The Education Committee has written to the
Secretary of State for Education to highlight serious concerns
about the independence, accountability and transparency of the
exams regulator Ofqual and to call for proper planning to be put
in place to ensure students in England are able to sit exams next
year.
The letter
from Chair of the Committee Robert Halfon to sets out
the Committee’s findings and recommendations following the
problems which resulted from the cancellation of this summer’s
exams due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rt Hon , Chair of the Education Committee, said:
“The fallout and unfairness from the cancellation of this
summer’s exams will have an ongoing impact on the lives of
thousands of families. But such harm could have been avoided had
Ofqual not buried its head in the sand and ignored repeated
warnings, including from our Committee, about the flaws in the
system for awarding grades.
A lack of transparency and independence at Ofqual meant
opportunities to raise alarm bells were missed. Ofqual should
have acted to protect the futures of our young people.
There are arguments to be made for and against Ofqual
remaining independent, and for its duties being brought inside
the Department for Education directly under ministerial control.
It must be absolutely clear to all where accountability lies.
What is not acceptable is a half-way house position where lines
of accountability for standards are blurred.
Both Ofqual and the DfE must learn hard lessons from this
summer’s exams controversy and move swiftly to ensure exams can
take place next year in one form or another. They must ensure a
level playing field for those from disadvantaged backgrounds who
have struggled during Covid. The catch-up fund and pupil premium
should be used to help those left behind or at home due to Covid
issues.
Ofqual and the DfE must also make sure there is no repeat of
the unfairness faced by pupils should the pandemic continue to
impact on learning. Young people have already been among some of
the hardest hit these past few months and they must be properly
supported to ensure they get the future their hard work
deserves.”
Committee’s main findings and recommendations
Independence of the exam regulator Ofqual
- From the Committee’s evidence session in September, it is
clear that Ofqual recognised the problems with the model of
awarding grades yet failed to raise concerns about its fairness.
Instead they simply followed the ministerial direction and hoped
for the best— calling into question its independence.
- The Ofqual board should have had a clear understanding and
plan of what actions to take should they have considered a
ministerial direction would not be likely to secure confidence
and be in the public interest.
Accountability and scrutiny
- Ofqual should have published its grade standardisation model
and alternative models for proper scrutiny from external experts.
More strenuous testing of the model and algorithm would have
allowed problems to be identified and understood earlier on.
- Ofqual should have carried out a meaningful mock run of this
year’s centre assessed grades, once they were in, to highlight
any problems. The DfE should also have sought assurances from
Ofqual, particularly given the concerns raised about the
standardisation model in the Committee’s report.
Exams 2021
- The Committee says exams must go ahead in 2021 and robust
contingency planning should be put in place as soon as possible
to ensure this can happen.
- There should be careful consideration on whether to continue
with the full curriculum should particular local circumstances or
lockdowns impact student learning. Any decisions must be informed
by an assessment of the learning loss that has occurred since
March across schools and how this has varied across the country.
- There must be a level playing field for exams for those from
disadvantaged backgrounds, who have struggled with Covid.
Catch-up funding and pupil premium should be used to help these
left behind groups.
- There will need to be urgent consideration of what approach
should be taken in light of the grade inflation that has occurred
this August and how standards can be maintained.
The Committee raised concerns about the fairness of the
calculated grades system in its report
published in July. Following the publication of this summer’s
exam results, the Committee held further evidence sessions with
both Ofqual and
the Secretary of
State.
