Education News

The divide between private schools and state schools when it comes to achieving top A-level results has widened this year, sparking alarm among education leaders.The increase in A grades awarded today is 50 per cent higher among private schools compared with secondary comprehensives, according to Labour analysis of government data.The Ofqual data also shows that black students, those on free school meals and those living in areas of high deprivation were all less likely to achieve the top A or A* grades than their more advantaged peers.Education experts said existing inequalities had been exacerbated by the pandemic this year – urging universities to address the “unfairness” by giving extra consideration to disadvantaged students this year.“We’re seeing growing gaps between independent and state schools at the top grades,” said Sir Peter Lampl, chair of the Sutton Trust think tank. “The pandemic has compounded existing inequalities and today’s results are a reflection of that.”Sir Peter added: “It’s of real concern that the gap between those from less affluent areas and those from well-off areas has grown. Given that disrupted learning has affected lower income youngsters more, we urge universities to give additional consideration to disadvantaged students.”The Sutton Trust said disparities in remote learning and changes in assessment during the Covid crisis have hit those from the poorest backgrounds the hardest.Many pupils spent large amounts of this year unable to study effectively due to lack of appropriate devices, access to the internet or acceptable space to study – factors not included when assessing this year’s results.Private schools have seen an absolute increase in A grades of 9.3 per cent this year – compared to 6.2 per cent among secondary comprehensives. The increase in A grades at private schools was more than double the 3.8 per cent rise seen among students at sixth form colleges.Independent, fee-paying schools have seen the biggest rise in the number of A or A* grades during the pandemic – soaring from 44 per cent in the year before the Covid crisis to 70 per cent this year. By comparison, secondary comprehensives had seen the number of A or A* grades rise from 20 per cent to 39 per cent over the past two years.When it comes to achieving A or A* grades, the gap between black candidates, free school meal candidates, and candidates with a very high level of deprivation and other students has widened by 1.43, 1.42 and 1.39 per cent respectively this year.Kate Green MP, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said the government’s “chaotic” last-minute decision on exams and assessment over the past year had “opened the door to unfairness”.The Labour frontbencher added: “The increase in A grades is 50 per cent higher among private schools, while black students, students on free school meals and in areas of high deprivation are being increasingly out performed by their more advantaged peers.”Research by The Sutton Trust found that independent, fee-charging schools are more likely than state schools to use a wider variety of assessments – including giving prior access to questions and “open book” tests, which allow pupils to refer to coursework notes.Parental pressure is also more prevalent at private schools, research has shown. Some 23 per cent of parents at private schools said parents had approached or pressured them about their child’s grades this year, compared to just 11 per cent at the least affluent state schools, according to the Sutton Trust.The Education Policy Institute (EPI) also warned of “inconsistencies” between assessment in different kinds of schools. A spokesperson for the EPI said: “The nature of private schools means their teachers are more directly accountable to parents, increasing the risk of pressure to increase grades.”The proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid-19. In total, more than two in five (44.8 per cent) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer, up by 6.3 percentage points on last year.Ucas said a record number of students have secured a place on their first-choice university course following the bumper year for results.But youngsters who missed out on the grades required to meet their offers are likely to face greater competition for a place at top institutions as there could be fewer courses on offer in clearing.Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at Exeter University, said he was worried students from poorer backgrounds could lose out in the “intense” competition for degree courses.“It is deeply concerning to see widening socio-economic divides in this year’s A-level results, confirming our worst fears – the pandemic has exacerbated educational inequalities outside and inside the school gates,” said Dr Major.“The government urgently needs to set out its plans for a return to national exam system from next year that is fair to all pupils irrespective of what school they attend or home they come from. Unless universities up their game, we could see social mobility put back years.”Tory MP Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons Education Committee, shared his concerns about the fierce competition for university places. “I do worry about the fact that we seem to have, in essence, baked a hard rock cake of grade inflation into our exam results.”He told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme said the rise in top grades could store up problems in the immediate years ahead. “I do think in the long-term, because of the huge increase in As and A*s, that we need to look at our exam system in general.” More

