Teachers are being put in an “invidious” position over awarding exam grades this year, the shadow schools minister has warned.

With teacher judgement playing a pivotal role in deciding students’ results in 2021, there is a risk that “pushy parents with sharp elbows” will use the appeals process to demand different grades for their children, putting “enormous pressure” on staff, according to Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North.

Debating the impact of Covid-19 on education in Westminster Hall yesterday evening, Mr Streeting told fellow MPs, including schools minister Nick Gibb, that leaving a system “entirely to teacher judgement” could “bake in deeper disadvantage”, as some parents will be more forceful than others when it comes to seeking adjustments.

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He warned that there is already “immense pressure” being inflicted on teachers and heads as a result of the appeals system outlined in the government guidance for this year’s alternative arrangements.

GCSE grading evidence

“One of my own secondary schools wrote to me quoting the guidance, which says to reduce the number of errors made - and, in turn, the volume of appeals - centres will be expected to tell their students the evidence on which their grades will be based before the grades are submitted to exam boards,” he said.

“This will allow issues associated with, for example, absence, illness, or reasonable adjustments to be identified and resolved before grades are submitted.

“Now, I think there’s something to commend in the approach that says students must understand the basis upon which they’re being judged, of course, that‘s absolutely right. It’s also absolutely right that mitigating factors ought to be taken into account and that should be done in a transparent way.

‘Sharp elbows’

“What I think we’re all concerned about is the implication here that pupils will be able to - in particular, picking up on reasonable adjustments - either they or pushy parents with sharp elbows will be...effectively demanding to teachers and headteachers different grades than the one that teacher has judged to be right.

“I think this puts schools in a really invidious position. And, by the way, it should be regarded as a gentle warning to those who regularly make demands for whole series of exams to be scrapped that the grass is not always greener on the other side.”

Grading: ‘Enormous pressure on teachers’

He added: “When you leave a system entirely to teacher judgement, not to say that it can’t play a role, but when you leave it significantly to teacher judgement in the way that it has, I think it puts enormous pressure on teachers.

“My concern is that it will also bake in deeper disadvantage because sharp-elbowed middle-class parents will be in there demanding adjustments to grades and other parents will not - and I wonder what the minister might say in response to that in terms of the approach to this year’s exams.”

Mr Streeting also warned that headteachers are being forced to “raid” school budgets to cover Covid safety costs.

Schools ‘shortchanged’ on Covid safety

“I’m afraid to say that we still see too many examples of schools being shortchanged when it comes to safety measures,” he said. 

“Indeed, I’ve had schools in my own constituency write to me because the funding they’ve shelled out for personal protective equipment and other safety measures is not being reimbursed from the Department for Education.

“And what does that mean? It means headteachers robbing Peter to pay Paul, taking funding from one area of the school budget and putting it into these extraordinary safety measures, and I think that’s a source of deep regret.”

He added: “These are extraordinary costs - these are one-off costs - and I want to see every penny of schools’ budgets being directed to learning and teaching, and providing the support that pupils need, not least given the disruption to their education over the past year.

“It’s regrettable if headteachers are having to raid budgets that would normally be going towards pupils’ education in order to fund safety measures.”

Teachers ‘to feel supported’ on grading

Mr Gibb did not respond directly to the point about headteachers having to raid school budgets to pay for Covid safety costs.

On grading, he said teachers “have a good understanding of the students’ performance and how they compare to other students this year and in previous years”, adding: “And we’ve given teachers the flexibility to use a range of evidence, including the use of optional questions by exam boards - mock exams, non-exam assessment coursework and in-class tests.

He continued: “We want teachers to feel supported while making their decisions and we’ll be providing guidance to enable them to make assessments fairly and consistently.

“There will be internal and external quality assurance processes to identify errors and make consistent judgements, and to support students who believe that their final grade is wrong, there will be a right to appeal that grade.”