The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said that he is hoping BTEC and similar vocational grades will be included in Ofqual’s new grading policy.

Earlier today exams regulator Ofqual confirmed that both A-level and GCSEs students will now be given their teacher grades in what is a major U-turn for the government. This didn’t include BTEC results.

However, during a briefing with journalists this evening Mr Williamson said that he was working with Pearson, the custodians of BTEC qualifications, to look at what is possible.

The education secretary told reporters: “We’re very much hoping that this will be actually encompassing BTECs. We’re just working with the awarding authorities to make sure that that’s the case, and I think there’s got to be absolute parity and fairness right across the spectrum.”

Williamson said the Department for Education is working with BTEC awarding body Pearson, but said “there’s quite a bit of difference because there’s very little disparity in terms of the assessment of grades for those who took BTECs and other vocational technical qualifications.

“And so there’s been a little bit of disparity but we want to see parity right across the board in terms of how this is approached, and that’s what we’re working with Pearson on in order to ensure that that’s the case.”

Questioned on whether the awarding bodies will have enough time to turn that around with GCSE results due this week, Williamson thanked the awarding bodies for putting in “so much work” and said the DfE will continue to support them with the awarding of grades, and by working with them, they will be able to deliver.

A Pearson spokesperson said BTECs are “structured very differently to A levels, and so the approach to awarding is also different”, and BTECs were not subject to the same statistical moderation process as A levels.

Instead, BTECs comprise modular units assessed at regular stages during their course of study, so students had already banked graded units for their qualification before March.

“As we do every year, this year we asked centres to submit all the grades for the internal assessment units that had been completed as well as any grades for units still to be completed. These were accepted with very little change following quality assurance checks. They then formed part of the evidence, alongside previously completed assessment unit grades, to award grades for the externally assessed units and the final overall qualification grade. 

Ofqual has said this evening the framework used to decide the results of vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) like BTECs this summer was different to that used for A-levels.

But: “For the small number of qualifications that have used a statistical standardisation approach similar to the Ofqual model for A-levels and GCSEs, we have asked awarding organisations to review their approach.

“This is likely to mean a small proportion of VTQ results will be reissued.”

Pearson has been approached for comment.

Awaiting your BTEC and/or vocational results?

If you are an individual or institution still waiting for your BTEC or any other vocational results, that you expected to receive on Thursday 13 August, contact FE Week. We’re keen to hear from individuals and institutions about your situation and the impact it has had. Email: news@feweek.co.uk

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has this evening reiterated his threat of legal action against the government, on behalf of students affected by the A-level, GCSE and Vocational qualifications fiasco.

Exams regulator Ofqual confirmed this afternoon that both A-level and GCSEs students will be given their teacher grades in what is a major U-turn for the government. However, this doesn’t include BTEC and other vocational qualifications results.

Speaking on BBC News, Mr Burnham said: “I am not going to let go of my threat of legal action until I hear from ministers that BTEC students have also been protected by this U-turn.”

Earlier today Mr Andy Burnham, said he would be taking legal advice today and had already spoken with lawyers, after he accused the government of “digging in” and “standing by their flawed system”.

Jolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, announced last week that his organisation was mounting a legal challenge similar to others announced. This afternoon Mr Maugham confirmed that his firm were also investigating issues with BTEC grades.

Mr Maugham, via Twitter, said: “We believe there may be continuing issues for BTEC Students who we understand not to be covered by today’s announcement. We will be examining the situation carefully in the coming days and may well bring further litigation to ensure fairness for all students.”

Ofqual’s announcement today, follows mounting pressure on the government over last week’s calculated grades that were mostly awarded based on Ofqual’s algorithm. Nearly 40 per cent of final grades were downgraded from centre assessment grades (CAGs).

The announcement today means pupils will receive either their CAG or calculated grade – whichever is higher. It applies to A and AS levels, as well as GCSEs.

