Delighted students take to social media to mock government’s ’embarrassing’ exam U-turn after Ofqual announces A levels AND GCSEs will now be based on teachers’ assessments One meme shows Homer Simpson disappearing into a hedge and a stuck car Another shows Leonardo DiCaprio saying: ‘We did it guys even an apology too’ Boris Johnson interrupted … Read more
Gavin Williamson is told he must ‘carry the can’ for A-level results debacle as Boris Johnson stands by him but MPs demand the ‘ineffectual’ Education Secretary quit Gavin Williamson under growing pressure over handling of A-level results chaos Number 10 insisted Boris Johnson does have confidence in Education Secretary But some MPs believe Mr Williamson … Read more
Only THREE PER CENT of staff at Department of Education headquarters were in work on results day Education Secretary Gavin Williamson was among just 62 people seen entering Attendance appears to be proof that civil servants are ignoring calls to return It was a marked improvement on the previous week, when just two dozen came … Read more
The complex algorithm used to calculate a student’s A-level results this year is formed of a series of detailed stages looking at their school’s previous results. Exam regulator Ofqual had initially decided grades would be based on teacher assessments of how pupils would have performed, moderated by exam boards. But it became apparent that teachers’ … Read more
Universities have pledged to ‘soften’ admissions rules with 40 per cent of A-Level results set to be downgraded today – and Gavin Williamson defying calls to scrap the process of ‘standardising’ marks. Hundreds of thousands of students are learning their fate this morning after their courses were blighted by coronavirus, with exams having to be … Read more
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson issued a humiliating apology to millions of pupils last night – as fears grew of chaos in the A-level appeals process. A quarter of a million sixth-formers will get their results this morning after an 11th-hour change to the way grades are awarded. In an attempt to head off a rebellion … Read more
This morning, like thousands of other parents, I am gnawing on my nails waiting to discover the outcome of crucial A-level exams that my 18-year-old son didn’t get to sit. Students like my son, who has a place at university which is dependent on getting the right grades, must place his fate in the hands … Read more
Can our public examination system become any more of a fiasco? That was my first thought when I saw the front page of today’s Daily Mail. It revealed that A-level students will now be able to ‘choose’ to use the grades they were awarded in their mock exams if they are not happy with the … Read more
The 11th hour decision to give students a ‘triple lock’ on their A-level and GCSE grades by allowing them to opt for the grades they got in their mock exams was today blasted by union leads as an idea that ‘beggars belief’. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson last night ripped up the system just 36 hours … Read more
Students were given a ‘triple lock’ on their A-level and GCSE grades last night as ministers ripped up the system in the wake of the Scottish exams fiasco. Just 36 hours before A-level results are released, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said students could now opt for the grades they got in their mock exams. It means … Read more
A fresh UK split on coronavirus policy emerged today as teachers and pupils in Scotland were told they are free to wear masks. Children have been back in classes north of the border, weeks ahead of England because their holidays finish earlier. And Nicola Sturgeon’s administration has taken a different approach on face coverings. Face masks … Read more
Boris Johnson was today urged to emulate Thatcher’s battle against coal miners and force teaching unions to get children back in schools. Tory MPs are demanding the PM stays ‘unbreakable’ despite claims of attempts to sabotage his drive to get all pupils back in classes in England next month. There are also increasing signs of … Read more
Secondary school pupils are as likely to transmit coronavirus as adults, official research appears to show – as scientists now call for routine Covid tests for children and teachers when classes restart. Public Health England (PHE) found that primary school pupils do not appear to pass the virus to each other – but its researchers … Read more