On adaptations in 2022 summer exams:

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “We welcome the clarity for school leaders, teachers and students which comes from the decisions announced today, although it would have been far preferable to have this before the start of the autumn term. These changes and adaptations should help to mitigate the impacts of the disruption that students have experienced.

“Although we welcome the change to the original proposals regarding timescales for sharing advance information, NAHT remains concerned at the planned date of 7th February 2022 as this will limit the desired impact. Many students preparing for exams in 2022 have endured significant disruption to teaching and learning over the last year. While we hope this academic year won’t see the same levels of disruption, learning time has already been lost.

“Government has the flexibility for this information to be shared earlier in the academic year if circumstances require, but there is nothing to explain what would trigger that decision. Providing this information sooner would help to reduce the differential impact of the pandemic on students so far. It would also enable teachers to do the very best for each of their students, ensuring they cover as much of the specification as possible and that they are well prepared for the exams and assessments which allow them to progress to the next stage of education, training or employment.”

On grading in 2022:

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Whatever decision was made about the approach to grading in 2022, it would be open to criticism by some. The most important thing is that this decision has been made and everyone involved now knows what to expect. In the circumstances, this approach seems to be the one which recognises we are in a period of recovery and that will ensure as much fairness as possible for students in 2022 whose learning has already been significantly affected by the pandemic. It is absolutely vital that data is only used as a starting point for grading decisions in 2022 and that the grade boundaries are set by senior examiners with the expertise to consider the standard of work produced by students in their exams.”

On consultation on contingency arrangements for 2022:

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “While we welcome today’s consultation, we had hoped that this process would have been completed by now. We have pressed for months for the government to provide information by the start of the autumn term on its contingency plans should exams need to be cancelled in 2022, but by the time these decisions are finalised, we will be halfway through the autumn term.

“The contingency plans must strike the right balance between flexibility and consistency. More consistency of approach to the collection of evidence of students work and the conditions under which this is completed will increase fairness and confidence in the grades awarded. But these plans must have enough flexibility to fulfil the core purpose of a contingency plan – to enable grades to be awarded to students by schools and colleges who will likely be facing different levels of challenge and disruption should exams need to be cancelled.

“It is vital that the collection of evidence  to support awarding in the event that exams are cancelled works alongside the teaching, learning and assessment which teachers have planned for this year. It should not create significant additional workload for teachers nor add pressure to students who are working hard to complete their courses.”