Congratulations to everyone receiving their GCSE results today. I am so proud of all our young people who have worked so incredibly hard in the most difficult of circumstances. It has been a challenging time beyond belief, full of uncertainties, and it is testament to their resilience and perseverance and that of their parents, school leaders and teachers that they can celebrate together today. I look forward to supporting all the ambitions of our young people going forward and will continue to do all I can across the city to work alongside them through the next steps of their journey.

Unfortunately, we know that, due to the fallout from the government’s mishandling of this year’s qualifications, students taking BTEC courses will now see a delay in receiving their results. This change was announced just hours before pupils were to receive their grades and therefore, I am working to ensure that all possible support is put in place as a matter of urgency.

Clearly the events of the past week have thrown up more questions than answers about the priorities of this government, their mishandling of the situation and the level of confidence now left in both Ofqual, the examination regulator and the Department for Education itself.

Going forward, we need to ensure that this experience serves as a turning point for our system and that these injustices are never repeated. This ultimately means looking at how we move to more ethical decision-making as a society, where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their potential, and no one has their ambitions held back.