ATL comment on the work of Ofqual
ATL
| Association of Teachers and Lecturers
Commenting following the Education Select Committee meeting to look at the work of Ofqual, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:
“We continue to be worried about the speed of reform to GCSEs and A-levels, and believe that the new qualifications should have been piloted before full implementation. Qualification reform should have been undertaken seriously and carefully and when Ofqual consulted, it should have listened more carefully to education professionals, particularly about the removal of the AS from the A-level, which no-one wanted.
“We believe that changes to what is assessed in exams, along with uncertainty about the quality of marking, is turning the exams system into a lottery for young people. It also makes it extremely unfair for schools to fall under the Government’s minimum performance standards based on potentially unreliable grades.
“It is vital that the changes to GCSEs and A-levels are understood, widely supported and owned by those who are charged with their implementation. What plans does Ofqual have to monitor and evaluate the qualifications reform programme as it rolls out? And what plans does it have to ensure that employers and parents understand the new qualifications and new grading system?”
