Gavin Williamson digital roll out exams

Gavin Williamson digital roll out exams

This morning Gavin Williamson was at the education select committee.

Gavin Wiliamson goes to say that the 200000 laptops that have been ordered for schools will arrive in late May. With the majority of the laptops arriving in June.

Williamson told the committee today that the scheme was not just about helping pupils through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We do not see this rollout of digital equipment to be something that is just to deal with the challenge that we’re facing today,” he said.

“We see this as part of addressing the longer term problem in terms of helping children get what they need in terms of their learning as rapidly as possible over the summer period and going into the next academic year as well.”

We hope here at the Exam Blog that the school term can be rolled into the summer. We have discussed the mistake of cancelling exams here in another blog post. Surely making the summer term into Aug. to allow pupils to catch up. We are all very aware that Digital learning is not fit for everyone. Especially for dyslexic and the neurological diversity of the classroom.

The advantage of the 200 000 laptops to children is it will bring confidence of the exam boards and Ofqual to radically over haul exams. Bringing GCSE and A level exams closer to the pupil through digital exams. If latops bring learning closer to the pupil at home then surely exams should be given the same treatment.

A range of other issues were discussed including the phased opening of schools when the science allows. There was an interesting point on the Edenred free school meals vouchers that were not being accepted in all the supermarkets. The coop for example as it is a co operative there is a multi level of companies and they were working for full courage for free school meals.