Covid-hit pupils 'should be allowed to repeat a year'
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Learning has been very different this year
Pupils in England who have lost out on significant learning time due to the pandemic should be allowed to repeat a year, say education policy experts.
Certain pupils should get the right to repeat a year of school, if their parents or carers agree, suggests the Education Policy Institute (EPI).
Head teachers expressed interest in the idea but said it could only be open to "small numbers" to avoid a "logjam".
It comes after the prime minister said schools will not reopen before 8 March.
All primaries and secondaries in England were closed a day after the start of the spring term, except for the children of key workers and vulnerable students.
This move followed a patchy autumn term where thousands of pupils were forced to self-isolate at any one time, and schools were shut to most pupils during the spring-summer lockdown last year.
Some areas have been affected worse than others by Covid cases, leading to varying access to education for pupils.
And certain pupils groups, including those with limited access to digital devices and some with special educational needs, have struggled with remote learning from home.
'Pupils' best interest'
EPI chief executive Natalie Perera said: "We are concerned that some pupils will have missed out on a significant amount of learning time because of the lockdown and issues with accessing learning from home.
"The government needs to consider urgently how it will support these students and, in doing so, it should also look at whether they should be allowed to repeat the school year if it's in their best interest."
It is not yet clear how long remote learning will continue as the re-opening of schools to all pupils depends on Covid-19 cases dropping significantly.
WATCH: "Cancelled exams changed my life"
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "We are interested in the EPI's idea of the right to repeat a year for students who have experienced extreme learning loss.
"In principle, this is worth consideration, but in practical terms it would need to be confined to small numbers or otherwise it would create a logjam in the system which would leave schools with more pupils than they could accommodate."
The EPI made the proposal in response to the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual's consultation on how exams will be run this year.
Risks remain
In early January, education secretary Gavin Williamson announced the cancellation of annual public exams, saying that grades would be awarded via teacher assessments instead.
The EPI called the government's plan for exams the "least bad" option but added there were still risks associated with the approach.
Public exams have been ruled out
"Left unmitigated, these risks could lead to a serious failure of public policy, damage to the reputation of England's qualification awarding process, and harm to young people," explained the EPI's response to the consultation.
The EPI highlighted three main risks to the Ofqual/DfE exam plan:
Learning losses would be masked by centre assessed grading, potentially leaving students moving on to further study or work without the skills and knowledge they need
Inconsistency and unfairness of grading between different schools and colleges, and between students
Continued grade inflation in 2021, which might undermine the credibility of grading
As of 26 January, more than 70,000 people have taken part in the consultation, according to the DfE.
A DfE spokesman said: "Fairness to young people has been and will continue to be fundamental to every decision we take on these issues.
"We know how important this is to teachers, parents and students, which is why we have made sure everyone is able to have their say in our exams consultation."