Pupils affected by Raac must be given chance to bid for higher grades – Lib Dems

Thousands of pupils who have had their schooling disrupted by the concrete crisis should be allowed to bid for higher grades through a special appeals process, the Liberal Democrats have urged.

An estimated 7,600 A-level students and 19,700 GCSE pupils are in schools with collapse-risk reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), according to House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Lib Dems.

A number of schools across the country were forced to offer remote learning when sub-standard Raac was found in buildings just days before the academic year was due to start last year.

The new Government must now ensure pupils and parents impacted by these years of chaos are given the support they need

Ahead of A-level results day, Lib Dem education spokesperson Munira Wilson said the Government must give support to families affected by the “chaos” of Raac through a special appeals process for students.

Department for Education (DfE) figures, as of February 8, show 94 secondary or all-through schools in England have collapse-risk concrete in their buildings, and 11 post-16 colleges have Raac on site.

A report by academics in January called for pupils at schools where teaching has been badly affected by the Raac crisis – such as St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham – to have their exam results lifted by up to 10%.

But a one-off dispensation has not been granted to all pupils in exam years who faced disruption to their learning and teaching due to Raac.

Ms Wilson said: “Thousands of children have had their education severely disrupted by crumbling concrete making their schools unsafe.

“It is shocking that some children spent months being taught in Portakabins and makeshift facilities through this crucial time in their education.

“The previous Conservative government abandoned children and parents, leaving a legacy of crumbling classrooms. The new Government must now ensure pupils and parents impacted by these years of chaos are given the support they need.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a special appeals process for A-level students affected by crumbling concrete, to ensure they get the grades they deserve.”

An analysis by the Liberal Democrats – which looks at 49 secondary schools in England who will have blocks rebuilt or refurbished under the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme as works to remove Raac are more extensive and complex – suggests 60,436 children are being educated in these schools.

This year, exam boards have offered extended coursework deadlines – up to 45 days – to schools and colleges which have struggled to access specialist facilities for non-examination assessments due to Raac.

Schools and colleges have been able to apply under the established “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” due to Raac, the Ofqual chief has said.

Earlier this week, Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator of Ofqual, said it would be “difficult” to allow a special uplift to pupils’ results in all schools affected by Raac and then not make adjustments for other factors such as teacher shortages.

When asked whether the current mitigations in place were enough to recognise the disruption that pupils faced as a result of Raac, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the PA news agency: “The challenge within this is making sure that we maintain the integrity of the exam system overall.

“But I do recognise that for many families they felt that the Conservatives should have done more to put in place support more rapidly when schools were facing disruption. I mean it was chaotic and they felt that they weren’t listened to and hadn’t been heard.”

We know that Raac was disruptive for schools and colleges. Alongside Ofqual we have asked awarding organisations to agree longer extensions for coursework and non-exam assessment, where possible

Ms Phillipson said she had reached out to the Office for Students (OfS), Ofqual and Ucas to ensure universities were aware of any Raac disruption that had affected pupils’ studies and that it was taken into account.

She added: “What I’ve been clear about with the regulators concerned is that they ensure that institutions are aware where disruption has taken place and are able to consider it in terms of offers that they may be making.”

Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, said the higher education admissions service had shared information with universities of applicants in schools affected by Raac this year.

Ahead of A-level results day, she told a webinar that Raac was an “extreme piece of context” that has affected students and it was “appropriate that admissions teams should be aware of that”.

A DfE spokesperson said: “High and rising school standards are at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

“We know that Raac was disruptive for schools and colleges. Alongside Ofqual we have asked awarding organisations to agree longer extensions for coursework and non-exam assessment, where possible.

“The Joint Council for Qualifications have also published further guidance on how established arrangements for special consideration may apply to schools and colleges affected by Raac.”

An Ofqual spokesperson said: “We are very sympathetic to all students whose education has been impacted by Raac and will continue to work to ensure those students are supported.”

A spokesperson for the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) said: “We have worked closely with the Department for Education and Ofqual to recognise the difficulties students have faced and to put in place appropriate measures to mitigate these.

“These included extending deadlines for non-examined assessment work and opportunities for special consideration to be awarded where students had to take exams in unsuitable conditions, such as a noisy environment or with building work taking place.

“We appreciate that students may still have concerns and we would like to reassure them that if their school or college believes their results have been affected by Raac disruption during the exam series, they can still apply for special consideration after Thursday.”