Students need “clarity and consistency”, says Leicester Vice-Chancellor

The University of Leicester has today responded to the Government’s decision to base students’ A level and GCSE results on their teachers’ assessments.

Speaking after the announcement, the University of Leicester’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Nishan Canagarajah said:

“Universities have a duty of care to those young people who want to move on with their lives and fulfil their potential.

“It is fair to say that students have endured the worst pandemic in history and now their fortunes have been damaged through no fault of their own.

“They need clarity and consistency fast, which is why we have been open and supportive from the beginning. We were the first university to make the decision to accept our future students based on their mock exam or published results – whichever is higher – seeing them as individuals, not numbers. In line with current guidance, we are now accepting Centre Assessment Grades, known as teacher assessments.

“We were not afraid to do the right thing by our students and our position has remained clear since the rule change on Wednesday – it is incumbent on all who work with young people to ensure our decisions are fair, transparent and timely.”

“It’s now five days since results day but our Clearing lines will remain open to support students. We will try, wherever possible, to find students a place on our courses for this academic year.”