Biggest drop in top A-level results as Tories accused of ‘exacerbating’ class divide

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. School leaders and experts blamed ministers for the “huge disruption” suffered by pupils in England after top A-level grades were subject to the biggest drop on record as a result of post-Covid grade deflation. Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said that suggesting the results were irrelevant was “plain wrong” and “downright rude”, adding: “She’s talking down England’s young people, and she needs to apologise.” The proportion of A and A* grades stood at 27.2 per cent – down from a peak of 44.8 per cent during the Covid crisis. The grade deflation is exacerbating the socio-economic divide.” Archie Stimpson, Henry Copplestone and Tom Benton react after receiving their A-level results at Langley School in Loddon, Norfolk Prof Richardson and other social mobility experts pointed to figures showing that the attainment gap for top A-level grades between comprehensive schools and fee-paying independents continues to be larger than it was before the pandemic, though it has narrowed slightly this year. Unless the government commits to a long-term Covid recovery programme, sadly we will see education inequalities get ever wider.” Education secretary Gillian Keegan said no one will care about ‘your A-level grades in 10 years’ time’ Education leaders mourned the government’s plan to cut the level of catch-up funding – aimed at helping disadvantaged pupils after Covid – from 60 per cent to 25 per cent from September.