Government should have delayed releasing A-level results, says FTSE boss

The chairman of a leading online education company has said the Government should have delayed the A-level results announcement last Thursday.

The controversial new process saw 40% of A-level results downgraded due to an algorithm based on schools’ previous results, sparking calls for education secretary Gavin Williamson to resign.

Williamson has resisted the calls but u-turned to use teacher assessments instead.

Barrie Whipp, chairman of AIM-listed Wey Education, told the Standard: “With a delay Government could have reviewed the initial results, consulted with the education community and applied a sensible regrading policy.

"I think we've got to the right place eventually but we could have got there with less drama. At least the Government has been bold. I'm really pleased that so many students will now be able to move forward with their plans."

He said of the algorithm: “You can segment the data as much as you like, you have to discuss a student’s progress with the teacher. Could we have had more time? Could we have had another couple of weeks? Many universities do not know when they will be bringing back physical learning so it would have made sense."