Gavin Williamson makes DOUBLE u-turn on A level results as he says he's 'sorry' for chaos GAVIN WILLIAMSON has received an onslaught of criticism after he made two U-turns on A-Level results. . “There are bright young people the length and breadth of this country who have a mountain to climb to achieve parity with their better off peers and the statistical models used by Ofqual, and the SQA last week, confirm that the odds are stacked against these young people from the start.”, Johnson insists A-level results are ‘robust’ as he shrugs off protests. . For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, A student rapped Education Secretary Gavin Williamson after finding his phone number on Google, it is claimed, Sarah Vine, wife of Michael Gove, revealed the incident in a newspaper column, Gavin Williamson says the government ‘can intervene’ and take legislative action to prevent the European Super League going ahead, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). The government made a major U-turn on Monday by announcing that A-levels and GCSE grades would be based on teachers’ predictions.. Education secretary Gavin Williamson has repeatedly batted away questions about whether he would resign over this year’s exam grading U-turn fiasco. He also encouraged the government to switch to a system where students first get their A-level results then apply to university in the future – rather than relying on predicted grades and conditional offers which causes “stress and anxiety”. Gavin Williamson was told not to cancel A-level and GCSE exams but ignored the advice, the chair of beleaguered exam regulator Ofqual has said. The career aspirations of many teenagers were delivered a blow last week when 40% of A level results in England were downgraded from teachers' assessments. Gavin Williamson has apologised and promised to put things right, but his solution causes more problems than it solves. Figures released on Thursday by the exam regulator, Ofqual, showed that 39 per cent of teachers’ assessments were downgraded by one or more grades through the standardisation process that followed. GAVIN Williamson was slammed today for trying to blame Ofqual for the A-level exams chaos in a desperate attempt to save himself as he refused to say if he would quit. Ofqual has been asked to determine how and when valid mock results can be used to calculate grades. Johnson insists A-level results are ‘robust’ as he shrugs off protestsJeremy Clarkson mocked for ‘tedious’ A-Level results day tweetHow to get a university course place through Clearing on results dayWhat will university look like post-coronavirus?Gavin Williamson admits bright A-level pupils risk being penalised UCAS down as students struggle to log in on A-level results day. This fell to 74.6 per cent once final grades were calculated under this year’s new moderation process – a drop of 10.4 percentage points. 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A member of the Conservative Party, Williamson previously served in Theresa May’s Cabinet as Secretary of State for Defence from 2017 to 2019 and Chief Whip … Ofqual, in theory, made for a great political whipping boy in this case due to its formal legal separation from government. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. “These results, with early report suggesting significant differences between the independent sector and FE and sixth form colleges shine a light on the inequality that lies at the heart of our education system,” the organisation’s CEO Sarah Atkinson said. Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, called on the government to correct the “injustice” and consider a U-turn similar to the Scottish government, which scrapped the standardised system and reverted to teachers’ predicted grades earlier this week after public outrage. I had put my faith into my teachers and into the system that I would be treated fairly. Gavin Williamson speech: Students to get GCSE and A-Level results over a week earlier than expected. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 44 confirmed cases of the variant have been found in Lambeth and Wandsworth, with a further 30 probable cases identified, The core of the Milky Way becomes visible in the early hours of Tuesday morning as it moves over Bamburgh Lighthouse at stag Rock in Northumberland, Rebecca Richardson (left) and Genevieve Florence, members of the Aquabatix synchronised swimming team, during a practice session in the swimming pool at Clissold Leisure Centre in north London, which has reopened to the public. It has been widely claimed on social media that, in reference to A-level results day, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “The danger is that pupils will be overpromoted into jobs that are beyond their competence.” This is not true. A-level scandal: Education Secretary Gavin Williamson defends going on holiday before results day. Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, added that all pupils will be able to appeal without any cost and be offered the chance to resit papers in the autumn. They must recognise that students’ grades have been awarded in the most extraordinary of circumstances.”. She wrote: “[Why is everyone] shouting at the PM for having his phone number online. The teenager rang him to fume over having her A-level results ruined by an algorithm last year. He was 99. Gavin Alexander Williamson CBE MP (born 25 June 1976) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Education since 2019 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Staffordshire since 2010. she left him a tearful voicemail message.”