I’m driving to my meeting, nodding along to the soothing voices on the Radio 4 Today programme. As long as Michael Gove isn’t dripping on me through the speakers, I find it a reassuring way to start the day. I hear the following:
“Students are to be given prior notice of some topics for some exams next year. Exams will be delayed to allow for more teaching time. Some exam aids will be allowed — vocabulary lists for modern language exams for example.”
Nod, nod, nod
“These measures were designed to level the playing field for pupils whose study has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.”
My ears apply the handbrake to my brain. My nodding screeches to an emergency stop.
Wait — say that again.
I don’t (yet) have a direct line to the Today programme, or any power to make the voices repeat themselves. They do not say it again. But I google it later and yes, this appears to be a ‘levelling up’ policy. Boris is playing Pokemon Go with the phrase this year, wandering around with a metaphorical spirit level looking for things he can pocket and label as ‘levelling up’. I suspect he wants a sticker and a lolly too.
Levelling up is a great idea — I understand this to mean enabling fairer participation, reducing inequalities, it might look like providing laptops to students who don’t have them so they can learn from home for example. That was a great and joyful headline earlier this year wasn’t it? (Hint: No it wasn’t)
That didn’t level up and neither will this.
How is it levelling up if everyone gets the same help?
Reaching just a few times into this unlucky dip, I pull out such prizes as kids being too hungry, cold or tired to study. Kids with special educational needs who are unable to study without specialised support. Kids who are carers. Kids with no space or peace to study.
Wouldn’t levelling up look more like giving these families, these students more help? Wouldn’t tackling structural inequality wherever it exists be a great way to score some bonus levelling up points?
And yes, there is a £1 billion ‘catch up’ fund that has been given to headteachers to support students that need it but private evictions started again in August, what’s the betting that’s a Venn diagram in the making with some of the same students in the middle? And let’s not dwell on why education investment is valued at less than 1/16th of recent military spends.
We live in a country where the government were reluctant to feed hungry children, so let’s not be distracted by this shiny news tinsel.
The exam proposal ensures the perpetuation of relative privilege and position as the trenches on this year’s far from level playing fields get deeper.
