Ofqual chief regulator Sally Collier QUITS in wake of A-Level and GCSE grades chaos - as Boris Johnson finally admits ministers 'might have done some things differently'
The chief executive of exam regulator Ofqual quit today, days after a furious row over A-Level and GCSE grades in England.
Sally Colliesfr resigned as chief regulator after four years in the role and will be replaced temporarily by her predecessor Dame Glenys Stacey.
Ms Collier, a career civil servant, had come in for criticism over the chaos that enveloped exam results for thousands of teenagers unable to sit tests because of coronavirus.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson attempted to pin blame on the regulator amid calls for his resignation after the system used to grade students was found to unfairly penalise pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In a statement this afternoon Ofqual said Ms Collier, who had not worked in education previously, 'has decided that the next stage of the awarding process would be better overseen by new leadership'.
'As a result, the Ofqual Board has asked Dame Glenys Stacey to assume a temporary leadership role as acting Chief Regulator until December 2020, having previously served as Chief Regulator between 2011 and 2016, it added.
'She will be supported by a new committee of the Ofqual board, which will include one or more of the current Ofsted board members. This new committee will be chaired by Amanda Spielman and will oversee the work of Ofqual to the end of the year.'
It came as Boris Johnson has expressed his regret over the exam results chaos in England and admitted that in hindsight the Government 'might have done some things differently'.
Sally Collier (pictured) resigned as chief regulator after four years and will be replaced temporarily by her predecessor Dame Glenys Stacey
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson (left) attempted to pin blame on the regulator amid calls for his resignation. Boris Johnson (right) has expressed his regret over the exam results chaos in England and admitted that in hindsight the Government 'might have done some things differently'
A jazz-loving ex-journalist who flunked his A-Levels and a career civil servant with no previous education experience: The people running the exam regulator Ofqual
Roger Taylor was the senior figure who first apologised for the A-Level fiasco yesterday.
But the Ofqual chairman did not mention that he too suffered underwhelming A-Level results - albeit through his own lack of hard work.
He and chief executive/chief regulator Sally Collier have been thrust into the firing line amid the fury over the exam grades handed out to students.
But neither of them can boast a long career in education.
Roger Taylor
Sally Collier
Former Financial Times journalist-turned businessman Mr Taylor has been in the post since 2016. Last year he told the Times Education Supplement that 'lack of application' among other issues saw him flunk A-Levels including Latin and Greek at the £39,000-per year private King's School in Canterbury.
But he was handed a reprieve when he was handed a place at Oxford anyway, after passing its entry exam.
After leaving the FT in 2000 he set up Dr Foster, which produced a guide to hospitals based on death rates. The Department of Health brought a £12million stake and he later sold it.
Before becoming Ofqual chairman he sat on its audit and risk assurance committee.
Last year he led a study which warned that algorithms had the potential to cause 'real harm'. The study was carried out by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI), which he ran.
Ms Collier has spent her entire career within the public sector. Before joining Ofqual in April 2016 she worked as chief executive of the Crown Commercial Service, managing director of the Government Procurement Service and director of procurement policy and capability at the Cabinet Office.
In her first speech in post she told the audience: 'I have been in office eight weeks ... and most of you in the room have probably been in this sector a lifetime or parts of lifetime ...
'Many of you will know I don't come from the education sector; I was a CEO of a large commercial buying organisation, of which there are more similarities than you might think actually.'
And the £200,000-per year executive wrote an open letter to students, parents and teachers in April, saying: 'Please be reassured that the grades you get this summer will look exactly the same as in previous years, and they will have equal status with universities, colleges and employers, to help you move forward in your lives.'
Mr Williamson announced a humiliating U-turn as the Government said grades for A-Levels and GCSEs would be based on teachers' assessments rather than a controversial 'standardisation algorithm developed by regulator Ofqual.
The algorithm resulted in almost 40 per cent of grades issued being lower than teacher predictions, prompting widespread pupil and parent anger.
Last week the Education Secretary attempted to deflect the blame for the situation onto Ofqual as he said the Government had been assured that the algorithm 'would stand scrutiny' and that the regulator 'didn't deliver'.
