Andy Burnham has officially confirmed his intentions to write to England’s exams regulator Ofqual to initiate legal action over the “deeply flawed” system for A-Level results in Greater Manchester.
He confirmed his intent to do so on social media this morning.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester said last week that he had met with college leaders from across Greater Manchester on A-Level results day on Thursday and had hearda “consistent account of colleges not receiving the grades that they had submitted for their students and experiencing a significant downgrading of marks compared to previous years”.
He then publicly expressed that this “cannot go unchallenged”.
I have today discussed the A Level situation with colleges in GM.
I am in no doubt: 1000s of our young people have been victims of an unfair & discriminatory system.
His challenging follows the widespread criticism after it was confirmed that 280,000 A-Level results in England – almost 40% of the total – were downgraded from teacher assessments and 42% of A-Level results in Wales predicted by teachers were lowered by the exam watchdog on Thursday.
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The system used to award results took into account institutions’ historic performances.
Separate Ofqual data also went on to reveal that private schools increased the proportion of students being awarded top grades (A*/A) by more than double that of comprehensive schools and sixth form colleges.
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In a statement addressing the system yesterday, a Department for Eduction spokesperson said: “Hundreds of thousands of students have received a calculated grade that will enable them to progress to the next stage of their education or into work. We have been clear that we want to build as much fairness into the appeals as possible to help young people in the most difficult cases and have been working with Ofqual to achieve that.
“Ofqual continues to consider how best to deliver the appeals process to give schools and pupils the clarity they need.”
Responding to the statement via Twitter today, Mr Burnham said: “So it looks like the government ARE digging in and standing by their deeply flawed system. In that case, I will be taking legal advice this morning and have instructed leading Counsel.
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“I expect to be writing to Ofqual later today to initiate action.”
So it looks like the Government ARE digging in and standing by their deeply flawed system.
In that case, I will be taking legal advice this morning and have instructed leading Counsel. I expect to be writing to @ofqual later today to initiate action. https://t.co/PJp3PW9Hyi
The confirmation of Mr Burnham’s intent to take legal action comes after his official statement and his live appearance discussing matters on BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning.
He declared the situation as “the single biggest act of levelling down that this country has ever seen”.
“Given that a higher proportion of students from Greater Manchester attend such institutions than in other parts of the country, I am concerned that the marking system has been unfairly discriminatory against young people here, in part due to the institutions they attend,” he added.
“This seems to be backed up by the official Ofqual figures that indicate that the North West has been the region most affected, reflecting the higher number of large educational institutions in our area.”
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“As mayor, I cannot hear stories of young people in Greater Manchester having their futures so unfairly damaged without taking a stand on their behalf.”
Yes, I am furious and I don’t mind admitting it. I cannot bear to see young people from working class backgrounds shafted on an industrial scale by an elitist education system more concerned with grade inflation than fairness and social mobility. #LevellingDownhttps://t.co/XoXAKCqKSm
Mr Burnham said he will look to challenge the algorithm used by the government in the courts for a potential breach of the Equality Act 2010.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt, he said: “One of our most successful inner-city sixth form colleges had 1,654 results downgraded and then we hear some private schools have had no downgrades at all.
“The system is straightforwardly discriminatory against larger institutions, against students who go to those sixth form colleges, or FE colleges. The weighting has been applied against those institutions and not against some of the smaller institutions. For that reason I just think this cannot go unchallenged and I am considering taking legal action and looking at all options as to how we might do that.
“It just can’t be allowed to stand.
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“The government’s remedy of saying the appeals can be free [but] I am afraid that doesn’t help young people who have lost their university place.
“This is not just a few young people, this is thousands of young people in Greater Manchester.
“Here, we have a tradition of young people going to sixth form colleges. We have more sixth form colleges than other parts of the country so this has hit us very, very hard indeed and I cannot stand by and see thousands of lives ruined across Greater Manchester.”
Ofqual has stated that there was no evidence “bias” had been introduced into the moderation system set up following the cancellation of exams due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
On Sunday, hundreds of students held a demonstration in central London to protest against grades they believe were unfairly awarded.
Similar demonstrations are expected to take place in Manchester city centre this weekend.
News
The Greater Manchester high street that now has THREE great wine bars in a 200m stretch
Daisy Jackson
A popular suburb of Greater Manchester seems to be having a bit of a wine bar moment – and for once, we’re not talking about Stockport.
Prestwich has a buzzing little food and drink scene, and just this week has welcomed a brand-new wine bar.
That brings the total number of wine bars in the village to three – and they’re all in just a 200m stretch of the high street.
The latest addition is Cellar Door, headed up by siblings Ben and Sarah and sitting side-by-side with acclaimed neighbourhood restaurant The Pearl.
Cellar Door joins long-standing favourite Whole Bunch Wines (formerly known as Grape to Grain) and the new-ish Chin Chin, which comes from the same team behind Elnecot in Ancoats.
