A-Level scandal as kids in poorer areas lose out
Fury as pupil grades are cut by a computer Fiasco leaves future uncertain for thousands
THOUSANDS of students were yesterday left devastated and facing uncertain futures after their A-level grades were cut.
Pupils from poor families, the North and state schools were hit hardest by the fiasco after a computer lowered results predicted by teachers when exams were cancelled due to Covid-19.
But those from wealthy families fared much better.
The shambles sparked fury among parents, school staff and young people – and is a blow to Boris Johnson’s bid to “level up” a society ridden with inequality.
Labour leader Keir Starmer demanded the PM does a U-turn on the grades, especially as students from disadvantaged backgrounds rely on further education as a way out of poverty.
After exam boards downgraded nearly 36% of results in England, he said: “The Government needs to urgently rethink. We need to guarantee the right to individual appeals, the fee for appeals waived and nothing to be ruled out.
“Parents, teachers and young people are rightly upset, frustrated and angry about this injustice.
“The system has failed them. Something has gone horribly wrong.” Mr Starmer, on a visit to a school in Darlington, spoke as overall results across
England, Northern Ireland and Wales showed A* and A grades this year have risen to an all-time high. But heads accused Education Secretary Gavin Williamson of ignoring the judgment of teachers by allowing the renewed lower grades to stand.
Head teachers’ union leader Geoff Barton said there was “deep frustration” in schools about the confusion caused by the Government’s 11th hour changes
to the system, including the use of mock grades if they are higher than the grades predicted by teachers.
He added: “While there has been an overall increase in top grades, we are very concerned that this disguises a great deal of volatility among the results at school and student level.
“We have received heartbreaking feedback from school leaders about grades being pulled down in a way that they feel to be utterly unfair and unfathomable. They are extremely concerned about the detrimental impact on their students.” The Sixth Form Colleges Association has called the system “flawed and unreliable” after almost all colleges said grades were lower or much lower than predicted. The 36% of results downgraded are in England and 3% were down two grades on predictions. Mr Johnson insisted the system was “robust and dependable” while exams regulator Ofqual claimed there was “simply no evidence of systematic bias”. Yet according to Ofqual’s own analysis, pupils and schools in disadvantaged areas were marked down the most harshly by the statistical model used to replace exams.
It found that 85% of teenagers from the poorest households were predicted to get C or above by their teachers, but this fell to 74.6%.
Those from middle-income backgrounds had their marks downgraded, from 87.69% to 78.2%.
Students from wealthy families fared best, as numbers awarded a C and above fell from 89.3% to 81%. Data shows a 4.7% increase in A grades for independent school pupils compared to last year. Grammar schools had a 1.2% rise and academies had a 1.7% jump.
Comprehensive pupils with A grades rose by 2% while state sixth forms and colleges had an 0.3% rise.
Mr Johnson last night insisted he still had confidence in the system – and in his Education Secretary, despite the anger at the shambles.
He said: “I think this is a robust system and it’s one that is dependable for employers.”
■ Have students got a fair deal? Let us know at www.mirror.co.uk/exams.
Parents, teachers and pupils are rightly angry
KEIR STARMER
SPEAKING YESTERDAY