UK Education Secretary resists calls to resign after A-level results U-turn
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has resisted calls to resign over his handling of A-level and GCSE grades in England, but he has apologised to thousands of students for the distress caused.
The government announced a U-turn on Monday when it said students would be able to receive grades based on their teachers’ estimates following anger over the downgrading of thousands of A-level grades.
But Mr Williamson has repeatedly refused to say whether he would consider resigning from his position.
Mr Williamson insisted that England’s exams regulator Ofqual “didn’t deliver” the grading system that the Government had “reassured” would be in place.
Universities have called for urgent support from the Government to ensure A-level students do not miss out on their first choice places.
Students who now have higher grades amid the U-turn - which came four days after A-level results were announced - could still be asked to defer their place if there is no space left on their preferred course.
The Education Secretary said: “I’d like to just start off by apologising, saying sorry to all those young people who have been affected by this.
“This is something that, firstly,none of us wanted to see and none of us expected to see.”
Ofqual’s chairman Roger Taylor admitted the regulator had gone down the “wrong road” and also apologised.