And beyond that, The Pearl has a ‘wine window’ where they’ll pass your drink out to you to drink on their pavement bistro tables.
If you much prefer a decent glass of wine instead of a pint, Prestwich is becoming the new hotspot for a bar crawl.
Read on for more on each of these brilliant independent businesses.
Cellar Door
Cellar Door is the newest wine bar to open in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group
The newest wine bar on the Prestwich high street is Cellar Door, opened just this month by brother and sister Ben and Sarah.
It’s their first project together and is stocked with more than 200 different wines, plus plenty of beers (including some local names), selected batched cocktails served ice-cold, and a menu of nibbles too.
Spanning two floors, there’s a sunny balcony upstairs for sunnier days, but in the meantime, get cosy in a booth with a glass of something from their VAST vino collection.
Whole Bunch Wines (formerly Grape to Grain) wine shop in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc GroupWhole Bunch Wines (formerly Grape to Grain) wine shop in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group
An ‘off licence with a difference’, Whole Bunch Wines (which used to be known as Grape to Grain) is Prestwich’s original spot for a wine.
Almost a decade old now, Whole Bunch Wines has a proper enomatic wine machine which means you can have a glass of their chosen bottles each week (without committing to a full bottle – though no judgement if you do want to do that too).
They also have a counter stuffed with cheese, meat and fresh bread so you can customise yourself a deli board.
There’s not much better than grabbing a bottle to take away from Whole Bunch, then changing your mind and cracking it open sat on one of the barrel tables outside instead.
Last but definitely not least on this mini wine crawl around Prestwich is Chin Chin.
This lovely spot comes from the team behind Elnecot, who initially opened it as Dokes Pizzeria (but then Rudy’s opened up opposite and honestly, who can be arsed) before pivoting it to be a wine bar.
There’s jazz vinyls playing, an enormous selection of rotating wines, a smart interior of tiled tabletops and moody red paint, and – a weekly highlight for locals – Sunday Sessions with roast dinner-inspired sandwiches and £4 pints.
Manchester City hit with backlash from season ticket holders after ‘divisive’ North Stand update
Danny Jones
Manchester City have shared a new update on the impending North Stand expansion and concourse upgrade, but the most recent reveal has been met with plenty of backlash from supporters set to suffer the consequences.
The Etihad is currently undergoing a major transformation that will see numerous new facilities added to the wider campus experience – most notably the increased capacity of the North Stand, which will make room for a further 7,000 or so fans.
Back in March, the club revealed the official brand partners for their upcoming on-site hotel, which will also accompany a new sky bar and rooftop stadium walk experience as part of the wider plans, but while adding more seats and things for matchgoers to do sounds good on paper, it’s come at a cost for many.
Reacting to the news of social media, many regular fans are now set to be forced out of their seats to make way for more hospitality sections at the end of the stadium, meaning the post has proved ‘divisive’ to say the least.
Are you joking? I’ve sat in the same seat for almost 20 years and this is how I find out I’m ‘relocating’. It’s an absolute disgrace the way you’re treating loyal fans in favour of tourists. I was there when we were shit, do you think they will be here if we go to shit again?
As you can see, both Blues, neutrals, and even rivals alike are expressing their shock and disappointment in not only the decision but the manner in which the announcement was made.
One person said on X: “You turfed me and hundreds of others out of our seats four seasons ago when you dug them up for digital signage. We were all split up and had to scrape around for new seats. Had enough of all the new rules and digital tickets/transfers. I sit on my sofa now and save £3k.
Reply in the comments underneath the response, a Manchester United fan added: “I don’t like City, but this is something I can stand with [fans] on.”
Even well-known online commentators like ‘HLTCO’ (Hopkin Looking To Curl One), a.k.a. Dan Cook – a notable Crystal Palace die-hard – shared his two cents online.
“Man City season ticket holders are being told that they’re being permanently moved from the seats they’ve had for years to accommodate a new corporate seating area”, he wrote, adding: “This is the sort of thing that fans everywhere have to push back against; these clubs see us as a nuisance.”
In terms of what the stadium overhaul looks like, the latest CGIs show the first proper glimpse of the new ‘Cross Bar’ that will “offer a relaxed, social atmosphere” for around 300 fans, as well as the new ‘City Hall’ concourse area, which will cater to around 500 punters both on game-days and beyond.
As detailed in the full statement on the club website, they have insisted that they will be supporting those “may need to move seats ahead of the commencement of the 2026/27”, clarifying that no one will need to be relocated to accommodate the Cross Bar, specifically.
They go on to add: “We understand that relocating seats may be unsettling, and we are here to support these fans”. They have promised things like a “priority relocation window” and, most crucially, a guarantee that they won’t have to pay more to sit in what is typically a more expensive stadium block.
However, while they have also assured that people will be able to move groups of seats so as to stay around their friends, as explained by a user above, this is easier said than done and ticket uncertainty remains a big concern among the fan base.
What do you make of the latest Etihad Stadium news, City fans?
The Manc -
17th August 2020 
