Exam Results in Newham - Better Than Last Year - But Could Be Higher Still

As results day approached the government, sensing a Scotland-style results outcry, changed the rules at the last minute.

This involved pupils being offered so-called “triple-lock” options, where they could accept their given grade, opt to take the results of their mock exams or sit the exams in the autumn term.

The process for reaching the grades involved teachers being asked to rank their students from best to worst performers in every subject and then assign grades to every student known as centre assessment grades (CAGs).

The grades were then moderated by an algorithm, or computer calculation, which took into account pupil’s previous scores, teachers’ predicted grades and the historic exam performance of institutions.

The national figures released by the exam regulator, Ofqual showed 39% of teacher assessments were downgraded by one or more grades through the standardisation process that followed.  This means that almost 40% of pupils were expecting higher grades than they received.

With many schools and colleges expected to challenge their pupil’s grades Newham’s results are likely to increase when the outcomes of the appeals are known.

Councillor Zulfiqar Ali, cabinet member for education said; “This whole process has been a disaster for our young people, and has massively added to the pressure and anxiety that normally surrounds exam season.

“The fatally flawed algorithm will have left many of our hard working, bright and dedicated pupils with lower grades than they deserved, and has maligned the integrity of teachers, who assessed their pupil’s performance in good faith.

“I call on the government to immediately scrap this failed assessment process, and allow teachers forecasted results to stand.

“I would also urge all pupils and who feel they have lost out in this process to use the appeal process to make sure both they, their teachers and their schools are properly recognised for their hard work.

“I would like to say a huge congratulations to all our pupils, teachers and staff for their dedication and resilience, not just during the exam period but throughout the COVID-19 crisis when schools were closed and home learning replaced the class room for the majority of students. They must not be doubly punished by this ridiculous grading debacle.”

Mark Johnson, who is Headteacher at St Angela’s Ursuline School in Forest Gate branded the system “ludicrous” and a “national disgrace”.

Although pupils at St Angela’s Ursuline School secured the grades required for university places, with half at A*-B and 80 per cent at A*-C, Mark Johnson said that a “large percentage” were given grades lower than those submitted by teachers.

He said: “Whilst I am pleased with the overall results for St Angela’s, a large percentage of the students, including those busy securing places at university are amongst those given lower grades by a ludicrous moderation system which took next to no notice of the grades teachers actually awarded.

“It is a national disgrace that the prior attainment of other students in a school has been used to determine the results of this cohort as that is nothing to do with the hard work these students have put into their education in the past seven years.”

Mandeep Gill, Principal of Newham Sixth Form College said; “As a college we are very angry with this situation and are working closely with the Sixth Form Colleges Association and others at a national level to challenge the government on this decision.

“Our students were set to achieve higher than the grades they were awarded.”

It is not known yet when the final results will be published but traditionally the Department for Education would publish final results in January 2021.