Recruitment and retention: National Assessment Agency

Recruiting and retaining examiners to ensure students get the results they deserve

The brief

Each year 60,000 examiners, moderators and markers are needed across England and Wales. The National Assessment Agency (NAA) was launched as a subsidiary body of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in April 2004, to modernise examination and test systems.

We were engaged to lead the recruitment and retention programme for examiners and markers. The programme serves to establish and promote a large and permanent pool of highly professional examiners, moderators and markers.

The solution

Working together with our research partner, MORI, interviews were conducted with 600 teachers and examiners across the UK. The feedback from the interviews formed the core messages of 'Examine their future' and 'Behind every paper there is a student', used in the recruitment campaign.

The campaign also includes an integrated website (www.examinerrecruitment.org) and targeted direct mail, together with a national advertising campaign appearing in The Guardian, The Independent and Times Education Supplement.

In its first month the campaign website has attracted in excess of 12,000 visitors.

CiB Communication Excellence Awards 2005 - finalist