Teachers welcome decision to offer a choice on Highers

Teachers have welcomed the Scottish government’s decision to allow secondary schools to decide whether pupils should sit the current Higher or the new version in 2014/15, but parents are “likely to have concerns”.

Last week education secretary Mike Russell granted demands by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country’s biggest teaching union, to delay the introduction of the new Highers if individual schools were not ready. 

Having originally opposed the move as unnecessary, Mr Russell said pupils could study for the existing exam if individual departments advised.

“Where it is a principal teacher’s clear professional judgement that their young people’s interests would be best served by studying for the existing Highers then it is right they should have the opportunity to work closely with their senior management, local authority and, crucially, the parent body, to make that decision,” he said.