The government “squandered” time to “get things right” over this summer’s GCSE and A-level exams, Kate Green claimed today.
Labour’s shadow education secretary criticised prime minister Boris Johnson, education secretary Gavin Williamson and schools minister Nick Gibb over the handling of exams this year, which were cancelled in January with students now set to be graded through the assessment of teachers.
She was responding to a statement from Mr Gibb to MPs about exams this summer and beyond.
GCSEs 2022: Results will be used in league tables
Results: Teacher-assessed grades will not be fair, according to most parents
Boris Johnson: PM announces exam cancellations
Ms Green criticised the government over the handling of both this and last year’s exams series, which were both cancelled because of the Covid crisis.
GCSEs and A levels 2021: Government ‘hasn’t learned from last year’s mistakes’
She said: “Last summer the government’s incompetent, eleventh-hour cancellation of exam results and the chaotic arrangements for awarding qualifications created confusion and huge distress for thousands of young people.
“The prime minister, the secretary of state and the minister have had a full year to learn from their mistakes and get things right this time, but that time has been squandered.”
She added: “No one wants to see a repeat of last year’s exams fiasco, but once again the government is making policy late and failing to listen.”
MPs also expressed worries about the pressure that teachers have faced during the Covid crisis and as a result of cancelled exams.
Conservative MP Aaron Bell said: “Could he confirm that the measures he has set out will not be putting any undue additional pressure on teachers?”
Mr Gibb replied: “Teachers have worked - and support staff and headteachers - have worked incredibly hard in schools and colleges during the pandemic, making sure the schools are Covid-secure, adapting to remote education, teaching both remotely and in class, keeping schools open throughout the whole period for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers.
“So we do absolutely have teacher workload at the forefront of our minds as we devise policy.”
Labour MP Rupa Huq asked if the minister could guarantee “for a profession that in West London has significant staffing gaps anyway, posing burnout, that teachers can now have five weeks completely offline?”
She added: “Or are they going to have nasty surprises like they did last year? His boss [Gavin Williamson], again absent, seems to already think that the holidays have started.”
Mr Gibb replied: “What we want to try and ensure is first we are doing everything we can to support teachers through this process, we know that despite all that support it has been a big task for teachers to get these grades and it is a remarkable achievement that a very high proportion were on time by June 18 from schools.”
