Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to prevent the teacher-assessed grading process in the 2020-21 academic year leading to legal disputes.

Parents and pupils can have confidence in the grades awarded this summer. Teachers are being supported to assess their students, including through clear guidance published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ): https://www.jcq.org.uk/summer-2021-arrangements/. The JCQ guidance provides detailed information to schools and colleges on the grading process and the range of support that Awarding Organisations have and will continue to provide. The Department trusts teachers’ judgements as they are best placed to understand the content students have covered, their students’ performance and how they compare to other students this year and in previous years. Teacher assessed grades will allow results to reflect the knowledge students have acquired based on what they have been taught, recognising the variability in teaching that some young people have experienced.

To further support teachers, a robust quality assurance process is in place. There will be a process for both internal and external quality assurance to support teachers to do what is needed, ensure as much consistency as possible and reduce the risk of any malpractice. Head teachers will have to confirm to the exam boards that the requirements for quality assurance have been met at the time of submitting the grades for their centre.

Students should feel confident in their teacher assessed grades, but an appeals system will be in place as a safety net in exceptional circumstances, for example, where an error has been made and not identified in the earlier parts of the process.