Agenda item
Covid 19 Update - Secondary Schools
A presentation to be made at the meeting.
Minutes:
The Sub-Committee received a verbal update on the continued impact Covid-19 was having on secondary school education, in particular on older young people who had missed exams due to the lockdown.
Councillor Asma Begum, Cabinet Member for Children, Youth Services, Education and Equalities introduced the item saying schools had played a pivotal role in providing educational support to young people and their families as well as acting as a community hub during the lockdown. She said schools had continued to operate in difficult circumstances, playing a huge role in safeguarding and addressing the wider needs of young people.
The Sub-Committee then heard from Mr Daniel Burton, Director of Secondary Education and Partnerships, at THEP (Tower Hamlets Education Partnership) who gave a presentation on the impact Covid-19 had had on pupils who had not taken exams. Mr Burton presented the national and local perspective and made the following points:
- A survey by the Social Mobility Foundation in January 2021, showed that 73% of young people were anxious about exam cancellations, with 64% saying school closures had negatively impacted on their mental health and 73% being worried about being able to study during the lockdown.
- There was considerable uncertainty around school exams however the exam assessments and results show an increase in attainment nationally as well as locally, in 2019/20 and 2020/21.
- Year 13’s and year 12 cohorts had different experiences of exam cancellation. The centre assessed grades that were to be moderated by the algorithm, were abandoned in favour of teacher assessments.
- When young people returned to school in Autumn 2020 they still had to contend with self-isolation and bubble systems, and this impacted on their learning.
- The current year 13’s had experienced disruption to the GCSE’s and post 16 education, whereas the current year 12’s experience had been different because they were not sitting their terminal exams. Their exams for 2021, were cancelled and at that stage there was much more rigour and clarity in terms of expectations of schools.
- Mr Burton said schools in Tower Hamlets were more concerned about the current Year 13’s who were more a concern than year 12’s, due to stress, anxiety and preparedness for their post 16 courses and exams. Their confidence and resilience had been affected as they had not sat exams previously.
- To help support students’ schools were establishing clear routines and expectations and were intervening earlier. Students were being mentored, offered extra-curricular classes with greater emphasis on health and mental well-being, as well as test and exam practise.
The Sub-Committee then heard from Mr Jon Ryder, Headteacher at George Green’s School and Ms Asiya Abdulkadir, a Year 12 student at the school.
The main points made by Mr Ryder were:
- He concurred with Mr Burton the most affected cohort were the Year 13 students who had been most affected by non-exams.
- The school had a programme of study support which they provided to students at exam times, however the current Year 13 students had not experienced this, due to the pandemic and lockdown.
- Year 12 students had had a different experience. To provide an authentic experience of sitting exams, the school had put in place tests, called evidence testing to prepare current Year 12 and Year 11 students for exams, so they were prepared for the next stage of their education.
- Mr Ryder said there had been a definite impact on young people with SMH – social, emotional and mental health issues and said some of the Covid recovery money had been spent on recruiting learning mentors, who had assisted in bridging the gap and getting students ready for being in the classrooms.
- Mr Ryder said the Covid recovery money, which had been given by government was difficult to access. He said there was too much paperwork and caveats to get to the money whereas the government ought to trust the professional judgement of teachers.
- Government needed to provide further clarity about exams for 2022. Some of the content had been dropped from some subjects but nothing further had been said about the contingency arrangements for current Year 11 students, who had been affected by school closures and had missed part of their learning. Mr Ryder said the Government needed to learn from past mistakes.
Ms Asiya Abdulkadir then spoke about her experience as a Year 12 Student at George Green’s School.
- Ms Abdulkadir said she was studying Physics, Biology and Maths A-Levels and felt the school had supported her well, despite not having full exam experience.
- She said the school had provided devices to students, where their attendance was tracked, and they had followed a normal timetable of study.
- She said she had spoken to her peers. There were mixed experiences about missing school and exam preparation. Some students had taken the pandemic and lockdown in their stride whereas others had struggled to cope, with their mental health.
- Ms Abdulkadir said the five evidence tests, where the best three were taken has your exam performance had felt like an authentic and normal exam experience and she felt relaxed and prepared for future exams.
- Ms Abdulkadir said she was proud of her generation, who had had to deal with difficult circumstances, including uncertainty during exam time and for the future.
In response to comments and questions from members the following was noted:
- The Chair stated her admiration for Ms Abdulkadir and her peers for working hard and sticking with their studies through challenging times.
- In answer to meeting the financial gaps, once the covid recovery money is no longer available, Mr James Thomas, Corporate Director for Children and Culture, said local government would continue to lobby government for funds and would ask government to trust school leaders on how the money is spent.
- In response to what else would assist in preparing for exams, Ms Abdulkadir said the examining boards should reduce the content that students had to learn, especially as they had missed so much of their courses and education.
- Mr Jon Ryder confirmed that in preparation for exams, mock exams would take place in December and then in March to assist students to prepare for their real exams.
- In response to if the five evidence-based tests were being well received by Universities and employers, Mr Ryder said he couldn’t answer that question but would say they had wanted to make the testing regime as normal as possible and given students a genuine experience of how exams worked.
- In response to if THEP had linked up with the Tower Hamlets Partnership which included local employers and Queen Mary University about the challenges this particular cohort of students faced, Mr Burton said they had not. He said this was a good challenge for THEP to look at what careers advice was provided and how they engage with higher education providers and employers.
- In response to what was being done to develop skills such as essay writing, Mr Jon Ryder stated they continued to support young people by providing them with support and by teaching young people how and what to include in essay writing. Mr Ryder said this skill took time to develop through normal lessons and through extra-curricular work and assignments.
- In response to if the current system of examination was fit for purpose, and if greater emphasis should be on teacher assessments, Mr Jon Ryder said his view was the current system of examination was outdated and needed to be abolished. He said a much more robust system of learning and teacher assessment was needed, as everyone learns differently. He said the curriculum needed to be more boarder, but he did not believe there was the political will to change the system. Mr Burton agreed with Mr Ryder’s view and said the current emphasis on terminal examinations at age 16 and then at age 18 was out of step with the rest of the world. Politicians were wedded to the idea of examinations and there wasn’t the will to move away from it. Mr Burton said there was an underlying lack of trust in teachers and their ability to assess students on their performance and skill level.
The Chair thanked the attendees for their contribution to the meeting and said their input had been invaluable in helping members understand the impact Covid-19 had had on young people and their readiness for exams.
The Chair summarised the main points of the discussion as follows:
- Tower Hamlets should continue to lobby government and DfE about simplifying the process for accessing the Covid recovery money; and
- THEP should look at ways to engage with other partners and the opportunities for those leaving school. How these gaps can be bridged for this cohort of students.