Exclusive:

Ofqual ignored offers of expert help with its algorithm after statisticians refused to sign a highly-restrictive non-disclosure agreement https://news.sky.com/story/a-levels-exam-regulator-ignored-expert-help-after-statisticians-wouldnt-sign-non-disclosure-agreements-12049289

In April, the Royal Statistical Society offered to help Ofqual with its algorithm, suggesting that it take advice from external experts

It put forward two very senior academics

Ofqual said it would consider it, but only if the academics signed an NDA

Obviously, confidentiality is important. You can't give a running commentary on a marking algorithm, or leak students' details

But this NDA prevented the academics from commenting in on the final choice of the model for *five years* after the results were released

I spoke to Sharon Witherspoon, vice president of the Royal Statistical Society for Education and Statistical Literacy

She said constraining independent academic experts in this way "didn't fit our principles of transparency"

The Royal Statistical Society wrote to Ofqual in what Sharon Witherspoon said was "the most constructive way" raising its concerns about the NDA

But it received no reply to its message, so the offer of expert help was never taken

Could the academics have prevented the chaos?

This is heartbreaking, but Sharon Witherspoon - who, if you don't know, is a legend in this field - said they could

"I do feel sorrow about it because I think this could have been averted," she told me

I also spoke to @stianwestlake, the CEO of the RSS. He said it could have identified issues earlier, or helped Ofqual reassess its criteria for the model

He also made this point. Context: until recently, he was a civil servant working on... universities

The bigger point is about transparency. Why was Ofqual making respected independent academics sign restrictive NDAs? What does that say about its culture?

Transparency doesn't just produce better results, it also builds trust. This week, we've seen what happens in its absence

One last thought. Ms Witherspoon said she believed the key trade-off was between grade inflation and individual justice. This is a political choice - but it's not just for politicians, it's for all of us

We need a public debate. But for that, we need to know what's at stake

Ofqual have responded to my story. Its statement: