Exam chief’s ‘confidence’ but it’s no reason to ditch In assessments end of year tests
bodies have accused Mr Drakeford of misrepresenting the science.
Professor Daniel Thomas, consultant epidemiologist at PHW’S Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, said: “There is growing evidence that certain population groups are more likely to be affected by severe coronavirus including older people, males, pregnant women, and people with pre-existing chronic disease or disability.
“People in certain minority ethnic groups and those in public-facing occupations are also disproportionally affected, but it is unclear whether this is related to increased risk of acquiring coronavirus or increased risk of severe disease once infected.
“Compared with the evidence that exists for risks associated with hospitalisation and death, limited information is available on the social, demographic and behavioural factors associated with transmission of coronavirus in the community.
“The conducting of mass testing provides a good opportunity to explore these risks by conducting large-scale epidemiological studies, and, with sufficient sample size, can provide information to help inform and support the ongoing response to the pandemic.
“This study reminds us that while education settings do not appear to present a significant transmission risk for coronavirus, there is a much greater risk of catching the virus at home, in a hospitality setting, or in the pub.
“This reinforces the need to avoid mixing with other households, and sticking to coronavirus restrictions by working from home if you can, wearing a face covering where required, washing your hands regularly and staying two metres from anyone you do not live with.”
The community mass testing was carried out by Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
Dr Kelechi Nnoaham, director of public health at the health board, said: “It’s fantastic to see the information gathered from our mass testing programme in Merthyr Tydfil and the Cynon Valley being used to keep people safe all across Wales.
“We are now running a new community testing programme in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region, open to any resident without symptoms of Covid19.
“This will help us to identify and isolate asymptomatic cases and stop the spread of coronavirus in our communities. We encourage people to check their local authority website to find out where they can get tested.”
The Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) is the epidemiological investigation arm of PHW. It aims to protect the population from infection through surveillance of infectious disease, support for outbreak investigation, provision of health intelligence and applied research.
The survey findings come as Wales’s deputy chief medical officer warned there remains a risk of further coronavirus surge this summer. Speaking on Monday, Dr Chris Jones said the situation is currently “really encouraging” despite the presence of the Kent variant.
The seven-day incidence rate in Wales has plummeted from more than 600 cases per 100,000 people in December, to 40 cases per 100,000 yesterday.
More than 1.1 million people in the country have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, accounting for over 35% of the population.
Dr Jones said the Welsh vaccination programme is “one of the most successful” in the world, with all adults due to be offered a vaccine by the end of July.
But he added: “There will not be total control of the pandemic at that point because the vaccines are not 100% effective, not everyone will have the vaccine or can have the vaccine, and for a long time until we get to July, very few people will have had both doses.
“After July, there will still be half a million children who are not vaccinated. So even once the vaccine programme has completed the rollout to all adults, there will still be a risk from coronavirus.
“The vaccine programme is increasingly important to us and provides increasing protection but it won’t be a complete level of protection and it won’t enable us to be completely free of concern.
“The virus is not going to disappear as a result of this programme.” Dr Jones was asked about the likelihood of a third wave of Covid-19 later this year, as well as the need for further full lockdown restrictions.
He replied: “We recognise that this is an extremely transmissible infection and we also realise that relaxing restrictions will increase, potentially, the risk of transmission.
“It feels like controlling this pandemic is like trying to control the speed of a car in which the accelerator is stuck to the floor and the only way you can control the speed is by applying the brake, which is what we do with lockdown measures.
“As soon as you relax your foot on the brake, the car will accelerate off again. We do know that if we relax too much too quickly, we will see a surge in cases and another wave.”
Dr Jones said the Welsh Government was “showing considerable caution” in easing restrictions and trying to assess the effects of any changes.
He added: “The vaccination programme, as I’ve indicated, is important in this but it’s not going to provide us with complete protection.
“This is still going to be a problem going forwards. We will certainly have to watch out for the risk of a further surge after the summer.
“We’ll also have to consider whether some of the social behaviours that we require – hand hygiene, social distancing, mask use – may still be needed in the autumn.”
EXAMS have a future and should not be ditched long term or changed radically in the middle of a pandemic, the head of the exam board used by all maintained schools in Wales has said.
Ian Morgan, chief executive of the WJEC, insisted there should be confidence in the system to award grades this summer on teacher assessment after exams were cancelled for a second year. But he said that did not mean this should be the model for the future.
“There is a future for sit-down, written exams in the context of a balanced set of qualifications,” Mr Morgan said.
