A SCHOOL network has called on the government to cancel future major exams.

Schools North East (SNE), which represents over 1150 in the region, wrote to the Education Secretary this week requesting to cancel upcoming SATs and implement hybrid assessments for GCSE and A-Level exams.

The request was based on feedback from schools in a survey last week, and follows the recent decision made in Scotland this week to cancel National 5 exams, and instead implement a new hybrid system.

The network said it felt that it was "no longer practical or feasible for exams to go ahead without contingency arrangements", due to the ongoing disruptions students sitting exams this year have experienced due to lockdown, periods of isolation and school closures - all of which continue to occur.

In the letter the network asked the Department of Education to instead implement a implement a hybrid of continuous assessment and exams for GCSE and A Level students.

SNE writes: "The focus now must be on how we mitigate learning loss and further risks to learning, rather than reinforcing the damage already done with high stakes exams.

"It is crucial that we ensure a fair and consistent system for testing and examination in 2020/21. As we are already 5 weeks into the academic year, with teaching towards these exams and tests well underway, a decision must be made urgently.

The network are also asking the government to school performance league tables must be suspended for the next two years as disruption this year also impacts those sitting SATs in 2021/22. and significantly modify how GCSE and A Level students are assessed this year, using a combination of exams and continuous assessment.

This, the network argues, will help to prevent assessments relying on a single high stakes exam and allows for an accurate method of assessment, which trusts in the professional judgment of teachers.