A-levels: Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, says 'young people were put through the mill'

NATIONAL exams regular Ofqual has today announced a change to its policy whereby all A-levels in England will now be graded according to predicted grades - this follows four days of controversy in the wake of last Thursday's Results Day.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, told BBC Radio Manchester: “I am relieved for the thousands of young people in Greater Manchester whose lives have been turned upside down by the blatant unfairness we saw from Ofqual and the Government.

“We had witnessed five days of digging in from the exams regulator and Ministers. Young people in that time were put through the mill. They were confronted with profound unfairness on Thursday - everyone could see it. Without those young people making their voices heard this change would not have happened, so well done to them all. They took a stand, spoke up loudly and in unison and tonight can celebrate the exam results they earned and deserve.

“I had threatened legal action on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority and this afternoon I did write to Ofqual, but it is not yet clear to me that the situation regarding BTECs has been satisfactorily resolved. These are the students who are often the most forgotten, and we need urgent clarification on this important point.

“Overall, this is good news for A-level students. But there remains much to be resolved, with many young people forced last week into making choices they did not want to have to make, including resorting to clearing or even deferring a year of study. Government and universities now need to work together to honour the offers that young people were given; if students got the grades they should be able to go.”

Image: ninja999 on Flickr licensed via Creative Commons

Article Published: 17/08/2020 18:31 PM