Coronavirus: Wales scraps GCSE, AS and A-level exams for 2021 to ensure ‘fairness’

Students in Wales will not take exams for their GCSEs, AS-levels or A-levels next summer, Wales’s education minister has announced.

Kirsty Williams said the decision had been made for the “well-being of learners” and to “ensure fairness” as students will have spent different amounts of time in school or college during the coronavirus pandemic.

She said that instead of exams, the Welsh government will work with schools and colleges on teacher-managed assessments.

Live updates on coronavirus from UK and around world

The assessments will be externally set and marked but delivered in a classroom environment, under teacher supervision.

Teachers will also have flexibility when it is best to undertake the assessments.

Ms Williams said: “We remain optimistic that the public heath situation will improve, but the primary reason for my decision is down to fairness; the time learners will spend in schools and colleges will vary hugely and, in this situation, it is impossible to guarantee a level playing field for exams to take place.

“We have consulted with universities across the UK and they have confirmed that they are used to accepting many different types of qualifications.

“They expect a transparent and robust approach which provides evidence of a learner’s knowledge and ability.”

The minister said a £50m support package has been put in place for 16 to 18 year olds in exam years.

In England, attendance in all state schools is at 89%, according to the latest government data, suggesting most children are not missing school due to the pandemic.

As of 5 November, attendance in primary schools was at 92% and in secondary schools it was at 87%.

Just 4% of pupils in state-funded schools missed class due to COVID-19 on 5 November.

Between 3.2% and 3.7% of these were self-isolating as a result of potentially having contact with a positive person, while 0.1% had a confirmed case of the virus.

The figures come after fears that pupils’ attendance in schools in England could drop following the government’s announcement of a four-week lockdown.

Although, 38% of state-funded secondaries and 11% of state-funded primaries had more than one pupil off school self-isolating.

And around 9% had 30 or more pupils absent, due to a potential contact with a coronavirus case in school.

The National Education Union (NEU) Cymru welcomed the move to scrap exams and said there must not be a repeat of the results fiasco in the summer.

All GCSE and A-level results in England were based on teacher-assessed grades after a government U-turn which followed the same decision by the devolved Welsh and Northern Irish governments.

Speaking before the Education Select Committee, England’s Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said she has “not seen anything that suggests that pulling exams as we did last year is the sensible default route to go down this year”.

She warned: “It’s very important before making sudden drastic changes in how a system works, to think about how it will go down at the receiving end with children and parents…

“Taking away the opportunity of young people’s own agency demonstrating what they can do is something we should think about very carefully before doing.”

Meanwhile, headteachers are calling on the government to reimburse schools for the additional costs they have incurred due to COVID-19, including covering staff absences and maintaining enhanced cleaning regimes.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We are hugely encouraged by the fact that the level of attendance in schools has remained stable despite the announcement of a new national lockdown.”

But he added: “We are particularly concerned about the massive cost to schools and colleges of COVID safety measures and supply cover for staff who have to self-isolate.

“Their budgets cannot sustain this additional pressure and we once again call upon the government to act swiftly and reimburse these costs.”

Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “We are seeing across the country that more staff are out of school either through illness or isolation. This requires a hefty spend on supply staff in order to keep classes and bubbles open.”

A Department Of Education spokeswoman said: “We are prioritising children and young people’s education, by keeping nurseries, schools, colleges and universities open.

“Over 99% of schools have been open every week since term began and with attendance remaining high and stable, millions of pupils are continuing to benefit from being in school, both in terms of their education and their wellbeing.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Wales scraps GCSE, AS and A-level exams for 2021 to ensure ‘fairness’