As nearly 800,000 pupils put together to obtain examination ends in the approaching week, Labour has renewed its name for Boris Johnson to sack schooling secretary Gavin Williamson.
Writing in The Unbiased, shadow schooling secretary Kate Inexperienced accused Mr Williamson of “letting down college students time and time once more” in a 12 months of “chaos and disruption” which noticed exams cancelled in January and faculties, pupils and oldsters left ready three months to understand how grades could be awarded.
In the meantime, the Nationwide Union of College students issued an attraction for younger folks to be judged on their achievements in the course of the two years of sixth-form dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, and never judged harshly as compared with those that took exams in earlier years.
With 782,000 pupils receiving their A-level, GCSE and BTEC outcomes this week, there are expectations that there will likely be record-breaking numbers of top-scoring outcomes on a system primarily based on trainer assessments and exams in faculties.
Universities are bracing for unprecedented numbers of A-level college students reaching their required grades on Tuesday to qualify for entry into undergraduate programs, with final 12 months’s record-high consumption anticipated to be adopted by a fair bigger variety of freshers in 2021.
Evaluation by The Occasions has revealed that the variety of programs in clearing amongst Russell Group universities has fallen by one third, from 4,500 final 12 months to solely 3,000 this 12 months.
Former universities minister Lord Willetts mentioned prime universities are “much less possible” to supply a spot to A-Stage college students who’ve underperformed by a grade – predicting “much less flexibility within the system” this summer time.
Mr Williamson this week introduced a rise to 9,000 within the cap on locations on medication and dentistry programs in England, following a 20 per cent enhance in numbers making use of. And Universities UK (UUK) mentioned it expects different programs to additionally see a rise within the variety of functions.
“College students have labored extremely arduous underneath essentially the most difficult circumstances to succeed in their aim of going to school, and admissions groups up and down the nation will likely be working their socks off to ensure college students discover a course which is correct for them,” mentioned a UUK spokesperson.
“Nearly all of programs usually are not topic to a authorities cap, and due to this fact universities will likely be as versatile as doable to accommodate all supply holders that obtain the required grades. Universities have been profitable in supporting candidates throughout final 12 months’s outcomes interval and can construct on that have this 12 months.”
Amid widespread hypothesis that non-public faculty pupils will profit from pushy mother and father or lecturers lobbying for increased grades, the spokesperson insisted that universities’ dedication to “widening entry to increased schooling to these from deprived or underrepresented backgrounds” stays as robust as ever this 12 months.
And he rejected recommendations that 2021 A-level outcomes could be considered much less dependable than these from pre-pandemic years. “Lecturers and examination regulators have executed a very good job in tough circumstances,” mentioned the UUK spokesperson.
UK information in footage
Present all 50
NUS vp for additional schooling, Salsabil Elmegri, mentioned that college students shouldn’t be punished for the shortcomings of the federal government’s response to the pandemic by having their achievements doubted.
“Because the catastrophe that unfolded final summer time, the federal government has had a complete 12 months to place a workable resolution in place that conjures up belief and confidence throughout the sector, it has failed to take action and now it appears college students are being punished,” mentioned Ms Elmegri.
“A-Stage college students and people throughout additional schooling have had an extremely tumultuous 12 months, they don’t should have their achievements referred to as into query and to face additional evaluation out of the blue which is bound to have a detrimental affect on their psychological well being.”
Ms Inexperienced mentioned college students had been let down by “last-minute resolution making and uncertainty” inflicting extra stress for pupils and lecturers.
“Younger folks have battled by two years of unprecedented uncertainty and disruption to their studying. However they’ve been let down repeatedly by a Conservative authorities which is displaying no ambition for his or her futures.”
She added: “The schooling secretary’s calamitous file ought to be a supply of disgrace for this authorities. This disregard for younger folks, their future life probabilities and our nation’s future prosperity is a damning indictment of the Conservatives’ failed pandemic response which may scar our nation for many years.
“However the accountability for these failings shouldn’t be Gavin Williamson’s alone. The blame should lie firmly on the ft of the prime minister. Boris Johnson has to clarify why Gavin Williamson nonetheless has a job regardless of this catalogue of chaos, and why he has not lifted a finger to ship the alternatives, funding and help younger folks want.”
