Question: Firstly, can you tell us a bit about the Examination Officers' Association?

Andrew Harland: The EOA was originally created and developed by practising teaching exams officers in response to the demands of Curriculum 2000. Another round of change is now imminent with the launch of the 14-19 agenda and the role of the organisation to help deliver these changes to the exam system has now become even more important.

This is because the personnel who have taken over this role from teachers have had little or no training and support to prepare them for this very demanding job. This group have no professional status within the education community and the EOA is working hard to address this issue.

In addition, without this workforce being secured, the successful delivery of the new programmes may be under threat. During the period of modernisation supported by the National Assessment Agency (NAA), the EOA has continued to focus on professional development for our community alongside all supportive programmes being provided by the NAA which focused on maintaining the safe delivery of the examination system.

The EOA seeks to ensure that this development is supported appropriately by government, awarding bodies and senior management within the education community.

The EOA continues to lobby all the above organisations with regard to their practices and procedures related to the exam system and takes an active role in trying to influence present and future developments.

Question: How important is the role of examination officers in maintaining confidence in the exams system?

Andrew Harland: In order to secure the safe delivery of exams, you need an appropriate workforce that is trained and confident with dealing with an ever-increasing complex exam system. Exams office personnel play a vital role in the whole process and this importance has been echoed by ministers, teaching unions and from key government agencies, like the NAA.

Question: What role do parents have to play in the exam experience? Should they be doing more?

Andrew Harland: It is very interesting that the new breed of exams office personnel don't have the same contact with parents or governors in the same way as historic teaching exam officers.

The EOA feels these personnel should take a more active role. They should be an integral part, and trained properly so they can communicate in the right way. Examinations are stressful at the end of the day and if exams personnel confronting students, for example, on results days, aren't trained appropriately to deal with these emotional events, then students and staff may not get the appropriate support they need.

Question: The government has proposed to raise the minimum age for leaving education or training to 18, what impact will this have on examination officers?

Andrew Harland: Examination officers focus on the administration and operation of exams linking the internal teaching learning activity within centres to the external assessment of public exams. The key role of the EOA is to support its members in delivering whichever exams system has been agreed.

By raising the minimum leaving age there will be students in centres who will still be involved with the exams system. They have to be managed by exams officers who are already dislocated from students because they don't teach them, and by external invigilators who don't know them.

So there may be a problem with this growing student population who are already a bit fed up with the education system but who are being forced to stay on and engage with the exam system. So the EOA wants to make sure our exam officer community is trained appropriately so its members support this student group. 

Question: Is there too much pressure within the exams system?

Andrew Harland: Exam office personnel have to cope with all the stresses and strains from their centre, teaching staff and students. There is obviously a lot of pressure on exams officers socially and politically because results and league tables are so important within the education community. The problem is that this pressure is placed on somebody who may not have a very high profile, perhaps isn't very well paid and may have a poor self image of themselves within their centre. Unlike their teaching colleagues who are used to that sort of pressure, a lot is being asked of sometimes very young and inexperienced exams office personnel.

Question: Schools also often feel pressure to get good exam results; what impact does this have on the exams system and exams officers?

Andrew Harland: Exams office personnel are there to deal with whatever is asked of them. They should not be making decisions for staff and students but offering appropriate professional support and advice based upon the needs of the student.

Sometimes there can be a lot of pressure placed upon exams office personnel by students, staff and parents to pursue various processes that they feel are beyond even their role and expertise.

Teaching exams officers, historically, could give a certain view on a situation based upon their specific knowledge of the student and subject within a teaching and learning context. The new cult of exams officer personnel do not have that expertise and respond in a more clinical way.

They do a great job despite their lack of interpersonal training and knowledge of the teaching culture. Clearly, a more informed exams office community that can interact with the whole teaching and learning culture and on assessment outcomes would give better professional advice, serving both students and teaching staff.

The new diploma style system will have both teaching assessment and external public examination which will have to be managed by the exams office personnel not only in their centres, but in collaboration with other exams office personnel in a range of local centres.

The EOA believes that it is even more important to have well trained personnel in place to help secure a successful new exam system.

For any exams system to work, there needs to be an openness around expectations from all parties involved; students, teachers, parents, government and examination officers – and we can now represent our members' expectations.

Question: Can vocational qualifications be given a parity with academic?

Andrew Harland: The new diploma system will bolt together general and vocational qualifications. Exams office personnel have to wait for their centres to decide how they will go forward. The traditional system of GSCEs and A-levels will continue for some time while the new diploma structure is developed. One will have to wait and see whether under the new diploma system, vocational qualifications will be given their appropriate status and value.

Question: How would you describe your organisation's relationship with government?

Andrew Harland: When the EOA 'signed up' to supporting the original modernisation programme back in 2004, clearly our objective was to lobby government and the system to get a better environment for exams officers in terms of profile, training and resources.

Some of that has taken place and we thank the government agency for that. Without their support, we could have achieved what we have achieved and certainly, the grass roots advice and support of the EOA has been invaluable in pushing through successful developments under the modernisation banner.

We have committed ourselves to government to help secure a professional workforce that can help to deliver a safe exam system. Clearly, while the government focuses on securing the system we will focus on the people to help deliver that system.

The 14-19 agenda starts this September and so we have the rest of this year and the beginning of next year to secure that workforce of which the turnover is running at 25 per cent. The turnover is higher in the South than in the North and is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. One of the reasons for the turnover is the downgrading of jobs by local authorities.

We are experiencing feedback from members with incredible knowledge and expertise being forced to leave their jobs because of the lack of awareness of what this role involves. Added to this is often a lack of encouragement and training. The system cannot afford to lose these valuable people and the EOA through its CPD programme is trying to raise the profile of these personnel and secure their role within their community.

We are running out of time and the new diploma developments are not far away. The government is aware of these issues and has provided a range of activities and support to deal with this situation but more needs to be done with targeted funding through the EOA CPD programme to secure this workforce.  

"I believe that it is vital that all exam office personnel are given the position and status to do their job in the most professional way possible" Jan Martin, Chair of EOA