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The Student Room finds 83.7% of students awaiting their GCSE results have lost all trust in the system

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@thestudentroom – Following the latest announcement made by Gavin Williamson yesterday reporting that A-levels and GCSEs in England will be awarded based on the centre assessment grades from teachers, The Student Room surveyed close to 400 Year 11 students and found that only 16.3% had any trust left in the key decision makers  – just 48 hours ahead of them receiving their grades.  

Mhairi Underwood, Head of Community at The Student Room commented 

We saw an overwhelming number of students coming to The Student Room for essential guidance and support, having struggled to find information and answers anywhere else. Year 13s flooded into our forums yesterday. For many, they face having to change their plans again, but no one at their schools or prospective universities has any detail on the specifics now the goal posts have moved once again. GCSE students have told us loud and clear that they have lost trust in key decision-makers. For many, this U-turn is not an easy fix, but the latest in a series of unsettling and confusing changes.”  

The survey also found that 44% felt their school or college was not helping them during this time and a worrying 72% said that their mental health had been impacted by the uncertainty and confusion.  

Yesterday, in an open letter published on behalf of students, TSR called for   

  • Urgent clarity regarding grading in 2020 for all students
  • Urgent clarity for students with or without Uni places in 2020
  • Urgent clarifications regarding ramifications for Year 12s and Year 10s
  • Urgent dedicated support for the mental health and wellbeing of students who have been negatively impacted by the grading scandal in 2020  

Read it in full here 


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