Time for an ombudsman

The new schools minister, David Miliband, has given headteachers cause to hope that their protests about exam overload might be listened to. Addressing the subject of secondary-school reform at the National Association of Head Teachers conference in Torquay, he said the responses to the Government's Green Paper on 14-to 19-year-olds showed the time might be ripe for a national debate on the reforms. It might be a good idea to set time aside for it, he added.

No government minister has yet acknowledged that today's pupils are over-assessed, but a national debate would give head teachers the chance to hammer home the message that something in our overcrowded system has to give. They would no doubt be strongly supported by parents' representatives.

The Government is anxious for any debate to encompass its plans for a matriculation certificate for 19-year-olds and to bridge the academic/vocational divide. The heads would want it also to cover their grievances about the present exams system. Whatever Mr Miliband's comment was expected to achieve, it has at least conveyed the impression that the Government is prepared to listen to the voices of the profession before pressing ahead with reforms. A national debate is welcome.

Meanwhile, tales of dissatisfaction with the workings of the exam system and the performance of exam boards continue to emerge. On page 4 Nicholas Pyke tells the sorry story of Queen's College London's four-month battle with Edexcel over its AS-level English marks. As a result of its traumas, the school's head of English is suggesting that there should be a new examinations ombudsman to deal with complaints. John Dunford, the general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, suggests the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the Government's exams watchdog, should set up a special quality assurance unit to play this particular role.

Edexcel has established its own customer service centre since the débâcle of last summer brought about by the massive expansion of the exam system. However, an outside body to rule on the complaints of schools and students would seem to be a better way of restoring confidence in the examination system.