NAHT Cymru comments on Wales A Level results 2019

As young people find out their A Level results in Wales today, Rob Williams, director of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, comments:

“Every student receiving their A level and AS results today deserves congratulations, as do those who received their vocational results yesterday. Their effort and commitment, and the support of their families and school should be recognised.

“The challenges facing the current crop of students cannot be ignored. Schools are under increasing pressure to deliver high standards at a time of funding crisis, whilst also managing radical and far reaching changes to the curriculum and the additional learning needs system in Wales.

“The fall in the student cohort this year, as well as the perceived status of certain subjects, appears to have significantly altered entry patterns to subject areas. The increasing pressure on certain subjects, such as drama, the art and RE, remain a concern.

“The new curriculum rightly espouses a broad and balanced learning experience, and yet schools need the tools to deliver breadth, and students require the opportunity to study the subjects that are right for them and right for their future choices. It will be so important that the future roll out of the new curriculum knits seamlessly into the qualifications system in order to provide our young people with the best opportunities for success beyond school.

“Once again, comparisons between 2019 results and previous years require great caution. With so many variables altering, including the entry patterns, simplistic comparisons simply do not tell the full story. Also, although it might be tempting this year for Wales, the radical changes taking place in England render any useful comparison almost impossible.

“Looking forward, it does appear that lessons from previous qualification reform issues are beginning to be heeded in Wales. School leaders, teachers, students and their families will rightly expect any subsequent qualification reforms to be pragmatic, well-planned and to enable schools to prepare well in advance of new courses beginning.

“Wales provisional 2019 A Level results are encouraging. A* grades reached 9.1%, which is the best figure since 2010 when the grade was first introduced. In all other grade ranges (A* to A and A* to E) results show stability. Entry patterns have fallen once again in 2019 reflecting the lower 18-year-old cohort.

“AS entries fell once again in 2019, simply a reflection of the 17-year-old cohort. The pattern of results at A Grade, and those achieving A-E Grades remained stable.

“On a subject by subject basis in both qualifications, entries also vary, however, the actual entry numbers often remain relatively small, which means that low number changes may misleadingly show a significant percentage change.

“The results above show what can be achieved with students, families and schools working together. NAHT Cymru continue to strongly urge the UK Government and the Welsh Government to prioritise investment in our children and young people, as they will be the foundations upon which a flourishing Wales and wider UK will be built.”