Cameron Palin from the Isle of Wight Green Party shares this comment in relation to delaying GCSEs and A-Level exams next year. Ed
On Monday (31st August) the Labour Party released that they are calling on Ofqual to delay GCSE and A-Level exams from May 2021 to June or July 2021.
Whilst we agree with this proposal to allow much needed extra time for pupils to work with their teachers before these exams, the Isle of Wight Green Party do not feel it is enough.
Loss of face-to-face lessons
Pupils have lost over five months of face-to-face lessons where they cover key curriculum content. Many students have had to self teach from PowerPoint slides due to schools not deciding to run Microsoft teams or Zoom lesson and we are hearing this is the case for the vast majority of Isle of Wight pupils.
Year 10 and 12 students have been forgotten about until now due to the fiasco surrounding the Year 13 A-level results earlier this month which showed the Government’s inability to trust teachers and teaching unions.
It is time that this Government listen to teachers, unions and pupils when they say it’s time to support all GCSE and A-Level students.
Palin: Government needs to meet and work constructively with pupils
Youth and Student officer for the Isle of Wight Green Party, Cameron Palin, said,
“As an A-Level pupil expecting to take my exams in May and June in 2021, postponing them is simply not enough.
“We have missed out on teacher-led lessons since March, having to self teach numerous courses and entirely new content.
“The Government needs to meet and work constructively with pupils, working out what we need.”
What else can be done to support A-Level and GCSE pupils?
We support cutting down on the prescribed curriculum content, as it would be the best to allow extra time for teachers and pupils to recap work that has been self taught in lock down.
We know full well that no one has had the same experience, many pupils haven’t been able to access online work due to many families not being able to afford a laptop or unable to access one when required due to it being shared by the whole family.
Reduce exam content
It is not fair nor realistic to expect every pupil to be in the same academic place after five months of no contact with their teachers.
This is why the national curriculum has to be put aside as well as reducing the exam content.
Support with mental health issues
Pupils must first be supported when returning to school to talk about their experiences, and support them with any mental health issues.
Too many pupils have felt mounting pressure in carrying out working from home, as well as their exams in 2021, resulting in growing anxiety, stress and depression more than ever before.
A school’s first priority should be their pupils mental health and physical health – not exams and league tables.
