‘We must trust our teachers over exams’
Students’ futures will be in safe hands says city education leader
THE ‘professional judgement’ of teachers should be trusted in awarding students their results for A-levels and GCSEs, a Portsmouth councillor has said.
The government announced on Thursday that schools will use evidence such as mock exams, coursework, essays and in-class tests to assess students’ grades this summer after exams were cancelled following disruption caused by the pandemic.
Optional assessments set by exam boards for all subjects will be offered but they will not be taken in exam conditions and will not decide final grades.
Results will be published earlier in August to allow time to appeal.
Last summer saw a huge outcry and thousands of appeals as A-level students had their results downgraded from school estimates by a controversial algorithm before a sharp U-turn by exams watchdog Ofqual allowed teachers' predictions instead.
The decision to grade based on teachers’ assessments this summer will remove the controversy over algorithm calculating results.
Councillor Suzy Horton, member for children, families and education, said trusting teachers was the best way forward.
‘I’m a great fan of teachers and we should trust their integrity,’ the former teacher said. ‘It is the most consistent and fair way to do it. Students will be in safe hands.
‘Teachers know what has been taught and we should trust their professional judgement.’
Cllr Horton did question the decision to only announce the move now though. ‘Why have they only decided now? What’s been going on between last summer and now?’ she said.
‘Most people would have predicted a disruptive year last summer so I would have thought they would have made a decision earlier.
‘They just waited and waited and teachers were crying out for guidance.’
She added: ‘Things are better this year and it is not as bad as the debacle last year.’
Prime minister Boris Johnson said exams would have continued normally in an ‘ideal world’ but added: ‘I think this is as good a compromise as we can come to.
‘I think it will be fair, I think it will be durable and it's the right way forward.’