One of the most common requests from exams officer is for greater support from key organisations in order to perform their role within their centre.
The NAEO represents the exams officer community in a range of forums amongst key stakeholders to raise the status and profile of the role and ensure a better understanding of the pivotal role played by exams officers in managing, administering and conducting examinations/assessments. However, as the lone voice championing the significance and achievements of the exams officer role and community within the education sector, we require other organisations to help us to enable exams officers to perform their role effectively in order to protect the integrity and security of the examination system within their centre.
Key stakeholders include those who set policies (the Department for Education), the regulator (Ofqual), representatives of key staff within centres (teacher associations representing heads of centres and senior leaders) and the qualification providers (the awarding bodies). However, the organisation which, arguably, impacts the exams officer role the most is the one which sets the regulations for centres – the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).
The NAEO regularly receives comments from exams officers stating that JCQ should do more to support exams officers in their everyday role, which begs the question – What is JCQ doing to support exams officers?
Firstly, it must be understood that JCQ has been established by the awarding bodies to set, wherever possible, common policies and procedures across its member organisations – JCQ does not exist to represent centre staff, define ways of working, set HR contracts and dictate who should be appointed to undertake the exams officer role.
However, upon consideration, it is clear that JCQ has – and continues to – support exams officers in their everyday role. In this article, we focus upon five areas which provide evidence of this support and how the JCQ is supporting exams officers in their everyday role.
- Regulations and representation
In recent years, JCQ has amended/updated regulations to define roles and responsibilities. The following requirements have been added to the regulations in response to NAEO requests and exams officer feedback. Exams officer can now expect:
- to receive appropriate training and support to facilitate the effective delivery of examinations and assessments within the centre
- to have sufficient time to perform their role, which includes understanding relevant awarding body and JCQ documentation – this also applies to the SENCo/ALNCo
- the member(s) of their senior leadership team who is responsible for examination administration to familiarise themselves with the relevant awarding body and JCQ documentation to ensure that the exams officer (and SENCo) is supported as well. This will also ensure effective centre decision making in line with the published regulations
- a member of the senior leadership team to have a good working knowledge of the examination system
- to receive effective line management, support and supervision from a member of their senior leadership team to ensure that the integrity and security of examinations and assessments is maintained throughout an examination series
(see General Regulations for Approved Centres, section 5.3)
JCQ has addressed a key frustration/issue of exams officers – providing clarity of the role and responsibilities of senior leaders and SENCos.
- Webinars & infographics
JCQ provides a range of free-to-access resources to assist new and experienced exams officers. These include webinars which support exams officers in managing all aspects of exam administration, information sheets/additional guidance, case studies and infographics are available which define regulations in a clear and concise manner.
Infographics available include the following:
- 25% exam time
- 26-50% extra time
- Computer reader/reader
- Scribe
- Access arrangements and special consideration: key reminders
- Processing special consideration applications: helpful tips
- Handling of secure electronic materials
- Removing question paper packets from secure storage
- Alternative site arrangement
- What is a transferred candidate arrangement
- Key reminders for exam officers
- The journey of a question paper through the centre
- Starting times for examinations and supervising candidates
- Post-Results Services
- Attendance at conferences
JCQ – and JCQ Centre Inspection Service – staff have attended (at their own organisation’s cost) The Exams Office and NAEO conferences in recent years to answer questions and provide advice and guidance via a series of workshops which support exams officers in preparing for the summer series.
- Responding to queries
To ensure that centre staff have written confirmation of any correspondence/engagement with JCQ, centres can only contact JCQ via email. This form of communication is more time consuming than a verbal reply, yet to support exams officers with evidence during an inspection, JCQ staff reply to several thousand emails per academic year.
- Reducing the administrative burden
Many exams officers cite a lack of consistency across awarding body processes as a major issue in adding to their workload and the time taken to complete mandatory tasks in the administration of examinations.
However, for many years, JCQ has been responsible for promoting and creating consistency, where possible, across awarding body processes. This has culminated in its Centre Admin Portal (CAP) which allows exams officers to provide information to several awarding bodies within one online portal on the following areas:
- Access arrangements and modified papers
- Alternative site arrangements
- Centre consortium arrangements
- Overnight supervision arrangements
- Transferred candidate arrangements
- Very late arrivals
Conclusion
To avoid mimicking a Monty Python sketch, we will not conclude by answering the title of this article by re-listing the support offered by the JCQ to exams officers, but we can confirm that the Chair, CEO and key staff within JCQ consistently go ‘over-and-beyond’ in supporting and promoting the NAEO’s objectives and highlighting areas/issues which are preventing our members from performing their role.
Through JCQ correspondence, such as its monthly newsletter, and participation within its various forums and committees, JCQ provides the NAEO with a platform to promote and raise the profile and status of the exams officer role.
JCQ regularly consults with NAEO over proposed changes to regulations, and in recent years, our requests for amendments or additions to the regulations have been either accepted or an explanation provided why proposals cannot be incorporated at the current time. They have also requested that on several occasions for NAEO to nominate exams officers to provide feedback and to participate in focus groups.
Since Covid, one of the most significant interventions from JCQ has been to provide clarity over the roles and responsibilities of senior leaders and SENCos. To underpin this progress, the NAEO will be requesting that JCQ now support us in defining the role and responsibilities of academy trusts in supporting staff within their centres to manage, administer and conduct examinations/assessments to the highest possible standard and protect the integrity and security of the examination system in every centre within their jurisdiction.
We are confident that JCQ – and its member awarding bodies – will continue to support the exams officer community, particularly in reducing the administrative burden of exam administration, but there can be no doubt that without the support of JCQ the exams officer role would be much more difficult…. some would argue, almost impossible.