Unions have urged Gavin Williamson not to scrap most BTECqualifications, saying such a move would be “reckless”.The education minister has been urged to keep these qualifications which “play a vital role in helping young people progress” in the next stage of their lives.Announcing a shake-up earlier this month, the government announced it would stop funding poor-quality qualifications that overlapped with new T-levels.The Department for Education (DfE) said apprenticeships, A-levels and T-levels – two-year technical courses that are the equivalent of three A-levels – will become the main progression options after GCSEs.A group of 12 organisations have urged the government to rethink plans to scrap funding for “the vast majority of applied general qualifications”.“These are well established, well respected qualifications that play a vital role in helping young people progress to higher education or employment, and in meeting the skills needs of employers,” their letter said.“For many students, studying one or more applied general qualifications will be a more effective way of accessing, remaining in, and progressing from 16 to 19 education than studying A levels or T levels.”The government said the reforms would streamline post-16 qualifications into an academic path leading to further study and a technical path leading to work.It said the shake-up would “remote low-quality qualifications that lack job prospects” and mean qualifications will need to prove they provide employers with required skills or lead to good higher education courses, as well as a “real need for them to be funded”. The 12 groups – which includes the Association for School and College Leaders (ASCL) union, the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA) and National Union for Students (NUS) – have said disadvantaged students would “have the most to lose” by the changes, saying research shows “applied general qualifications are engines of social mobility”.The Social Market Foundation found 44 per cent of white working-class students going to university had at least one BTEC, while 37 per cent of black students did so with only BTEC qualifications, their letter said. “Applied general qualifications like BTECs are popular with students, respected by employers and provide a well-established route to higher education or employment,” James Kewin from SFCA said. “So it is hard to fathom why the government wants to scrap most of them and force young people to choose between studying A levels or T levels from the age of 16.”Meanwhile, ASCL’s Geoff Barton said: “Applied general qualifications give many disadvantaged young people an established route to higher education, apprenticeships and future careers.”He added: “It would be reckless of the government to ditch these qualifications simply to clear the way for T-levels which may well prove to be a good option for some young people but are largely untried and untested.”The government has already removed funding for more than 160 duplicate qualifications – and from August this year, it will remove funding for more than 2,200 qualifications which they say are not being taken by anyone each year.The DfE will now review all the other level 3 qualifications to assess whether there is a real need for them to be funded.A spokesperson for the department said: “Great qualifications are essential to helping everyone, regardless of their age or background, to reach their career goals and get good jobs.”“Our reforms will simplify and streamline the current system, ensuring that all qualifications are fit for purpose, are high-quality and lead to good outcomes.”The DfE spokesperson added: “We are putting employers at the heart of the skills system and boosting the quality of qualifications on offer so that all students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, leave education with the skills employers need.” More

Only allowing students who are fully vaccinated against Covid to attend lectures, would be “hugely discriminatory”, a university union has said.It comes amid reports the government is considering introducing such rules for students, as well as only letting those who have received two doses return to university halls. Education minister Vicky Ford refused to rule the measures out on Monday, saying the government had to “consider everything”. But the University and College Union has criticised the idea.Jo Grady, the general secretary, said students should be prioritised for vaccinations to ensure as many as possible have been given the opportunity to get jabbed before the start of the next academic year. “But making vaccinations compulsory as a condition to access their education is wrong and would be hugely discriminatory against those who are unable to be vaccinated, and international students,” she added. “Sadly, this looks and smells like a prime minister trying to pin the blame on students for not yet taking up a vaccine they haven’t been prioritised to receive.” Ms Grady urged the prime minister to work with the NHS and universities to “enable and sensitively encourage student vaccination” instead of restorting to mandatory vaccination rules. The government has been approached for comment.The Times reported on Monday that Boris Johnson had suggested compulsory jabs for students to attend lectures and live in halls in order to help drive up the rates of young people taking up the vaccine.The prime minister made the suggestion, subject to medical exemptions, during a virtual meeting from his isolation at Chequers, according to the newspaper. It added Mr Johnson was “raging” over comparatively low jab take-up in younger age groups and was considering the move in an attempt to boost vaccination rates.On Monday, Downing Street did not deny reports that students would need to be fully vaccinated to attend lectures.“You have heard what the PM has said before, specifically that the pandemic is not over,” a No 10 spokesperson said. “We are still looking at the scope for vaccination certifications.”Vicky Ford, the minister for children, was repeatedly asked about the potential policy for students on Monday morning.Although she initially answered “no” when asked about the plans on Sky News, before stressing the need to prioritise education, she did not take the opportunity to rule the policy out later on.She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Obviously, I can’t comment on things that haven’t been announced. But one does need to look at every practicality to make sure that we can get students back safely and make sure that we can continue to prioritise education.”Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat’s spokesperson for health, said it was “completely unacceptable” the government was considering these plans.“While it is crucial every adult who can get vaccinated does get the jab, attempting to withhold face-to-face education from students until they do is crossing a line,” the MP added.Additional reporting by Press Association More

