Exam changes welcomed by Hampshire headteachers but concerns remain over ‘level playing field’ for pupils

Speaking recently to The News headteachers pleaded for clarity regarding the exams, but they have questioned the timing of the announcement and the extent to which the changes will ensure a ‘fair playing field’.

Measures to mitigate the impact of Covid include students getting advanced notice of topics, exam aids being provided in some subjects and more generous grading. There will also be additional exams in July to ensure those students who miss exams due to illness or isolation are able to have a ‘back-up chance’.

Headteacher at The Cowplain School, Ian Gates, said: ‘The planned revisions are sensible and reasonable. The provision of papers for those who may miss the original exam due to illness is a really good idea and I also like the idea of focusing on specific areas released in advance.

‘However, I’m unsure why we have waited until the end of the autumn term when this could have been sorted out six months ago. Even now, the government has provided little detail to go with the announcement and we have to wait until January for more.’

Priory School headteacher, Stewart Vaughan, added: ‘This is good news overall. There’s an acknowledgement that simply putting the examinations back by three weeks was never enough to respond to the challenges faced by Year 11 students this year and we welcome this further clarification.

‘Some aspects of the announcement remain perplexing. For example we do not understand why we are waiting until January for more information to help us to plan our support.’

It’s a sentiment shared by college leaders.

Principal at Portsmouth College, Simon Barrable, said: ‘It’s good to see the government is finally acknowledging the need to take action on exams to help a year group that has been so heavily impacted by the pandemic.

‘The measures do go some way towards addressing the issues, though the government has been slow to arrive at these. It’s now vital that schools and colleges get advanced notice about topics to be covered in papers as soon as possible before unnecessary content gets covered in the precious time we have with students.’

Mr Barrable also feels there should be greater flexibility in choice of topics with a ‘wider range of questions to give all young people the best possible opportunity to give of their best’.

However with one in five pupils out of school last week due to Covid cases or isolation, a vast variation in impact of the pandemic and the digital divide creating a massive disparity in access to remote learning, education leaders are concerned that many pupils will still be at an unfair disadvantage.

Mr Gates commented: ‘I’m worried the plans fail to address the considerable issues relating to the provision of a fair and ‘level playing field’ for all students.

‘There’s huge variance of attendance in the local area, not to mention across the country, and it’s going to be more difficult for a child who perhaps missed four weeks of school this term due to self-isolation compared to a child who hasn’t missed any time.

‘This should be recognised in final outcomes for those students, something which we are told is still to be decided.’

Mr Vaughan feels the situation has been compounded by pledges of government support, including laptops for disadvantaged children, many of which have failed to arrive.

He added: ‘What has been so frustrating is the playing field has been made more uneven through the failure to deliver on promises of support for vulnerable learners that has increased the disadvantaged gap through this crisis.

‘It cannot be right that access to a quality education over the months of lockdown was so dependent on whether the right digital devices were available in a family's home.

‘If support for home learning had arrived as promised then we would not be facing such inequalities locally and nationally six months before GCSE examinations.

Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet member for education, Suzy Horton, has also questioned whether the changes can bridge the educational divide.

She said: ‘Whilst the decision to scrap league tables, relax the grading and give advance notice of topics are all very welcome, I do have reservations as to the extent this can genuinely level the playing field while we have rank ordering to determine grades, regional inequalities during the pandemic and digital access inequalities.’

Cllr Horton also hopes the changes will reopen the debate on the best way to judge both school and pupil performance.

She added: ‘Any move away from the reliance on a snapshot league table to indicate the quality of learning in a school is a good thing. And the move to lessen the extra pressure that exams create for many is a good one; currently exams test how good someone is at coping with exams and not necessarily how much they know.

‘In my opinion, both of these would be wonderful Covid legacies.’

SEE ALSO: Coronavirus: Full list of Hampshire schools in Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, Havant, Waterlooville, Basingstoke, Winchester, East Hampshire, Hart, New Forest, Rushmoor and Test Valley with Covid-19 cases since the return to classroom

The measures have been backed by teacher and Conservative councillor, Terry Norton.

Cllr Norton said: ‘I welcome these measures which will hopefully provide a boost to the fairness of exams. I do have concerns about the different educational experience in different areas but I’m pleased to see the government has put forward a commission to assess this.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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