GCSE results: the shadow of the 1944 Education Act still lurks
GCSE results in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were released on 24th August and the conundrum about who achieves what grade and why continues.
Results in Wales and Northern Ireland were between the level of 2022 and 2019. In England the Tories promoted an ideologically driven to the ‘standard’ fixed in 2019.
Those students who passed, having studied during the very difficult pandemic period deserve congratulations.
22% of students got a grade 7,the top mark, down around 4% on 2022 in England. Results at public schools were of course better…There are also regional variations in England and issues of sex and class are also relevant.
The perhaps obvious point here is that Ofqual in England have determined an artificial quota for those who achieve the top grade. Why is it not the case that anyone student who meets the criteria for achieving the top grade receives it.
This seems to go further than just sense of fairness checking between individual examiners to make sure broadly similar grades are given for broadly similar papers. It suggests rather a worldview where only a certain number can achieve. In the 1944 Education Act it was stated that 25% would go on to University and 75% would not.
The world has changed since then, University education has expanded and there is a much increased demand for those with qualifications. Now of course it might be argued that qualifications shouldn’t matter, capability and aptitude should. In a saner world one would hope so. In the meantime its surely worth asking what the pass/fail mentality of 1944 is doing still lurking in 2023.
Ofqual has a Chief Regulator but who regulates the Regulator
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