Are we doing the right thing by our children?

The world faced a pandemic in 2020. It was unprecedented. It was beyond the experience of most, if not all, people alive today.

Our children looked to us, their parents and their teachers, for guidance and reassurance. Does their well-being not depend upon us giving them a consistent message? Should they not be able to look to us for one consistent message?

How can we justify, therefore, this Dis-United Kingdom? How can what is right for students in Wales, or Scotland, not be right for students in England?

The approach of Wales and Scotland seems eminently sensible. The Labour Party in England supports this approach. Why then is the Tory Party in England refusing to take this enormous extra pressure off English students?

In these exceptional times, should we not be putting our children’s well-being first?

The vast majority of our children were out of school from March until September. If schools matter then their education and their learning was disrupted.

The most fortunate had access to the internet, and a positive environment at home in which to learn. They were able to make up some, but not all, of this loss.

Our disadvantaged students, though, often had less support out of school. So, are we to punish them yet again for their socio-economic circumstances?

We put the care of our children in the hands of teachers. So why not trust teachers to be able to judge our children’s attainment and progress?

In Wales, look at what is happening with qualifications in 2021
The Minister has confirmed her intention that there will be no end of year exams for learners taking GCSEs, AS level and A level qualifications approved by Qualifications Wales in summer 2021.
This remains a highly challenging year – this year’s exam cohorts were not only out of school and college during the summer term, but have also experienced a disparity in their learning experience in the autumn. In some schools and colleges, COVID-19 has required them to self-isolate for weeks at a time. Other schools and colleges have been more fortunate to date, but we cannot be confident as to what will happen for the rest of the school year. In light of this, we believe this is the fairest approach for all and limits pressures for learners and teachers.
Removing examinations is designed to maximise time for teaching and learning: this approach will enable learners to build knowledge throughout the summer term and put them in the best position possible to progress into employment, training or further education.

What will replace exams in 2021?
Instead of exams we will work with teachers to take forward a set of teacher-managed assessments. This will include some assessments which are externally set and marked, but delivered by teachers within a classroom environment under teacher supervision, with teachers having some flexibility when it is best to undertake them. This will form the basis for centre-based outcomes underpinned by a model of

In Scotland, look at what is happening with qualifications in 2021
Next year’s Higher and Advanced Highers exams are to be cancelled in Scottish schools, it has been confirmed.

Education Secretary John Swinney said the decision was based on the disruption that Covid has caused to the education system rather than safety concerns.
The move means that pupils’ final grades will be based on the judgement of their teachers.

The country’s National 5 exams have already been cancelled.

There were more than 200,000 entries for Higher and Advanced Higher courses this year.

The Scottish government had previously said a final decision on whether the exams would go ahead would not be taken until the middle of February.

But teaching unions had warned that timescale would be too late, with the EIS calling last week for an early decision to be made to cancel the exams and switch to an alternative assessment model.

Mr Swinney told the Scottish Parliament that many pupils had already lost “significant learning time” through having to self-isolate in addition to the teaching time they lost before the summer holidays.

And he said the level of disruption had not been equal – with pupils from the poorest backgrounds the most likely to have been affected.

Mr Swinney added: “I am therefore announcing today that there will be no Higher or Advanced Higher exams in 2021.

“Instead we will adopt the new model that has been developed and base awards on teacher judgement of evidence of learner attainment.

“This is safe, it is fair, and it better recognises the reality of the disruption so many pupils have already had to their learning”.

Some pupils have told BBC Scotland that they were relieved the exams had been cancelled.

They included Carly. She said: “It’s been hard learning this year. I’ve had to isolate once but some of my friends have had to isolate two or three times.

“I feel relieved that exams are cancelled and can make sure that I am getting everything done that I need to and not just working towards something that’s not going to happen.”

In England, look at what is happening with qualifications in 2021
The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has said he could “absolutely” give a cast-iron guarantee that exams in England would not be cancelled next year, as the government unveiled plans to support students affected by the pandemic.

After months of uncertainty for pupils and their teachers, the government announced that pupils in England sitting GCSEs and A-levels next summer would be given advance notice of topics and allowed to take in exam aids including formula sheets.

Students would also be awarded more generous grades, in line with last summer’s significantly improved results, the government said.
Announcing the package in the Commons, Williamson said: “We are not going to let Covid damage the life chances of an entire year of students by cancelling next year’s exams. Exams are the best form of assessment we have, and we are therefore taking steps to ensure that any student preparing to sit them in 2021 has every chance possible to do their very best.”

Grades awarded would have a “similar profile” to those given last year, he said, to reflect the disrupted learning faced by many. Those unable to attend school for exams could take them at home, and no one would miss out on a grade, he told MPs.
Williamson said the “exceptional package of measures” were designed to level the playing field for pupils whose study has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, one in five secondary pupils were absent from school for Covid-related reasons.

The decision to plough on with next year’s exams in England is in contrast to Wales, which announced last month that GCSEs and A-levels were cancelled, and in Scotland, where there will be no National 5 exams or Higher exams.

Williamson is under pressure to avoid any repeat of the results fiasco last summer, when exams were cancelled and standardised grades were abandoned in favour of school-assessed grades after concerns were raised about fairness.

In conclusion
Please ask yourself what you think is right for our students, and write to your member of parliament.