Meanwhile, he also appeared to hint that Ms Collier could be made to carry the can for the debacle as he failed to express confidence in her performance.
This afternoon he said: 'Following Sally Collier's decision to step down as Ofqual's chief regulator, I'd like to thank her for the commitment she has shown to the role over the last four years and wish her well for the future.
'I welcome Ofqual's announcement that Dame Glenys Stacey is to assume a temporary leadership role as acting chief regulator and also the new internal governance arrangements put in place with Ofsted support.
'This will make sure Ofqual can fully focus on the important functions it must deliver as the independent regulator for qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.
'Moving forward, my department will continue to work closely with Ofqual's leadership to deliver fair results and exams for young people.'
But Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the results U-turn was not Sally Collier's fault 'alone' and ministers also face questions over their role.
He said: 'We have worked well with her, and found her to be a highly intelligent, principled, and thoughtful person.
'This move follows the failure of the statistical model that led to this year's grading fiasco, but the fault is not hers alone.
'Ministers have questions to answer over the extent to which they scrutinised and challenged the methodology and reliability of the statistical model, particularly given the enormity of the task and the importance of getting it right.'
And Liberal Democrat Education spokeswoman Layla Moran said: 'It is incredibly disappointing that Gavin Williamson has refused to take responsibility for the combination of initial school return failure and the more recent exam fiasco and has instead allowed to let someone else take the blame.
'He has lost the trust of students, parents and teachers who he failed to consult, leaving universities and colleges in chaos.'
Ms Collier has spent her entire career within the public sector. Before joining Ofqual in April 2016 she worked as chief executive of the Crown Commercial Service, managing director of the Government Procurement Service and director of procurement policy and capability at the Cabinet Office.
In her first speech in post she told the audience: 'I have been in office eight weeks ... and most of you in the room have probably been in this sector a lifetime or parts of lifetime ...
'Many of you will know I don't come from the education sector; I was a CEO of a large commercial buying organisation, of which there are more similarities than you might think actually.'
And the £200,000-per year executive wrote an open letter to students, parents and teachers in April, saying: 'Please be reassured that the grades you get this summer will look exactly the same as in previous years, and they will have equal status with universities, colleges and employers, to help you move forward in your lives.'
The Prime Minister said today he is 'certainly not going to deny' that if the Government was to deal with a similar situation again, it may be inclined to take a different approach.
Mr Johnson added that GCSE and A-level students have been 'in many ways the remarkable generation' and that he is pleased that pupils 'now do have results they can work with'.
Mr Johnson said: 'I mean you think about the people that have done their A-levels, their GCSEs this year, they've been in many ways the remarkable generation.
'They've had to stay at home, which has been difficult, it has posed risks, as I say, to their health, to their mental health, they've done a fantastic job, they've protected the NHS, they've helped to save lives, to get us through this pandemic and I'm just pleased that they now do have results that they can work with.
'And yes, you know if we had to do it again, we might have done some things differently, I'm certainly not going to deny that.
'But they've got a series of results that they can certainly work with and use to develop their careers.'
His comments come as the Education Select Committee announced that representatives from England's examinations regulator Ofqual, whose controversial algorithm led to many students having their results downgraded earlier this month, will appear in front of MPs on September 2.On their first week back following the summer recess, MPs on the committee chaired by Tory MP Robert Halfon will have the opportunity to question members of Ofqual on the summer exam results chaos and the next steps for students.
The committee also announced that Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will appear before them on September 16.
Mr Williamson has faced calls to resign after the Government was forced to U-turn away from awarding students in England grades based on an algorithm which appeared to boost private schools' performance, and instead to award pupils their teacher assessed grades.
The Education Secretary has said he is 'incredibly sorry for the distress' caused to pupils caught up in the exam results fiasco, but has refused to comment on whether he had offered the Prime Minister his resignation.
Meanwhile, parents have been encouraged by No 10 to submit their questions to Mr Johnson ahead of their children returning back to school in England next week.
A tweet posted from the UK Prime Minister's official account said: 'Do you have questions for the Prime Minister ahead of your children going back to school? Submit yours here: gov.uk/ask.'
Mr Johnson is expected to answer a selection of chosen questions 'during an event broadcast on social media'.
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