National uproar about the Government's exam grading algorithm causes yet another U-turn
Following the national uproar about the Government's exam grading algorithm, Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson had to do a U-turn over the weekend. A levels and GCSEs will now be based on teachers' assessments.
SW Wilts Lib Dem Spokesperson Ellen Nicholson said " Obviously I welcome this U-turn for all A level students and those awaiting GCSE's in South West Wiltshire, but this could, and should have been sorted weeks ago. Instead, hundreds of thousands of young people have been forced to deal with uncertainty over their grades and worry about their future.
The government's system was in reality grading young people by postcode. They were creating a system that was inherently unfair to the most disadvantaged young people in the country and they just didn't seem to care."
Because of the Governments slow response, it is already too late for some young people who are being told that the places they wanted to go to at university have already gone!
The Education secretary Gavin Williamson is now trying to pass the blame for this fiasco on to Ofqual, but this will not wash. Only two days ago the Education secretary said there would be "no U-turn, no change" and not to be out done, Boris Johnson insisted the algorithm used to decide millions of A-level and GCSE grades - which disproportionately hit disadvantaged pupils - was "robust" and "dependable".
Ofqual said "Expecting schools to submit appeals where grades were incorrect placed a burden on teachers when they need to be preparing for the new term and has created uncertainty and anxiety for students. For all of that, we are extremely sorry.
"We have therefore decided that students be awarded their centre assessment for this summer - that is, the grade their school or college estimated was the grade they would most likely have achieved in their exam - or the moderated grade, whichever is higher."
After this Gavin Williamson should be sacked and Boris Johnson should give a full apology for the failing of his beleaguered government, but everyone knows that the prime minister will have to ask Dominic Cummings permission first".