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Ofqual directors attend Roundtable with North East School Leaders

Julie Swan, Executive Director for General Qualifications, and Richard Garrett, Director of Policy and Strategic Relationships for General Qualifications, joined over 100 North East Head Teachers to discuss changes to secondary exams next year. 

Opening the roundtable Julie Swan gave a general overview of Ofqual’s consultation on this issue and what the proposed changes are, stating that Ofqual ‘are considering contingency arrangements but the consultation is operating on the basis of exams going ahead next summer.’ She also noted that the consultation was limited by government policy, which does not want to see a change in content.

Within this remit, the consultation is seeking views on proposals to adapt assessments to free up teaching time and take account of public health restrictions. These proposals include changing exam timetables, the length of exams, and the use of more optional questions in exams.

Schools North East also invited local Head Teachers Nick Grievson, from King James I Academy, Bishop Auckland, and Mark Tilling, from High Tunstall College of Science to be part of a panel discussion with Ofqual. Nick began by responding to Ofqual’s opening with the concern that many of the changes are ‘small adjustments’ and that the proposals in the consultation ‘don’t go far enough’. Mark went on to say that there needs to be fairness, particularly for disadvantaged students who have lost out even further due to partial school closures, highlighting the failure of the government laptop scheme, as many of these laptops had still not been delivered as recently as this month. 

Mark also raised the incredibly important question of what would happen in the event of local lockdowns, which will put certain areas at an even greater disadvantage. Chairing the panel, Schools North East Director Chris Zarraga emphasised that this was a significant consideration particularly for the North East as previously three of the region’s local authority areas had been in the top ten areas for highest rate of infection, and the evidence seems to point to areas of high deprivation being more vulnerable. 

Julie Swan recognised the problem posed for disadvantaged students, and spoke about the difficulty of balancing this with a system which rewards those who do engage, going on to ask ‘how do we create a testing system that is fair for all?’. She also highlighted that the changes made are about freeing up teacher time to deliver their curricula, for example the ability to opt out of practicals or fieldwork which may be more difficult under current circumstances. 

During the panel discussion Schools North East took polls on some of the key questions which arose. When asked about exam dates being pushed back further into the summer, 87% of attendees were in favour. Interestingly 74% of attendees were against narrowing the curriculum or subject options, reflecting Mark’s concern that ‘if I remove options for them, I am narrowing their life chances’. 

The overwhelming sense from both the panel and delegates was that this is the perfect opportunity to make lasting changes and confront some of the perennial issues regarding how we test our students and that the consultation was merely ‘tinkering with a broken system’. A number of options are not being adequately considered, such as greater optionality in exams, more open book examinations, and centre-assessed grading.

Following the panel Nick said  ‘It is critical that students facing examinations in 2021 are given the opportunity and support they need to achieve success and to become a generation motivated by, and not blighted by, their educational experience. We need Ofqual to deliver an examination season that is adapted to meet the challenges we have faced and to fairly recognise and reward students’ resilience.’ 

Mark agreed with this sentiment: ‘I only hope that we do not continue to accept that some students will be further disadvantaged in exams in 2021 is an inevitability as indicated by Ofqual.  As educationalists we have been challenged by government to narrow the gap and we need Ofqual and the government to do their bit and make the changes necessary for 2021.’

Submit your response to Ofqual’s consultation on proposed changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2021​. The closing date is 16 July. Whatever the outcome of the consultation, Schools North East will continue to push for policy around exams that is fit for purpose, that thinks in the long term and is not simply responding to problems as they emerge. We are keen to hear your views to help us do that, so please fill in the following survey.

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