The Government, after days of controversy has decided that predicted teachers grades for A levels will be used to determine results in England and Wales.

The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said he was “sorry for the distress this has caused”

“We worked with Ofqual to construct the fairest possible model, but it is clear that the process of allocating grades has resulted in more significant inconsistencies than can be resolved through an appeals process,” he said.
“We now believe it is better to offer young people and parents certainty by moving to teacher assessed grades for both A and AS level and GCSE results. I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve.”

Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer said:  “This is a victory for the thousands of young people who have powerfully made their voices heard this past week.”

He also argued that the latest crisis was indicative of Boris Johnson’s inability to lead, adding: “Incompetence has become this Government’s watchword, whether that is on schools, testing or care homes.   Boris Johnson’s failure to lead is holding Britain back.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham tweeted

“Congratulations to all the young people who made their voice heard and can now celebrate getting the results they deserve.“

In a statement released this afternoon Roger Taylor, Chair, Ofqual said

“We understand this has been a distressing time for students, who were awarded exam results last week for exams they never took. The pandemic has created circumstances no one could have ever imagined or wished for. We want to now take steps to remove as much stress and uncertainty for young people as possible – and to free up heads and teachers to work towards the important task of getting all schools open in two weeks.”

He added

There was no easy solution to the problem of awarding exam results when no exams have taken place. Ofqual was asked by the Secretary of State to develop a system for awarding calculated grades, which maintained standards and ensured that grades were awarded broadly in line with previous years. Our goal has always been to protect the trust that the public rightly has in educational qualifications.

But we recognise that while the approach we adopted attempted to achieve these goals we also appreciate that it has also caused real anguish and damaged public confidence. Expecting schools to submit appeals where grades were incorrect placed a burden on teachers when they need to be preparing for the new term and has created uncertainty and anxiety for students. For all of that, we are extremely sorry.

 

 

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