Pupils hit by strikes 'should get exam allowances'

Pupils sitting exams at a school that has been hit by teacher strikes should get special dispensation, an MP has argued.

Cameron Thomas, the MP for Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, said the government should step in to help Year 13 and Year 11 pupils taking A-level and GCSE exams at Tewkesbury Academy.

He said they have lost many hours of face-to-face learning following rolling strikes since February over what staff describe as "abusive and disruptive" pupil behaviour.

"I am very much aware of the strain this has caused, [the pupils] are completely innocent in this dispute and I want to do everything I can to make sure they are not affected," the Liberal Democrat said.

Thomas this week met Georgia Gould MP, the Minister for School Standards, to highlight the impact the strikes have had on pupils and to ask for allowances when grading this summer's papers.

"I know for certain that many of them are anxious," he said.

"I know that in some cases there has been tears, I know there's certainly been a lot of stress."

He said while the minister could not guarantee dispensation would be granted, she promised to raise the issue with the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).

A spokesperson for Tewkesbury Academy said it had also asked the JCQ to take the impact of the strike action in to consideration this year, and said "discussions are ongoing".

"We recognise that some students faced disruption to their learning due to industrial action in the spring," they added.

The JCQ said decisions on grading was down to individual exam boards.

Two exam boards used at the school have told the BBC they cannot comment on individual cases, but confirmed they review all requests.

A spokesperson for exam board Eduqas said: "It is important to note that, under JCQ regulations, special consideration cannot be awarded to compensate for a loss of teaching and learning time."

Two other exam boards used by the school did not respond to requests for comment.

Industrial action was paused at the school for six weeks at the start of May, but a formal resolution is yet to be reached.

Wendy Exton, a local representative for NASUWT, The Teachers' Union, said staff at the school were left with "no other option" but to strike to "press for a safe working and learning environment for both staff and pupils".

"Teachers at Tewkesbury Academy made every effort to minimise disruption to pupils, particularly those due to sit exams, during periods of strike action," she added.

A spokesperson for the National Education Union said it was "engaging positively" with the school to find a "mutually beneficial and lasting resolution to the dispute".

The BBC has contacted the Department for Education for comment.

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