Commenting on today’s release of GCSE results, and the delay in
vocational and technical qualifications, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint
General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The National Education Union congratulates all students
receiving their results today. We commend them, the education
staff who have supported them and their parents and carers on
their hard work this year. They have shown great patience
throughout the challenges of lockdown and last week's shambolic
uncertainty.
"Schools and colleges stepped up in challenging circumstances
when exams were cancelled. They have worked tirelessly and
professionally to submit grades for their students, based on all
the evidence available to them, their experience and sound
professional judgement. Teachers know their students better than
any model or algorithm and it will be a relief to many that the
grades they receive are now a fairer reflection of their
achievements.
“To add to the GCSE and A level fiasco, the decision by Pearson
not to issue BTEC results at the eleventh hour compounds the
upsetting and chaotic experience for students. Government must
put an end to this incompetence and work quickly to ensure every
young person gets the grades they deserve to move onto the next
stages of their lives.
"Serious questions remain as to what will happen next year and
beyond. Government and Ofqual must learn from 2020 and start
listening to the professionals, who have said very clearly that
the plans for next year are not sufficient. With many months of
learning lost for these students, exam content for next summer
must be further reduced. Without this, the exams will become more
a measure of how long individual students were in lockdown or
whether they had access to learning at home as opposed to what
they are capable of.
"In any normal year, the over-reliance on exams increases student
anxiety and fails to give a fair reflection of what students can
achieve. Due to the fact exams are sat at a specific time and
date, if a student is ill or experiences anything else which
could affect their performance, this can also unfairly impact on
their grade.
"Had we already in place an assessment model for GCSEs and
A-Levels which didn’t put all its eggs in the end of term exams
basket, we wouldn’t have been in the mess we were this year.
There are many ways to validly assess young people, yet in most
subjects at GCSE we rely on these terminal exams to determine
100% of the grade.
"The NEU is calling for Government to commission an independent
review of the assessment methods used to award GCSE and A-level
qualifications in England, along the lines announced by the
Scottish government. All options should be considered to ensure
that young people are rewarded for their achievements, supported
to fulfil their potential and not held back due to their
background."
“The NEU has written to outlining
our concerns and have asked for an urgent response. An NEU
petition highlighting our concerns about 2021 exams has also been
launched.”
