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Exams: Covid-19
12 October 2020
Lead MP
Tonia Antoniazzi
Gower
Lab
Responding Minister
Nick Gibb
Tags
NHSMental Health
Word Count: 13893
Other Contributors: 12
At a Glance
Tonia Antoniazzi raised concerns about exams: covid-19 in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Government should listen to teachers at the 'chalkface' who need their concerns acknowledged and addressed, especially regarding remote learning's limitations compared to face-to-face education. It is critical for students' full potential to be realized through robustly moderated teacher judgment rather than current grading methods.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The debate focuses on the lack of clarity and support for students, parents, and teachers regarding exam results during the pandemic. With two petitions gathering over 140,000 signatures each, there is a significant concern about the fairness of using previous data to calculate exam grades and reducing curriculum content due to the loss of in-school teaching time. Students have faced five months without regular schooling, some lacking internet access or IT resources, leading to heightened uncertainty and mental health issues.
Catherine West
Lab
Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Ms West expressed concerns over the unfairness of exam grading algorithms, which disproportionately affected disadvantaged pupils, BAME pupils, children looked after, and those with SEND. She highlighted a 20% increase in mental health service demand due to student distress caused by unexpected grade results. Ms West also criticised the delay in overturning the initial decision and urged for better preparation for future educational challenges. Noted that students on reduced incomes at further education colleges struggle with internet access or devices, making it hard to write essays. Asked what actions would be taken in such cases.
Webbe highlights concerns that disadvantaged pupils, African, Asian and minority ethnic pupils, looked after children, those on free school meals, and pupils with special educational needs or disabilities could be systematically disadvantaged by the calculated grades system. She calls for urgent action to identify and adjust these groups' grades upwards if necessary.
Daisy Cooper
Lib Dem
St Albans
Students and teachers are sceptical of the Government's measures to delay exams by three weeks, as it could lead to earlier mock exams that do not give students enough time to cover their syllabus. Daisy Cooper urges the Minister to commit to no student being tested on a subject they have not learned and requests an explanation for why mocks are used in this way.
Ellie Reeves
Lab
Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Reeves expressed concern over the lack of guidance for schools regarding exams this academic year, highlighting the need for clarity in the testing system. She pointed out that students have missed months of face-to-face learning due to school closures and noted the impact of self-isolation on mental health and academic progress. Reeves also questioned how different levels of disruption would be addressed fairly and raised concerns about contingency plans if future lockdowns occur.
Huw Merriman
Con
Bexhill and Battle
Expressed concern for students who missed their exams due to the pandemic, noting that some may have been disadvantaged compared to those who sat exams in previous years. Highlighted the importance of exams as a means to demonstrate aptitude and called for adjustments to syllabus content to account for lost time.
Jonathan Gullis
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent North
Mr Gullis criticised Ofqual for ignoring the Select Committee's report and not analysing data properly. He highlighted that the algorithm was not shared with the Education Committee, causing significant issues for students and schools in his constituency. He emphasised the need for exams to maintain educational standards.
Blackley and Bury North
The Government presided over a summer of chaos, incompetence, and confusion during the exams and assessments process for summer 2020. Ministers were repeatedly warned about issues with calculating pupils' grades, but did not act until days after A-level results showed nearly 40% of centre-assessed grades being adjusted downwards. There are now questions about what happens next year, including a petition calling for reduced curriculum content and Labour's proposal to delay exams in June.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
The MP highlighted the resilience of young people during the pandemic, criticising the use of a mutant algorithm that downgraded many students' results. She called for clear plans to help students through this year and criticised delays in catch-up support due to private procurement issues. The MP also addressed issues like self-isolation affecting fair assessment and stressed the need for broader assessment tools including project work and problem-solving challenges. She advocated for a recovery curriculum and emphasised the importance of mental health, advocating a shift towards a more inclusive education system.
Rushanara Ali
Lab
Bethnal Green and Stepney
The MP expressed concern over the Government's handling of exams during the pandemic, highlighting incompetence that left young people anxious and disadvantaged. She cited a 22% gap in performance between students from disadvantaged schools and those from advantaged ones, with ethnic minority students being significantly worse off. The MP also questioned the lack of support for students with disabilities and those living below the poverty line, noting unclassified grades awarded to some students due to an algorithm based on previous years' results. Asked about contingency plans for testing and tracing if exams are disrupted, seeking to know the plan B.
Barnsley South
Asked to give way but no further content provided. Ms Peacock highlighted the negative impact of the algorithm used to downrate exam grades in August, noting that 63% of pupils at Barnsley College were unfairly penalised. She called for an investigation into the handling of the situation and expressed concern over the disparity between students from affluent areas and those from deprived backgrounds who face significant barriers to learning during the pandemic. 63% of pupils in Barnsley had their grades downgraded compared with the national average of 40%, while many private school students saw an increase. The Government acted slowly despite knowing what happened in Scotland.
Tan Dhesi
Lab
Slough
The MP expressed concern over the summer chaos in schools and colleges due to exam results confusion, highlighting that disadvantaged students were disproportionately affected by grading algorithms. He pointed out that despite initial promises of fairness, disadvantaged pupils suffered from systematic disadvantage.
Wera Hobhouse
Lib Dem
Bath
Ms Hobhouse highlighted the disruption and stress caused by the exam results chaos, arguing that teacher assessment is more reliable than algorithm-based grading. She suggested Germany's education system as a model to follow for next year's exams due to its reliance on teacher assessments. Additionally, she raised concerns about delayed help for disadvantaged learners and the readiness of schools for Ofsted inspections during the pandemic.
Government Response
Nick Gibb
Government Response
The Government have prioritised education during the pandemic, aiming to ensure young people can take their next educational steps with necessary qualifications. Acknowledging the disruption caused by school closures and cancelled exams in summer 2020, the minister outlined measures such as a £1 billion catch-up fund and adjustments to the exam process for 2021. The decision to revert to centre assessment grades or calculated grades in August was made to address inconsistencies and maintain public confidence. For the upcoming academic year, Ofqual is developing viable assessment options based on various scenarios, ensuring exams proceed fairly and efficiently. Remote education resources have been expanded with 250,000 laptops distributed alongside online educational tools like the Oak National Academy. The minister highlighted flexibility in bursaries for remote learning and confirmed that no further subject-level changes will be made to next year's exams.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.