Students' journey has only begun

Being a student in these unprecedented times was always going to be difficult, but the shambolic handling of A-level results by the UK Government and the regulator Ofqual has only served to amplify that.

Rarely has an algorithm received so much coverage, but the attempts to apply a measure to guard against grade inflation shows how unjust a blunt formula can be.

Monday’s U-turn to accept teacher assessed grades if they are higher will come as a relief to the quarter of students at the Sixth Form Centre and 5% at the College of Further Education who had their grades cut, but it is not the end of the journey.

Some students will be left re-chasing a place at their first choice university, and there have already been warnings that not all of them will be successful.

Guernsey is reliant on the UK for exam results, but Education, Sport & Culture had moved before the U-turn to tell GCSE students that they would get a place locally based on teacher assessments whatever came out. The committee was controlling what it could, but 2020 students still face the prospect of employers casting a quizzical eye over the results on their CVs.

All this added anxiety and stress comes before local students even set foot on a plane or boat to get to their university.

The island’s position on lockdown and travel quarantine has added another layer of complexity to what is already a time of uncertainty, students are leaving not really knowing how or when they will be able to come back, or where they will be able to travel from.

They may also face localised lockdowns while away, and a very different experience to home.

University life is about education, it is also about growing as a person and becoming a more rounded individual.

The challenges faced by this cohort need to be recognised, the hope will be that everyone is learning to become more resilient as a result, the fear will be the whole saga becomes damaging.