TEACHERS and heads unions yesterday slammed a report by regulator Ofqual that claimed teachers ‘marked GCSE coursework too generously’ and this is why results were downgraded in the summer.
Association of College and School Leaders deputy general secretary Malcolm Trobe said: ‘For Ofqual to suggest that teachers and schools are to blame is outrageous and flies in the face of the evidence.
‘Ofqual is responsible for ensuring fairness and accuracy in the system. The fact remains that different standards were applied to the exams in June and January and this is blatantly wrong.’
He added: ‘To say that teachers would compromise their integrity to the detriment of students is an insult.’
National Union of Teachers general secretary Christine Blower said: ‘Ofqual seem to be shifting the blame whilst at the same time exposing the nonsense of floor targets.
‘They continue to refuse to acknowledge the mistakes they have clearly made. It is high time Ofqual took some responsibility for a situation of their own making.
‘The fact remains that young people were let down. The solution is to re-grade the exams of young people who, together with their teachers, worked to the parameters set in January.
‘The decision to shift the boundaries came without warning and has inflicted a great injustice on students whose chances to continue in education, employment or apprenticeships have been scuppered by the failures of Ofqual.
‘It is for this reason, and with great regret, that the NUT and a large coalition of unions, teachers’ professional bodies, local councils and schools have issued High Court proceedings against Ofqual and exam boards AQA and Edexcel.’
NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: ‘Anyone using Ofqual’s Report to claim that teachers are guilty of cheating in exam marking are not only unacceptably and unjustifiably denigrating their integrity and professionalism, but are also in grave danger of distracting from the big issues raised in Ofqual’s Report.
‘We welcome the clear public statements by the Chief Regulator that teachers are not guilty of cheating.
‘Ofqual’s report has highlighted the poisonous relationship between the qualifications system and the accountability regime. This is at the heart of the controversy.
‘The accountability system is not fit for purpose and places unacceptable pressure on schools. If it were fit for purpose we would not be having this debate.’
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, said: ‘It is a diversion to attempt to blame teachers for following the rules they were given.
‘We urgently need to break this dysfunctional connection between assessment and accountability.
‘These lessons cannot be used to obscure Ofqual’s own role. It was wrong to sacrifice the interests and prospects of students to correct this long-term imbalance. Ofqual lost control of the examination system and failed to provide the necessary warnings.
‘Poorly-designed exams shouldn’t have been given to students in the first place.
‘Young people are the victims in this, not of over-zealous marking but of a regulator which lost its grip and a system badly in need of repair.’
