'Young people's life chances have been hindered by Government policy': Somerset teachers speak out over A Levels fiasco

Results day, usually a day of celebration for many - and re-evaluation for others - became a sea of confusion as many found they had not received the grades they expected.

While this does happen each year, 2020 is not an ordinary year, for those students were receiving results for exams they had never taken.

The coronavirus crisis meant exams were cancelled.

Instead, a system using an algorithm was put in place by exams regulator Ofqal.

However, the system has been criticised as it appeared to change students' results when compared to their predicted grades, on factors such as the past performance of their school, leading to accusations those in poorer areas saw their grades lowered, and those from private schools improved.

And an announcement could be made today by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson which outlines further developments in the fiasco.

Now, two teachers from a Somerset school have written of their experiences during the crisis, which has caused potentially life-changing problems for young people, with students missing out on university places and having to change their plans due to their revised grades.

Dave MacCormick is headteacher and Puck Webber a teacher at Holyrood Academy in Chard, and here are their letters...

"I have spent the past few days, alongside my dedicated Senior Leadership, Exams and Sixth Form Teams, attempting to make sense of the ‘results’ we have received to distribute to our Sixth Form leavers yesterday.

It was a truly harrowing experience as many students were denied a place at their chosen University, or indeed any University, as a result of the scale of downgrading caused by the Government’s strategy.

To give a sense of clarity and context to my letter before I go any further, I would like to share the following information with you:

• At Holyrood Academy this year, 34% of grades have been downgraded by 1 or 2 grades.
• 6% have been downgraded by 2 grades.
• 6% of grades went up by 1 grade.
• No grades went up by 2 grades.
• We have experienced significant downgrading at CAG grade A to B across A-Levels and at Pass to U in some Level 3 BTEC subjects.
• Students at Holyrood Academy have been awarded significantly more U grades than ever before.
• We have experienced significant downgrading in some subjects, namely Biology, Business Studies, Computing, Engineering, Geography, History, Mathematics and Photography.
• In Biology, 11 out of 12 grades were downgraded, 4 by 2 grades, including 1 student from A to C which meant she missed the requirements of her offer to study Medicine at Cardiff University.
• In Business Studies, 5 out of 8 grades were downgraded, 1 by 2 grades.
• In Computing, 4 out of 5 grades were downgraded, 1 by 2 grades. Crucially here, the promise to honour CAGs in cohort sizes of 5 or less students has not been kept.
• In Engineering, 9 out of 12 grades were downgraded, including an inexplicable 6 grades from Pass to U grade.
• In Geography, 5 out of 15 grades were downgraded, 3 by 2 grades including 1 student from A* to B meaning he missed the entry requirements to study Geography at Exeter University.
• In History, 3 out of 7 grades were downgraded, 1 by 2 grades (who happens to be an extremely talented Historian).
• In Mathematics, 5 out of 8 grades were downgraded, 3 by 2 grades including 1 from D to U grade.
• In Photography, 4 out of 7 grades were downgraded, 2 by 2 grades including 1 from D to U grade.

These are the facts and our young people’s life chances have been seriously hindered by the Government’s policy.

Holyrood is situated in Chard there are pockets of significant deprivation within the town.

Our school serves the entire town as the only secondary school in the area.

We are a truly comprehensive school and Sixth Form Centre. I can categorically say that we have seen a disproportionate downgrading students who were formerly in receipt of PP funding and those who are from disadvantaged areas.

This will not come as a surprise to you as Ofqual has published its interim report on this summer’s results. It clearly shows that those from low SES backgrounds have been downgraded more often at every grade and that this is most prevalent at the highest grades. You can find this report attached to this email.

It is bad enough that we have an education system that is permeated by and recreates such fundamental inequalities, year-on-year. It is morally reprehensible to deliberately recreate this trend and this is what the current Government strategy has done.

The students who have received these grades are powerless, totally at the mercy of the system, having had no opportunity to determine their own futures.

One student I supported yesterday achieved straight grade 9s at GCSE.

She worked tirelessly, every lesson, every day and more at home. She came in early, left late and worked tirelessly because she aspired to study Medicine.

She engaged fully in our MedPrep programme and achieved a UCAT (Medical Admissions Test) result in the top 5% of results nationally.

She is exceptional in every way.

When deciding upon her CAGs, her teachers awarded her AAA in English, Biology and Chemistry.

