Firstly, I hope that you have all had an opportunity for some rest and relaxation in recent weeks. However, a new term is upon us and as always, our focus turns to the academic year – the changes which we will have to adapt to, challenges which will need to be overcome, and tasks which will need to be completed to deadlines.
There is little doubt that a lot of work remains to be done as we strive to raise the profile and status of the exams officer role to the level it deserves, yet we can see positive signs of improvement.
Stakeholder support
There is an awareness within the Department for Education and Ofqual of the significant role played by exams officers in maintaining the integrity and security of examinations and assessments within their centres. It is also clear that the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and its member awarding bodies are striving to support exams officers via their regulations and customer support.
JCQ
In recent years, JCQ regulations have increasingly defined the role and responsibilities of the exams officer role, including the requirement for the exams officer to (General Regulations for Approved Centres, section 5.3):
- receive appropriate training and support to facilitate the effective delivery of examinations and assessments within their centre, and to ensure compliance with the published JCQ and awarding body regulations
- be given sufficient time to perform their role, which includes understanding relevant awarding body and JCQ documentation
- be supported by a member(s) of the senior leadership team who will also ensure that effective centre decisions are made in line with the published regulations
- receive effective line management support and supervision to ensure that the integrity and security of examinations and assessments is maintained throughout an examination series
The 2025/26 JCQ General Regulations for Approved Centres (section 5.3) have been updated to support both new and existing, experienced exams officers.
The NAEO is delighted that JCQ have taken on board our request for additional support for new exams officers by insisting that a ‘…centre’s contingency planning must include succession arrangements for members of staff involved in examination and assessment administration’.
This will ensure that newly appointed exams officers – and in particular those who are new to a centre and have not previously undertaken the role – will receive some form of introduction to the role.
Exams officers who are struggling to convince their head of centre and/or a member(s) of senior leadership team/line manager of the need to receive training on the changes in regulations will benefit from JCQ’s requirement that an ‘…examinations officer must… undertake regular CPD, such as attending an annual update course.’
Awarding bodies
All the awarding bodies offer comprehensive support to exams officers in the form of:
- Customer support/field teams
- Network meetings
- Online support
- Webinars
- Face-to-face training
- Attendance at National Conferences
The Exams Office
The role of The Exams Office should also be highlighted. In addition to a range of documents (guides, checklists and templates), they are increasing their ‘library’ of online tools for the 2025/26 academic year, which are designed to save exams officer time, to include:
This is in addition to support such as attendance at National Conferences, a diary/wall planner dispatch, and a range of online tools and other resources for an annual membership fee.
The Exams Office is also offering a Planning Dispatch as part of its membership (which includes an Exam Manual, 50-leaf to-do pad, and an exams calendar) and an annual enamel ‘recognition’ badge for any invigilators who have completed at least one unit of its online training.
So, despite the difficulties faced by exams officers in some centres, there is a wide range of support available to support them in meeting the requirements of their role.
Upon deeper analysis, there is evidence that the challenge for many exams officers lies within their centre. Although the vast majority of heads of centres and senior leaders/line managers offer outstanding support for their exams officers as they recognise the importance of their role, as the 2024 exams officer survey revealed, approximately one in three centres do not fully comply with JCQ requirements, and it is in these centres where a lack of awareness of, and support for, the exams officer role is causing issues.
JCQ is placing greater emphasis on the role played by senior leaders/line managers by defining their role and responsibilities, by requiring them to:
- receive appropriate training and support to facilitate the effective delivery of examinations and assessments within the centre and ensure compliance with the published JCQ and awarding body regulations
- familiarise themselves with relevant awarding body and JCQ documentation to ensure that the examinations officer and the SENCo are supported as well as ensuring effective centre decision making in line with the published regulations
- have a good working knowledge of the examination system
- provide effective line management support and supervision of the exams officer to ensure that the integrity and security of examinations and assessments are maintained throughout an examination series
- annually review, update and communicate within their centre, written exam policies which are required for inspection
The reality is that we will not raise the profile and status of the exams officer role until every head of centre and senior leader/line leader possesses a good knowledge of the examination system and an awareness of their role and responsibilities. Once they possess this, they will begin to understand and appreciate the pivotal role played by an exams officer in maintaining the integrity and security of the examination system within their centre.