Another exams catastrophe is looming

The Department for Education must listen to head teachers and provide clarity for anxious pupils

Over the past few days, hundreds of head teachers across the country have written to their local MPS imploring them to lobby ministers at the Department for Education to tell us exactly what is happening about next year’s GCSE and A-level examinations.

After this summer’s grading fiasco, it is extraordinary that hundreds of thousands of pupils (and their families and teachers) have no idea what exams will look like in the summer of 2021.

Through no fault of their own, many of these students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have lost months of precious learning time already. As Covid-19 cases continue to rise, current catch-up plans for pupils in our schools are being regularly disrupted by 14-day periods of self-isolation for both students and teachers. Deteriorating and inconsistent staffing levels in our schools is a very serious problem.

Matters have been compounded by recent government guidance that has understandably advised clinically vulnerable colleagues to stay at home for at least the next month. The reality of a group of Year 11 or 13 students losing their specialist teacher for long periods is, however, extremely problematic.

There is also the difficulty of pupil attendance, which is hugely variable across England. On average, 86 per cent of pupils are coming to school regularly, but in areas where Covid-19 has hit hardest, such as Knowsley, Bury and other parts of the North West, attendance is as low as 60 per cent.

How can a nationally based system of exams be completed fairly when significant numbers of pupils are missing so much in-person classroom teaching? For pupils who are forced to self-isolate, online teaching has its place – but it is a poor substitute for the real thing.

Furthermore, the much-vaunted National Tutoring Programme – designed to provide additional support to disadvantaged pupils – hasn’t yet got off the ground. By the time it does, children who most need extra help to prepare for potentially life-changing exams will have missed their chance.

As with so many of its policies and public pronouncements since the pandemic began, the Dfe’s response to such problems has been bullish and dogmatic. Yet in practice, its approach and direction have proved to be uncertain and faltering.

Anxious pupils, their families and teachers have been told to carry on regardless of the disruption caused by Covid, but, save for an inadequate delay of three weeks to the normal summer exam schedule, the DFE has failed to provide credible solutions. Ministers do not appear to have a workable Plan A, let alone an effective Plan B.

Meanwhile, with eerie echoes of this summer swirling around our schools, the Scottish and Welsh governments have already confirmed major changes to their equivalent exams.

Broadly speaking, they have set out assessment processes that should allow for a mixture of externally marked and moderated exams taken by pupils in school. These will be modified by regulated input from individual schools and teachers in order to ensure that the final grades reflect fairly the ability of the students taking them.

Sadly, it is clear that, whatever system is adopted, there will be flaws and inconsistencies. Despite this, we need decisions to be made now so that hard-working pupils will know where they stand and what they have to do. Currently, A-level and GCSE students in England face the worst of all worlds. They fear being subjected to another “mutant algorithm”, but they also want to avoid being disadvantaged if they miss out on crucial in-class teaching.

Just as worrying is the fact that students in different parts of the UK are working under different exam regulations and variable day-to-day conditions. For many, this could result in their future study, university and career opportunities being severely and unfairly undermined.

The time for dithering has long since passed. The DFE must listen more effectively to head teachers and then make informed, pragmatic decisions. This will ensure that the A-level and GCSE catastrophes of August 2020 are not repeated.