Exams regulator Ofqual has confirmed that both A-level and GCSEs students will be given their teacher grades in what is a major U-turn for the government.

The announcement, trailed by national newspaper journalists on Twitter earlier today, follows mounting pressure on the government over last week’s calculated grades that were mostly awarded based on Ofqual’s algorithm. Nearly 40 per cent of final grades were downgraded from centre assessment grades (CAGs).

The announcement today means pupils will receive either their CAG or calculated grade – whichever is higher. It applies to A and AS levels, as well as GCSEs.

Ofqual has not announced any changes to BTEC and other vocational qualifications results.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said this had been an “extraordinarily difficult year for young people who were unable to take their exams.

“We worked with Ofqual to construct the fairest possible model, but it is clear that the process of allocating grades has resulted in more significant inconsistencies than can be resolved through an appeals process.

“We now believe it is better to offer young people and parents certainty by moving to teacher assessed grades for both A and AS level and GCSE results.”

He added: “I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve.”

Ofqual has also said it is “extremely sorry” for the “real anguish” its grading system caused.

Chair Roger Taylor added: “We want to take steps to remove as much stress and uncertainty for young people as possible – and to free up heads and teachers to work towards the important task of getting all schools open in two weeks.

“After reflection, we have decided that the best way to do this is to award grades on the basis of what teachers submitted.”

Scotland has already U-turned to allow teacher grades, and this morning Northern Ireland and Wales announced similar moves.

Williamson had insisted on Saturday that there would be “no U-turn”. But the decision was made to allow centre-assessed grades after Ofqual chaotically pulled its guidance on appeals – leaving students who missed out on the grades needed to progress onto their next destination in further limbo.
It was reported the guidance was removed as Ofqual board members were split over instead just allowing centre assessment grades to be awarded.

But it appears Williamson will survive the controversy. A spokesperson for prime minister said Boris Johnson had “full confidence” in the embattled education secretary.

The Association of Colleges’ chief executive David Hughes said his organisation supports the move, “because decisive and urgent action was needed, in the interests of thousands of students who found themselves at the bluntest end of the system.

“Moving to CAGs is a boost for those students and will allow them to progress in learning and into work. It will be a relief after days of anguish. At the same time, for students anticipating their GCSE results this Thursday it removes much of the anxiety and provides certainty.”

“It is vital that information is provided speedily on how this decision will impact on higher education institutions, students wishing to apply through clearing and those who may have been rejected on their original grades. 

“Colleges are looking forward to welcoming new and progressing students over the next few weeks and will continue to work with 16-year-olds to ensure all young people have a suitable place and that the transition to their next step is smooth and stress-free after a tough six months.”

Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “Today’s announcement has brought some much needed good news to the thousands of students let down by the significant failings in the government’s model for calculating A level grades. Leaders and teachers, students and parents, have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the injustices caused by the model, and today’s announcement is in large part down to their hard work.

“When it became clear that the government’s model was incapable of generating accurate A level grades, honouring students’ centre-assessed grades was the best way to end the uncertainty and anxiety experienced by many students since Thursday morning. There is no perfect solution, and using centre assessed grades will generate some problems of its own, but the situation we find ourselves this evening is infinitely better than the situation at the start of today.

“Tomorrow, the hard work begins in making up the ground lost since Thursday. But tonight we are thankful that many thousands of students now have a far greater range of options available to them and can start to move on from what has been a very difficult period”.

Ofqual has said it’s sorry for creating a results system that caused “real anguish” as it’s confirmed pupils will now be awarded teacher grades.

As reported earlier, the government has confirmed that pupils will be awarded their centre assessment grades, as opposed to Ofqual’s calculated grades, in a major U-turn.

However pupils whose calculated grades are higher will be able to keep those results.

In a statement, Ofqual chair Roger Taylor said: “Our goal has always been to protect the trust that the public rightly has in educational qualifications.

