A-levels are only a fiasco. The coming cancer crisis might be a catastrophe
(Photo by Ray Tang/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Older people who read, watch or listen to the news a little too much sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that they live in the worst of all possible worlds. Or, if they are politically-minded, that they live under the worst of all possible governments. It is easier to think so in Britain, because we have by far the most self-critical culture in Europe, if not the world. The media love nothing better than to savage politicians and to suggest that public policy is merely one fiasco after another. The truth is rather more nuanced. In reality, Britain is not one of the worst places to live on the planet, but one of the best. A good example of the catastrophising that has become normal is the present shambles over A-levels.
This is one of the few blunders for which ministers are being hauled over the coals that is a genuine example of incompetence. Gavin Williamson has indeed mishandled the marking of A-levels, just as he has bungled his department’s response to Covid-19 in general. The education of our children and grandchildren has suffered as a result. Williamson should go, and the sooner, the better.
But let us not forget that teaching unions and education bureaucrats — also known as “the Blob” — have also played their part in the unfolding confusion. If teachers had been more co-operative, it should have been possible to let pupils actually sit socially-distanced exams, as they have done in Germany. The reason there is so much frustration about the current A-level results is that they are based on teachers’ assessments, “modified” by algorithms under the auspices of Ofqual. Some teachers have been over-optimistic about their pupils’ achievements. Unchecked, this well-known phenomenon would lead to grade inflation — which implies a devaluation of the qualification. The Blob has never admitted the damage done by such inflation, which is why it fought tooth and nail against the reforms introduced by Michael Gove as Education Secretary in 2010-14. Gove’s special adviser for much of that period was a certain Dominic Cummings.
When Alastair Campbell castigates Gavin Williamson, as he did in a piece for TheArticle last weekend , it is hard not to agree with him. Indeed, some of his criticisms echo those made in this column over several months. But when he contrasts the incompetence of Williamson with the “passion” and “vision” of David Blunkett, who did his job during the Blair government’s first term, those who had children at school at the time may beg to differ. These days, Lord Blunkett has a reputation for robust common sense. At that time, he was largely a tool of the Blob. He abolished grant-maintained schools, the forerunners of today’s academies, and brought them back under the control of local authorities, to the detriment of their pupils. And he sacked Chris Woodhead, the courageous Chief Inspector who was the only person to defy the Blob and speak up on behalf of families. Many parents never forgave Blunkett for these and other mistakes, even though Tony Blair later reversed some of them.
These battles of a generation ago are worth mentioning now if only because they help to keep the gravity of the present imbroglio in proportion. This has not been a good year to sit one’s A-levels, but the vast majority of students will still end up in good universities and go on to fulfill their dreams. Those who claim that pupils from state schools have been unfairly treated forget that this year, a record number of these students have gone to universities that were their first choice. It also looks likely to be a bumper year for them getting into Oxbridge, if colleges continue to make their admissions policies fairer to those from less privileged backgrounds. We should never forget that A-levels are only a rough guide to the abilities of those who take them.
As for Alastair’s more general critique of the Tory Government: well, he would say that, wouldn’t he? He quotes a French journalist claiming that if Boris Johnson were running France, there would be daily demonstrations and a general strike. Would that really make things better for ordinary people? He denounces ministers for “the imposition of quarantine on people returning from countries which have made a far better job of dealing with Covid than we have”. That may or may not be the case, but at the moment France and Spain have much higher rates of infection than the UK. Indeed, apart from a few regional hotspots, Britain just now has one of the lowest levels of coronavirus in Europe.
Mistakes in responding to the pandemic have undoubtedly been made — as the Prime Minister has admitted — but at least reforms are now under way. The replacement of Public Health England and Track and Trace by a new body modelled on Germany’s Robert Koch Institute, the National Institute for Health Protection, hold out the promise that lessons have been learned. The same thing happened after the public health disaster that befell the Blair government, the BSE (or “mad cow disease”) epidemic that devasted livestock and spread to the human population as a new strain of CJD.
A less contentious but more serious indictment of the British Covid-19 response has been made by Dr Karol Sikora, the eminent oncologist and former director of the WHO’s cancer programme. He has been notably lenient in his criticisms of the official handling of an unknown pandemic, but he rightly points to the “unfolding disaster” that is likely to result from the fall by some 250,000 in cancer referrals made during the crisis. “I’ve never been more worried about cancer care than I am now,” he tweeted. Those of us who know Dr Sikora will testify to the fact that he is not — unlike some journalists — given to exaggeration. The NHS did take its eye off the ball, not only for cancer but also other life-threatening conditions, during the crisis. That wasn’t entirely the fault of ministers, but they must take responsibility for failure as well as success. “The whole country ground to a halt for coronavirus,” says Karol Sikora. “So why is there not more outrage for cancer patients?” It’s a good question. For the sake of patients, let’s hope Matt Hancock has an equally good answer.
