Listening to students and teachers is the best way to understand the A-level results chaos

The crisis will inevitably escalate in a few days’ time when GCSE results arrive, writes Kuba Shand-Baptiste

Students protest outside the Department for Education in London on Friday (AFP/Getty)

We all know the routine when A-level results day rolls around: tell the kids that exams don’t actually matter, reel off personal anecdotes about the education system of yesteryear, argue with each other over how we show our support, or lack thereof.

You would have assumed a pandemic would quell the unhelpful tradition, not least because it’s painfully clear that those of us who didn’t study for A-levels, GCSEs or teach this year have no discernable idea what navigating the education system is really like right now. Still, the “I got 10 Ds and now I own five houses” crew is just as loud as it’s ever been. Jeremy Clarkson’s annual obnoxious tweet arrived right on time, and so did the inevitable backlash.

One thing that has remained, however, is the genuine concern so many seem to be feeling towards anyone who’s had the misfortune of having to put up with the government, Gavin Williamson’s leadership and this shambolic, reactive education system; those with kids or younger siblings; people who are due to go into teaching for the first time; even sympathisers who have nothing to do with education whatsoever.