Covid study aids for GCSEs scrapped for 2023

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ofqual said that it would “continue to monitor” the impact of the pandemic and that it would evaluate the mitigations used to help pupils this year, such as formulae sheets and advance information about exam paper topics for revision, before it finalised plans for 2023. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that the announcement allowed schools to plan teaching for next year, but added that he was “concerned” about the decision to remove choices of topics and content in some GCSE subjects in 2023, which would mitigate the disruption caused by Covid to pupils’ learning. Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said that the decision to scrap mitigations for 2023 was “unsurprising” given the Government’s “overall policy of ‘living with Covid'”. He said that the fact the decision had been announced in advance of the 2022 academic year, “unlike for the past three summers”, would give teachers “some certainty”.