Name: Coronavirus: What will happen to A Levels & GCSEs exam results? | Question Time - BBC
Uploaded: 2020-03-26T10:12:26.000Z
Duration: 10 min 2 s
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We're doing a very different program tonight on question time for obvious reasons.

For the first time in the history of question time, there is no studio audience.

I'm an A level student of Western college, and my question is, given the cancellation of Jesus Season Elevens this year.

What is the fairest alternative for the students that worked so hard for two years?

Is it the case that this year group will be the one written off by universities and future employers?

So far, this is I'm sure you've been talking to, uh, had teachers and all sorts about this Where where'd What's the view where we heading first for my heart breaks for him and anybody's had kids that age going through exams knows just how how that feels.

So you know, I think it is really important, and I'm sure the government will be on this that we provide some, you know, really reassurance to that generation of young people that, you know, you get any sense of how teaches what they are.

I can tell you they are desperate for really clear guidance.

So they're glad that a decision has been taken because what they were seeing was individual schools having to close, partly because of their own staff, capacity and sickness, all sorts of issues.

Eso They're glad that there's a decision they now need.

The really clear guidance on who are the Children off key workers?

How are we going to make sure that young people are get that assessment that is fair and kind to them?

Given what they've been through, what do we do about kids in poverty?

Not just kids on free school meals, but we know because of what's happening with their parents, that they were going to be more and more Children joining the ranks of the poor.

And that's where Counsel's again and voluntary organizations are so important.

So and also just to remember that teachers and moms and dads to very often on they've got those worries about what do I do or what happens if I need to self isolate.

So, you know, again, we need some really help for parents.

I think you know, we have unpaid emergency leave in this country again.

Unpaid isn't gonna put food on the table, so we need a joined up approach, but I think teaches teaches on dhe support staff who were critical to again.

We need clean schools to keep operating, but they want to be in the room with ministers talking about this.

Head teachers, teachers support staff because they're the ones who have to make it work.

Let me just really a tweet this just come in from Kevin Hooper.

When will people find out about how GCS and a levels are going to be awarded?

He then goes on to say, Today has been one of the hardest days I've ever known as a teacher, saying good bye to these people's without being able to answer their questions.

Yeah, it must be very difficult for them.

I've got a teenage daughter who is in that exact situation, she found out yesterday.

Her GCS is have been canceled on on a background of a couple of weeks of increasing anxiety on dhe, increasing numbers of kids not going to school and parents worrying.

In fact, I've been doing Twitter polls to try and gauge the public opinion on some of these issues about where they stand compared to what the official advice is, and I think although the scientific advice has Bean, we don't need to close the schools.

Yet in terms of controlling the outbreak, it's become clear that it it increasingly was going to be difficult to continue with this situation.

I think to try and answer the question from Sam about what's the fairest way.

Um, I mean clearly, when I did what they call that a levels.

But then I remember that you did all your work, and then everything was assessed right at the end with with just with the exam.

But in the intervening years, there has been times when a lot of the assessments are done through looking at coursework and through other other assessments.

So there is some experience, at least in the community, off how to look a TTE schoolchildren's coursework and then make an assessment about their grades overall.

So it is going to be a time of anxiety for the mixed, also with great rejoicing.

Maybe some of them, yes, really mixed feelings, perhaps clarity and resolution in the next few.

Wait as I understand it, we're gonna hear tomorrow Is that right?

Exactly what's gonna be happening with the GC, CS and A levels and how Children going to proceed well and this question of the key workers as well, Who, exactly how That's defined again.

Is there anything you can tell us about that?

It will include not only n hs staff, but also social care on those who are working on the supply of medical devices like they're sort of masks that we were talking about.

What about top of the people who work in supermarkets, for example?

Well, the list will be published tomorrow.

We know we've got to get it out tomorrow, of course, because the schools of closing to everybody else from Monday this was this was a decision nobody wanted to take.

It's just an awful situation, and my heart goes out to Sam's work so hard on everybody in that situation.

So we try it, we'll get the we'll get that information out as fast as we possibly can.

It was a ll all the steps we've had to take would put out in the action plan.

You know, two weeks ago, in terms of fast.

You know, we've always been clear that we weren't doing the steps at that moment but would be prepared to if we needed to.

And then we got to the point where we needed to, you know, way We've always said along along this terrible journey as we've been trying to battle this disease, we will do the right thing at the right time.

On the decision of this over school closures had to be made because we've got to get the virus under control and also the faster we can get it under control the faster week and then released some of these measures as well as putting in place the testing that we were talking about at the start of the program.

I mean, I think it was the right the right call, and I remember being the same position where how are things that weren't looking like possible all of a sudden become become so because this week I had teachers were finding things quite unsustainable on the ground with because kids were going off, teachers were going off and it all became very, very challenging to hold things together.

But my daughter is the same, actually told me that their minds on a level students definitely in two minds.

Half we wanted to cry last night and half it was getting the champagne out.

Really a stranger in the house so fast I have a feeling about this.

I think there has to be a fair process that looks not just one thing, not just that predicted grades, but also it mocks and coursework and takes around.

It's sort of, you know, a fair process there.

But then again, maybe let some who want to rerun the year or know that might create capacity issues in colleges.

Sorry, no one quite gets the university they wanted in their lives were thrown upside down.

I think you need to kind of take the most permissive and supportive approach.

I thought I was hearing that from the prime minister yesterday and I hope that I have confidence in the government will come forward with a fair process tomorrow.

And yet I mean, you feel for all these people have studied and worked so so hard and we hope that they get a full decision about what will happen with their example.

And as you said France, it and I got friends of teachers and they've got Children now off school and because of me challenging in many fronts.

Actually, lots of Children think about exams as well as they weren't always that there were.

It's always this could be a fair process.

I think also, the universities will be sympathetic.

There's been a lot of thinking about both looking after our current students, who are now all working remotely, not missing any lessons.

It's all happening online that also how we will look after future students and make sure they have fair access as you say that this will be the covert generation further, really important point to make, which is that when the kids are off school, they mustn't go and stay with their grand parents if they're over 70 because that would be king too productive.

So the kids have got to stay with people who are those kids stay in school?

I think that is quite an important point.

And perhaps slightly surprising, I think schools clearly something had to change.

Andi, there's this now big decision you having to make over what a key workers you know.

An alternative approach would have been to say school is no longer compulsory in this country.

On dhe, parents can decide what the needs are their own needs and the needs of the Children on.

Then you would avoid this really difficult decision about what's a key worker because most workers a key in some way, Andi those who could look after their own kids because between the parents they can work it out.

That would work those where the grand parents are the only option and we don't want them staying with grand parents.

They could then be put into school, and it would be much smaller number than it is now.