5. Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Qualifications in 2021

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:21 pm on 22 June 2021.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 4:21, 22 June 2021

(Translated)

Thank you, Llywydd. In my statement on ‘Renew and reform’,  I confirmed that we would be putting learners first, supporting their well-being and confidence and providing opportunities for them to develop key skills and knowledge to enable them to make progress. These are principles that have informed our approach to the qualifications this summer. I want to wholeheartedly thank teachers and lecturers who have supported their learners through a new approach, working under time pressure to enable them to make progress. I understand that this has been very challenging. I also want to thank the design and delivery advisory group, chaired by Geraint Rees, bringing together headteachers and college principals from across Wales. They have come together weekly to co-construct an approach, responding with agility to new challenges. They have relentlessly focused on the needs of learners, their well-being and their progression. Today, I published a letter from the chair of the design group, which highlights the collective role of the education sector as a whole in delivering a system where learners feel that they fully deserve the qualifications they receive. The approach for 2021 puts trust in the holistic judgment of centres. Learners will receive a grade based on evidence of their learning that will only have been assessed on the content covered by their school or college. Centres have been asked to consider equalities issues as part of their approach. They can draw on a range of assessment evidence, reflecting the variation of experience at learner and local levels, and a clear route has also been developed for private candidates to achieve their qualifications.