“But we recognise that while the approach we adopted attempted to achieve these goals we also appreciate that it has also caused real anguish and damaged public confidence.

“Expecting schools to submit appeals where grades were incorrect placed a burden on teachers when they need to be preparing for the new term and has created uncertainty and anxiety for students. For all of that, we are extremely sorry.”

He said allowing CAGs would help “remove as much stress and uncertainty for young people as possible – and free up heads and teachers to work towards the important task of getting all schools open in two weeks”.

He added they plan to provide “urgent clarity” on the “path forward” and they are “working with the Department for Education, universities and everyone else affected by this issue”.

Statement from Roger Taylor, Chair, Ofqual in full:

We understand this has been a distressing time for students, who were awarded exam results last week for exams they never took. The pandemic has created circumstances no one could have ever imagined or wished for. We want to now take steps to remove as much stress and uncertainty for young people as possible – and to free up heads and teachers to work towards the important task of getting all schools open in two weeks.

After reflection, we have decided that the best way to do this is to award grades on the basis of what teachers submitted. The switch to centre assessment grades will apply to both AS and A levels and to the GCSE results which students will receive later this week.

There was no easy solution to the problem of awarding exam results when no exams have taken place. Ofqual was asked by the Secretary of State to develop a system for awarding calculated grades, which maintained standards and ensured that grades were awarded broadly in line with previous years. Our goal has always been to protect the trust that the public rightly has in educational qualifications.

But we recognise that while the approach we adopted attempted to achieve these goals we also appreciate that it has also caused real anguish and damaged public confidence. Expecting schools to submit appeals where grades were incorrect placed a burden on teachers when they need to be preparing for the new term and has created uncertainty and anxiety for students. For all of that, we are extremely sorry.

We have therefore decided that students be awarded their centre assessment for this summer – that is, the grade their school or college estimated was the grade they would most likely have achieved in their exam – or the moderated grade, whichever is higher.

The path forward we now plan to implement will provide urgent clarity. We are already working with the Department for Education, universities and everyone else affected by this issue.

Tens of thousands of students endured a nervous weekend wanting answers on how they can appeal against their calculated A-level results, after being downgraded.

FE Week has spoken with a number of students who have had dreams of university and careers in medicine, law and physics thrown into jeopardy after exam board standardisation pulled down the grades their colleges assessed them at. 

Students like Ilyas Khan, 19 from Richard Huish sixth form college (pictured with his dad Jameel), who was originally assessed as A C C by his centre – only to be slapped with a B D E.  

“I was really devastated,” he said a few hours after receiving his results. “It was such a drop, I didn’t think it was real.”  

It was only when the email came through from his first-choice university, York, saying he did not get a place that it confirmed the result was real. 

Ilyas had his heart set on studying physics, but says he was plunged into “complete disarray” by his results. 

He has said he will “definitely” be appealing against his result. 

But the Department for Education and exams regulator Ofqual have drawn heavy criticism after publishing guidance on the appeals process on Saturday, before withdrawing it hours later. 

The government has now confirmed it will allow students to use the grades given to them by their teachers before standardisation. 

Eleanor Shephard, 19, from Sutton Coldfield College, put her hopes in being able to use the A B A she received at AS level, after she was downgraded from A* A* A to B B B for her A-levels. 

On receiving the results, she said: “I just felt awful, I wasn’t expecting it all. I had much higher hopes and as soon as I opened it, I just broke down as it was way worse than I was expecting. 

She had been offered a place at the University of Warwick to do law, and the university has given her until September 7, to see if she can get three A grades. She hopes to either get those grades or that they’ll be able to accommodate her if she uses her AS levels. 

However, even if Eleanor does appeal, awarding bodies can still take up to 42 days to decide on it. 

“If things don’t get much better, this is definitely going to put my plans at risk. You need to go to a good university to do law. You can still do the course at different places but it will jeopardise your chances after your course of getting into firms. It’s definitely a risk.” 

