Exams off – but no clue what happens instead

Williamson in the dock after GCSE and A-level pupils are left in limbo

GCSE and A-level pupils face having grades decided by their teachers again this summer after a furious row erupted last night over the decision to cancel exams for the second year in a row.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson came in for fierce criticism over the move as there is no definite plan in place to replace exams.

A former chief inspector of education watchdog Ofsted claimed Mr Williamson had ‘got a lot wrong’ while top private schools said the cancellation of exams looked ‘premature’. Pupils now face limbo as a new system is drawn up, with the exams regulator Ofqual asked to embark on a consultation before a decision is taken.

The process will mean that pupils are likely to be waiting weeks – if not months – for a plan although it is strongly suspected grades allotted by teachers will play a crucial role.

Ex- Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw said of Mr Williamson: ‘He has got a lot wrong up to now, hasn’t he?’

Asked if he should resign, Sir Michael replied: ‘He gets other people to resign – permanent secretaries and the head of Ofqual. He has got to take final accountability for what has gone on. Ministers don’t tend to resign for mistakes they have made now in the way that they did before.’

He told Radio 4’s The World At One the Department for Education was not ‘being led well’, insisting: ‘If you talk to headteachers - I talk to them regularly as an exhead - they lack confidence in leadership that they are receiving.’

Meanwhile, leading private schools came out strongly against the decision to cancel exams.

Dr Simon Hyde, of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, which represents schools like Eton and Harrow, said: ‘HMC believes that any decision to cancel all exams in England this summer would be premature. With the hope of the vaccine on the horizon and the Government now taking stringent lockdown measures, teachers and students can be more confident that public examinations can go ahead safely in June.’

He stressed: ‘Students in Years 11 and 13 must not have the rug pulled from under their learning. They have suffered much.’ Barnaby Lenon, of the Independent Schools Council, predicted a ‘backlash against any proposal to scrap summer exams’. He tweeted: ‘Many pupils want to take the exams.’ He warned: ‘We cannot afford a repeat of the mistakes made as part of last year’s assessment process.’ The Education Secretary had already asked a group of experts last year to advise on how to deal with learning when coping with lockdowns. Their work so far remains unknown.

It is believed that civil servants are in favour of building on the successful aspects of last year’s grading operation, while steering well clear of ‘mutant algorithms’ or unfairnesses. This means that teachers’ judgments will be at the forefront of grading like in summer 2020 and they are likely to be encouraged to give the benefit of the doubt to teenagers robbed of classroom routine. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told the BBC: ‘We will be putting in place alternative arrangements in order to make sure that the hard work that students have put in to acquire knowledge and develop their skills is appropriately assessed, recognised and awarded.’

In a statement to MPs today, Mr Williamson is only expected to float ideas. Ofqual said: ‘We are considering a number of options to ensure the fairest possible outcome in the circumstances. We will update as soon as we can.’ Robert Halfon, chairman of the Education Select Committee, said Mr Williamson needed to ‘make a policy and stick to it’ while guaranteeing a ‘level playing field’. He said: ‘Everyone has been marched up the hill and down again so they need to come up with a decision that is clear and understandable and does what it says on the tin.’

The Department for Education last night said it recognised ‘this is an anxious time for students’.

A spokesman added: ‘Working alongside Ofqual, the department will consult on how to award all pupils a grade that reflects the hard work they’ve done.’