NAHT comments on updated guidance for awarding exam grades this summer

Commenting as Ofqual today publish updated guidance for heads of centre on submitting data and evidence for this year’s GCSE, AS and A Level grades, Sarah Hannafin, senior policy advisor and assessment lead for school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“Asking centres to provide samples of the evidence they used to award students grades is an appropriate part of the external quality assurance processes to support consistency and fairness in the system this year. It is, however, disappointing that this additional expectation has only been communicated to schools and colleges now, weeks after the guidance for this years awarding of grades was published.

"We know that centres need to keep the work and records of grading judgements in case a student wishes to appeal their result, so these records must be created and stored for every student in every subject. But the amount of additional work this requires of school staff should not be under-estimated. It's going to be a very busy and high pressure summer for schools leaders and teachers."