Mother and father at a college the place educating has been badly affected by the crumbling concrete disaster have been dismayed to listen to that GCSE and A-level exams shall be marked as regular subsequent summer season.
St Leonard’s Catholic College in Durham is ceaselessly among the many top-performing state faculties within the North East at GCSE degree, however training of the 1,490 pupils has been badly disrupted after the doubtless harmful bolstered autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was present in a number of buildings.
For weeks, some pupils have needed to be taught on-line at residence whereas these yr teams that would nonetheless go in confronted massive class sizes, some taught in corridors or off-site within the places of work of the belief that runs the college.
An motion plan has been introduced in to separate the location, with youthful years taught at Ushaw School, a former seminary on the outskirts of Durham.
These taking GCSEs and A-levels this summer season have missed out on weeks of high quality educating, their dad and mom have mentioned.
The Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Training Belief (BWCET) utilized to be allowed to make use of centre assessed grades, as occurred throughout lockdown when academics graded their very own pupils.
Ofqualthe physique which regulates exams within the UK, mentioned: “Faculties and schools have contingency plans in place for exactly this cause – and the place there was disruption, they need to get in contact with their examination boards to debate any additional preparations they might want to assist minimise disruption and any affect on college students.”
The Division for Training believed {qualifications} ought to signify what college students know, somewhat than what they could have identified had circumstances been totally different.
Maria Baxter, who has a son in yr 11, mentioned: “I’m actually disillusioned, it’s going to affect massively on their finish outcomes.
“We’re going to must attempt every part doable, by writing letters to the examination boards.”
Ms Baxter mentioned even when exams weren’t being affected at the moment, pupils had been nonetheless deprived as coursework, which counts in the direction of their grades, had been disrupted.
“It’s not that they’re lazy, if it was their selection they usually didn’t care then be it on their head, however it’s nothing to do with that, it’s not their fault and that is the actually irritating factor.”
Ken Morrey, whose daughter is in yr 10, mentioned: “My response to all of that is certainly one of disgust.
“My daughter is being failed by these whose job it’s to offer her with training and honest evaluation.”
Head boy James Smith, who’s hoping to review physiotherapy at college, mentioned A-level college students had been nonetheless struggling to get entry to science labs.
He mentioned: “There was disruption from day one and there’s no agency plan on how this misplaced studying will be made up.”
Nick Hurn, CEO of the BWCET, mentioned they may now contact examination boards with their considerations for pupils and catch-up measures shall be put in place.
He mentioned: “We’re taking all steps out there to us, by the right channels, to lift our considerations. We’ll preserve dad and mom and carers knowledgeable when we’ve additional updates.
“BWCET and St Leonard’s understand how tough this case is correct now and the way involved our dad and mom and carers are concerning examinations and grading, and certainly we share the identical considerations.
“We all know there’s vital time and assets wanted to catch up for our college students each academically and socially.”
Mary Kelly Foy, Labour MP for Durham, has written to Universities UK to make the case for St Leonard’s pupils who’ve aspirations of going into larger training.
The MP wrote: “These younger individuals have to this point misplaced half a time period of face-to-face educating.
“They’ve been compelled into studying at residence, or in yr teams, with out desks, and with out entry to their earlier work as it’s locked in Raac-affected elements of the college.
“The newest info I’ve obtained is that it’s more likely to be November earlier than the entire college will be capable of return to face-to-face educating.
“The pupils of St Leonard’s college don’t should have their futures torn from beneath them as a result of Authorities’s neglect of the college property lately.”
Plans are being put in place to have the college rebuilt.