#Covid19EducationDebate – MPs to debate petitions relating to the impact of Covid-19 on education

On Monday 15 March, MPs will debate e-petitions, relating to the impact of Covid-19 on education. Tom Hunt (@TomHunt1988), member of the Petitions Committee, will open the debate. The Government will send a Minister to respond.

Cancel GCSE and A-levels in 2021 replace with Course Work and Teacher Assessment

The petition, which has more than 157,000 signatures, states: “Cancel all standardise testing for year 11 and year 12 students in 2021. By replacing tests with smaller amounts of course work and teacher assessment, students would have a fair chance at achieving their target grades and it would relieve stress for teachers and students.”

In response to the petition, the Government said: “Students will not be asked to sit GCSE, AS and A level exams this summer as planned in light of the ongoing impact of the covid-19 pandemic.”

Allow teacher predicted grades for BTEC students

The petition, which has more than 145,000 signatures, states: “The government should allow BTEC students to achieve teacher predicted grades rather than being forced into a system that is unethically downgrading thousands of students grades.”

In response to the petition, the Government said: “Exams for vocational and technical qualifications are only continuing currently where they signal occupational competency. We will announce arrangements for summer term exams by end of February.”

Keep schools closed until May

The petition, which has more than 148,000 signatures, states: “Please don’t send students back until we know we have had the priority groups vaccinated such as the elderly, the extremely clinically vulnerable, and those with underlying health conditions.”

The petition is currently awaiting a Government response.

Close schools in Tier 4 areas

The petition, which has more than 145,000 signatures, states: “Schools can be a breeding ground for the spread of coronavirus. Children are mingling at schools and returning to families who are potentially vulnerable, keeping rates high.

“It’s only been since schools opened that infection rates have been high in Kent, and keeping them open may keep it high.”

In response to the petition, the Government said: “The Government has asked schools and Further Education colleges to restrict attendance from 5 January 2020 for most pupils and students. Early years settings will remain open to all.”

The debate will last 90 minutes, and will provide opportunities for MPs to question Government Ministers directly on these issues. The debate will take place in Westminster Hall from 18:15, and will be available to view on Parliament TV and on YouTube.

Petition details

• ‘Cancel GCSE and A-levels in 2021 replace with Course Work and Teacher Assessment’ – view on petition signature map.
• ‘Allow teacher predicted grades for BTEC students’ – view on petition signature map.
• ‘Keep schools closed until May’ – view on petition signature map.
• ‘Close schools in Tier 4 areas’ – view on petition signature map.
• Any Library Briefing Papers for this debate will be available here.

Follow the debate:

• Watch the debate live online: https://parliamentlive.tv/Commons or https://youtu.be/_Iz2Jk-KPHE
• Read the debate transcript: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-03-15    
• Follow the Committee on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hocpetitions
• You can also follow the debate with the hashtag: #Covid19EducationDebate

Where in the country were these petitions signed?

The top 10 parliamentary constituencies that supported the petition ‘Cancel GCSE and A-levels in 2021 replace with Course Work and Teacher Assessment’ are as follows (as at 10 February 2021):

Constituency

MP

Signature Count

Foyle	Colum Eastwood MP	1042
Taunton Deane	Rebecca Pow MP	857
West Tyrone	Órfhlaith Begley MP	729
Hemel Hempstead	Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP	719
Belfast North	John Finucane MP	631
Mid Ulster	Francie Molloy MP	582
Somerton and Frome	David Warburton MP	567
Yeovil	Mr Marcus Fysh MP	567
Thurrock	Jackie Doyle-Price MP	534
North Down	Stephen Farry MP	534

The top 10 parliamentary constituencies that supported the petition Allow teacher predicted grades for BTEC students’ are as follows (as at 10 February 2021):

Constituency

MP

Signature Count

Thurrock	Jackie Doyle-Price MP	775
Great Yarmouth	Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP	762
Bethnal Green and Bow	Rushanara Ali MP	732
Poplar and Limehouse	Apsana Begum MP	728
South Basildon and East Thurrock	Stephen Metcalfe MP	683
Birmingham, Hodge Hill	Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP	675
Castle Point	Rebecca Harris MP	593
Leicester East	Claudia Webbe MP	569
Bradford West	Naz Shah MP	557
Birmingham, Ladywood	Shabana Mahmood MP	555

The top 10 parliamentary constituencies that supported the petition ‘Keep schools closed until May’ are as follows (as at 10 February 2021):

Constituency

MP

Signature Count

East Ham	Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP	983
Ilford South	Sam Tarry MP	934
Poplar and Limehouse	Apsana Begum MP	808
Blackburn	Kate Hollern MP	800
Birmingham, Hodge Hill	Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP	793
Bethnal Green and Bow	Rushanara Ali MP	762
West Ham	Ms Lyn Brown MP	762
Birmingham, Hall Green	Tahir Ali MP	761
Slough	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP	752
Ealing North	James Murray MP	700

The top 10 parliamentary constituencies that supported the petition ‘Close schools in Tier 4 areas’ are as follows (as at 10 February 2021):

Constituency

MP

Signature Count

Sittingbourne and Sheppey	Gordon Henderson MP	1729
Gillingham and Rainham	Rehman Chishti MP	1632
Poplar and Limehouse	Apsana Begum MP	1595
Rochester and Strood	Kelly Tolhurst MP	1578
Ilford South	Sam Tarry MP	1548
North Thanet	Rt Hon Sir Roger Gale MP	1519
Dover	Mrs Natalie Elphicke MP	1515
Slough	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP	1481
Barking	Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP	1449
Bethnal Green and Bow	Rushanara Ali MP	1426