The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Education Secretary, on 2 September 2020.
The evidence given by Ofqual today has raised serious questions about Gavin Williamson’s role in this summer’s exam fiasco.
Gavin Williamson has repeatedly tried to blame Ofqual and officials for the crisis over exams. It is now clear he was responsible.
Williamson must urgently come to the Commons to offer an explanation and to take responsibility for his own incompetence.
The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 31 August 2020.
For millions of families across England, this week will be a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
Excitement for children who will be back in the classroom for the first time in months. But, anxiety for teachers and parents about a year ahead that is full of uncertainty because of a pandemic that continues to cast its shadow over children’s education.
I want to pay tribute to the extraordinary dedication of our teachers and school staff who have worked tirelessly over the summer to make sure schools can reopen safely.
Labour want and expect children to be back at school. Every day that schools were closed was a day of opportunity, learning and support lost. This situation was worsened by the exams fiasco and the Government’s chaotic approach to education.
We cannot keep repeating those same mistakes. Young people’s futures cannot be held back by the Conservatives’ incompetence.
That is why the Education Secretary must come to Parliament to tell us how he will protect our children’s futures. He needs to explain how he will make up for the damage already done, bring pupils up to speed and mitigate against the ongoing risk from the pandemic.
The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, on 1 September 2020.
The learning that children have lost in recent months shows that keeping schools safely open to all must be a national priority in the months ahead.
When schools are closed, we see deep inequalities become more entrenched, and those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds lose out most. If the Conservative Government cannot guarantee pupils the education they deserve, then they will fail a whole generation of children.
Young people’s futures cannot be held back by Conservative incompetence. This is a wakeup call for ministers. They must ensure that schools stay open, that parents and teachers are supported, and that pupils get all the help they need to catch up.
The comments made by Cat Smith, the Shadow Minister for Young People, on 28 August 2020.
This eye-opening [Good Childhood] report lays bare the stark pressures and difficulties faced by young people in the UK, compared to those in other European countries.
Young people and children have been left behind since long before the Coronavirus crisis. With children in the UK ranking lowest for life satisfaction across Europe, the Government remain utterly out-of-touch with the real struggles faced by young people.
The Government must finally provide a comprehensive measurement of children’s well-being in order to properly quantify changes and target resources.
The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Education Secretary, on 26 August 2020.
Under this Government civil servants have time and time again taken the fall for the incompetence and failures of Ministers.
Parents will be looking on in dismay at a government in complete chaos just a matter of days before children will return to schools.
Leadership requires a sense of responsibility and a willingness to be held accountable, qualities this Prime Minister and his ministers utterly lack.
The comments made by Gavin Williamson, the Secretary of State for Education, on 20 August 2020.
Young people getting their results today can feel incredibly proud of all they’ve achieved in the face of immense challenge and uncertainty.
This is an exciting day and young people now can look forward to taking their next steps, whether that is returning to schools and colleges in September to do A levels or our brand new T Levels, or taking one of the many other routes available like starting an apprenticeship.
I also want to pay a special tribute to teachers and school leaders this year who have shown dedication, resilience and ingenuity to support their students to get to this moment.
The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, on 20 August 2020.
Today marks the culmination of years of hard work by young people across the country. I congratulate them on everything that they have achieved, and wish them the best as they move on to the next stage of their education or training.
But the reality is that many of these young people will have faced huge stress in recent days, as the government’s incompetent and chaotic handling of the results fiasco left them concerned about their futures.
This incompetence must come to an end. The government must urgently ensure that every young person, including those studying BTECs, get the grades they deserve quickly and do not lose out on any further stage of their education because of this government’s incompetence.
The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, on 20 August 2020.
Gavin Williamson was warned again and again about the problems with the grading algorithm, and each time, he did nothing.
This endless pattern of incompetence is no way to run a country. His failure to listen to warnings and to act on them risked thousands of young people being robbed of their futures.
It is time for full transparency. The Department for Education must now publish all correspondence to and from the Secretary of State in which concerns about this algorithm were discussed, as a matter of urgency.
Young people deserve to know how they came to be let down so badly.
The statement made by Gavin Williamson, the Secretary of State for Education, on 18 August 2020.
This has been an extraordinarily difficult year for young people who were unable to take their exams.
We worked with Ofqual to construct the fairest possible model, but it is clear that the process of allocating grades has resulted in more inconsistency and unfairness than can be reasonably resolved through an appeals process.
We now believe it is better to offer young people and parents certainty by moving to teacher assessed grades for both A and AS level and GCSE results.
I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve.
The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Education Secretary, on 18 August 2020.
Only a day after the Government were dragged in to a screeching U-turn, we have seen fresh confusion on what will happen to young people in the days ahead.
The repeated incompetence of the Education Secretary and this government are creating confusion and unease for a generation of young people and their families. If young people do not know all of their grades they could be concerned about losing college and apprenticeship places. This is not acceptable.
It is time for him to provide immediate clarity, and ensure that young people receive all of their grades on Thursday.