Education select committee 07/09/21
DfE and Ofqual questioned on arrangements for exams in 2022
Following this year’s A-levels, GCSEs, vocational and technical qualifications, the Education Committee of the House of Commons questioned Ofqual’s interim Chief Regulator and interim Chair, Simon Lebus and Ian Bauckham, as well as Minister for School Standards Nick Gibb and Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary at the DfE.
Before asking about exams, chair of the committee Robert Halfon MP asked about vaccinating 12 to 15 year olds. Nick Gibb said that if the decision is made to vaccinate this age group then this would be administered in schools, however this wouldn’t require additional resources from schools, but would be done through the School Age Immunisation Service, and so would require capacity from the health side.
Robert Halfon then moved on to the return of schools, asking if schools could now return to pre-pandemic behaviour. Nick Gibb said that their recommendation is clear, that schools do not need to use bubbles. When asked if the DfE would intervene where students are being sent home as part of bubbles, Nick Gibb said that the DfE is in constant contact with schools through the regional schools commissioners, and that there is a contingency framework to allow Directors of Public Health to reintroduce rules.
Following on from questions relating to Covid safety, Robert Halfon asked about the widespread grade inflation as a result of the system used to deliver grades in summer 2021. Nick Gibb said that exams were the best system for delivering grades, however as this wasn’t possible teacher assessed grades (TAGs) were the next best option. He defended TAGs, saying that they are based on evidence collected by teachers who know their students best.
Simon Lebus added that it is wrong to expect the same results from TAGs as from exams. It was important, he said, to deliver grades to ensure students could progress, and the only fair way to do this was to assess students on what they had been taught. On exams next year, Ian Bauckman said a decision would be reached for GCSE and A Level grades next month, with a decision on adaptations for exams expected in the next two weeks. Contingency plans for if exams are cancelled are also under discussion.
Throughout the pandemic, communication between the Government and schools about exams has been poor, with schools expected to gather data to deliver grades without clear and timely guidance. While it is promising that the DfE and Ofqual are looking to publish plans in the coming weeks and months, it is disappointing that these weren’t in place before to school term to allow schools to more effectively deliver the curriculum. Schools North East will continue to lobby for coherent guidance, and fair assessments that take into account the variety of experiences students have had of Covid.