Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers
and Lecturers (ATL), said: “The Government’s calamitous, rushed
through reforms to the exams system have put extreme pressure on
pupils taking their GCSEs this year. We can only hope pupils
aren’t put at a disadvantage after being used as guinea pigs.
“The haste with which the exam reforms been have rushed in has
not given schools enough time to prepare and to get to grips with
the changes. Teachers have not been able to predict their pupil’s
results, and the information provided by exam boards about the
standards expected was entirely inadequate. A lack of information
about the new 9-1 grade boundaries has left pupils, parents and
employers confused about what now constitutes a pass at GCSE.
“Young people have been let down by politicians – by for introducing the new GCSE
system too fast, and by for pushing the changes through.
“Gove’s reforms have left the current exams system in turmoil.
The late accreditation of qualifications and late arrival of
textbooks, plus the switch from modular to end of course exams,
have all caused unnecessary additional stress and will have had
an impact on the mental health of young people. We can only hope
these disastrous reforms have not done too much damage by turning
pupils off learning and harming their life chances.”
