CCEA: NI exam board head Margaret Farragher to leave post

Margaret Farragher led CCEA through the first summer exams to be held since 2019

The head of Northern Ireland's exams board, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), has resigned.

CCEA said Margaret Farragher would be "taking up a new opportunity within the UK education sector later this year".

Ms Farragher has been interim chief executive at the exams board since Justin Edwards left in April 2021.

She has had to lead CCEA through the first GCSE, AS and A-level summer exams to be held since 2019.

In a statement to BBC News NI confirming Ms Farragher's resignation, CCEA did not specify if she would leave the organisation before GCSE, AS and A-level results are awarded in August.

Exams in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the pandemic and schools calculated grades to be awarded to pupils instead.

CCEA was widely criticised in 2020 for the way A-levels were graded after exams were cancelled, causing a U-turn from the then Education Minister Peter Weir.

After many results had been lowered during standardisation by the exams board, Mr Weir decided that grades calculated by schools would be used.

Margaret Farragher stepped up to head CCEA after Justin Edwards left the post in February 2021

Ms Farragher was the CCEA's director of education during that period but stepped up to head the organisation after Mr Edwards' departure.

GCSE, AS, A-level and BTEC exams are currently taking place in Northern Ireland.

For the first time, a reserve set of A-level exams will be held in late June and early July for pupils who miss an initial paper due to illness.

Due to disruption caused by the pandemic, parts of many subjects have been omitted from the exams and pupils will sit fewer papers.

Some schools have, however, previously voiced concern over what CCEA decided to cut from some courses.

In a statement to BBC News NI confirming Ms Farragher's resignation, a spokesperson for CCEA said its governing council would be "implementing arrangements to fill the chief executive position".

"In the meantime, Margaret remains Interim CEO - a role she took up in April 2021," they said.

"We wish Margaret every success in her future."