EXAM INVIGILATION

Any contractual expectation on teachers to invigilate examinations was removed in September 2005. So this year, no teacher can be directed or asked to invigilate any external exams or full “mocks”. KS2 and 3 SATs are examinations.

The National Remodelling Group’s website points out: “The transfer of invigilation duties to a cadre of trained and paid invigilators recognises that effective invigilation is an essential part of an efficient and effective examinations system. It also provides important opportunities for support staff to take on extended roles in support of teaching and learning.”

The changes which came into effect in 2005 were published at least 2 years in advance and so each school should have made appropriate arrangements for invigilation of the coming SATs, GCSEs, etc., including budgetary provision. It is the headteacher’s responsibility to ensure that invigilation is provided by employing sufficient and appropriate support staff, who have been trained and are paid accordingly, to undertake the invigilation duties that teachers may have been required or asked to do in the past. In most schools, invigilators will be new or enhanced posts for support staff.

The (statutory) School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Documents states: “Those invigilating the examination should be made aware of the procedure for dealing with emergencies and for contacting a teacher in the subject area under examination should any candidate raise a concern or problem with the paper which requires their professional judgement. It may also be appropriate for a teacher to be present at the end of an external examination to ensure its efficient conclusion.”

….. When carrying out such tasks, teachers should not be expected to stay in the examination hall/room for any longer than is necessary to perform the task. “

The exceptions, where teachers may be required to be present throughout an examination, are only:

(1) that teachers may be required to conduct practical and oral examinations in their own subject, including overseeing coursework (i.e., aspects of the examination system which do require the training and skills of the qualified teacher), and

(2) internal examinations and tests “where these take place during normal timetabled teaching time” (i.e. class tests). However, “If a school reorganises the timetable for “mock” examinations to replicate the examination process, then teachers should not be required to invigilate them.”

We are getting reports that some staff are volunteering to stay in the examination room to “assist with invigilation” or to keep an eye on particular pupils, etc. This should never be necessary. The school should be employing adequate numbers of appropriate non-teaching staff for all the particular pupils who are taking the exam at that time. There should be an “on call” system in place to deal with (a) any disciplinary matters requiring the intervention of a teacher and (b) any questions about the paper which require the knowledge and judgement of the relevant teacher.

In some SATs and for pupils with Special Needs a teacher’s skills may be required, but this will be for reasons other than “invigilation”. Invigilators must still be employed. Members in any doubt about their role should contact the Union with individual details.

“Gained Time” is when teachers are released from timetabled teaching commitments when their pupils are on study leave or are actually taking an examination and being invigilated by non-teaching staff. The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document gives a list of “agreed” directed tasks which could be done in “gained time” but this does not include “invigilation” or covering for other staff (e.g. an HLTA or cover supervisor) who is invigilating.

• Developing/revising departmental/subject curriculum materials, schemes of work, lesson plans and policies in preparation for the new academic year. This may include identifying appropriate materials for use by supply staff and/or cover supervisors;
• Assisting colleagues in appropriate, planned team teaching activities;
• Taking groups of pupils to provide additional learning support;
• Supporting selected pupils with coursework;
• Undertaking planned activities with pupils transferring between year groups or from primary schools;
• Where the school has a policy for all staff to release them for CPD during school sessions, gained time may be used for such activities.

The NUT has not supported the employment of non-teaching staff to take over class teaching or supply work. The NUT does support the employment of trained invigilators because this is not a teaching job and does not require the training and qualifications of a teacher. Members are therefore urged to insist that non-teaching staff should invigilate, and to let your local NUT Association Secretary know of any breach.

As no member can be directed to invigilate, apart from in the two exceptional situations above, any NUT member can refuse to comply with an instruction to do the work of an invigilator, because such an instruction would not be one which the head or line manager was entitled to give.