Exam results gap widened during ‘setback’ of Covid says Ofqual Chief Regulator

We speak to Sir Ian Bauckham, who is the Chief Regulator of Ofqual, the government department that regulates qualifications in England. We began by asking about the overall picture of today’s results.

Sir Ian Bauckham: We returned to normal grading for GCSEs after the pandemic last year. So what we see this year is a stable pattern in grades that students are opening today. They’re very similar to grades that we had last year.

Jackie Long: One of the less bright parts of this story, though, are the ongoing inequalities which seem to litter education. Let’s look at the regional disparities first. The gap between London and the rest of the country remains really significant. How do you explain that?

Sir Ian Bauckham: Many of these disparities are unfortunately long-standing disparities. They change a little year on year and they have changed a little this year. The important thing is that when we hold the mirror of qualifications up to our educational achievements across the country, we see where the strengths and weaknesses are.

Jackie Long: We’ve talked about it certainly for the last five, ten, years, and yet the gaps aren’t closing. Why is that?

Sir Ian Bauckham: Covid was a difficult moment and Covid was a setback and it caused some gaps to widen again. I know that teachers and headteachers up and down the country – until recently I was one – are committed to working to close those gaps.

Jackie Long: And there’s no doubt in your mind that further improvement is necessary?

Sir Ian Bauckham: Further improvements will always be necessary until the day when all regions are equally strongly performing, because these are young people’s lives that we’re talking about.

Jackie Long: Absolutely. And one of the equally depressing aspects of today’s results, once again, huge numbers of children and young people have failed to get that critical grade four in maths and English. Many of them will be obliged to resit it. Many of those, we know from previous years, fail it again, which is trapping children and young people, many people would argue, in a sort of cycle of failure. Is it right that we make them resit these exams?

Sir Ian Bauckham: I think what I’d say to that is that the skills in English and maths – that the critical grade four pass evidence is – are really important skills for further study, for employment and indeed for future life. And I don’t think it would be right to say to children, young people, who haven’t got that critical grade four and therefore don’t have those skills, it’s okay to stop studying English and maths.

Jackie Long: Is it possible to say what we understand about why so many children and young people are failing? It can’t be that that the children are not capable. Is it that we’re not teaching maths particularly well? What’s your assessment?

Sir Ian Bauckham: Obviously teaching is a big part of building up to the the level of expertise that you need to get a particular grade. But there are wider factors as well. I think what every school and college will be focused on doing is diagnosing the problems in each case and supporting young people to move forward with those critical skills.

Jackie Long: Just finally, of course this cohort were part of the Covid generation. They’ve lived through teacher strikes, many families really struggled through the cost of living crisis. What do you say to all those children and young people, whatever their results were today? It’s quite something to even have lived through all of us.

Sir Ian Bauckham: Absolutely. And I was still in school this time five years ago when the first lockdown arrived in March of year seven for these students. What I would say to them is, congratulations and well done. You have proved your resilience. You’ve come through a difficult five years and whatever your results today, remember, you as a person are not defined by your results. Seek advice. There will be a pathway that’s right for you.