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Herald and Post

It’s that time of year again. School students are suffering from sleepless nights and bitten finger nails – exams are upon us!

This is not an easy period – whether you are the one actually taking the exam; a parent of a child subject to the pressure or a teacher hoping that each of their pupils performs to their full potential – the importance of exam success is clearly recognised. This has led some people to question the whole basis of the examination structure itself. I think this would be a damaging development. Surely it is only fair that at the end of a course there should be a means of finding out whether or not the individual concerned has actually learned something?

At a younger age testing is important in order to determine whether the child is making progress and developing the skills that they will need in later life.

Of course if everyone got through their exams or tests with flying colours then no-one could be seen as a failure. Although it would almost certainly lead to allegations that standards are in fact slipping with easier questions being set!

The thing that strikes me as I visit schools in my constituency – which is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job – is that there is a general acceptance of the present system.

There will always be the need for changes at the margin but that is all that is needed.

So as the school year draws to a close let us keep our fingers crossed for all of those taking exams and say a big thank you to the teachers of North Tyneside who do such an important job.