Schoolchildren protested at the grades they were given (Image: PA)
Instead, teachers’ predictions are to be used to decide the final grades after the coronavirus crisis forced the scrapping of exams. Ofqual, the exams regulator, announced the dramatic change last night following days of allegations of unfairness from pupils, parents and teachers. It will mean youngsters can choose to accept their predicted grade as their A level result if it is higher than that awarded last week.
GCSE results, due out this Thursday, will also be based on teachers’ forecasts.
Mr Williamson apologised to the schools and college pupils affected by the fiasco.
“I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve,” he said in a statement.
And speaking to reporters last night, he said: “For me, as someone who went to state school, went to college, I know how important it is to address the concerns
“I am not going to sit by and see injustices done, I’m going to take action. That’s what I’ve done, it’s the right thing to do.”
Mr Williamson was fighting to keep his Cabinet job after the massive humiliation with one Tory MP calling for him to be pushed out of his job in a Government reshuffle.
One Government insider said: “We’ve all got to hold our hands up but there could have been great scrutiny of this.”
His climbdown was seen as acutely embarrassing after he had repeatedly insisted ministers would not follow the Scottish government in accepting teacher predictions in a similar fiasco earlier this month.
Mr Johnson broke off from the first day of his summer holiday in Scotland to intervene in the row.
He held a video conference call with senior education officials before speaking directly to Mr Williamson to order the retreat.
A Whitehall source said: “It became obvious over the last 24 hours that the algorithm used by Ofqual was fundamentally flawed.
“It was clear there were going to be a huge number of appeals and there was an unfairness to students.
Who is the Education Secretary? (Image: Daily Express)
“It’s been a very difficult situation, but we have acted to sort this out in time for the announcement of GCSE results this week.”
The Government retreat was announced after a massive revolt grew among Tory MPs.
A string of senior backbenchers and even Government minister Penny Mordaunt, below, the Paymaster General, demanded a rethink.
Senior Tories welcomed the U-turn last night but expressed unhappiness at the handling of the issue.
Government minister Penny Mordaunt, the Paymaster General, demanded a rethink (Image: Getty)
Robert Halfon, Tory chairman of the Commons Education Select committee, said “There clearly need to be serious questions asked about what on earth has gone on.”
Former minister George Freeman said: “This has been a total shambles. And for anyone with one foot outside the department in the real world it looked completely obvious what should have been done.”
Suggesting Mr Williamson is facing the sack, Mr Freeman added: “Ultimately, the Prime Minister is in charge. And I think he will want to take firm control of this and get a grip and show that his government is taking the life chances of a generation of children seriously.
“I’m told the Prime Minister’s planning to reshuffle in the autumn, and I dare say he wants to take everything into account.”
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “I’m pleased the Government has done the right thing.
“We’ve arrived in the right place. I’m sorry it’s taken us a long time to get there but I’m relieved this has been resolved ahead of the GCSE results.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The Government has had months to sort out exams and has now been forced into a screeching U-turn after days of confusion.
“This is a victory for the thousands of young people who have powerfully made their voices heard this past week.”
Rumours of a U-turn swirled among MPs yesterday following days of criticism since the A-level results were published last week.
Figures showed nearly 40 per cent of pupils, around 280,000 youngsters, were awarded lower grades than predicted by their teacher thanks to a computer algorithm devised in an attempt at stopping grade inflation in the extraordinary circumstances of the exam cancellation.
Disadvantaged pupils appeared to the most affected with students from further education colleges seeing far bigger grade reductions than those at private schools.
Ofqual chairman Roger Taylor announced the decision at 4pm yesterday, apologising for the “uncertainty and anxiety” caused by the fiasco.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)
“Our goal has always been to protect the trust that the public rightly has in educational qualifications,” he said.
“But we recognise that while the approach we adopted attempted to achieve these goals, we also appreciate that it has also caused real anguish and damaged public confidence.
“Expecting schools to submit appeals where grades were incorrect placed a burden on teachers when they need to be preparing for the new term and has created uncertainty and anxiety for students. For all of that, we are extremely sorry.”
Mr Wililamson’s statement added: “This has been an extraordinarily difficult year for young people who were unable to take their exams.
“We worked with Ofqual to construct the fairest possible model, but it is clear that the process of allocating grades has resulted in more significant inconsistencies than can be resolved through an appeals process.
“We now believe it is better to offer young people and parents certainty by moving to teacher assessed grades for both A and AS level and GCSE results.
“I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve.”
Dr Mary Bousted, the Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Gavin Williamson has, finally, done the right thing. The pity is that he has done so having exhausted all other options.
“Students and their teachers have endured days of completely unnecessary stress and worry.
“For many students, this announcement will generate further uncertainty if they have been rejected from their first-choice course, and university, on the basis of the inaccurate and unjust Ofqual awarding process.”
She added: “Young people have suffered enough. They have few chances in the jobs market as the country faces rising unemployment and recession. Gavin Williamson should now announce that the cap on university places is lifted, so that more young people, who have worked so hard for their A Levels, can continue their studies and fulfil their potential.”
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “School leaders and teachers worked with professionalism and integrity to submit these grades for all of their students.
“Having taken so long to make a decision, this was the only option that the government had left to deal with the unfairness.
“This decision will mean students expecting their GCSE results can have confidence that they will not experience the same unfairness or disadvantage as their older peers.
“The big question remains as to why this decision has taken so long to come, as it may already be too late for some A level students who have already missed out on their first choice of university and course.
“Every day of delay is going to have loaded more and more difficulty onto universities and their capacity to meet all of the demand for places that will now inevitably come their way. For them, the problem is far from over.”
