GM Mayor Andy Burnham to launch legal action over A-level results process

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is to write to England’s exams regulator to initiate legal action over the A-level results process.

The former MP for Leigh tweeted on Monday: “So it looks like the Government ARE digging in and standing by their deeply flawed system.

“In that case, I will be taking legal advice this morning and have instructed leading Counsel. I expect to be writing to Ofqual later today to initiate action.”

His tweet came in response to a statement from the Department of Education which stated Ofqual was working on revised appeals guidance.

Tory MP Stephen Hammond suggested that delaying GCSE results day “probably is the right thing to do”.

“I am increasingly thinking that Lord Baker is probably correct,” he told Sky News.

“Unless Ofqual can ensure that what they’re going to put in place is transparent, certain and is likely to reflect true ability… I think one would have expected them to have had that sorted out by now, but if it’s not, taking another two weeks or another week to get that right rather than causing stress – that so much has been caused to young people who have taken A-levels this year – would be something that we should certainly consider, and probably is the right thing to do.”

Asked whether he has full confidence in Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Mr Hammond said: “Gavin Williamson needs to spend today working with Ofqual and get this sorted out.

“As I said, we can play the blame game in the future. Clearly there are a number of my colleagues who are deeply frustrated and you’ve heard them say what they have to say.

“But what I’m looking to do is, for my constituents and for thousands of young people across the country, give them a chance to have in place a process that is fair, that is simple to understand and should be resolved quickly.”

Using an algorithm to determine students’ results does not take into account “individual effort”, according to Dave MacCormick, headteacher at Holyrood Academy in Somerset, who said that pupils should be awarded their centre-assessed grades.

“I honestly think that the only way for this to be resolved now is for the Government to make that U-turn that has been called for and to allocate all students for A-level, and then the upcoming GCSEs, their centre-assessment grades that were allocated by their teachers,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“The issue there, for me as a headteacher, is that, you know, we say to students regularly that they are the masters of their own destiny, their effort allows them to achieve more than they could have previously achieved.

“And any algorithm does not take that into account. It doesn’t take into account individual effort, it doesn’t take into account the fact that students are not a number.

“And, in my view, there is no substitute now for allocating students, all students, those centre-assessment grades to value their hard work."