The school bubble system is to be dropped and in-person teaching will remain at universities, Gavin Williamson has confirmed. The education secretary said the bubble system – which has kept pupils and teachings in groups to minimise mixing amid the Covid pandemic – and isolation is “causing disruption to many children’s education”. On Tuesday the government reported that levels of school absence linked to Covid-19 was at its highest level since March.More than eight per cent of state school pupils in England did not attend school last Thursday due to Covid-related reasons, including for confirmed Covid cases and being identified as a close contact. Concerns have been raised in recent weeks about the interpretation of rules which have resulted in large groups of pupils being sent home for 10 days if another pupil in their bubble tests positive for Covid-19.Mr Williamson told parliament on Tuesday that “key restrictions” would be dropped for schools from Step 4 of England’s roadmap out of lockdown, which is planned for 19 July. “Though keeping children in consistent groups was essential to control the spread of the virus when our population was less vaccinated, we recognise that the system of bubbles and isolation is causing disruption to many children’s education,” the education secretary said.“That is why we’ll be ending bubbles and transferring contact tracing to NHS test and trace system for early years settings, schools and colleges.”Geoff Barton from the Association for School and College Leaders (ASCL) said the scrapping of the bubbles system “should remove some of the current barriers to offering children and young people a full timetable of lessons and return school life to something which seems much more normal”. Mr Williamson also told MPs also said there would be “no restrictions on in-person teaching and learning in universities” unless students are told to self-isolate or affected by local outbreaks.But some universities have already confirmed they will be offering blended learning – a mix of online and in-person teaching – at the start of the next academic year.Mr Williamson told MPs on Tuesday: “I do not think it is acceptable that children should face greater restrictions over and above those of wider society, especially since they have given up so much to keep older generations safe during this pandemic.”As well as scrapping bubbles and schools having to do contact tracing themselves, the education secretary said another change would be children only needing to isolate after a positive Covid test, which would come into force from 16 August.Mr Barton from ASCL said this would “remove the main reason for current Covid-related pupil absence”. New government figures show around 561,000 children in England were self-isolating last Thursday due to possible contact with a Covid-19 case. This was on top of 34,000 pupils out of school with a suspected Covid case and 28,000 with a confirmed Covid infection.Around 8.5 per cent state school pupils did not attend class for Covid-19-related reasons on 1 July – up from 5.1 per cent from the week before, which was the highest level since March before being overtaken by the latest figures. Nick Brook from the school leaders’ union NAHT, said the latest figures “make for grim reading” and show the “huge impact” the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid is having on schools. “Whilst the government might argue that scrapping bubbles and changing rules around self-isolation will reduce the number of pupils missing education, we should be equally worried about the significant rise we have seen in confirmed and suspected cases in a single week,” the union’s deputy general secretary said. Speaking about the changes announced by Mr Williamson, Mr Brook said:“No school leader wants to have restrictions in place any longer than are needed, but there will be a sense of real concern amongst many that the worsening situation they see before their eyes is at odds with the government’s narrative of relaxation and return to normality.”“Schools have seen a near doubling of children contracting Covid-19, with 28,000 confirmed cases reported in the last week alone. “He added: “School leaders and parents alike will want more reassurance than has been given so far that removal of restrictions are supported by scientific evidence, not driven by political convenience.” More