“Some learners do better without the over arching stress and pressure of exams but some learners thrive on exams. Some learners want external justification for their grades.
“I am not wedded to exams, but if you were coming up with a new way of assessing grades you would not do it in the middle of a pandemic in three months.”
The WJEC and exam regulator Qualifications Wales were heavily criticised by an independent review into the results fiasco of last summer when thousands of results were downgraded by a standardising algorithm. Results were finally awarded on teacher assessed grades only.
The regulator, The WJEC and the Design and Delivery Group, appointed by Welsh Government, are now providing an assessment framework to support schools and colleges to develop assessment plans for this year.
Mr Morgan, whose signature is on every WJEC exam certificate, said he would not put his name to them if he didn’t trust results based on processes arrived at this year.
But he admitted “there would be an element of nervousness” because of the new process this year.
If any anomalies become apparent schools will be asked to look again at grades arrived at, but there would be “no blanket upgrading or downgrading”.
To some extent exams give some uniformity because every one does the same thing at the same time and they are delivered and marked in a structured approach. There are examiners trained to mark those exams and there is no concept of who the learner is so there is no bias - Ian Morgan, chief executive of the WJEC
“It is an unknown. We are trying to do the best we can in the current circumstances and have learners at the heart of what we’re doing,” said Mr Morgan.
“We don’t want a free for all. The solution is in the profession and school and college leadership doing what they need to do.”
Initial plans to replace cancelled exams in Wales with internal and external assessments were scrapped after schools shut again in January. They will now be graded by teachers looking at pupils’ work.
Schools have been given guidance on what different grades should look like and will already have assessment policies in place because coursework has been used for many years, long before Covid, to help award qualifications.
But teachers can decide for themselves how best to assess pupils in this framework. Some
may use past papers provided by the WJEC to assess knowledge and skills, while others may not, Mr Morgan acknowledged.
Either way formal tests in exam-like conditions will not take place, he stressed. “There is no requirement to sit at a desk and do a past paper, like an exam,” Mr Morgan said. “What we don’t want is for that to be seen as an exam at 2pm on Tuesday.”
Everyone is keen to avoid the fiasco of last summer when thousands of exam results from teachers were downgraded by a computer algorithm standardisation process. After public outcry results reverted to those awarded originally by teachers.
This year, those involved will also be keen to avoid any accusations of teacher bias in grading.
“The important thing is the rigour to justify the final outcome. There will be internal and external quality assurance to ensure consistent approach,” he added.
Prolonged school closures and two years of cancelled exams means teaching and exams will be affected for years to come. An announcement on qualification specifications for 2022 will be made soon, the WJEC said.
Whatever emerges, the head of the WJEC was adamant sat exams have benefits and a future.
“To some extent exams give some uniformity because every one does the same thing at the same time and they are delivered and marked in a structured approach. There are examiners trained to mark those exams and there is no concept of who the learner is so there is no bias.
“The exam system more transparent.” is
AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy needed surgery after cutting a tendon in his hand on broken glass in a park.
The youngster was with his family in the park in Aberdulais on Saturday when he suffered a huge cut across his hand from the base of his thumb right across to the other side of his wrist.
He was whisked away by his mother to Neath Port Talbot Hospital for treatment, where doctors decided the incision was too deep for stitches, and he needed to be taken to Morriston Hospital to be seen to by plastic surgeons.
Mum Kristy Marie said: “He ran away when he first cut it because he was panicking and he didn’t want to come home.
“I looked at it and it was too big to do first aid so I took him to Neath Port Talbot Hospital.
“The doctor said he couldn’t stitch it because it was too deep and had severed 50% of a tendon.
“If it had gone any lower we were worried he was going to lose movement of his fingers.
“He has been putting on a brave face, trying to be brave for me, but it is painful and he’s trying to hide it.”
The mum-of-three said the area is often littered with broken bottles and other rubbish from teenagers and warned other parents to be on their guard.
“There are a lot of older teens in the park and down by the river, who go there drinking, and it looks like they are leaving
bottles there and smashing them.
“My five-year-old
daughter likes to go to the park to play as well, but I’m not sure when I will
take them again because I don’t want to bring it all back to them.”
Aberdulais ward councillor Doreen Jones added: “I have been in touch with the family and as soon as I knew about the issue I asked the parks department to go and clean the area.
“Unfortunately, if people leave litter there is the chance of it causing accidents.”
The doctor said he couldn’t stitch it because it was too deep and had severed 50% of a tendon. If it had gone any lower we were worried he was going to lose movement of his fingers
- Mother, Kristy Marie