Commenting on A-Level results, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint
General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"We congratulate all students and teachers on their resilience
and dedication throughout an extraordinary year. Today’s results
were achieved amidst unprecedented levels of disruption and
adversity, but students can rest assured that they have been
judged according to the work they have actually done. Each
student has received a grade which was arrived at using evidence
of their own work, rather than relative to the work of others or
through a high-stakes one-off exam. We are pleased that Ofqual
has been so forthright in reiterating this. That this may have
led to different proportions of grades than other years should
have been expected – a completely different system has been used.
It isn’t a reflection on the value of the grades and simply shows
how the exam-only system pre-pandemic did not allow all students
to demonstrate their abilities.
“Exam boards checked evidence supporting grades at every single
school and college in the country to ensure the grades were
reflective of students’ work. Students and parents can therefore
have every confidence in the results received, but of course an
appeals process is in place which they should feel able to pursue
if necessary. It is Gavin Williamson’s job to ensure this is
properly resourced so that any uncertainty can be swiftly
resolved without further increasing the workload of hard-pressed
teachers and school leaders. Young people’s futures must not be
stalled by a Government whose record on action has been so poor.
"Emerging from the pandemic should be an opportunity to reassess
the established ways in which we carry out exams and award
qualifications. That is why the NEU is supporting an independent
commission on assessment and qualifications, chaired by Professor
Louise Hayward of the University of Glasgow, which seeks to meet
the future needs of students, teachers, our economy and our
society.
"Gavin Williamson may commend teachers today, but his praise
comes too late – and rings hollow. Late and incoherent guidance
on how they should submit grades resulted in increased workload
and stress for teachers as well as uncertainty for students.
Government has taken school and college staff for granted and
ignored their calls throughout this pandemic, maintaining the
silence of a monk for much of it. This cannot and must not
continue.”