They could have erred on the positive side and given her A*A*A*, but they did not because they did not feel they had enough evidence. They were honest, professional and acted with integrity to award our students the grades they deserve, supported by evidence.

The Government’s strategy awarded her ACC.

She did not meet the requirements of her offer.

Rachael is now waiting for an appeal process to determine whether she can fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor.

We are extremely proud of her and so are her supportive and loving parents. They are not doctors and they are full of pride and admiration of the fact that their daughter will be one from a ‘normal’ background – no private education, no millions, no favours or privilege to smooth the way for her.

It is also worth mentioning that had there been one fewer student in her Chemistry class, Ofqual’s algorithm would have awarded her an A grade, not a C.

Therein lies the problem.

Young people’s futures are being dictated and decided by an algorithm that perpetuates inequality, the success of those who attend historically successful schools and the success of those of higher socio-economic status.

That is privilege – the road to success is smoothed for some and is constantly steepened for others.

Holyrood Academy exists to drive social justice and social mobility within our community: to allow young people to open doors that may otherwise be closed to them.

They are empowered to achieve their very best and encouraged to work their hardest to get what they deserve.

This method of allocating grades has destroyed that link between hard work and success and has instead replaced it with grades determined by historical performance of others like you – but not you.

I would appreciate your support in raising this issue through your news outlets to encourage the Government to review its strategy for grade awards at A-Level and ahead of GCSE results next week.

The only fair outcome is for all young people to receive their CAG as the use of mock results brings further inconsistency and unfairness.

DAVE MACCORMICK
Headteacher

LETTER: Dave MacCormick

AS well as being a teacher of 20 years' experience, I am a parent of children who would have been taking GCSE and A level exams this summer.

It has become increasingly clear over the last two weeks in Scotland and now in Wales, England and Northern Ireland that the use of an algorithm to determine A level grades is a socially-biased and discriminatory system.

It runs counter to the whole concept of inclusive comprehensive education that aims to be meritocratic and improve the life chances of those whose lives are begun in less socially advantageous situations.

Our children do not decide where they come from and to whom they are born: however, where they come from and to whom they are born has this year been shown, more starkly than ever before, to determine whether they will achieve academic success, not because of any failure in themselves, but because of a failure in the academic system and exam awards process that disadvantages those who already have reason enough to feel marginalised and overlooked.

Government failure to address this exam award debacle will disastrously impact the social fabric of our nation in years to come.

We have an obligation to motivate, inspire and offer hope to our young people, not demoralise, dismiss and disregard them.

We are just beginning to comprehend the the magnitude of the long term mental health impact of the pandemic on our nation, but this failure of the exam awards process has possibly irreversibly damaged many young people's hope of a bright future, undermining their belief in their own agency and that their hard work will be rewarded.

They have been shown the reverse: if you come from a place of disadvantage, it is likely that is where you will stay.

All of this only serves to underline that a system of continual assessment that is consistently moderated and standardised would prove a far more reasonable, reliable and just method of assessing student ability, than terminal exam assessment, especially when those exams are not sat in the end.

Terminal exams privilege those with stable home environments, those with homes where private space is available for study, homes where education and academic success have traditionally been valued, and homes where financial security has promoted the ambition to progress to higher education.

However more fundamental than all of this is the innate self-belief and self-confidence that security and social advantage bestow on young people.

Is it any surprise then that exam system benefits those of higher socioeconomic status and disadvantages those from poorer or BAME backgrounds?

I would also urge the government to push back the A level resit dates from October to their traditional date of January to give our students a fighting chance of preparing to resit, in some cases, as many as three subjects.

For many young people the last five months have felt like limbo: they have not been in study mode.

To expect them to go from a standing start to exam readiness in a little over one month is frankly ridiculous. October resits will not allow students who feel failures already to prepare sufficiently. Many will fail to regain the academic preparedness and confidence they had back in March at the time of school and college closures.

A second failure, this time in their October exam results, will be the last thought many of our children will give to higher education.

What a disaster that would be for them and for us all.

MPs with Somerset constituencies will be more aware than many of the exceptionally low levels of social mobility our communities enjoy, relative to the national picture (source: Sutton Trust).

I would ask them to do all they can to support the young people in their constituencies.

The future of all young people is our collective responsibility.

PUCK WEBBER
Teacher