Here we go again.
But don’t get this out of proportion.
I am a parent myself and to be honest, I would like nothing more than for my sons to be in school. Education is not just about the in-classroom learning, it is also about the sociability which is perhaps the biggest downside of lockdown. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Home schooling is nothing new and we all saw this one coming. The one abiding difference now, is that schools are suitably prepared to roll out the curriculum online in 2021 in a way that the 2020 caught everyone by surprise. Once bitten, twice shy.
Let’s focus on a positive. The BBC has announced the largest programming of educational material for primary and secondary school students to support them during this lockdown. And it is proactive measures like this that we should be championing right now. And personally, I see that a lot of positives can come from a situation where we are now encouraged to re-invent how we educate future generations in this country. After all, simply consider how much educational practice has developed since we were at school. It is far more kinaesthetic and interactive nowadays. We have a top-down education system in this country, maybe what we have now is an opportunity to change that. If nothing else, it will encourage greater work ethics as the end result will now be a fair reflection of the year, and not just pulling a rabbit from a hat at the end.
So where are we?
The 4th January 2021 announcement was not unexpected but the curbing of all examinations in 2021 for the sake of fairness was a surprising announcement, unsurprising in its realisation but frustrating in its short-sightedness.
“Alternative arrangements”. Now there was an ambiguous term but one we now more about now Gavin Williamson has addressed the House of Commons today. We are back to Plan B…
The summary
GCSE and A level exams for Academic year 2020/21 have now been cancelled
These will be replaced by Centre Assessed Grades (CAGs). This means schools will have their own system of assessment based on Ofqual guidelines, to determine the final grades of a student
This is likely to take the form of internal mocks as well as various continuous assessments that schools will have been employing since the start of the academic year, having established them since the first lockdown
If you are a re-sit candidate and not currently attached to a school, you are encouraged to contact us as soon as possible to discuss your options in more detail
Examinations in 2021
The biggest question when the announcement hit was what form will exams take?
As the Prime Minister said, the Secretary of State for Education has been working with the Chiefs of Ofqual to devise a new system to assess candidates for a second academic year in a row. The hope is though, that lessons were learnt after last time.
There was a list of likely alternatives being considered. However, it was always hugely unlikely the answer would be anything other than the inevitable. For all the posturing on this (mostly grandstanding for the sake of showing this was thought out) the responsibility will lie with schools. Due to the reversal last year from a standardised model to using CAGs, prudency won this time to mean that CAGs will be the primary mechanism of assessment this year but with an iron framework to ensure fairness and consistency this time. What form that will take though is still unclear as the DfE and Ofqual have not yet released details of that, with an announcement expected soon.
The EducAd view from the ridge
Accepted, there is a lot of anger out there at this moment in time. The inevitable questions about the inevitability of this outcome was unavoidable. However, now is not the time to dwell on retributions and recriminations. It is a time for cool heads and temperance as practicality is the virtue of the day.
The increasing frustration amongst many was why it took so long. For a long time the clamour was that we should follow the Scottish and Welsh in offering a reduced version of the examination. That has some merits but it does not prove anything, other than to satiate the need for something tangible with a forced, pressurised outcome.
The biggest concern for us, should not necessarily be the fixation on the methodology of the rollout but the repercussions of a second year of a diluted education. GCSE students are not altogether prepared for the start of A levels and more concerningly, A level students are not prepared to be students for university. The latter institutions are now going to have another year of trying to fill a widening knowledge gap. Therefore, in order to learn lessons of the first lockdown, what educators should now be focusing on is not a system to establish how we are going to write a letter on a piece of paper but more about delivering a robust and thorough learning to students. That is our responsibility through schools and tutoring and ultimately, whilst that does not start at home, because it will largely be delivered at home, we should all be doing our best to help.
Let us not forget that education is far more than just examinations. Those in the ‘critical years’ are not the only ones who will suffer from this closure. The younger years will find this arguably even harder, with a lack of output for all their energies.
So what can you do?
Help support schools in delivering the curriculum at home
Drive the work ethic through organising the environment, time management and encouragement because it is crucial not to lose the practice
Encourage rest breaks, periods of extracurricular interest, sociability even if virtually
Providing online tutoring, especially in the ‘critical years’ if you believe there is a knowledge gap before embarking on the subsequent year , i.e. the education delivery has stopped from the school
Whatever happens, it seems like the UK education is heading in the direction of employing the US (and most of Europe) approach to education and have continuous assessment to ensure the future security of our education system and not just a reactive measure in times of crisis, with less value given to final year exams only.
In that most British of ways, keep calm and carry on. Education is found beyond the four walls of the classroom and Covid-19 has helpfully forced us to reconsider how we educate. Support schools, don’t rail against them. And talk to us, for a bit more clarity or simply for an injection of a bit more positivity at a time when it is most required.