Commenting as students today (Thurs 25 August) receive results
for GCSEs and a range of level 2 vocational and technical
qualifications (VTQs), Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school
leaders’ union NAHT, said:
“All those students receiving their results today deserve our
congratulations. Their courses have been marred by disruption due
to Covid-19, which has made things a lot tougher for them than
for some previous years. We know from our members just how hard
both students and school staff have worked to achieve today’s
results.
“The impact of the pandemic has not been felt evenly by everyone
– some students and some schools will have experienced more
disruption than others. It is important that everyone bears this
in mind and takes into account each student’s, and each school’s,
particular circumstances.
“We hope that the issues experienced with BTEC and Cambridge
Technical results last week are not repeated. Despite the
differences in the arrangements for unit assessments due to the
pandemic and the complexity this has created, the exam boards
have a responsibility to ensure that results are issued on time
for all students, whose next steps may depend on their result.
“It is now time to reflect and to make changes to our
qualification system. The GCSE resit policy forces young people
into a round of re-sits when an alternative qualification would
better meet their needs. The absence of non-exam assessment in
most subjects, the reliance on terminal exams and the existence
of the EBacc performance measure create unnecessary barriers to
success.
“Young people deserve a system which helps them to flourish and
achieve in a wide range of academic and vocational subjects. The
current GCSE system is not succeeding in doing that.”