Gavin Williamson has said the government wants to scrap school “bubbles” as part of England’s next step out of lockdown.The measure – which sees pupils and teachers kept in groups to keep mixing to a minimum – has been in place to limit the spread of coronavirus.But the education secretary said on Wednesday that the government is looking to get rid of it within weeks.Mr Williamson told parliament he wants to see remaining restrictions in schools, including bubbles, “removed as quickly as possible”. “We constantly assess all available data and we expect to be able to confirm plans to be able to lift restrictions and bubbles as part of Step 4,” he said.“Once that decision has been made, we will issue guidance immediately to schools.”Step 4 of England’s roadmap out of lockdown, when the government hopes to be able to remove all legal limits on social contact, is currently planned for no earlier than 19 July. Concerns have been raised in recent weeks about the interpretation of rules which have resulted in large groups of pupils being sent home for 10 days if another pupil in their bubble tests positive for Covid.Earlier this week, government data showed school absences linked to Covid had peaked at their highest rate since March.More than 330,000 students were self-isolating due to potential contact with a Covid case last week and tens of thousands more were out of school with a suspected or confirmed coronavirus infection.Reports this week suggested pupils may be able to avoid automatically self-isolating after coming in contact with a Covid case under rules which could be introduced after the summer holidays.Trials are currently ongoing into the use of daily contact testing in schools as an alternative to self-isolation after the measure was paused earlier this year following advice from Public Health England.“Further steps will be taken to reduce the number of children who have the self-isolate, including looking at the outcomes of the daily contact testing trial,” Mr Williamson said on Wednesday. More

School pupils may be spared from being forced to automatically self-isolate after contact with a positive Covid case under new rules which could come in force after the summer holidays.Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said on Tuesday that the government was considering using daily testing as an “alternative” to the existing rules under which children are forced to quarantine at home if anyone in their school bubble tests positive.A quarter of a million children missed school in a single week this month because of either Covid-19infection, self-isolation or school closures.According to The Guardian, which first reported the plans, the new system will aim to keep pupils in school as much as possible will be in place when England’s new school year begins in September.Pressed on the issue on Sky News, Mr Gibb said the government was currently carrying out trials of daily contact testing as a “possible alternative to self-isolation”.He suggested around three per cent of school children were currently away from the classroom due to self-isolation, saying: “That’s lower than the autumn. It tends to correlate with the number of infections in the community.”Mr Gibb added the government will look at the results of the trial and also vowed to make a decision on replacing the existing rules for school ahead of the 19 July target date to end all legal Covid restrictions in England.“We have to do everything we can to minimise the risk of transmission of this virus,” he said.On Monday, the new health secretary Sajid Javid said he has asked officials for “fresh advice” on the issue, adding that the existing policy is “having a huge knock-on impact” on children’s education.“I will hopefully be able to say more on this as soon as possible,” he said.Their remarks came as Dame Rachel de Souza, the new children’s commissioner for England, said the need for children to go in and out of isolation is “a really big issue” and is proving “incredibly frustrating” for pupils and teachers alike.“With bubbles, I think everybody would like it if we could get back to normal, as soon as possible. Obviously we have to be safe, and we have to take advice, but it’s very, very restrictive,” she told The Daily Telegraph.Separately, teachers are being warned to prepare for the return of on-site Covid testing in the new school year – a source of concern for teaching unions. New guidelines on Covid-19 testing were published by the government on Monday.Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Once again secondary schools are being put on standby to set up what are effectively fully-fledged Covid testing centres. The government must not underestimate the scale of this task and the likely disruption for pupils as they return in September.“At the very least, what we need to see this time round is schools being given the proper support they need and an acceptance that this will take some time to work through.“It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a strong chance it will not be ‘business as usual’ for schools next term and the government will need to take into account the additional pressures they will be having to deal with.”On catch-up plans for school children, Mr Gibb also said that a review was under way into how effective it would be to increase the length of the school day to allow children to catch up with missed learning due to the pandemic.“We know that the best catch up of course happens every day in school with children at school in those classrooms.”“But we’re also conducting a review right now of the evidence about extending the school day and time spent in school to understand how that would work, how effective it would be if we were to increase the length of the school day.” More

