Nicola Sturgeon hails return of schools in Scotland from TOMORROW

Humiliated Nicola Sturgeon today apologised for blunders that saw grades for 125,000 Scottish pupils marked down – but No10 insisted it will push ahead with ‘standardisation’ in England. 

The First Minister admitted the Scottish government ‘did not get it right’, amid complaints that individual children have been punished to fit in with a model of how the overall results should look. 

Those affected will not need to appeal, and there will an announcement on how it intends to fix the problems tomorrow. The rethink has raised concerns that England could see a similar furore over GCSE and A-Level results.

Boris Johnson said he understood the ‘anxiety’ caused by replacing exams with assessments, after they were effectively wiped out by coronavirus.

But the PM’s official spokesman said they believed the arrangements would go ahead and be ‘fair for all students’.  

Speaking on a visit to a school in London today, Mr Johnson said: ‘Clearly, because of what has happened this year, there is some anxiety about what grades pupils are going to get, and everybody understands the system that the teachers are setting the grades, then there’s a standardisation system.’

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: ‘There is a standardisation process in place but if students are unhappy with their grade then they are able to appeal or they are able to take examinations in the autumn.

‘We would expect that the vast majority of students will receive a calculated grade this summer that enables them to move on to the next stage of their education or training.’

The spokesman said the Department for Education and exams watchdog Ofqual had been working closely on the issue.

‘It’s important that we have a system in place which is fair for all students and reflects the hard work they have put in,’ the spokesman said.

With the coronavirus crisis having wiped out exams this year, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) ran a system based on teacher assessments.

However, officials then moderated the results and downgraded about 125,000 estimates. 

At her briefing, Ms Sturgeon said pupils who were downgraded will not all be expected to appeal.

She said: ‘I do acknowledge that we did not get this right and I am sorry for that…

‘We will be taking steps to ensure that every young person gets a grade that recognises the work they have done.

‘Our concern – which was to make sure that the grades young people got were as valid as those they would have got in any other year – perhaps led us to think too much about the overall system and not enough about the individual pupil.’

Ms Sturgeon added: ‘That burden has not fallen equally across our society. Despite our best intentions, I acknowledge we did not get this right and I’m sorry.’ 

Speaking at her daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon also hailed the return of schools from tomorrow.

She said schools will ‘feel different’ when they return, with staggered starts and lunches ordered on apps in some places.

‘i know that there will be anxiety for students parents and teachers this week and I think that is entirely understandable,

‘All of us know that the reopening of schools is important for children’s education, personal development, general wellbeing and happiness.

‘I was really impressed and reassured this morning by what I saw of the preparations at West Calder and I know these are being repeated in schools all across the country.’ 

The reopening comes weeks ahead of England, because the school holidays end earlier in Scotland. 

Mr Johnson told teachers today they have a ‘moral duty’ to help schools reopen in England next month as he faced a standoff with unions.

The PM warned it is ‘not right’ that pupils should spend more time out of the classroom, reiterating his determination for a full return when term begins. 

While he was careful to praise the work done by teachers and unions to make schools ‘safe’ in time for the crucial step, he added: ‘It is our moral duty as a country to make sure that happens.’ 

The comments – as he tried his hand at archery on a visit to a school in Upminster – came as unions were accused of a bid to sabotage the government’s plans with a 200-item list of safety demands.

The National Education Union has provided its half a million members with a ‘checklist’ of Covid-secure measures, saying they should ‘escalate’ complaints if they are not being followed. There have also been calls for pupils to be taught on a week on, week off rota.

But Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and a member of Sage, said studies had suggested children were ‘very minor players in the transmission overall’ of the virus. 

And he insisted teachers were not at significantly higher risk than any other workers. 

Ministers have also played down calls for teachers and pupils to be routinely tested whether or not they have symptoms.