Parents of schoolchildren forced to learn from home due to concrete collapse fears at their schools have been left furious – after being told the disruption would not be factored into exam results.
Pupils at some schools across the UK are still learning from home after more than 170 schools were forced to delay opening in September or partially close areas of their buildings due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Despite assurances the disruption would last for a few weeks, the MailOnline reports at least a dozen schools and colleges still have students learning remotely or in a hybrid model – similar to restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Among those schools affected is the St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham, which is often among the top-performing state schools in the North East at GCSE level.
Parents at the school, which has 1,490 pupils, say their children have missed out on weeks of quality teaching – with some classes learning from home and other year groups being taught in corridors or off-site in the off-site in the offices of the trust that runs the school.
Maria Baxter, who has a son in year 11, said: “I am really disappointed, it is going to impact massively on their end results.
“We are going to have to try everything possible, by writing letters to the exam boards.”
She added that even if exams were not being affected currently, pupils were still disadvantaged as coursework, which counts towards their grades, had been disrupted.
Ms Baxter added: “It’s not that they are lazy, if it was their choice and they didn’t care then be it on their head, but it is nothing to do with that, it’s not their fault and this is the really frustrating thing.”
Ken Morrey, whose daughter is in year 10 at the school, said: “My reaction to all of this is one of disgust.
“My daughter is being failed by those whose job it is to provide her with education and fair assessment.”
Siobhan McKenna has a daughter in Year 10 at Aylesford School in Warwick and claims it feels like they’re in a “lockdown bubble” when no one else is.
Speaking to the MailOnline she said: ‘We’re supposed to be getting temporary classrooms in November, but the school is the smallest in the area and there isn’t enough space on the grounds to accommodate all the students when we get them.”
She added: “’It’s desperately unfair they will be graded on this coursework and exams and this might not be taken into consideration – it’s very stressful.’
Ofqual, the body which regulates exams in the UK, said: “Schools and colleges have contingency plans in place for precisely this reason – and where there has been disruption, they should get in touch with their exam boards to discuss any further arrangements they may need to help minimise disruption and any impact on students.”
The Department for Education has said the safety of pupils and staff is paramount and that it is working to minimise disruption.
A spokesperson said: “It is not possible to make changes to exams and assessments for only some groups of students to address the impact of variable disruption to teaching.
“We are working closely with affected schools to ensure the best possible education for pupils and taking every step possible to remove any obstacles to learning through mitigations including temporary accommodation and in some instances use of specialist facilities in off-site accommodation”
