EXAMS for NEXT year will be disrupted by Covid-19 and could be delayed, the education regulator has admitted.
Content for some GCSE courses has been cut to give kids the best shot at keeping up with schoolwork as teachers fear further disruption to classes.
New guidance released by schools watchdog Ofqual said: “We are planning for exams and assessments to be taken next year.
“Nonetheless, we recognise there could be further disruption next year.
“We will continue to develop contingency measures, exploring different options.”
Kids studying English Literature for their GCSEs will be able to ditch one of the texts they would normally have learn and the requirement for geography students to do field work has been scrapped.
Ofqual said many of the teachers “expressed significant concern” about being able to teach students everything they needed to know and helping them “get to grips with complex literary texts remotely.”
Ofqual also confirmed there would be a choice of topics for GCSE history and ancient history.
Boris Johnson has vowed to make sure all kids are back at school by September after A-level and GCSE exams were cancelled during the lockdown.
But teachers are concerned kids will still have to contend with bouts of self-isolation or potential school closures if there are local lockdowns.
Deputy Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders Duncan Baldwin said: “Everybody can see that the situation with coronavirus remains precarious.
“It appears to be likely that students will have to intermittently self-isolate, and that schools will be required to fully or partially close in response to local infection spikes.”
But the PM’s spokesperson said today schools would be reopening for all pupils.
The spokesperson said: “You’ve heard from the Prime Minister on many occasions his absolute commitment to getting children back into school in September and that’s vital for their education and their development.
“We are planning for all pupils in all year groups to be in school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term.”
But chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty hinted there may need to be trade offs to get all kids back to school.
Professor Whitty warned the UK was “right at the edge of the limits” of reopening.
