we're doing a very different program
tonight on question time for obvious
reasons for the first time in the
history of question time there is no
studio audience hi my name is Sam I'm an
a-level student at Western college and
my question is given the cancellation of
GCSEs and a-levels this year or is the
fairest alternative for the students
that have worked so hard for two years
is it the case that this year group will
be the one written off by universities
and future employers so Frances I'm sure
you've been talking to had teachers and
all thought about this where where
what's the view where are we heading
yeah well first of all my heart breaks
for him and anybody's had kids that age
going through exams knows just how how
that feels
so you know I think it is really
important and I'm sure the government
will be on this that we provide some you
know real reassurance to that generation
of young people that you know that are
you getting any sense of how teachers
what they I can tell you they are
desperate for really clear guidance so
they're glad that a decision has been
taken because what they were seeing was
individual schools having to close
partly because of their own staff
capacity and sickness all sorts of
issues so they're glad that there's a
decision they now need the really clear
guidance on who are the children of key
workers how are we going to make sure
that young people are get that
assessment that is fair and kind to them
give them what they've been through what
do we do about kids in poverty not just
kids on free school meals but we know
because of what's happening with their
parents that there are going to be more
and more children joining the ranks of
the poor how do we look after them and
that's where councils again and
voluntary organizations are so important
so and also just to remember that
teachers and mums and dads too very
often and they've got those worries
about what do I do
or what happens if I need to self
isolate so you know again we need some
real help for parents I think you know
we have unpaid emergency leave
in this country again unpaid isn't gonna
put food on the table so we need a
joined up approach but I think teachers
teachers and support staff who are
critical to again we need clean schools
to keep operating but they want to be in
the room with ministers talking about
this headteachers teachers support staff
because they're the ones who have to
make it work so the desperate have real
dialogue
let me just relay a tweet this just come
in from Kevin Hooper when will pupils
find out about how GCSE and a-level z'
are going to be awarded he then goes on
to say today has been one of the hardest
days I've ever known as a teacher saying
goodbye to these pupils without being
able to answer their questions Tom yeah
it must be very difficult for them I've
got a teenage daughter who is in that
exact situation she found out yesterday
her GCSEs have been cancelled on on a
background of a couple of weeks of
increasing anxiety and increasing
numbers of kids not going to school and
parents worrying in fact I've been doing
Twitter polls to try and gauge the
public opinion on some of these issues
about where they stand compared to what
the official advice is and I think
although the scientific advice has been
we don't need to close the schools yet
in terms of controlling the outbreak
it's become clear that it it
increasingly was going to be difficult
to continue with this situation I think
to try and answer the question from Sam
about what's the fairest way I mean
clearly when I did well they would call
that low levels back then when you did
all your work and then everything was
assessed right at the end with with just
with the exam but in their intervening
years there has been times when a lot of
the assessments are done through looking
at coursework and through other other
assessments so there is some experience
at least in the community of how to look
at school children's coursework and then
make an assessment about their grades
overall so it is going to be a time of
anxiety for the mixed also with great
rejoicing I think some of them are into
mine yes mixed feelings for her
that clarity and resolution in the next
few weeks we're on it as I understand it
we're gonna hear tomorrow is that right
exactly what's going to be happening
with the GCSEs and a-levels and how
children are gonna be able to proceed
well and this question of the key
workers as well who exactly how that's
defined again I've been working on that
today is it anything you can tell us
about that well for instance it's got to
it will include um not only NHS staff
but also social care and those who are
working on the supply of medical devices
like they're sort of masks that we were
talking about what about top of the
people who work in supermarkets for
example well the the the list will be
published tomorrow we know we've got to
get it out tomorrow of course because
the schools are closing to everybody
else from from Monday this was this was
a decision nobody wanted to take it's
just an awful situation and my heart
goes out to Sam who's worked so hard and
everybody in that situation so we're
trying will get the we'll get that
information out as fast as we possibly
can has all this happened a lot faster
than you were expecting no it hasn't it
was all all the steps we've had to take
were put out in the action plan you know
two weeks ago only a few days ago no
question of closing the schools no no
it's not quite right you know we've
always been clear that we weren't doing
the steps at that moment but would be
prepared to if we needed to and then we
got to the point where we needed to you
know we we we've always said along along
this terrible journey as we've been
trying to battle this disease we will do
the right thing at the right time
and the decision of this over school
closures had to be made because we've
got to get the virus under control and
also the faster we can get it under
control the faster we can then release
some of these measures as well as
putting in place the testing that we
were talking about at the start of the
program about I agree with what Matt is
saying I mean I think it was the right
the right call and I remember being the
same position where kind of things that
weren't looking like possible all of a
sudden become become so because this
week I you know had teachers were
finding things quite unsustainable on
the ground weren't they because kids
were going off and teachers were going
off and
all became very very challenging to hold
things together my daughter is the same
actually Talmudic their minds at an
a-level student so definitely in two
minds half of all wanted to cry last
night in half it was getting the
champagne out so it's really a stranger
and they drink champagne our birdhouse I
have a kind of feeling about this
obviously having spoken to today I think
there has to be a fair process that
looks not just at one thing not just at
predicted grades but also at mocs and
coursework and takes a rounded sort of
view and you know a fair process there
but then again maybe let's some who want
to rerun the year and know that might
create capacity issues in colleges but
you know this this can't be the lost
copied generation can it it can't can't
just say well oh well your your year
just was unlucky sorry you know and no
one quite gets the university they
wanted and their lives are thrown upside
down I think you need to kind of take
the most permissive and supportive
approach I thought I was hearing that
from the prime minister yesterday and I
and I hope that I have confidence that
the government will come forward that
with a fair process tomorrow yeah I mean
you feel for all these people that have
studied and work so so hard and we hope
that they get a full decision about what
will happen with their exams and and as
you said Frances you know I've got
friends with teachers and they've got
children now of school and I think
because I'm you're challenging in many
fronts of exams as well as they weren't
always that there were they on one thing
you go in a room and you have that so
it's always this could be a fair process
here I think also the universities will
be sympathetic I'm at the University of
Liverpool there's been a lot of thinking
about both looking after our current
students who are now all working
remotely not missing any lessons it's
all happening online but also how we
will look after future students and make
sure they have fair access as you've
said this will be the Cova generation
there's no further really important
point to make which is that when the
kids are off school they mustn't go and
stay with their grandparents if they're
over 70 because that would be
counterproductive so the kids have got
to stay with people though those kids
stay in school though I think that's
quite an important point and perhaps
slightly surprising I think schools
clearly something had to change and
there's this now big decision you're
having to make over what are key workers
you know an alternative
approach would have been to say school
is no longer compulsory in this country
and parents can decide what the needs
are their own needs and the needs of the
children and then you would avoid this
really difficult decision about what's a
key worker because most workers are key
in some way and and then those who could
look after their own kids because
between the parents they can work it out
who can stay at home that would work
those where the grandparents are the
only option and we don't want them
staying with grandparents they could
then be put into school and it would be
a much smaller number than it is now it
could be judged according to the number
of teachers you've got a lot more space
in school because not everybody's there
so you know it would have been
potentially it would have been an
alternative approach well we will hear
tomorrow I know there's a limit how much
you want to tell us our hour is up I'm
afraid I have to say it's been an
interesting way of doing the program
I've released to say basic question time
we'll be back yes it's been rather quiet
in some surveys I have to say I have
missed you
audience not having you here I'm please
say that we will be back next week and
for this foreseeable future live at 8
o'clock on Thursday night so if you want
to be part of our virtual audience as we
are doing it at the moment do you go to
their question time website
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you