The chair of the Commons education committee has warned that “sharp elbowed” middle class parents will be able benefit from the appeals system for this year’s GCSE and A level results.
Robert Halfon MP has said he is concerned that disadvantaged pupils will be more likely to be “marked down” and also less likely to appeal against their results.
His comments follow warnings at the education committee that schools and colleges are expecting a “huge” number of appeals this summer as some parents threaten to get lawyers involved over teacher assessed grades.
GCSEs 2021: Warning over taking teachers for granted
Warning: ‘Don’t blame hero teachers’ for GCSE results day fall out
Results: Schools expecting ‘huge’ number of appeals on GCSE and A-level results day 2021
Mr Halfon told the Daily Telegraph: “I am concerned that the sharp-elbowed and well-heeled will benefit because they will know how to work the system.
“The appeals system is quite complex and I am worried it will benefit the better-off students.
“On one hand you may have grade inflation but on the other hand disadvantaged students are more likely to be marked down and less likely to appeal.”
Last month Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders warned MPs about the situation around grade appeals.
He said: “I think we will see a huge number of appeals beyond the priority appeals.
“And again we are already seeing examples of some parents exerting some pressure on some people, saying, ‘My daughter needs certain grades to get to university - if they don’t get them, I’ve got a lawyer lined up.’
“That’s not a caricature. We have got that, we are giving legal advice to our members.”
At the same committee hearing Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, raised concerns about “huge workload implications” for staff over the summer because of the appeals
He told MPs: “I was talking to a secondary head only last week, who only last week had received an email from one of the exam boards asking would the headteacher be available for every day of the summer holiday so they can talk to them about the appeals process.”
All appeals have been made free this year.
Students who want to appeal against their grade must first request that their school or college reviews whether an administrative or procedural error was made.
If the school or college rules that no error was made, then students can escalate the appeal to the exam boards.
