Fears for a ‘blighted’ era of pupils – Grading returns to previous system

Children whose lives had been shattered by Covid have suffered a contemporary blow with a return to the pre-pandemic examination grading system, consultants say. Charities highlighted a disaster in psychological well being and known as for counsellors to be employed in each college throughout the nation.

This 12 months’s A-level and GCSE grading in England returned to the normal system in place earlier than the coronavirus struck in 2020. And it ended a interval wherein grades have been greater than common.

But Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continued to offer pupils additional credit score due to the disruption to their training attributable to the pandemic, main to raised outcomes and fears that English college students will probably be unfairly penalised.

Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility on the University of Exeter, mentioned of the differing techniques: “If you are a student from England who has missed out on a university place, is it fair if that place goes to someone from Wales or Scotland because of decisions their government has made?”

And Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, mentioned: “The abrupt return to pre-pandemic grading risks damaging outcomes for disadvantaged students whose lives and learning have already been hit hard.”

Pressure group UsForThem, which highlights the affect of the pandemic on youngsters, raised considerations about GCSE pupils whose outcomes are due this week.

Director Arabella Skinner mentioned: “The current GCSE students have barely known normal life at senior school.

“Since 2020, they have had closures, enforced isolations, remote learning, limited curriculums due to social distancing and finally strikes.

“And yet somehow when it comes to their GCSE results they are being treated as if they haven’t faced any disruption.

“As they approach applying for university and jobs, they’ll hit a baby boom making places harder to find. When you add into the mix that their grades, through no fault of theirs, will be lower than those in the years above, it can not be seen as anything other than unfair.”

This 12 months, 26.5 p.c of all A-levels in England had been graded A or A*. This is roughly according to 2019, when the proportion was 25.5 p.c, however it was considerably down on final 12 months, when 35.9 p.c of grades had been A or above.

Michelle Lee-Izu, Barnardo’s Corporate Director for Development and Innovation, mentioned: “Results day creates anxiety for many young people every year, but we know it might feel particularly unsettling for some young people as we head back to traditional grading methods for the first year since the pandemic.”

She added: “At a time when many more children are experiencing difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing as a result of the pandemic – and facing additional worries like going to school hungry during the cost-of-living crisis –the need for the Government to introduce Mental Health Support Teams across every school and college has never been greater.”

And Children’s Society Policy and Impact Manager Amy Dicks mentioned: “For GCSE-age children this will feel like a crucial stage in their lives, both emotionally and educationally.

“Today’s young people are coming under an increasing amount of pressure. Through our services, sadly we are still seeing the impact of the pandemic on children’s mental health with more children needing support.”