Results day is always a nerve wracking time for students, but this year the stress for teenagers and their parents was heightened due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With all exams cancelled this year, results for 2020 were originally determined by an algorithm, a process which proved to be vastly unfair to a great many A and As Level students.
When the A Level results were published on August 13th, students, parents, head teachers and teachers throughout Wales were up in arms after 42% of the A and AS level results were downgraded.
Students were distraught as they made frantic phone calls to Universities to see if they could still be accepted on their lower grades. Sadly a great many were not.
It was a joyous moment when, four days later, the Welsh Government bowed to pressure and agreed that teacher assessed grades would instead be awarded for all A and AS Levels and GCSEs this year. However a great number of students were still unable to get into their first choice university because places had already been taken.
To describe the situation as a nightmare would be a huge understatement and the whole debacle raises serious concerns about whether Qualifications Wales is fit for purpose.
All the controversy around results day robbed many students of the opportunity to celebrate all that they had achieved in their studies.
Our young people have been through so much this year and it is a great shame that the Welsh Government added to their woes by taking so long to decide that teacher predicted grades would be awarded.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all A level, AS level and GCSE students who now have the results they need and deserve and I wish them all the very best in pursuing their future plans.
GCSE results were up significantly on last year with Qualifications Wales estimating almost 75% of grades were A* to C, compared to 62.8% last year, and more than 25% of grades were A* and A grades - up from 18.4% last year
Obviously not all young people will have obtained the results they had hoped for and it is crucial that we support these youngsters and ensure that there are also plenty of opportunities for them to pursue.
Also much still needs to be done to improve education in Wales. Whilst the results may look encouraging, sadly, according to the OECD's respected PISA results Wales has the worst education system in the UK with Welsh children still performing less well than their peers in other parts of the UK in the key subject areas of maths, reading and science. Meanwhile, spending per head per pupil in Wales remains substantially lower than over the border in England, fewer students go to elite universities, and a great number of teachers are considering leaving the profession.
Addressing these issues is vital, however, in the interim period, the biggest challenge facing education in Wales will be the reopening of our schools in two weeks’ time. I know headteachers and their staff have been working exceptionally hard in recent months to get it right and to ensure both our children and all school staff are safe when they return. I thank them for their fantastic efforts and wish them all the very best as they implement their plans. Let’s hope the next school year is a less disruptive one for our young people and the education profession.