The cancelling of next year’s GCSEs looks inevitable

When the Scottish government made the decision this summer to do a U-turn and award teachers’ predicted grades instead of exams, it was inevitable that England and Wales would follow. Now that Scotland has cancelled National Highers next summer, the question is: will GCSEs again follow suit?

With less than 84 per cent of secondary schools fully open at the moment, it is clear that schools are caught between a rock and a hard place. They are also inching towards a cliff edge. It is estimated that thousands of children and young people were not in school last week, and further disruption is inevitable.

Regional disparities will only widen the inconsistencies in the quality and quantity of provision between schools, and with only approximately 120 days of teaching left before GCSEs are due to start, the plan to go ahead with formal examinations looks increasingly untenable.

There seems to be two options being actively considered.