Total Equality for Students

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What did Augar, Pearce and the Government ever do for us?

This will be the question posed in undergraduate history examinations in fifty years. The hope is it can be answered positively by all students studying history as a major subject, or possibly science students taking history as a minor subject. The answer will probably involve acknowledging the role of both Augar and Pearce in trying to make sensible suggestions within the constraints of restricted remits. The villain will be the government in pursuing the separate strategy of providing a labour force for business and profit with little concession to the idea of fairness or equality for individuals, who are relegated to pawns. Whilst planning for the economy is essential, this must be accompanied by fairness for all individuals. The conclusion will be that the pandemic exposed a wide gap in educational equality for individuals in our society. Yet the government missed a clear opportunity to tackle it with bold reforms that put the idea of equality and fairness for individuals at the

Universities finally recognise there is a resource crisis for students

It looks like there might be some light behind the dark clouds for students struggling with their university studies. In a letter to the Education Secretary today, all the UK universities acknowledged that there is a widening gap in access to resources by students. It may have come far too late for those struggling now. Many will have disengaged, or hopefully suspended their studies if they asked for help. Although the letter is focused on access to remote learning in a deteriorating environment, it also lets us know that “the demand for hardship funding has doubled” . This comes as no surprise, but it has not been acknowledged in public before now. Earlier today, the Guardian reported that all universities had signed a letter to the Education secretary, Gavin Williamson, that said “little has been done to help disadvantaged students access remote learning”. It shines a light into the darkness of what is actually going on in our universities at this time (The Guardian 18th January

A radical overhaul of examinations is needed as soon as possible

Today TEFS looks at the mess in which Ofqual and the Government have found themselves. Their obsession with attainment standards above all else, and a determination to examine students as close as possible to the time they decide which university or college to accept, has led to this situation. T EFS proposes adopting a radically new approach involving assessments for university and college entrance a year earlier, taking into account teacher assessments, student potential in context, and ability across the board. The great Gove experiment that reinforced the inequalities of the past is now over for good. COVID-19 has seen to that. TEFS proposes university entrance examinations take place a year earlier for post qualification admissions to have meaningful impact on equality. This would need to be phased in for the GCSE cohort this summer. The additional year in education should be used to develop skills, work experience and a broadening of the curriculum. It should be designed to brid

Ofqual vs DfE: It’s just like déjà vu all over again

The title quotation is from the late baseball player and coach, Lawrence 'Yogi' Berra, who always had an amusing turn of phrase to hand. In the 1960s, he was describing the inevitable as two players repeatedly did the same thing in every game (see note*). It seems there is a danger that Ofqual and the Department for Education (DfE) are about to repeat the same mistakes in 2021 This time the signs are of more government direction. The problem is that those least able to defend themselves will become the casualties as they trade punches again. The widening gap in educational inequality will continue as long as the government dithers. The suspicion is that maintaining standards will emerge again as the main objective and will hit the least advantaged hardest. Those with more advantages in our most selective universities are pressing for higher standards. On Wednesday, the Secretary of State for Education set out in very simple terms the alternative arrangements for qualifi

TEFS Review of the Year 2020

Despite the snow and the cold weather, the sun is still shining in optimism as this post is finalised today. Throughout the year, TEFS has set out to address the wider issues that affect students and young people with fewer advantages. The COVID-19 crisis has been a major force that exposed the widespread inequalities in our society. The attitude of the government to examinations, teaching online, and a lack of support for students with the most need, served to emphasise the extent of the problem. The gap between those with and those without widened even further, fuelled by the long-term austerity measures. With unemployment rising fast, we enter the new year with many more families joining the ranks of the disadvantaged for the first time. Please think of those finding things tough through no fault of their own as we enter a difficult new year. If you are able, please give to your local food bank or donate to: The Trussell Trust - Stop UK Hunger , t he Marcus Rashford campaign