilities
- Providing employment/legal advice and HR guidance for members
- Seeking to launch a subsidiary body which sets professional standards for exams officers
- Devising and making available an industry-standard exams officer accreditation to be attempted annually
- Hosting a summer conference focusing on good practice and the skills required to undertake the exams officer role and host an awards evening to celebrate achievement, dedication, long service etc. amongst the exams officer community
- Creating an effective and robust network structure amongst the exams officer community
- Endorsing/supporting training and resources offered by third parties
Next step(s)
- Consult with industry experts about the most effective and suitable way(s) of providing employment/legal advice and HR guidance for member
- Consult with exams officers, JCQ, Ofqual, and the major ABs about launching a subsidiary body which focusses on setting professional standards for exams officers
- Consult with exams officers, JCQ, Ofqual, and the major ABs about launching a subsidiary body which quality-assures training and resources offered by third parties
Recommendation 3
Annual costs for membership of the NAEO should be set at between £50 and £60
Next step(s)
- Work to be undertaken to establish the running costs for the NAEO, likely revenue generated by different volumes of membership and financial modelling around the likely shortfall in funding to be met by The Exams Office
[Please note: Any financial contributions made by The Exams Office will be funded by profits made through Exams Training and TEO Education, not subscription income from centre support memberships]
Recommendation 4
Engagement, consultation, communication and messaging to continue whilst strategic and operational detail is finalised
Next step(s)
- Engagement and consultation regarding the scope, aims and objectives of the NAEO to continue with the following key stakeholders:
- JCQ
- Ofqual
- ABs
- DfE
- Organisations representing senior leaders (e.g. ASCL, NAHT etc.)
- Other representative organisations (e.g. AoC)
- Local authorities
- Organisations representing SENCOs
- Recruitment/employment agencies
- Cambridge Assessment International Education
- The Exams Office should continue to engage with and seek views from exams officers in member centres and beyond to define the scope, aims and objectives of the NAEO