Labour is calling on the government to push forward the date of next year’s GCSE and A-level exams in England to help students catch up after losing months of education because of the pandemic.

Ahead of children returning to school this week, Kate Green, Labour’s shadow education secretary, warned that students entering Year 11 and 13 who have lost up to six months of teaching time must be given more time to prepare for next year’s exams.

“Pupils across the country who have missed out on vital teaching time will have a mountain to climb to prepare for May exams unless the government steps in,” she said.

As such, she said the exams due to take place in May should be pushed forward until June or July to allow for extra teaching time, adding that this was a decision that needed to be made soon, to provide clarity for teachers, students and parents.

GCSE and A-level exams ‘should be pushed forward’

“Ministers had warning after warning about problems with this year’s exam results, but allowed it to descend into a fiasco,” Ms Green said.

“This is too important for Boris Johnson to leave until to the last minute. Pupils heading back to school need clarity and certainty about the year ahead.”

Background: DfE to consult Ofqual on later 2021 GCSEs and A levels

News: Ofqual proposes late GCSE start date for 2021

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Commenting the call to push forward the exams, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We support the idea of delaying exams next year to provide more teaching time, as long as that doesn’t delay the publication of results and disrupt progression to further and higher education.

“Ofqual has been considering this question for some time and we look forward to a decision.”

He added that it was vital that clear guidance was introduced that outlined the plans in place if next year’s exams were to be cancelled.

“We also remain very concerned that there is still no contingency plan in the event that students are unable to take exams next year because of coronavirus outbreaks, or that their preparation is so disrupted that they are placed at a significant disadvantage.”

In a consultation document published last month on possible changes to the exams, regulator Ofqual said it had asked the boards to consider whether GCSEs could start after the half term next year.

This would mean exams would not start until 7 June. 

However, the body said that it recognised that “to allow time for marking” this could impact on the issuing of results.

Conservative MP Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, has already said he does not think algorithms should be used again to try and moderate teacher-assessed grades, should exams be cancelled. 

“My preference would be for teacher-assessed grades, but not to have any algorithm,” he told Tes.