‘Impolite and dismissive’: Education Secretary Gillian Keegan faces backlash after remarks about A-level grades
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has been criticised for suggesting employers will not ask pupils about their A-levels in a decade’s time.
Ms Keegan mentioned college students “shouldn’t be disappointed” if their outcomes weren’t what they’d hoped for as top grades fell from last year – though they continue to be above pre-pandemic ranges.
‘Students throughout UK handled pretty’
The cupboard minister informed Sky News: “Somebody asked me ‘What will people ask you in 10 years’ time?’
“They will not ask you something about your A-level grades in 10 years’ time.
“They will ask you about different issues you could have accomplished since then: what you could have accomplished within the office, what you probably did at college?
“And then, after a period of time, they don’t even ask you what you did at university.”
She added: “It is really all about what you do and what you can demonstrate and the skills that you learn in the workplace.”
Joy and anxiety as results in – A-level results live
Labour’s shadow schooling secretary Bridget Phillipson branded Ms Keegan’s feedback “incredibly rude and dismissive” – and accused her of “talking down England’s young people”.
She mentioned: “This is a nerve-wracking day for young people who’ve worked incredibly hard.
“The last item that they want is a secretary of state providing feedback like that.
“And it really does add insult to injury coming from a government that completely failed to put in place the kind of support that our young people needed coming out of the pandemic after all of the disruption they’d experienced.”
The cohort of scholars who’re receiving their A-level outcomes didn’t sit GCSE exams and were awarded teacher-assessed grades during the pandemic.
Education leaders have warned that this yr’s group may face disappointment as they could have increased expectations after receiving report excessive GCSEs in 2021.
Ms Keegan attributed the autumn to the grading system returning to what it was pre-COVID, saying it was essential that it “holds its value” and is “well respected”.
But requested what she would say to those that may be disenchanted with their grades, the cupboard minister informed Sky News: “Well, they shouldn’t be disappointed – they have just done an amazing job.
“They ought to be congratulating themselves and I wish to congratulate them as a result of they’ve labored so arduous.
“They have faced disruption. They have been the cohort that’s gone through the pandemic and also faced other disruption as well.”
Ms Keegan went on to say that A-level pupils will “still get the same access to university” as these in earlier years.
“The whole grading system will be back to normal and so the universities will calibrate to that,” she mentioned
“And in fact they already have done so in their offers to some degree – they have already taken that into account.
“So now we have labored with the schools in order that they perceive it, with the admissions officers. And additionally with companies, in order that they perceive it.
“Everybody knows that these are different conditions to the teacher-assessed grades and even last year, which was part way between the two systems, more similar to what they have done in Northern Ireland and Wales.”
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Keegan visited a London academy have been college students have been getting their A-level outcomes
Today’s outcomes present A* and A grades have been awarded to 27.2% of scholars, in contrast with 36.4% final yr, 44.7% in 2021 and 38.5% in 2020.
However, the quantity is up by 1.8% in comparison with pre-pandemic ranges, when 25.4% of A-level entries have been awarded A or A* grades.
The total cross price – the proportion of entries graded A* to E – has fallen to 97.3% this yr, which is decrease than 2022 (98.4%) and the pre-pandemic yr of 2019 (97.6%). In reality, the speed is at its lowest degree since 2008 when it stood at 97.2%.
Ms Keegan later defended her feedback and rejected the suggestion it was insensitive to college students apprehensive about their grades.
She informed reporters on the City of London Academy Islington, in north London, that “it is true, it is just real”.
“It’s an important step to get to your next destination, but when you’re a couple of destinations further on there’ll be other things that they look at,” she mentioned.