Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what steps he is taking to ensure home-schooled pupils can obtain Key Stage 4 qualifications.

As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced to the House on 18 March, the Government has taken the difficult decision to cancel all examinations due to take place in schools and colleges in England this summer, as part of the fight to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Department’s priority is to ensure that students can move on as planned to the next stage of their lives, including starting university, college or sixth form courses, an apprenticeship or a job. For students at Key Stage 4 taking GCSEs and technical awards, we will ensure they are awarded a grade which reflects their work. Our intention is that a grade will be awarded this summer based on the best available evidence, including any non-examination assessment that students have completed. This will apply to home-schooled pupils and to other private candidates where the head of the examination centre is confident that they and their staff have seen sufficient evidence of students’ achievements to make objective judgements. If they wish to do so, home-schooled students and others will have the option to sit an examination as soon as is reasonably possible after the beginning of the academic year.

Ofqual is urgently exploring whether there are alternative options for those students who do not have an existing relationship with an examination centre and who need results this summer for progression purposes. Ofqual published a consultation on the treatment of private candidates and other issues on 15 April.