If GCSE and A-level results this year are to reflect students’ actual performance, rather than their potential, or ‘what they would have got’ if their learning had not been disrupted, there must be some compensatory measures in place. Their grades could be marked with an asterisk or other symbol and universities/6th forms/employers could lower their entrance requirements. For those unhappy with their performance at A-level there should be the option to repeat Y13, with their school place fully funded by the government and child benefit continuing to be paid to their parents. The opportunity to spend 3 years in 6th form study should also be extended to (at least) those currently in Y11 and Y12, so that they can catch up on lost learning. More generally, there should be a conversation about greater flexibility within the education system, so that there is more scope for pupils to repeat a year at any stage of their education. For example, summer-born pupils are known to be at a disadvantage (being up to 20% younger than their oldest classmates when they enter Reception) and should have the opportunity to begin school a year later, without this financially impacting their parents.
None of these ideas are exclusively mine; I do not wish to claim any credit for them, just to put them forward for serious consideration.
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