"A Kick In The Teeth" - Isle Of Wight Headteachers Slam "Horrendous" Handling Of Exam Results

"Horrendous", "hideous", "shambolic" and "a kick in the teeth" for pupils - Isle of Wight headteachers and students have been reacting to the "mess" they claim has been caused in the run-up to A-Level and GCSE Results Day.

It's been a day of celebration for the Island's pupils as two years of hard work finally came to an end. As previously reported by Isle of Wight Radio, students nerves were put at ease today as they opened those dreaded envelopes. 

But coronavirus has ensured it's not been plain sailing for staff and students alike, with those involved speaking of their "frustration" over how grades have been handled. 

It comes just days after the Government performed a u-turn, telling A-Level pupils who were given results last week that they could have grades predicted by their teachers, rather than those produced by a controversial algorithm.

However, there was still another twist to the tale hours before GCSE results were handed out this morning. 

Those who had taken BTECs were left "disappointed" after they were told they'd have to wait a bit longer for their grades.

Joy Ballard, headteacher of Ryde Academy., said:

"The build-up to the exams has just been horrendous.

"There has been so many changes, so many u-turns. We've not known from one minute to the next what we're supposed to be giving out today.

"In fact a change came last night just before 5pm to tell us not to give out BTEC results which meant we were all in again this morning, opening up envelopes and making sure they were taken out.”

Mrs Ballard told Isle of Wight Radio how the changes have left students and staff "frustrated".

She said:

"It's naive to think that schools don't have moderation systems, that a teacher can just give a child a grade and nobody is going to check it with internal quality assurance systems.

"We moderated three times every child in the results that they were given, to make sure they were in line with all the data that we had on them before we even submitted the data.

"So it's been very frustrating and, do you know what, the kids with all they have been through with their education could have done without it.

"However, we reach today as a day of celebration to make the most of the time they've had at Ryde and behind anything else making sure that all of our students are able to secure a good destination for September."

Mrs Ballard's views have also been shared by another headteacher in Ryde, Mark Waldron.

The Ryde School principal told Isle of Wight Radio of the "mess" caused by last week's A-Level confusion:

"It was a complete nightmare and it was so unfair that these students that suffered so much already were suddenly facing all of these concerns about university places too but that shouldn't have had to happen and it was just a real kick in the teeth for them so I'm really pleased we've had a bit of common sense today.

"What's good about the result that we've got now is that they [the students] are going out there with the real results that they deserved not the mess that the Government gave us last week."

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has previously apologised, telling Sky News he is "incredibly sorry for the distress caused to those young people".

He has so far resisted calls to resign. 

Asked whether Mr Williamson should go, Mrs Ballard - who has previously appeared on Channel 4's Educating Cardiff - said:

"I don't really do politics but what I would say is just because you're the person in charge it doesn't mean you know every single detail about something. You've got to trust the people who are advising and working for you. I guess I have some compassion there. I guess that actually he has done the right thing at last to go along with the grades that teachers have actually given to students.

"Although I've got a bit of pity it's far more important for us to concentrate on the students themselves and actually as far as they're concerned up to this point, after a hideous six months, I think the whole thing has been a shambles."

Mr Waldron said:

"I think it's very hard to see why pupils should have confidence in someone who didn't have confidence in the teachers or pupils last week."