By Chris Vince

I stood ready to get on my soap box about the governments handling of A-level and BTEC results when I received the results my A level groups got and was quietly pleased, with very little difference between the results I predicted and the results students were allocated.  However, talking to my colleagues across the county I discovered a rather alarming trend.

There was greater disparity between teachers predicted grades and grades awarded to students the larger the class!  Now the effect of this on Key Stage 5 results will mean a number of things. Firstly it means that students studying more popular subjects will be more likely to have their results lowered.  It also means students taking vocational subjects, which traditionally have bigger classes, will also be more likely to have results lowered. How can this be fair?

However, my real concern is if this trend is carried over into GCSE results.  It doesn’t take an expert to know that Key Stage 4 classes are smaller in independent schools than state schools!  Which will further disadvantage students from less well off families.

Sadly we have seen over the last decade the lack of faith the DfE have had in our profession. Like the majority of teachers in the UK I gave accurate GCSE grade predictions and it will be my students, and others around the country, who will miss out if the DfE decide to arbitrarily assign grades.  This is not acceptable.

Finally let me say to all those who recieved A-level and BTEC results today and their GCSE results next week, your grades don’t define who you are and please don’t let them effect your hopes, dreams and ambitions moving forward.