Teachers’ estimated grades will be used to replace cancelled GCSEs and A-levels in England this summer, says education secretary Gavin Williamson
He told MPs he would “trust in teachers rather than algorithms”, a reference to problems in last year’s exam results. For primaries, he confirmed there would be no Year 6 SATs tests this year.
Williamson also said it would be “mandatory” for schools to provide “high-quality remote education” of three to five hours per day. He said Ofsted inspectors would check that this was delivered.
Responding to the education secretary’s statement today about arrangements for GCSEs, A-levels, and other qualifications following the decision to cancel this summer’s exams, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The education secretary’s vague statement does not take us a great deal further forward other than to set out the broad parameters for the exam regulator Ofqual to work out a detailed plan.
“It is all very well to insist that there are contingencies in place and that it is now a case of fine-tuning. But what are these contingencies and how much fine-tuning is needed?
“It is the detail which is all important and which schools and colleges urgently need.
“It is frustrating that there is not an off-the-shelf Plan B ready to go. We have repeatedly called on the government and the regulator to prepare such a plan in the event of exams being cancelled, and have repeatedly offered to work with them in doing so.
“However, ministers have been so busy insisting that exams will take place that they have failed to ensure that there is a contingency system which can be immediately rolled out. This is, frankly, a dereliction of duty.
“Ofqual now faces a race against time to come up with the ‘fine-tuning’ of a credible alternative to exams.
“There will be many different views on how this is best done.
“What any system must achieve is fairness and consistency. It must ensure pupils receive grades which reflect their efforts, recognise the different extent to which learning has been disrupted, and give reassurance that the same standard is applied across the country.
“There is also a real need for urgency about this because these young people, and their schools and colleges, need to know what they are planning for very soon.
“What the government and Ofqual must certainly avoid is a repeat of the shambles of last summer.”
Commenting on the Education Secretary’s statement to the House of Commons, Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Gavin Williamson said in Parliament today that he and Ofqual had prepared a contingency for teacher-assessed grades to award qualifications in summer 2021 but, if this is the case, why did he keep it from the sector? The NEU alongside other unions had called for structures to enable such a back-up option to exams in October. Had these structures been put in place then we would be in a much better position now to make it happen.
“Instead, there is a danger that implementing such a process fairly and consistently nationally at this late stage will lead to further extreme stress and workload for education staff, students and parents. This stress could have been avoided had government not been so obsessed and blinkered by their pursuit of exams in the face of the obvious prospect that they may not be fair or possible.
“Education staff will need further information soon about the training proposed by Gavin Williamson to assist with ensuring consistency and fairness of grades nationally. Students and parents will also want to understand how the process is fair for everyone across all types of qualifications – GCSEs, A-Levels, BTECs and others.
“There remains a willingness from the NEU to work with government to get the fairest possible outcome for students and find the best possible ways for schools and colleges to implement the process. We will take up his offer to discuss the details of these issues but government and Ofqual will need to be far more willing to act on what we suggest this time. We will also make clear that any further workload cannot be dumped upon an already grossly overstretched profession at this time.
“The decision to pass the buck to school and college leaders on January exams for vocational qualifications is a further demonstration of a lack of leadership from government. Awarding organisations who offer these courses have assured us that no student will be disadvantaged whether they take the exams in January or not and it is now incumbent upon them, Ofqual and government to explain, very soon, how this will come to be.
“We are glad that the government has listened to the widespread calls for urgent action on tablets and data support for the remote learning of disadvantaged children, working with mobile phone companies. But it has not gone unnoticed that we have seen months of dither and delay. A move to rationing the supply towards the end of 2020 was a low point for school leaders who have been working desperately hard for the disadvantaged students in their care. Even so, by the education secretary’s own estimate the roll out of one million devices will not be reached until the end of January – two thirds of the way through the proposed period of lockdown. With a summer completely squandered by the Department for Education, it is galling that this should still remain an issue.
“The last thing teachers and heads need right now is the spectre of Ofsted, which has been of neither use nor ornament throughout the pandemic. It is sadly part of their DNA to criticise rather than offer solutions or real help. The best thing inspectors can do right now is offer their services, either as additional teachers or to supervise daily testing of those who will still be attending their school or college during this period of lockdown. That way we can allow heads and their staff to focus their efforts on what really matters – supporting their students, rather than the distraction of a visiting box-ticker.
“Teachers and parents will be relieved that Gavin Williamson has faced up to reality and cancelled this year’s SATs tests. With the pressures of SATs lifted, schools will have some space to address the urgent issues of educational recovery. Pupils are going to need long-term support for their learning. A curriculum driven by tests was never the way to do this. Now is the time to encourage and resource schools to develop a rich and engaging curriculum.”
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