Fears remain over Curriculum for Excellence exams A SURVEY of Scotland's teachers has found "significant concerns" remain over the introduction of new exams as part of the country's fledgling school curriculum. The poll by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) found two-thirds of those taking part believe they have received "unsatisfactory" levels of support in implementing Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in the later years, or "senior phase," of secondary school. Teachers have repeatedly warned that many schools are not ready for the introduction of the new National Qualifications from later this year, which will replace Standard Grades and Intermediates. The EIS, the country's largest teaching union, said interim results of a national survey of its members had shown that many teachers remained unhappy about the "extremely ambitious" and "rushed" timetable for introducing the new exams. The National 4, which replaces the Standard Grade (General) and Intermediate 1, and the National 5, which replaces Standard Grade (Credit) and Intermediate 2, will be introduced at the start of the next school year, with the first exams being sat in 2014. The new qualifications are part of CfE, which was introduced in 2010 and has divided teachers ever since. The EIS found that more than two-thirds of its members who respondedto the survey felt they had not had enough support from their local authority, Education Scotland or the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). And 40 per cent of teachers said their school had not received previously agreed additional financial support for the new National qualifications from the Scottish Government. Kay Barnett, convener of the EIS" education committee, said: "While these interim results only provide a snapshot of the overall picture of CfE senior phase development, a number of key issues of concern are already apparent. Secondary teachers and further education lecturers are very clear on the need for better information and resource materials to support the implementation of the senior phase of CfE. The fact that over three-quarters of teachers and lecturers are still calling for both new course materials and proper assessment exemplification from the SQA to support the new National Qualifications highlights significant concern within the teaching profession. We know that new materials are being produced, but the message from Scotland's teaching professionals is that we need them now and we need them to be of high quality. Ms Barnett added: "The EIS was a consistent, and lone, voice in highlighting the rushed timetable for the introduction of the new National Qualifications. We were the only teaching or educational organisation to call for a national one-year delay on the introduction of the new National Qualifications - a plea from the teaching profession that the Scottish Government, unfortunately, did not act upon.