OCR invited key policy makers with an interest in assessment to discuss the increasing challenge of recruiting examiners to an event today at the RSA House in London.

The issue of examiner recruitment has recently attracted national media coverage. A move towards end-of-course externally assessed examinations for the majority of qualifications means exam boards now need larger numbers of markers during a fixed period. Exam boards rely almost entirely on teachers to fulfil the examiner/assessor role. Workload pressure and increasing demands on teacher time mean exam boards are facing increasing challenges to recruit teachers. Is it that the teaching profession has become disconnected from examining? If so, how can we reconnect?

OCR invited representatives from LKMco (the education and youth development ‘think and action tank’), CIEA, the Grammar School Heads Association and ASCL as well as real examiners, to explore the following key questions through research and debate:

• Who should examine?
• Is examining professional development?
• Should everyone examine at least once?
• What is the link between external assessment and assessment in the classroom?

Mark Dawe, OCR's CEO, commented at the event: "We have an examining system which is the envy of the world but it needs to be manageable as well as reliable and valid. Everyone has to work together to ensure that teachers continue to examine."

L-R: Sarah Jones, Associate at LKMco Thinktank; Barry Sindall, Chief Executive of Grammar School Heads Association; Cherry Ridgeway, Curriculum and Assessment Specialist, Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL); Michael O'Connor, member of OCR Advisory Group of Examiners and Assessors; Sue Kirkham MBE, Chair of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors; Sion Humphries, Policy Advisor, National Association of Headteachers (NAHT); Mark Dawe, CEO of OCR.

The event forms part of the research that will contribute to a final report to be launched in Parliament in October 2015.

For further details, contact OCR’s Policy team: policy@ocr.org.uk