Otylia Hazle, 17, and Laurence Gesman, 20, from Cirencester College were two other students who saw their university hopes cut down on Thursday morning. 

“Everyone has the worst-case scenario,” Otylia told FE Week. “And my worst case was much better than what I got.” 

Her worst-case scenario was A* B B, but she ended up with B B C after being predicted by her teachers to get A B B. 

She was “shocked” her teachers had predicted her at what she thinks was quite low, but said she was “heart-broken” by the final grades.  

“I didn’t realise how much it takes out of you but I was exhausted the entire day just because of the worry.” 

Of the government’s handling of the results, Otylia likened it to “someone had a reminder on their phone called ‘results day tomorrow’ and then tried to put something together”. 

She had been hoping to study law at Exeter, but said she would instead sit her exams. Yet that means reapplying and waiting to see if the university gives her another offer. 

Laurence needed three A’s to study medicine, but after looking at the algorithm decided he would get A A B – he ended up with A A C. 

“Shock and horror” was how he described his reaction. He recalled having to turn down chances at seeing friends and family to study and “wells up at the number of times I had to knuckle down and I got let down, in the end, by the government and an algorithm which, to me, is really flawed.” 

He has come up with options, including sitting the exam in the Autumn, and said: “I have to keep holding out hope. I want to be a doctor and it’s a lifelong dream, so if I can find any way of getting into medicine school, I will take it.” 

Ministers are set to announce this afternoon that both A-level and GCSEs students will be given their teacher grades in a major U-turn following this year’s results fiasco.

The expected announcement, reported by national newspaper journalists on Twitter, follows mounting pressure on the government over last week’s calculated grades that were mostly awarded based on Ofqual’s algorithm. Nearly 40 per cent of final grades were downgraded from centre assessment grades (CAGs).

Scotland had already U-turned to allow teacher grades, and this morning Northern Ireland announced it would do the same for GCSEs.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson had insisted on Saturday that there would be “no U-turn”. But the decision is set to be made after Ofqual chaotically pulled its guidance on appeals – leaving students that missed out on the grades needed to progress onto their next destination in further limbo.

It was reported the guidance was removed as Ofqual board members were split over instead just allowing centre assessment grades to be awarded.

Students took to the streets over the weekend to protest against this year’s calculated grades. The government was also facing multiple legal challenges.

But it appears Williamson will survive the fiasco. A spokesperson for prime minister said Boris Johnson had “full confidence” in the embattled education secretary.

The last campuses of the first colleges to go into administration have been taken over by a new provider, following multiple delays.

Hadlow College, its facility for people with learning difficulties Princess Christian Farm, its equestrian centre in Greenwich, and the Tonbridge campus of West Kent and Ashford College (WKAC) were transferred to North Kent College (NKC) on Saturday.

The transfer includes the 2,175 students at Hadlow and the 2,611 students at Tonbridge, as well as 630 staff, and will also cover students who are new for 2020/21.

NKC say a small number of staff involved with the commercial aspects of the Hadlow Group of businesses remain under the education administration, which is being run by BDO. A voluntary redundancy scheme is being run following requests for one by staff at Hadlow and Tonbridge.

The executive principal of NKC David Gleed said they have secured course provision for all current and new learners, which is the outcome “we have worked exceptionally hard to achieve”.

“The union will strengthen the breadth of our curriculum offer and our training provision across Kent and equip students with the skills and knowledge to prepare them for successful careers and further studies.

“We are looking forward to the future, the evolution of our extended portfolio and developing our robust and diverse vocational offer further.”

North Kent College, an Ofsted grade two FE college, has 3,665 students and has campuses in Dartford and Gravesend.

After Hadlow and WKAC were placed into administration in May and August respectively – becoming the first colleges to do so – the FE Commissioner recommended their assets be split between NKC, Capel Manor College – which took over Hadlow’s Mottingham campus in January – and EKC Group – which took over WKAC’s Ashford campus and Hadlow’s Canterbury facility in April.

