Backlash over thousands of A-level students at concrete crisis schools denied extra help

Exam bosses are facing a growing backlash over their refusal to boost the grades of A-level students affected by crumbling concrete.

Thousands were hit as dozens of schools across the country were forced to close entirely or shut off classrooms following the discovery of the dangerous material last year.

The head of Ofqual has resisted calls to raise their results, suggesting it would be unfair to pupils who suffered from other problems, such as teacher shortages. But politicians from across the political spectrum have called for a rethink, just days before A-level results are revealed on Thursday.

Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson said it was “shocking that some children spent months being taught in Portakabins and makeshift facilities through this crucial time in their education”, adding that the new Labour government must “now ensure pupils and parents impacted by these years of chaos are given the support they need”.

Labour MP Mary Foy told The Independent that the decision not to provide extra consideration for affected pupils was “absolutely devastating”, saying it was “perverse that a student would get special consideration for a fire alarm sounding during an exam, but none for having no access to the correct facilities, or even their previous work, for almost a full academic year”.

Meanwhile, Robert Halfon, a former Conservative education minister, told The Independent he was sympathetic to calls for more help for affected pupils, but added that it would have to be “done on a school-by-school basis, depending on levels of disruption”.

Around 7,600 A-level students, as well as 19,700 GCSE pupils, are in schools whose buildings contain the crumbling concrete, according to House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Lib Dems.

The school leaders’ union NAHT also called for a “formal acknowledgement” of the impact of Raac on exam results and other performance indicators for pupils.

Schools facing issues with crumbling concrete have had to deal with sudden closures, relocations and disruption to learning, including children being taught in Portakabins.

Ms Foy said that at St Leonard’s, a school in her City of Durham constituency, pupils “lost access to most of their school”, explaining: “Specialist classrooms were closed overnight, pupils were being bussed to sites around the region, and were working in huge classrooms, often with little more than a clipboard in the way of equipment.”

She added: “I’ll be urging the Labour government to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again, but let’s be clear: when St Leonard’s pupils receive their results next week, their success will be down to the sheer determination of school staff and pupils in the face of huge challenges, and an appalling lack of support.”

The Lib Dems said A-level students whose education was disrupted by crumbling concrete should be able to appeal for higher grades.

Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator of Ofqual, said it would be “difficult” to allow a one-off boost to pupils’ results in schools affected by the crumbling concrete Raac. He said that if a dispensation was allowed for these schools, then other adjustments for things like teacher shortages might have to be made at other schools.

He said schools will have been able to apply to exam boards under the existing special consideration process – where marks can be adjusted to take into account unforeseen circumstances – if pupils had to sit their exams in conditions which were “less favourable than normal” as a result of the crisis. No consideration will be given to students who faced disruption in the lead-up to the exams. But he said he would be “surprised” if the Raac disruption faced by schools in England affected overall exam results this summer.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, highlighted the “disruptive impact of Raac on teaching and learning in affected schools”, including a lack of access to specialist facilities such as science labs.

While the union acknowledged that the special consideration process is an opportunity for students to receive “some recognition of the disruption they experienced at the time they took an exam”, Mr Whiteman told The Independent : “NAHT would still like to see those schools affected given a formal acknowledgement of the potential impact of Raac on the measures they are held accountable for, for example attendance and qualification outcomes.”