A-level crisis: Brighton University boss warns of 'chaos'

University of Brighton vice-chancellor Professor Debra Humphris told The Argus higher education bosses were given just a few hours’ notice on Monday before Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced students will be given grades estimated by their teachers rather than an algorithm.

She said an increasing number of students are confused or unsure of what their position is after the U-turn.

This includes many of those in the national “clearing” programme for students searching for other courses because they were not awarded the grades necessary for their preferred course.

Last week many lost out on their chosen courses because their teacher-predicated A-level grades were downgraded by a controversial Government algorithm on results day.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced the u-turn on Monday afternoon

But with some students’ grades set to be increased as a result of the Government U-turn, Prof Humphris worried some will not be able to get a place on their chosen course despite attaining the necessary grades.

“Some of our professionally regulated courses like medicine are already full because they have national number limits on places,” she told The Argus.

“Some others may require students to be able to access labs or studio spaces where capacity is already limited and has had to be reduced further due to Covid-19.

“What we are seeing this year is an increasing number of students who are confused or unsure what their position is, with many worried about missing out on places because courses are full.

“The higher education sector as a whole had only a few hours’ warning in advance of the announcement and there was no meaningful consultation.

Prof Humphris feared students would face more stress thanks to the u-turn

“Our biggest concern in all of this is the impact on A-level students who have already had to contend with major disruption to their education.”

“It’s now a different level of chaos,” Prof Humphris told Sky News.

The vice-chancellor told The Argus the university would do everything it could to accommodate students with upgraded results, with spaces left on a number of courses.

She urged students worried about their position to contact the university’s clearing helpline.

But Prof Humphris also worried the late change could disrupt months of planning on how to tackle the potential spread of coronavirus on campus.

Shortly after the A-level announcement, the Government also lifted a cap on the number of places universities can offer to students.

“Ensuring that our campuses are Covid-secure is a major priority,” Prof Humphris said.

Prof Humphris said the Government's lifting of a cap on admissions would cause disruption to universities

“The very late nature of the changes has caused major uncertainty at a time when we already had our hands full with the very complex task of adapting our teaching and making our campuses and accommodation safe.

“Like all other universities we have been planning for months based on projected student numbers in line with the temporary cap that was only introduced by the Government earlier in the summer.

“The sudden removal of the cap doesn’t create extra capacity but may lead to students switching universities adding further to volatility across the sector.”

Meanwhile the University of Sussex said it will honour all offers made to students if their new grades meet the threshold for the university’s clearing programme.

“To be clear, we will be honouring all commitments we have made to date and will not be withdrawing any offers,” a spokesman said.

The University of Sussex promised to honour its offers if students meet requirements for its clearing programme

“As soon as we receive official confirmation of your centre assessed grades [estimated by teachers] we will be in touch.

“We’re working hard to support all students during this difficult and confusing time.”

But for some students the Government U-turn has come too late.

Mike Wilcox, 70, said his daughter, who attended Bhasvic in Hove, will still lose out on her first choice of Loughborough University despite the change.

“She lost her first choice due to the lower grades issued and now there are no courses there left through clearing. The Government has left it too late,” Mr Wilcox said.

The news came as Education Secretary Mr Williamson apologised to young people for the distress caused by downgrading their results.

“The right thing to do was when it was clear that the system wasn’t delivering what we believed... then further action had to be taken,” he told Sky News.