13/01/2020
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the national lockdown on 4 January 2021, the government announced exams this year would not go ahead as planned.
Today, the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, sent a letter to Simon Lebus, Ofqual’s Chief Regulator. This letter outlines the process to agree alternative arrangements for exams in 2021 and confirms that this year the government will be trusting teachers to assess students’ grades and will not be making use of an algorithm.
A response to this letter has also been published. It confirms Ofqual’s agreement to work with the Department for Education and others across the sector to put in place the fairest possible alternative arrangements.
07/01/2021
The Secretary of State confirmed that they will not be asking students to sit SATs, GCSEs and A and AS Level exams this summer. Together with Ofqual, they will consult next week on how to fairly award all students with a grade to ensure they can progress to the next stage of their lives.
The lighthouse school will update this page as soon as any new information is available.
18/12/2020
The Prime Minister and Education Secretary have been clear that exams will go ahead next summer, as they are the fairest and most accurate way to measure a pupil’s attainment. Pupils now have more time to prepare for their exams next year, as most AS, A levels and GCSEs will be held 3 weeks later to help address the disruption caused by the pandemic.