This month, the NAEO, with the support of The Exams Office, has launched the 2022 Exams Officer survey. It is now open for completion and will close on Friday 4 November.
The annual survey is a key pillar in identifying the issues faced by the exams officer community and provides the basis from which the NAEO can devise a strategy to attempt to resolve some of the challenges faced by exams officers within centres and across the wider education sector.
Once the survey has closed, we will analyse all responses and publish the results on our website. We will also share this information with key stakeholders including the Department for Education, Ofqual, JCQ and their awarding bodies. The outcomes of the survey will also determine the areas on which the NAEO will focus in the coming months.
The areas covered in the survey include:
- You and your role
- Support in your centre
- Awarding bodies
- Exam series – Summer 2022 and 2022/2023
As we emerge from the pandemic, it is imperative that we assess the impact of the last two years upon the exams officer community and the key issues which need to be addressed moving forward. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a significant number of exams officers left the profession resulting in a higher-than-average number of inexperienced new-to-role exams officers, and whilst the JCQ have placed a greater onus upon senior leaders in the management of examinations and assessments within their centre, doubts remain over adequate contingency and succession planning within centres.
The survey will also identify and quantify the issues experienced by centres during the summer 2022 exam series and help in the creation of solutions in the coming months to ensure that these issues are not experienced during the summer 2023 exam series. The NAEO will utilise the findings of the survey to support the launch of the Exams Officer Professional Standards, and to continue the task of raising the status and profile of the exams officer role.
The 2022 survey will monitor the trends revealed in the 2021 Exams Officer survey which included:
- an increasing number of exams officers being asked to undertake an additional role within their centre
- lack of access to an annual appraisal
- a perception amongst almost half of all senior leaders that the exams officer role is only required/exams officer are busy when exams are taking place
The outcomes of the survey will be shared with key stakeholders, including the DfE and Ofqual, whilst an analysis of responses will be published on the NAEO website and presented at The Exams Office National Conferences which take place in January and February.
I encourage all exams officers to complete this year’s survey to ensure that not only is your ‘voice’ is heard, but to help to raise the status and profile of the exams officer community.
(Participants can opt to be entered into a prize draw for 4 x £25 High Street vouchers)