. The regulator insisted there was no evidence of “systemic bias”, but analysis also noted the biggest reduction in the proportion of students awarded C grades and above after moderation was recorded within those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The party wants Gavin Williamson … - Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip, who recently spent more than a month in hospital and underwent a heart procedure, died on April 9, Buckingham Palace announced. That the government would ensure that I was able to access my university course that I need for my future and I was severely let down by the system.”, “I have contacted UCL and I asked if there was any chance they would take me on, but they said this year they are not accepting anyone who didn’t reach that minimum grade requirement. The body added there was no evidence “bias” had been introduced into the moderation system set up following the cancellation of exams due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ofqual’s own analysis, published on Thursday, said that teachers’ predictions were “in general, optimistic”, adding: “The combined effect would be likely to lead to overall national results that were implausibly high. The university told Ms Ilska that she is welcome to appeal her grades and if she receives her predicted results before 18 September, they will process her admission. Last-minute changes have been made to the way A-level and GCSE results in England are to be decided. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Gavin Williamson decided to allow results in England to be based on teachers’ predicted grades, rather than an algorithm devised by Ofqual, after he became aware of data from the regulator days after A-level results were published. “However, when I talked to my school about this, the government still hasn’t issued guidelines on how appeals are to be processed,” she said. We are now, at the eleventh hour, dealing with a crisis which should never have arisen. “When the A-level fiasco was happening, the daughter of a friend of mine decided to phone [the] Education Secretary. In the previous year – 2018-19 – the proportion of those achieving the grades needed for some of the UK’s most prestigious universities had actually fallen by 1.9 per cent for those from private schools, the data added. The education secretary has faced searing criticism for his handling of the crisis after the government was forced to perform an embarrassing U-turn on its grading system.. - People in England rushed outside Monday to enjoy sports, picnics and other previously prohibited activities, as the nation entered the second phase of its coronavirus lockdown easing thanks in large part to a successful vaccination drive, A walrus sleeps on the slipway of Tenby Lifeboat station at Tenby, Wales, Demonstrators attend a protest against a new proposed policing bill in Manchester, Gallery technicians display Andy Warhol screenprints Queen Elizabeth II, from: Reigning Queens screenprint in colours, 1985, left, and Queen Elizabeth II, from: Reigning Queens (Royal Edition) screenprint in colours with diamond dust, 1985, right, at Christie’s auction rooms in London, A member of staff, in the pool, cleans the bottom of the pool during pre-opening preparation and cleaning of Charlton Lido, south London, following its closure due to lockdown. Student prospects this year were governed by an algorithm, and the unfairness of that process has been fully exposed. Sir Peter Lampl, the founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust, a leading social mobility charity, said this year’s grading was “grossly imperfect”, saying: “It’s vital that universities make greater use of contextual admissions for students who narrowly missed out on their grades. The proportion of students from the least deprived backgrounds, or “high” socio-economic status, awarded a C and above fell by 8.3 percentage points during the process, from 89.3 per cent to 81 per cent. Charities and unions reacted with fury at the results, with one national social mobility organisation claiming the differences between the independent sector and sixth form colleges “shine a line on the inequality that lies at the heart of our education system”. Gavin Williamson has said sorry for the A-level results “fiasco” as he faced calls to resign as education secretary. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The teenager rang him to fume over having her A-level results ruined by an algorithm last year. A man arrives to lay a bunch of flowers outside Buckingham Palace in central London after the announcement of the death of Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. For other inquiries, Contact Us. / Shutterstock – I. Salci A-grade U-turn. Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the union, added: “Years of misconceived structures in the exams process have come back to haunt the Westminster government. Students have been downgraded for reasons which to them will be obscure. Many facilities have reopened in the latest easing of lockdown include pubs and restaurants who can serve outside, non-essential shops, indoor gyms and swimming pools, nail salons and hairdressers, outdoor amusements and zoos, A pub staff pins up a sign announcing the reopening of the Fox on the Hill pub on Denmark Hill in London, The Death Gun Salute is fired by the Honourable Artillery Company to mark the passing of Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the The Tower of London. The only solution is to award students the grades their teachers – who know them better than any computer data prediction – think they would have achieved.”. ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. National social mobility charity says results ‘shine a line on the inequality that lies at the heart of our education system’, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Due to the algorithm downgrading close to 40 percent of all A-Level results, the Government was forced into an embarrassing U-turn. The ambassador has been barred from entering the Myanmar embassy in Mayfair after he was removed from office, People take part in coronavirus surge testing on Clapham Common, south London. What will university look like post-coronavirus? With that in mind, Express.co.uk asked readers today, “Should Gavin Williamson resign over exam results humiliation?” The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Gavin Williamson defends last minute A-level grading changes, A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London, The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed, Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on London’s Southbank, People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset, Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales, A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart, Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail, Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6, Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Women’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The algorithm used to downgrade thousands of A-level results in England was "unlawful", Labour have claimed. It said differences between the change in predicted and final results was “relatively similar” across all socio-economic groups, adding it was “difficult to draw firm conclusions” over the relationship between deprivation and grade adjustment. A STUDENT rapped Education Secretary Gavin Williamson after finding his phone number on Google, it is claimed. In contrast, top A-level grades awarded to secondary comprehensives students were up by two per cent from 19.8 per cent to 21.8 per cent while sixth form and further education (FE) colleges recorded a rise of just 0.3 per cent on A*/A results from 2019. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The Social Mobility Foundation, a charity which coaches thousands of high attaining young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, said it had raised concerns four months ago to Ofqual regarding bright students at low attaining schools. At A level, we would have seen the percentage of A* grades go up by 6 percentage points from 7.7 per cent of grades in 2019 to 13.9 per cent of grades this year.”. During a turbulent day, Mr Williamson, the education secretary, first admitted high performing pupils risked being penalised by this year’s A-level system and was then confronted by a visibly frustrated school head, who accused the cabinet minister of ignoring the professional judgement of teachers during a televised interview on ITV’s This Morning. It followed anger from students, and others, about the downgrading of 40% of A-level grades by exams regulator … View our online Press Pack. Indian variant cases rise by 28% in 2 days with surge testing in 8 new hotspots, Bill Turnbull will replace Piers Morgan on GMB in reunion with Susanna Reid, A million Brits could have benefit payments stopped unless they act now. The Education Secretary announced the plans following the exam results … The system took into account pupils’ previous scores, teachers’ predicted grades and the historic exam performance of institutions. The National Education Union (NEU) said students and teachers “have been let down by a poor system and last-minute political decisions” adding Mr Williamson’s plan “is a real insult to young people and their parents, who depend on a credible system which is supposed to help students on their way to a bright future”. Gavin Williamson is facing a mounting backlash over the contentious A-level grading system, as official data showed private schools increased the proportion of students being awarded top results by more than double that of state schools. I am furious that the government has failed A-level students like me, Christine Cunniffe, the principle of LVS Ascot, urged the government to abandon the standardised system while the programme’s resident psychologist Emma Kenny told the education secretary he was “disrespecting teachers and young people” and asked: “How about sorry?”, However, Boris Johnson insisted he had confidence in Mr Williamson and defended the results, claiming: “Let’s be in no doubt about it, the exam results that we’ve got today are robust, they’re good, they’re dependable for employers, but I think that there’s a record number of candidates, of students, who are able to get their first choice course at the university of their choice.”. A family walks in St Nicholas' Park in Warwick, the hot weather which baked much of the UK this week is set to give way to a chilly Easter weekend. Sarah Vine, wife of Michael Gove, revealed the incident in a newspaper column. Gavin Williamson has confirmed that A-levels and GCSEs will be teacher assessed, and apologised to students, teachers and parents for any distress caused by the exams row. Princess Beatrice reveals she’s PREGNANT… and is timing a dig at Harry & Meghan? Eleventh hour changes to the A-level and GCSE system were ordered in the wake of a U-turn on Scottish exams by Nicola Sturgeon.. Sir Peter said that if students seek to amend their grades through the appeal process, including a written exam in the autumn, then fees “have to be waived”. Gavin Williamson briefed against officials in his own department and outright blamed Ofqual, the regulator charged with moderating exam results. A-level results: Gavin Williamson facing backlash over grading system as private schools see biggest increase in top grades National social mobility charity says results ‘shine a … Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater on the local election campaign trail in Edinburgh. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Gavin Williamson admits bright A-level pupils risk being penalised, UCAS down as students struggle to log in on A-level results day, Private schools see biggest increase in top A-Level grades, first admitted high performing pupils risked being penalised by this year’s A-level system, Booking.com discount code: 10% with Level 1 Genius membership, Use this Debenhams discount and save up to 70% on men's lines - Spring offer, 20% off fitness with this exclusive Ideal World promo code, Save £4 on your purchase with an AliExpress promo code for new customers, Argos kids: 25% off PAW Patrol toys, baby & nursery items.