Boris Johnson has twice refused to say when he first knew there was a problem with the system used to award grades for this summer’s GCSEs and A levels.
The prime minister last week blamed the summer’s grading crisis on a “mutant algorithm” used by exams watchdog Ofqual.
This morning, it was reported that an exam board told education ministers about serious flaws with the algorithm two weeks before A-level results were published.
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At this afternoon’s prime minister’s questions in Parliament, Mr Johnson was asked by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for “a straight answer to a straight question: when did the prime minister first know that there was a problem with the algorithm?”.
Mr Johnson responded by wishing Sir Keir a happy birthday, before asking him to congratulate students on their grades.
He said: “On the exams, and the stress that young people have been under over the summer, both the secretary of state for education and I understand very well how difficult it has been for them and their families going through a pandemic at a time when we have not been able…to stage normal examinations and as a result of what we learned, about the results that had come in, we did institute a change, we did act. Students, the pupils of this country now do have their grades and I really ask the Right Honourable gentleman if he will join me in congratulating those pupils on their hard work and whether he agrees with me that they deserve the grades they got?”
Sir Keir Starmer said he had already congratulated students on their grades and added that the prime minister had “avoided” his question.
He said: “He either knew of the problem with the algorithm and did nothing or he didn’t know when he should have.
“So let me ask again: when did the prime minister first know there’d be a problem with the algorithm?”
Boris Johnson replied: “Ofqual made it absolutely clear time and again that in their view the system that was in place was robust. Ofqual is an independent organisation and credit had to be given to their views.”
He accused Sir Keir of “undermining confidence” in the return of schools in England, and said pupils are “going back to school in record numbers” despite “all the gloom” from the Labour leader.
Sir Keir, in turn, accused Mr Johnson of being “timid” and “making it up as he goes along”.
