Focus must shift to getting schools and universities open again in September after exams chaos, Church of England says
- Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, said students have shown immense resilience
- He said the exam fiasco risked diverting attention away from reopening schools
- The Church of England ‘fully welcome’ the reopening of schools in September
A Church of England Bishop has said that focus must be on getting schools and universities open again after exams chaos.
The Lead Bishop of Education, Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, has called for focus to be on opening school in September as students receive their GCSE results today.
He said that ‘placing education at the centre of the Government’s autumn recovery plans’ will make sure schools and pupils will get the support they need.
The Lead Bishop of Education, Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, has called for focus to be on opening school in September as students receive their GCSE results today
The Bishop of Durham added that students have ‘shown immense resilience and character in unprecedented circumstances’ and praised teachers as ‘inspirational’.
He said: ‘Today’s GCSE results are an important moment of celebration for many, while for others this will be a time of uncertainty over next steps and future direction.
‘However, the challenging situation around GCSE, A-level and vocational qualification results has risked diverting school leaders’ time and attention away from the re-opening of schools for all students in September – a step which we fully welcome.
‘This will involve particular practical systematic action to support those from disadvantaged backgrounds, ensuring that addressing the needs of the most vulnerable is the central aim of us all.’
This comes as GSCE students are awarded with the grades predicted by their teachers instead of an algorithm after Government u-turn on exam results.
A record high proportion of GCSE entries in England were today awarded the equivalent of A* or As – with 25.9 per cent getting a Grade 7 or above.
The Bishop of Durham added that students have ‘shown immense resilience and character in unprecedented circumstances’ as pupils across the country are awarded their GCSE results
The results were released at the same time as revised A-level results which showed more than 10 per cent of entries have been upgraded following the U-turn.
Pupils were able to take the higher of either their adjusted grade or their estimate mark after the regulator Ofqual confirmed England would follow steps already taken by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The move comes just a week after A-Level students saw 40 per cent of their results downgraded due to a controversial algorithm used by exams regulator Ofqual.