To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. The announcement was made in a speech (which can be read in full here) today at the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) annual conference. GCSE students will receive their results two days later on August 12. For other inquiries Contact Us. That’s why students will receive grades awarded and determined by teachers. "It wouldn't be fair to hold exams this year and we trust the professionals - teachers are the people who know their students best and we do trust their professionalism. And assessors will make sure the grades are "fair and consistent" across the board and any malpractice can be "rooted out". The announcements on changes to exams by Scotland’s education minister, John Swinney, shows that the Scottish government has learned from the mistakes that were the hallmark of this year’s examination fiasco, accepted responsibility and understood that Covid may well have an impact on next year’s exams. "I will not let schools be closed for a moment longer than they need to be, I will do everything I can to ensure every school is open.". She told the BBC: "I think it will really depend on the epidemiology of the virus... we will have to look at it by year, age group by age group, as happened the first time round, and the final decisions will lay with Government over when they want to bring the students back.". Mr Williamson laid out contingency plans for kids set to sit crucial exams this year - meaning teacher assessments will be used instead of tests. Instead, the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has decided to undermine them. He spoke this afternoon after a statement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the new national lockdown. An appeals system will be in place if kids think they were wrong. 1. He stressed it was the absolute last resort to curb the spiralling number of coronavirus cases. Following a public outcry, exams regulator Ofqual announced a U-turn, allowing students to use their teachers' predictions. It's just going to be based on what an individual child has been taught.".  This morning, Schools minister Nick Gibb said exams remained the "fairest" way of evaluating pupil grades but that disruption to education during the pandemic meant that was not possible this year. Mr Johnson announced on January 4, 2021, that schools would be closed for all, except the vulnerable and key worker children, until February half term. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click here. Gavin Williamson set out his plans for England's pupils after schools were closed, with GCSE and A-level exams cancelled. GCSE and A Level exams have been cancelled this year, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed. Pupils protested outside Gavin Williamson's office in Staffordshire Why you can trust Sky News The UK government is due to make an announcement on A-level and GCSE results today, as Downing Street said Boris Johnson has "confidence" in his education secretary and the English exams regulator. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Schools and colleges in Wales will also remain closed until at least January 18 and move to online learning, with GCSE and A-level exams already cancelled. ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. Schools and colleges in Wales will also remain closed until at least January 18 and move to online learning, with GCSE and A-level exams already cancelled. Results day is being brought forward to the week of August 9, so kids have longer to appeal grades before university begins. "There's very little standardisation. Princess Beatrice reveals she’s PREGNANT… and is timing a dig at Harry & Meghan? He confirmed today that A-level and GCSE exams were cancelled for a second successive year due to the pandemic and teachers would be tasked with giving them grades instead. Sir Jon, who joined exam watchdog Ofqual in November last year, last night warned that officials are risking a situation "much worse" than last year's hated algorithm. Public Health England's Susan Hopkins said there was no guarantee that schools would be able to return after the scheduled February break. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: Fairness to pupils is my priority, and will continue to be at the forefront of every decision we take in the lead up to exams next summer. Education secretary Gavin Williamson teases an announcement on how A-Level and GCSE exams will be graded for pupils, stating the method will be 'teacher-led'. Gavin Williamson said ministers were putting their trust in teachers to mark pupils' GCSEs and A-Levels today as he confirmed that no computer algorithms would be used to work our fair grades. Another record haul is expected this year after the chaotic education. He said it was impossible for kids to fairly sit exams after schools were closed once again as the country was plunged into a national lockdown. He told Sky News: "Of course exams are the fairest and best system for judging attainment. The Education Secretary announced that teachers will decide what grades A-level, GCSE and AS students will be awarded. By David Wilcock, Whitehall Correspondent For Mailonline. Gavin Williamson set out his plans for England's pupils after schools were closed, with GCSE and A-level exams cancelled. 6th January 2021 at 2:37pm. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has given an “absolutely” cast-iron guarantee that exams in England will not be cancelled this academic year. EDUCATION Secretary for England Gavin Williamson made a statement in Parliament today (January 6). He said grades would not have to be submitted until June 18 to give pupils more time to study following the disruption to their learning. After schools have been shut for many pupils for weeks, he stressed "the end is very clearly in sight" and rates have come down enough to get all kids back from March 8 in England. In Northern Ireland, schools are to engage in remote learning until the mid-term break but there is no clarity on whether exams will go ahead. ⚠️Read our schools live blog for the latest news & updates. Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Education secretary Gavin Williamson made a raft of announcements during a speech to the House of Commons on Wednesday, from how exams will be assessed to parents being able to report schools to Ofsted on remote teaching. No child should be left behind as a result of learning lost during the pandemic. The Education Secretary vowed to open schools at the earliest possible moment. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. He said: "I can confirm that no algorithm will be used for this process - grades will be awarded on the basis of teachers' judgement.". The PM said this morning while on a visit: "in an ideal world we'd be continuing with exams as you normally have them" but it just wasn't possible this year and this was the best compromise. Wed 28th Apr 2021, 12.36 Gavin Williamson has announced a raft of new policies today that he hopes will push towards the government’s “vision” for all schools to be academies. It came as Sir Jon Coles, a former director general at the Department for Education, resigned from his post as Ofqual adviser after the Government failed to make mini exams mandatory for pupils. He told TimesRadio this morning: "I worry that there was going to be, in essence, a wild west of an exam grading system because it's going to vary from school to school.