Highlights of the week ending 8 January 2021
On Monday the Prime Minister delivered a national address which introduced a third lockdown, closing schools across England (to all but key worker and vulnerable children) and cancelling A levels and GCSEs in the summer.
Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, gave a statement to MPs on Wednesday announcing the replacement of cancelled exams with teacher assessed grades. A consultation is expected to be published by Ofqual next week.
Northern Ireland also announced the cancelation of summer exams. Wales and Scotland had done so some time ago.
Vocational exams in January (not covered in the PM’s address) are to continue but on Tuesday centres were given the choice to run exams with “all students [being] able to progress fairly”.
Labour called for the cancellation of these exams. Pearson has made clear that those unable to take BTEC exams this month will not be disadvantaged.
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