SCOTTISH Labour has called for the government to cancel the last of this year’s exams, warning that a failure to do so will hit deprived pupils hardest.

Deputy First Minister and Education Secretary John Swinney is under pressure from opposition MSPs to replace this year’s Higher and Advanced Higher exams with an alternative form of assessment.

Data highlighted by education researcher Barry Black has demonstrated that allowing the exam diet to proceed will disproportionately damage the prospects of pupils from the most deprived backgrounds.

As of November 24, as many as 15 per cent of all S4 pupils were not in attendance at school, and schools in the most deprived areas had significantly higher rates of non-attendance than those in the least deprived areas. 

In October, the government announced national five exams were to be cancelled in Scotland in 2021 and replaced with teacher assessments and coursework.

After submitting a number of parliamentary questions on the topic, Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson Iain Gray has now said that Mr Swinney must “do the right thing” by the pupils of Scotland and call off the remaining exams. 

He said: “The data is clear: pupils in the most deprived areas are more likely to be missing vital class time, and the provisions that the Scottish government has put in place for remote learning cannot fully replace face to face learning. 

“In these circumstances the possibility of exams on a level playing field has gone. 

“Pupils and teachers need a decision now, and Mr Swinney needs to focus completely on ensuring awards are made consistently and fairly. We cannot have another chaotic last-minute decision on schools.”

The Scottish government has said that it would make the decision by February the latest, with contingency plans being prepared. 

A spokesman added: “Our ambition remains for Higher and Advanced Higher exams to proceed if possible. It must, however, be safe to do so and it must be fair to learners.  

“We are monitoring the position closely and listening to all the different views on this matter. We have already shown with the cancellation of the national five exams that we will take the necessary actions to protect fairness for learners.”