A ban on mobile phones in schools is being considered in a new consultation on behaviour and discipline, with Gavin Williamson warning the devices are “distracting” and could even be “damaging”. The education said he wanted to make the school day “mobile-free” and to ensure pupils can benefit from “calm classrooms”. But one leading union said Mr Williamson seemed to be “obsessed” with the topic of mobile phones in schools. A ban on their use in schools is being considered as part of a six-week consultation launched on Tuesday, which is seeking the views of teachers, parents and other staff on how to manage good behaviour.The call for evidence comes ahead of planned updates to government guidance later this year on behaviour, discipline, suspensions and permanent exclusions.The Department for Education (DfE) has already announced details of its £10m “behaviour hub” programme.Headteachers and behaviour specialists from 22 “lead schools” and two academy chains with strong reputations for behaviour are mentoring and supporting schools struggling with poor discipline as part of the scheme.The chosen schools are advising on a variety of issues – ranging from setting clear expectations to eliminate low-level disruption in classrooms, to more systematic approaches to maintaining order across the school, including forbidding the use of mobile phones and maintaining quiet corridors.As part of the consultation, respondents will be asked how schools’ behaviour policies and approaches have changed amid the pandemic and what successful practices they intend to keep up.“No parent wants to send their child to a school where poor behaviour is rife. Every school should be a safe place that allows young people to thrive and teachers to excel,” Mr Williamson said.“Mobile phones are not just distracting, but when misused or overused, they can have a damaging effect on a pupil’s mental health and wellbeing. I want to put an end to this, making the school day mobile-free.“In order for us to help pupils overcome the challenges from the pandemic and level up opportunity for all young people, we need to ensure they can benefit from calm classrooms which support them to thrive.”The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) accused Mr Williamson of “playing to backbenchers” with his plans.“The education secretary appears to be obsessed with the subject of mobile phones in schools. In reality, every school will already have a robust policy on the use of mobile phones; it isn’t some sort of digital free-for-all,” the union’s general secretary said.“Approaches will vary between settings and contexts, but this is an operational decision for schools, not something that can be micromanaged from Westminster.”He added: “Frankly, school and college leaders would prefer the education secretary to be delivering an ambitious post-pandemic recovery plan and setting out how he intends to minimise educational disruption next term, rather than playing to backbenchers on the subject of behaviour.”Meanwhile Sarah Hannafin, senior policy advisor for school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Mobile phone bans work for some schools but there isn’t one policy that will work for all schools.“Outright banning mobile phones can cause more problems than it solves, driving phone use ‘underground’ and making problems less visible and obvious for schools to tackle.”Earlier this year, Mr Williamson said he would support schools who decide to ban the use of mobile phones, saying the devices distract from “exercise and good old-fashioned play” and contribute to cyber-bullying.The education secretary said in April technology had been “invaluable” for pupils during lockdowns, but that “it’s now time to put the screens away”. Additional reporting by Press Association More

Teachers have been put under enormous pressure by parents hoping to improve their children’s grades, the shadow education secretary has said.In a keynote speech at the Festival of Education, Kate Green told the audience how she had heard “too many” reports from school leaders around the pressure that parents were exerting on teachers to boost grades.“Young people and their parents are worrying about whether they will get the grades they need for the next stage of their life, whether that’s in university, college, an apprenticeship or the workplace,” she said.“Students have spent years working towards this point, but they fear that all of their hard work will be thrown into disarray in another summer of exams chaos that everyone, except it seems the government, could see coming months ago.”She added teachers from across the country were “desperate to do the right thing” for their students under these “incredibly challenging” circumstances.She said the government’s lack of a credible plan was responsible for placing a significant share of this pressure on the teachers, and creating an environment rife for animosity between teachers, students and parents.“While the government have said that they’re backing teachers and supporting them throughout the process, the reality is they’ve (the teachers) been left to carry the can for a system that I am hugely worried cannot deliver fairness,” she said.“I’ve heard too many reports from teachers and school leaders concerned about the enormous pressure coming from parents to change grades if they’re not satisfied with the grade their child is awarded.”Ms Green she had heard complaints from students about the different ways in which they had been assessed – both across and within schools.“I’ve heard students comparing notes about the different ways in which they’ve been assessed.“The lack of consistency, not just from region to region or school to school, but even within individual schools, is really striking, and it’s concerning.“It compounds the uneven learning experience that students have had over the past 15 months, as some parts of the country were hit again and again by Covid restrictions, as some students were sent home again and again to isolate, and as some lacked the resources for effective at home learning.”The shadow secretary’s comments come as teachers across England finalised students GCSE and A-level grades as the summer’s exams were cancelled for the second year in a row, because of disruptions caused by the pandemic.The final grades are now based on a range of evidence including mock exams, coursework and in-class assessments using material from exam boards.Last week, education secretary Gavin Williamson warned that it was unlikely that exams would return to normal by next year.He said that “adjustments and mitigations” would likely be necessary to ensure fairness, as those currently in year 10 and 12, who would be writing exams next summer, have also “suffered disruption as a result of the pandemic”. More