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Aug 2020

Last Updated: 18/08/2020

Education

Harrogate students 'panicking about the future' despite grades U-turn

by Suzannah Rogerson

| 18 Aug, 2020

The government U-turn has left some students hopeful for better results, but in Harrogate students and parents are still concerned about their future plans. India Taylor, Harrogate Ladies' College student, hopes her favoured university will now accept her amended grades.

The government U-turn on A level results has left local students with concerns about what the future holds.

The government has promised to reverse the standardisation process which saw an average of 37% of grades changed in the Harrogate district, and award the teachers' assessed grades.

However, for students who lost their university place last week and will now have their grades increased, it could still be too late for them to access their chosen courses in September.

India Taylor, a former student of Harrogate Ladies' College, said she received BCE on Thursday after Ofqual has changed her Spanish grade from a B to an E. She said:

"I felt completely broken when I received the email on Thursday morning. I had an unconditional offer to study psychology at Leeds Beckett but I was hoping to be able to 'trade up' and get into the University of Leeds. But none of the ones I wanted to go to said they would accept me with an E.

"I was planning on deferring a year in order to sort out the appeals process and potentially sit the exams but I am now waiting to hear back from universities following the announcement. I'm glad the government has decided they need a better method - it was unfair to judge people's efforts based on those at the school before them.

"I think they still could have done more as many people were rejected by their firm choice university and have spent the days since Thursday panicking about the future."

Mark Sellers, a retired teacher from Harrogate and a parent of an A-level student, has raised concerns for those students who had high predicted grades but the grades calculated by their teachers were much lower.

He said:

"My son's school predicted him AAB but the centre assessed grade they sent to Ofqual was DCB. He can't go to his favoured university in Newcastle but now he has to go back to study for exams in October.

"His school has now offered him support but others may not. Many modules weren't finished and I am concerned that all those kids without the grades they wanted will struggle. They may fail again because they haven't been given the help, they're throwing them on the scrap heap.

"I sent a letter to my MP to let him know something has to be done, I want him to agree to raise it in the House of Commons for schools to provide the support to these kids. I believe schools have a moral obligation to help them; in a few years it'll impact them and there will be mental health issues following this too."

The Stray Ferret asked all local MPs for a comment, including Mr Sellers' local MP Andrew Jones, but none had replied at the time of publication.