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2 senior civil servants gone over results fiasco but Gavin Williamson is still Education Secretary. Govt says he “sought assurances” it was all OK so it wasn’t his fault. What utter garbage. He was told what was wrong & he didn't sort it. This is his mess https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53920146
This is the Education Sec who was told in advance that private schools were benefiting at the expense of state sixth forms yet he still went ahead. It’s in the Ofqual document he will have been sent and will have read before the results were published https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/909368/6656-1_Awarding_GCSE__AS__A_level__advanced_extension_awards_and_extended_project_qualifications_in_summer_2020_-_interim_report.pdf
This is the Education Sec who was told in advance that 30-50% of the A’level results were likely to be inaccurate with the algorithm, yet he still went ahead. Again, its in the Ofqual documents he will have been sent/have read before results were published https://twitter.com/joncoles01/status/1293897721938694146
This is the Education Sec who met former DfE senior civil servant Sir Jon Coles in mid July and was told the seriousness of the inaccuracies & problems. Was told. And yet he still went ahead. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gavin-williamson-was-warned-about-risk-of-exam-fiasco-w00fhr0tk
Same Education Sec who said the results system was “robust and fair” even after he’d seen the Ofqual figures https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/12/system-determining-a-level-results-england-robust-fair/
His excuse? He “sought assurances.” What does that mean? He was shown the figures. There are no “reassurances” once you look at the figures. The figures are damning. On issue as important as this, it’s his job to ask for figures & facts & make decisions not to rely on assurances.
If instead he didn’t look at the Ofqual figures, if he didn’t ask for them or understand them, then that’s even more incompetent than even I imagined. And he can’t blame officials for that.
