Schools Minister Nick Gibb faced questions on exams from MPs this week, in the education select committee’s inquiry into the impact of Covid-19. Chair of the Committee, Robert Halfon, first asked about grade inflation, and if the DfE had a plan for a transition back to ‘normal’.
Nick Gibb made it clear that the Department is seriously thinking about exams beyond 2021, arguing that he wanted to get back to ‘eliminating grade inflation from the exam system’, although didn’t outline what was being considered to achieve this. On longer term exam reform, Nick Gibb was also asked whether or not the past two years of exams may lead to the end of GCSEs. Nick Gibb argued that he wanted to get back to exams as soon as possible, viewing them as the ‘fairest way of judging the attainment, ability and work of students.’
The challenges over the delivery of grades in 2020, as well as the need for alternative arrangements this summer, has highlighted the concerns around high stakes exams. Schools North East has identified exams as a key area for policy thinking. While exams provide standards and a clear focus for students, they are not always the fairest means to assess progress. A quick return to normal is unlikely, and exams may need supplementing with other measures, while keeping that which works best from the ‘old’ system.
Questions were also asked about the quality of grades this summer, with Robert Halfon expressing concern about an ‘all must have prizes’ approach. Nick Gibb defended the alternative arrangements for exams this summer, saying that these arrangements trust the professionalism of teachers who know their students best, and that teachers will be supported by a range of evidence and guidance. He said that a too rigid approach this year would lead to unfairness, which is what the Department was trying to avoid in cancelling exams (rather than issues of Covid security).
It is encouraging that the schools minister recognises the importance of trusting the teaching profession and allowing them the flexibility to assess students. However it is not clear from his rhetoric around a quick return to normal if this trust will be embedded into the system as we move forward. Schools North East will continue to lobby on your behalf to ensure that the region’s schools are listened to in the development of a fairer education policy.
