Simon Lebus, Interim Chief Regulator, responds to the
Prime Minister's announcement of 4 January.
"We know that this is a difficult time for students, their
parents and carers, teachers and trainers. Our message to
students is this: please continue to engage as fully as you can
in your education. That will be online for the majority of
students, or face-to-face for those students still going in to
their school, college or training provider. This will put you
in the best position, whatever arrangements are made for your
qualifications. It’s important that teachers and students can
focus on the knowledge and skills needed to equip students to
progress to the next stage, whatever form that might take –
whether to college, an apprenticeship, university or
employment.
The way ahead is not straightforward: exams and standardised
assessments are the fairest way of determining what a student
knows and can do. We need to consider a wide range of
qualifications – from A levels and GCSEs to many different
vocational and technical qualifications – and the solution
won’t be the same for all. Following the government’s
announcement on Monday evening, we also need to consider how
alternative arrangements will work for different students,
including those who are independent learners. We are discussing
alternative arrangements with the Department for Education. We
know that many are seeking clarity as soon as possible. We will
provide further updates as soon as we can.
The government has announced that schools and colleges can
continue with the vocational and technical exams due to take
place in January where it is right to do so. This may be
particularly important for vocational and technical
qualifications which require a ‘licence to practise’, which can
only be fulfilled through practical assessment.
Simon Lebus, Interim Chief Regulator, Ofqual