However, the transfer of assets to NKC missed three deadlines in March, May and July amid reports the Education and Skills Funding Agency were growing concerned about BDO’s fees, which were agreed with the Department for Education at up to £310 per hour.

According to an adminstrator’s progress report for Hadlow College from earlier this month, administrator’s fees had already topped £1.4 million by May. A progress report for West Kent and Ashford College published in May showed fees there totalled half a million pounds up to February.

Hadlow College’s interim principal Graham Morley said the transfer to NKC has “successfully secured” those campuses’ futures as “valuable community assets” and “has preserved both colleges’ long-standing heritage and ensured that specialist land-based education remains within the Garden of England”.

He was appointed to lead Hadlow and WKAC after the colleges’ chairs, several governors, principal Paul Hannan and deputy principal Mark Lumsdon Taylor resigned.

Morley today said the transfer “also brings to a close my involvement with both colleges”.

Hadlow went into administration with £40 million in debts, while WKAC went in with over £100 million.

Any assets which have not been transferred are being sold to pay off creditors, Hadlow College said.

Either the education secretary, or the administrators with their permission, will now need to appeal to the High Court for permission to end the administration process.

Exams regulator Ofqual has cancelled a meeting with the Association of Colleges amid chaos and widespread anger over the awarding and appeals process for A-level and GCSE results. 

This morning’s meeting was called off while the independent watchdog and the Department for Education are fighting a wave of public anger after many students’ saw the grades awarded to them by their colleges, known as centre-assessed grades (CAGs), downgraded in the standardisation process used by exam boards to calculate final grades. 

This system was introduced after education secretary Gavin Williamson cancelled exams due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Yet the government is now facing calls, including from former education secretary Lord Baker and Commons education select committee chair Robert Halfon to change tactic after 40 per cent of teacher grades were downgraded in standardisation. 

Ahead of results day last Thursday, Williamson announced a ‘triple lock’ system for A-level students – where they could use the grades calculated by exam boards, their results from resitting their exams in Autumn, or appeal to receive a “valid” mock grade. 

However, students and parents affected by the results downgrading were thrown into further confusion and anxiety after Ofqual first published guidance on appealing to receive mock grades before taking down that guidance a matter of hours later. 

The Department for Education issued a statement late last night, saying: “We have been clear that we want to build as much fairness into the appeals process as possible to help young people in the most difficult cases and have been working with Ofqual to achieve that.” 

“Ofqual continues to consider how to best deliver the appeals process to give schools and pupils the clarity they need.” 

Halfon and Baker have suggested the release of GCSE results this Thursday be postponed while the algorithm exam boards have used to calculate results and the appeals process are fixed. 

The AoC has today called for no centre-assessed grades to be reduced by more than one grade, and for Williamson to admit there was “unwanted systemic bias in the approach to A-level grading and that this is an unacceptable outcome of an imperfect system in an exceptional year”. 

This is on top of an ‘urgent’ technical review of the grades awarded in every college and school where the results are “unfair,” which the association called for last week. 

The Sixth Form Colleges Association, which found in a survey of 81 sixth form college principals that 96 per cent said that overall their calculated grades were “lower than centre-assessed grades”, has called for the government to revert to centre-assessed grades. 

Ofqual adviser Professor Robert Coe has also said using CAGs like Scotland and Northern Ireland have may be the only way forward, telling BBC Radio 4 today the handling of A-level results has been an “an absolute shambles”. 

A number of legal challenges are also being mooted, including one by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who tweeted that he has already spoken with lawyers after the government, he said, was “standing by their flawed system”. 

The exams regulator sensationally removed its guidance on mock exam appeals just hours after first publishing it – claiming the policy is now being “reviewed”.

On Saturday afternoon, Ofqual published the eight criteria that mock exam grades must meet to be deemed valid and used as part of appeals for downgraded pupils.

