After a year of cancelled exams and disrupted learning due to the pandemic, A-level students across the UK woke up this morning to recieve their teacher-awarded results.
However, a charity has raised concerns that the pandemic has widened the gap between independent and state schools after it was revealed that just over 70 per cent of all A-level entries from private schools in England were awarded an A grade or higher this year, compared with 44 per cent in 2019.
Some 39.3 per cent of students at comprehensive schools achieved A or A* grades this year, a 6.2 percentage point rise.
The Sutton Trust’s founder and chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: “The pandemic has compounded existing inequalities and today’s results are a reflection of that.”
It comes as Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has backtracked on his threat to force universities to refund tuition fees if they fail do not restore face-to-face teaching.