However the guidance has since been removed, with a statement issued at 10.50pm saying: “This policy is being reviewed by the Ofqual Board and further information will be published in due course.”

It’s not known why the policy has been pulled, but FE Week’s sister paper FE Week reported concerns from headteachers that the policy contradicted a promise by education secretary Gavin Williamson that students would be able to appeal to receive a valid mock grade.

Instead, Ofqual said where the mock exam grade is higher than a centre-assessed grade for successful appeals – pupils would instead be awarded their CAG. Heads said such a cap was unfair as it penalised pupils at schools that didn’t over-egg CAGs.

However the regulator said mock exams “do not normally cover the full range of content” while CAGs “took into account the student’s performance across the whole course”.

It was reported by The Daily Telegraph today that Ofqual’s board was split over the grading process, with several members wanting students to be awarded their centre-assessed grades.

In a statement released before the guidance was removed, the DfE said it was “pleased” Ofqual had set out how it will implement the “triple lock policy”.

They also said it was Ofqual’s decision that “in the rare circumstances where the centre-assessed grade is lower than the mock, it would be more appropriate for the student to instead receive the centre-assessed grade.”

In another statement released late last night, the department said: “We have been clear that we want to build as much fairness into the appeals process as possible to help young people in the most difficult cases and have been working with Ofqual to achieve that.”

“Ofqual continues to consider how to best deliver the appeals process to give schools and pupils the clarity they need.”

Ahead of the release of GCSE results on Thursday, several Conservative politicians, including the chair of the House of Commons education select committee Robert Halfon former education secretary Lord Baker, who oversaw the introduction of the qualifications, have suggested the release of results be postponed while the algorithm exam boards have used to calculate results and the appeals process are fixed.

The government is also facing legal action over the grading fiasco: last week, FE Week reported two legal challenges are in the early stages of being mounted. 

Law firm Foxglove said the A-level algorithm was “unfair and possible unlawful”, and that it was gathering evidence ahead of a potential judicial review.

Student Curtis Parfitt-Ford, whose petition calling for a fairer system has amassed over 135,000 signatures as of this morning.

And Jolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, has announced that his organisation was mounting a legal challenge to “compliment” the one brought by Foxglove.

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has also said he will be taking legal advice this morning and has already spoken with lawyers, after he accused the government of “digging in” and “standing by their flawed system”.

The now removed Ofqual press release in full:

The arrangements in place this summer are the fairest possible in the absence of exams, however any process for calculating grades will inevitably produce some results which need to be queried. We and the exam boards share the government’s desire to do all we can to give schools and colleges every opportunity to appeal

On Tuesday (11 August) the Secretary of State asked us to consider how a valid mock exam result could be considered as part of an appeal. As many across education have confirmed, the approach taken towards mock assessments varies considerably between schools and colleges. Therefore any appeal based on mock assessment evidence must include further safeguards to ensure the process is fair.

We are setting out today, Saturday 15 August, the criteria determining what is a valid mock assessment. Exam boards have confirmed they will be ready to process these appeals from Monday – they will provide further information to their centres and contact details are below. Students seeking advice should first speak to their school or college.

This route of appeal is open to any student whose mock grade is higher than their calculated grade. We want to make sure this opportunity is available to a wide range of students, including those who had not taken a written mock exam before schools and colleges closed. We will therefore allow a non-exam assessment mark to be used too. Successful appeals on this ground will allow the student to receive the mock grade. Mock exams and non-exam assessments do not normally cover the full range of content. Centre assessment grades took into account the student’s performance across the whole course. In circumstances where the centre assessment grade was lower than the mock grade, the student will receive the centre assessment grade.

Because of the grade protection in place for students this summer no grades will go down as a result of an appeal.

This applies to GCSE, AS, A level, Extended Project Qualification and Advanced Extension Award in maths.